The Grass is Always greener

Kurenai entered the Hokage's office once the receptionist gave her the go ahead. "Ah, Kurenai, glad that you could come. Please, take a seat," Hiruzen said extinguishing his pipe.

"Anytime Lord Hokage. What did Naruto do this time?" Kurenai asked, unsure of what other reason the Hokage would have had to call her out of the blue.

"Relax Kurenai neither you nor your team are in trouble. After a genin team's first C-rank I like to talk to their sensei and see how they're adapting to the shinobi lifestyle. So how are is your team doing?"

"They're doing fine. It seems Naruto has told Hinata and Shino about his "condition" and they've come to accept him. Their teamwork has improved because of it, they are more dedicated to their training than ever, and I plan to enter them into the upcoming chunin exams," Kurenai said pleased with the progress her team was making.

"That's good to hear, they'll make Konoha proud in the tests. I'm sure, however, that there is something concerning you about them. Anything, no detail is too small."

Kurenai thought for a moment unsure if it was something she should tell the Hokage, but ultimately decided she needed to tell someone."Well, there is one thing. I noticed after our first C-rank mission when Naruto's secret came out and he started avoiding the others. What I found was that outside of the team Naruto, Hinata, and Shino don't have any friends their own age. Shino never interacted with anyone in the academy, Hinata was too shy to, and Naruto never went to the academy. When the team was having difficulty, they didn't have anyone their age to turn to."

"I see," Hiruzen said stroking his beard. "I have an idea for that," Hiruzen said after a moment of contemplation. "Bring your team here tomorrow morning for a C-rank mission assignment. It will be a long one so tell your students to prepare accordingly."

"Actually sir I'm not entirely sure that's a good thing. I don't know if my team is ready for another C-rank."

"It's been two weeks since you returned from your last outing out of the village. Granted your C-rank was unusual, but your team needs to get out there again. There will be times when they will go on mission after mission without enough time to truly rest. This mission shouldn't be too grueling, and one more thing Kurenai. I am not encouraging you to take this mission, I am assigning it to your team. Make sure they're here on time, dismissed."


"So what kind of mission do you think we'll be getting?" Naruto asked as the team made their way to the Hokage's Tower.

"The Hokage didn't give me any more info than what I've already told you three, which is about the same amount of information I had when you asked me that same question five minutes ago," Kurenai sighed exasperatedly.

"I bet it's gonna be awesome," Naruto said as they were told they would have to wait for the Hokage to call them in. "So long as it is less "awesome" than our last mission," Shino said adjusting his glasses.

"I-I could also go for l-less 'awesome'," Hinata agreed.

"Eh, it's going to be real boring after what happened last time if there is no "awesome"-ness."

"Hey Hinata, guys, what's up?" The team turned to find Ino walking towards them, her team trailing behind her.

"H-hi Ino, Choji, Shikamaru," Hinata said greeting her old classmates.

"Why're you guys here?" Choji asked.

"Waiting on a mission," Naruto said. "You?"

"Same, heh, so troublesome. Why do we have to go on a C-rank again?" Shikamaru asked his teammates.

"Cause you're so lazy that every other genin team has done more missions than us, geez your complaining really gets on my nerves," Ino answered.

"Hey, uh, where's Asuma?" Kurenai asked when she couldn't find their teacher, and to head off a growing argument.

"Oh, he's outside finishing his cigarette," Ino answered once she stopped glaring at her lazy teammate.

"Of, course he is," Kurenai whispered under her breath.

"Excuse me, Team Eight, Team Ten, The Hokage will see you now. Umm…where is the other jonin?" The group of seven turned towards Hiruzen's secretary.

"I'll go get him, be right back," Kurenai said walking outside. Team Ten looked at one another curiously, while team eight gave each other knowing smirks. Kurenai returned quickly with Asuma trailing behind her and the group filed into Hiruzen's office.

"Welcome, come in, come in," The Hokage said as the two teams entered his office.

"Hey Gramps."

"Gramps!?" Ino, Chouji, and Asuma exclaimed at the same time while Shikamaru just stared at Naruto. Did this kid just say that to the Hokage?

"Gramps, huh? I think it suits you pops," Asuma said trying to hide his chuckling.

"I am the Hokage to you while in this office young man," Hiruzen said sternly, but the others could tell it was in good humor.

"What are you going to do, ground me?" Asuma asked trying to egg his father on.

"Do you want to see what happens when a commanding officer 'grounds' one of their subordinates?"

"No thanks Lord Hokage. So, what mission you got that needs two genin teams?" Asuma asked figuring that's why both teams were called at the same time. All genin turned towards Hiruzen, even Shikamaru despite himself.

"I've called you all for an assignment that I believe suits all your particular skills."

"Come on Gramps don't keep us in suspense here," Naruto said cheekily.

"I could always 'ground' you too Naruto. I'm sure Adair would have some choice words for you should that happen." Naruto opened his mouth, thought better of it and tried to make himself disappear. "There is currently an archaeological excavation going on near the town of Ōkina Toppū. The archaeologists don't think there will be any trouble but there are a few who think looters might attack and try to steal the artifacts. Your mission is to assist them with security until anything valuable has been safely stored away."

"Wait a minute Ōkina Toppū," Naruto said as he fell deep in thought. "That's a town in the Suna Desert, isn't it?"

"Correct Naruto I was about to get to that. The town is indeed in the desert so make sure to prepare accordingly. The mission has a flexible timeline so prepare for a long term mission. Any questions?"

"Yeah, I have one Lord Hokage," Shikamaru said raising his hand.

"Go ahead."

"Shouldn't Suna shinobi be sent on a mission in the Land of Wind? It's their country after all. Why are we taking it?"

"Because the Daimyo of Wind is a loutish idiot who holds onto meaningless grudges over petty insults even to his country's detriment, and the Kazekage is a prideful stubborn ox that can't admit to a mistake, much less apologize for one even if doing so would help his village…" Naruto trailed off when he noticed everyone staring at him. "S-Sensei's words not mine." An Awkward silence descended.

"Well, Adair's not wrong. But I would advise you not to say such things in mixed company." Hiruzen warned getting the meeting back on track. "Besides this was a mission request straight from the Wind Daimyo himself, refusing would be seen as a great insult. And as Naruto said the man does not take insults lightly. Any other questions?" When no one spoke up "Good here is a more detailed briefing on the mission details," Hiruzen said handing a scroll to Asuma. "You are dismissed."

Teams Eight and Ten made their way out of the Hokage's tower and gathered around to talk about what to do next. Asuma started "First thing's first, where's this Ōkina Toppū anyway, and how long will it take us to get there? We'll need to get a map from the library and-"

"I got one right here," Naruto said pulling out a map and unfolding it.

"You just...carry a map with you?" Choji asked.

"Yeah, doesn't everybody?" Naruto asked.

"No," Ino said.

"N-Naruto traveled a-a lot when he w-was younger," Hinata said coming to Naruto's defense.

"Besides you never know when you'll get lost and need a map," Naruto said.

"Did…uh…did that happen a lot?" Ino asked.

"Sh-shut up. Anyway, here's where Ōkina Toppū is," Naruto said pointing to a small dot in the Land of Wind's desert.

"According to the scroll the Hokage gave us the dig site is an hours walk north of the town, and the town is over here that means…meet up at the gate in one hours time." Asuma said.

"Hear that, one hour. Team Eight dismissed!" Kurenai ordered.

"Eh, what she said," Asuma said half-heartedly.

"Great now I have to go find my desert gear, troublesome."

"Does that mean I can't take salty snacks?'

"Would you two knock it off. Sands going to get everywhere."

Team ten continued to bicker as they walked away from the group, Asuma and Kurenai had already disappeared. "You guys ever been to the desert before?" Naruto asked as the three of them started walking.

"N-no I haven't."

"Neither have I."

"I haven't been to the desert for a while, this is going to be fun. Do you guys have good desert gear?"

"I have the standard gear issued to academy students upon their graduation."

"I-I should still have m-mine too."

"What do you guys get with the standard issue?" Naruto asked wondering how it differed from what he and Ziren used.

"Not much, mostly just a cloak and a face covering."

"R-really? That's it?" Naruto asked incredulously.

"With Suna holding dominion over the Land of Wind it is usually rare for a Konoha shinobi to be called on a mission that passes through the desert. As such Konoha does not waste resources on it," Shino explained.

"Oh, man if that's all, you guys have you're going to be miserable," Naruto sighed face-palming.

"I-is it really going to be th-that bad?" Hinata asked growing nervous from Naruto's reactions.

"What do you guys know about the desert?" Naruto asked his teammates.

"It's really h-hot during the d-day," Hinata answered wondering where Naruto was going with this.

"And during the night the temperature drops precipitously."

"Yeah but that's not the worst of it. The wind's constantly blowing, and I don't mean a light breeze, I mean cutting wind. Especially cutting with the sand blowing in your face. We got time, Sensei always caries extras of, well, everything. I bet he has some stuff that you two could use. Come on let's go," Naruto said turning sharply down a side street and heading towards his apartment.

"W-will we have time? I s-still need to f-find where m-my stuff is s-stored."

"Don't worry about it Hinata, I bet you the stuff Sensei and I use is waaay better than what the academy gives out."

"Naruto being the only one of our team with experience traveling in such a climate I do believe it would be foolish of us to decline his offer," Shino said following Naruto.

"O-okay, w-wait up."


Ziren was sitting at the kitchen table poring over various reports, he was supposed to be compiling them to give to another for a presentation, it was tedious work. The door banged open as Naruto and his teammates entered the apartment. "How many times do I have to tell you not to slam the door?" Ziren asked not looking up as Naruto walked into the kitchen.

"Sorry Sensei," Naruto apologized sheepishly.

"What are you three doing here anyway? Shouldn't you guys be off sweeping someone's lawn or on some other D-rank mission?"

"We've been assigned a C-rank," Naruto said happily. "In the desert. Do we still have all that extra survival gear?" Naruto asked. Sighing Ziren turned back to his work.

"The Kazekage and the Wind Daimyo still acting like petulant children I see. It should be in the hall closet, top shelf."

"Th-thanks," Hinata said bowing to Ziren.

"Don't mention it, the desert is ten kinds of miserable without the right gear. With it, it's only five kinds of miserable."

"What an…unusual closet." Hinata turned when she heard Shino and followed the voice back into the hallway. Naruto was rummaging around a closet and Hinata could see why Shino had felt the need to comment on it. Instead of the normal things one found in a closet like towels, blankets, and cleaning supplies; the closet was instead filled with scrolls. Scrolls upon scrolls.

"Here it is," Naruto said stepping down from the stool Hinata hadn't noticed due to her attention being grabbed by the paper filled storage area. Taking the scroll into the living room Naruto unfurled the scroll and with a puff of smoke the floor became littered with gear of various functions.

"A-are all of th-those scrolls s-storage s-seals?"

"Where did you get so many? I ask because there are many of my clan who would like more of them." Shino noted.

"I made them," Naruto boasted proudly. Hinata knew Naruto had some skill in fuuinjutsu but wasn't quite sure how far it extended.

"What else can you make?" Shino asked looking over a few of the other scrolls.

"Well, mostly just storage seals and exploding tags-"

"Don't forget the paint tags! The scourge of many a jerk's house," Ziren said joining the kids in the living room.

"Excuse me Mr. Adair, would you be willing to teach me how to make one of these?" Shino asked holding up one of the storage scrolls.

"I'm the wrong guy to ask, the knucklehead over here is self-taught when it comes to anything fuuinjutsu. I have horrendous penmanship and my seals never work right."

"W-what happens?" Hinata asked curious about the consequences of improperly drawing seals.

"I…uh…I'd rather not talk about it, and don't you dare say a thing," Ziren said pointing a finger accusingly at Naruto. Naruto just chuckled at some distant memory.

"You taught yourself how to make these?" Shino asked incredulously.

"Sensei found me some books while traveling and I taught myself no problem."

"If it was no problem why do you still have trouble making anything else?" Ziren asked cheekily.

"Sh-shut up," Naruto huffed. "I just don't get the relationship between the chakra matrices and the more advanced symbols. The books were all for beginners."

"Hey just be grateful for those books, the only place to get them are shinobi villages and they don't give up such treasures lightly," Ziren chided leaning down to start sifting through the gear Naruto essentially dropped on the ground.

"Naruto what is this?" Shino asked holding up another scroll Naruto had brought from the closet. Written sloppily along one side were the words 'Anti-Ghost Gear'.

"Hey, we're going to an old ruin, right? What if we find a ghost and it's hostile?" Naruto asked completely serious.

"You believe that we will find a…a ghost and will need to fight it?" Shino asked disbelief dripping from his voice. The inquisitive part of him wanted to find out what was contained within, the skeptic in him didn't want to give the ridiculous concept any credibility.

"R-really Naruto, a gh-ghost?" Hinata added also in surprised by this side of Naruto.

"What? Don't look at me like that. We could come across a ghost and if we do then we'll really need this stuff," Naruto said desperately trying to get his friends to see his side of things.

"Naruto stop being ridiculous," Ziren said a desert cloak in hand. "You're going to the desert; you need the anti-mummy gear." Shino's and Hinata's head both turned towards Naruto's adoptive father when he said that.

"Oh right! Thanks, Sensei!" Naruto shouted leaping to his feet and running to the hallway. Hinata and Shino looked at one another but could only offer the other a shrug.

"Don't be like that," Ziren said watching the two.

"B-but ghosts, m-mummy's?" Hinata stuttered out.

"Do you think such thinking and ideas conducive to Naruto's growth?" Shino asked.

"When you see the world the way Naruto and I do. There are strange things out there."

"So you have faced their likes before then?" Shino asked. Ziren looked away while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Not…exactly, but I know they're out there. Mark my words," Ziren said defensively.

"But you don't have any proof of them, how can yo-"

"Oh look at the time I need to go turn in this mission report," Ziren said standing up abruptly. "Naruto make sure to clean up when you're done," Ziren said as Naruto walked back in, the anti-mummy scroll in hand.

"Your leaving?"

"Yeah I gotta go. You stay safe and be careful, okay?" Ziren said stepping forward and hugging Naruto. Hinata felt a pang of jealousy at the affectionate display.

"Don't worry I will, besides somebody's gotta watch these two."

"A-actually I think that M-Mr. Adair asked m-me to w-watch you, remember?" Hinata smiled as Naruto sputtered to try to come up with a comeback while Ziren laughed.

"True, true. Keep him out of trouble okay Hinata. And Shino make sure Naruto doesn't drag Hinata into too much trouble."

"I make no promises, often they overrule me two to one," Shino said adjusting his glasses.

"Oh really?" Naruto said crossing his arms. "What about that time we pranked those guys tormenting the ant colonies. I don't remember you trying to stop us."

"I can neither confirm nor deny such accusations." Shino said evenly.

"P-pretty sure y-you were the m-most excited over th-that one."

"As you can see they often team up on me," Shino told Ziren.

"Uh-huh, Naruto we'll talk about that later. Just stay safe you three, and make sure to take lots of extra water."

"Will do Sensei."

"Good, take care guys," Ziren said waving as he left the apartment.

"Okay!" Naruto said clapping his hands together. "Let's get this stuff straitened."


Shikamaru leaned against a nearby tree, one of the few in the badlands between the forest and the true desert, to catch his breath. Kurenai had set a somewhat grueling, at least for the lazy genin, pace. "Here," Shikamaru's best friend, Choji, said handing him a water bottle and a protein bar. Thanking him Shikamaru drank, but held off on the protein bar for now. The Akamichi clan were wizards with food, yet even they couldn't make a protein bar that didn't taste like biting into wet bark. Choji, of course, was already on his second one.

While traveling, the Nara had observed the interactions between the team they were traveling with and his own team. Despite the somewhat hurried pace the blond-haired boy, Naruto, wasn't even winded. During the course of his observations Shikamaru had noticed his teacher, Asuma, acting differently around Team Eight's teacher. He was pretty sure he knew why, but it wasn't any of his business and Ino would have been insufferably troublesome if he said anything. Speaking of his own loud, blond teammate he had noticed something interesting. Ever since they left the village she had taken steps to avoid Shino. Shikamaru hoped it wasn't because of what happened on their joint training event way back when, but he also knew she could hold a grudge. Granted he wouldn't be too happy if he were to be completely engulfed by a bug swarm.

"We're camping for the night, right?" Shikamaru asked as he looked up at the setting sun.

"Nope," Asuma said pulling off his backpack.

"Wait, what? Why?" Ino asked.

"Indeed I too must ask why. Travelling by night can be dangerous and should be avoided if possible," Shino added.

"You guys really haven't been to the desert before, have you?" Naruto asked pulling out his desert gear. "You never travel in the desert during the middle of the day or the middle of the night. You always want to do it at morning and during evening."

"Correct," Kurenai said wrapping a cloak around her and urging Shino and Hinata to follow suit. "The desert has two extremes of hot and cold. The safest way to travel is to move between these two times."

"So we have to keep going?" Shikamaru whined.

"We can stop. That just means we'll have to travel through a sea of sand at about…120 degrees. I mean it's your choice," Asuma said in such a way that said it really wasn't Shikamaru's choice.

"How troublesome."

"Come on, we get to see the sunset over the desert. You guys are going to love it!" Naruto shouted. Shikamaru really didn't like high energy people.


Shikamaru hated to admit it, but that sunset was beautiful. The shadows created by the dunes grew longer and the sky turned a magnificent shade of crimson, bathing the sands below in striking reds and oranges. Of course, the beautiful view did nothing to alleviate how uncomfortable the heat was. He was hot, so very, very hot. Sweat poured from his skin and he had sand in places that shouldn't have sand. The stupid travel cloaks the academy had provided were almost less than worthless. They protected his skin from the sun but only made the sweating worse. Choji was faring worst of all, he was panting heavily and Asuma had put his foot down on not eating any salty snacks. The Akamichi was at first resistant to this idea but quickly understood why when the heat kicked in. It was so hot that even Ino had stopped talking in an attempt to cool off. If there was any silver lining to this, it was the fact that Shikamaru could feel it growing cooler. But Shikamaru was a Nara and he was already prepared to complain about it being too cold.

"How…much…longer?" Choji panted out.

"We still got a few hours. Come on guys it'll get easier as it cools down," Asuma said looking out over the horizon.

"Although we can probably take a quick break," Kurenai put in, she had been to the desert on missions before but she would never get used to it.

"That…sounds like a…good idea," Shino panted out, his voice muffled by a scarf covering his face. He, Hinata and Naruto were wearing identical hot weather gear, cloaks heavy enough to block the sun but light enough to allow air to move through them. Their faces were covered by a veil of the same material and they each wore goggles protecting their eyes from the sand laden winds. The party stopped to rest in the shade of a high sand dune.

"If we climb this dune here we can get a good view of the setting sun, come on Hinata, Shino, let's go," Naruto said ascending the pile of sand.

"J-just a m-moment," Hinata panted once more floored by Naruto's sheer amount of stamina. Here they were trekking across a sea of sand and Naruto was excited to see a sunset, she would have been ecstatic for just a drink of water that wasn't near boiling. Jealousy filled Hinata as she saw Naruto waiting halfway up the dune for her and Shino, but then she remembered why he had so much energy and the feeling of jealousy quickly left her.

"You…two…go ahead…without…me," Shino panted out sweat beading his forehead.

"Hey you okay Shino?" Naruto asked when he noticed that his teammate was sweating more heavily than the others.

"Our hives…make…maintaining…our body…heat more…difficult than it is…for someone without them. I just…need more time to…cool down."

"Okay we'll be up there then." Shino thumbed up as he placed his hands on his knees and continued trying to cool himself down.

Naruto turned and continued up the sand dune. Hinata tried to keep up with him but kept falling behind when the sand she was standing on kept sliding out from under her. Naruto, she noticed, was not having this issue. "H-how are you n-not slipping in the s-sand?" Hinata finally brought herself to ask.

"Huh, didn't I tell you guys about it?" Naruto asked turning back to look at his teammate. "Oh crap I didn't!" Naruto exclaimed looking thoroughly embarrassed. "I meant to tell you guys earlier. I was so excited to be traveling again that it slipped my mind. Here look at my feet. No with your Byakugan." Hinata did so and saw that Naruto was extending chakra out from his feet securing the sand he was standing on. "Sensei calls it sand walking. He taught it to me along with tree walking. I was going to tell you guys about it but I forgot. You just use chakra to hold the sand in place. It's really easy, you try."

Thinking the technique would make the trip easier Hinata decided to give it a try. Gathering her chakra Hinata focused it on her feet. The effect was instantaneous. The sand below her feet hardened. Hinata felt a sense of triumph, quickly supplanted by fear as her little platform began sinking. "Whoa, stop, stop, stop, stop!" Naruto gabbed Hinata around the waist and pulled up as she kept sinking. Hinata cut off her chakra supply just as the sand reached her thighs.

"Wh-wh-what was th-that!?" Hinata asked as Naruto helped her get back on her feet.

"I forgot to warn you about that, sorry. It's been so long since Sensei taught me. You did it like tree walking right where you draw yourself to the tree right?"

"Y-yeah I was. Was I n-not supposed t-to?" Hinata asked dusting sand off her clothes.

"If you do that you draw yourself into the sand. You just need to harden the sand. Watch me again." Hinata once more activated her Byakugan and watched Naruto's chakra more closely. Once she thought she knew how it moved she tried again. She didn't sink through the sand this time, thankfully. She shifted her weight and found the ground underneath her to be solid. "I knew you could do it easy. Come on the sun should be at just the right point," Naruto said hurrying up the rest of the way up the sand dune. Hinata followed, and almost fell face first into the sand. The chakra coming from her feet made it feel like she was walking with two planks of wood strapped to her feet. Watching how Naruto did it Hinata figured out how to modulate the chakra flow to prevent the awkward stuck feeling. It wasn't perfect, she would need to practice more, but it was better than the ground sliding out from under her foot with every step.

Walking awkwardly Hinata finally made it to the top of the dune. Making sure her feet were stable Hinata looked up, and felt her breath get taken away. She had seen the sky change color as the sun had set, but the group was traveling between the dunes, not up and over. Standing up here she had an unobstructed view of the beauty sprawling before her. The sun was but a bar of light on the horizon, the sky was a dark crimson and the shadows cast by the dunes made it look like Hinata was standing on a cresting wave of a black and red ocean. The wind blowing the sand across the surface of the many dunes created a soft hissing sound that filled the air. The entire experience was surreal and it made Hinata acutely aware of one very important fact. She was ignorant.

As heiress to the Hyῡga she had access to some of the best education on the continent. Yet for all the books she could read, for all the lectures she could listen to, and all the tutors willing to teach her, she could never truly experience anything like this. Realizing her mouth was hanging open Hinata closed it with a click. She turned towards Naruto and found him with a smile so big his eyes were closed. "Amazing, isn't it?" He asked as he turned to look at the scenery before them.

"I-It is," Hinata said in wonderment as the sun continued disappearing beyond the horizon. "Y-you saw stuff l-like this all the t-time when you w-were traveling?"

"Well, not all the time. But Sensei did take me to see all sorts of really cool things. Like the ocean, have you ever seen the ocean?" Hinata shook her head. "It's humbling, Sensei and I were on a boat once far from shore, water as far as the eye could see in all directions. Another time when we were way up north where it snows all year long the night lit up with all sorts of colors, like a giant shifting rainbow that filled the entire sky. Then there was the time when Sensei and I were on a mountain top and were above the clouds, it was like a sea of fluffy white cotton with waves and everything."

"Y-you've been all o-over the place, huh?"

"Yeah, Sensei and I have traveled through every country on the continent. We've see so much."

"I'm jealous. This is o-only the s-second time I've e-even left the v-village, y-yet you've gone to s-so many places, seen so m-many things, t-talked to so many p-people. I've o-only seen my c-clan compound and only t-talked to my family. Y-yet you've been to big c-cities and seen s-such beautiful s-sights," Hinata finished waving towards the now almost completely set sun. Naruto chuckled causing Hinata to once again turn towards him.

"Actually I was going to say that I was jealous of you. Yeah I've seen a bunch of things. Yeah Sensei and I have been everywhere but…we don't have anywhere we can call home."

"B-but d-don't you live in K-Konoha?"

"Well yeah, Sensei and I live in Konoha, and it's nice and all. But neither of us call it home. Not like you and Shino do. I can sense it in your chakra when you talk about Konoha, how much pride you two have in it, even if you don't like everything you still love it. Sensei and I have been everywhere but we've never really belonged anywhere, not like you. I mean, heck, we've stayed in Konoha longer than anywhere else I can remember. But it's still not home. And no home means no real friends. Sensei and I have acquaintances, but you were my first real friend Hina. We can see all this scenery but we have nowhere to return to, no one to share it with." Naruto released a mirthless chuckle "The grass really is greener on the other side, huh?"

"W-well you h-have somewhere to go b-back to n-now don't you? I-I mean you have f-friends now, right? Y-You were a-also my first r-real friend t-too. And o-once we're done we all can go back to K-Konoha together. To our home. A-and then a-after we rest w-we can go on an-another mission t-together and y-you can show me m -more of these a-amazing sights. W-we're a team n-now, a-and we're f-friends." Naruto remained quiet, he probably would've shed a tear if the air didn't sap the moisture from his face the moment it formed.

"Y-yeah we're a team, and friends." Naruto said a smile splitting his face. "We can go home after the mission huh? I can't wait! Next time there's this one place that has the bes-"

"Naruto, Hinata! Break's over let's go!" The pair turned as Kurenai's voice drifted up to them.

"W-we have a m-mission to finish, l-let's go." As Hinata turned to head down the dune she felt Naruto's arms wrap around her in a tight hug.

"Thanks Hina," Naruto whispered before he quickly let go and scampered down the hill of sand. Hinata once again felt her breath get taken away. She pulled out her water bottle and splashed herself in the face. At this rate she was going to overheat.

"W-wait for me."


Ziren adjusted his flak jacket as he entered the ready room. He had sewn on a few extra pockets and the balance was slightly off, he would need to adjust it later. Ziren sat down one of the available chairs and surveyed the room. The ready room was a place where shinobi waited to receive orders from their commanders. Generally, only the new genin met with the Hokage. Hiruzen liked to give the new recruits a sense of grandeur to their first couple of missions.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Kurenai's adulterer?" Ziren turned to find a purple-haired woman standing in front of him. Ziren narrowed his eyes for a moment before a light bulb went off in his head.

"Ah right you're Anko, Kurenai's friend."

"That I am. You waiting on a mission?"

"Not at all, I just like the décor."

"Fair enough walked right into that one."

"Didn't Kurenai say you were in the Torture and Intelligence Department. I thought you guys mostly worked domestic."

"We mostly do, but sometimes we get assigned to mission that go outside the village."

"True but isn't that usually the intelligence part, I thought you were in the Torture half."

"The best torturer in the torture half thank you very much."

"Really, cause I'm pretty sure there's this one guy named Morino who would dispute that."

"How do you even know who that is?"

"Well I could tell you, but I would probably end up in a court martial if I did."

"No wonder Ibiki's interested you."

"Wait he's what?"

"Yeah, it's actually disturbing when he's interested in someone like that. I wonder why you haven't been assigned to our department yet?"

"Honestly I don't know why I haven't been assigned yet, I was pretty sure I was going to be slotted into the Intelligence division. Guess Hiruzen has other plans for me."

"Commander Nara will see you now."

The pair looked up as a clerk walked up to them. "Her or me?" Ziren asked not sure who he was talking to.

"Both." Anko and Ziren looked at one another as the clerk walked away.

"Guess we're in on this together then, huh?"

"Me and the adulterer, should be fun."

"Why do you keep calling me that?" Ziren asked as he followed Anko into Shikaku Nara's office. There were already two others in the office besides the Nara himself. The first was a…woman?...definitely a woman. It was somewhat difficult to determine because of the heavy grey coat she wore, not helping were the iconic sunglasses covering her eyes. The other person was…"Ko?" The Hyῡga turned towards Ziren and gave a shallow bow in form of greeting.

"Sir Adair."

"You know each other, good that'll make this less troublesome," Shikaku said as Ziren and Anko took up positions next to the other two. "The mission you four are being assigned is highly classified, highly dangerous. Any second thoughts?" When no one said anything Shikaku continued. "This man here is Ziren Adair, he has recently joined our ranks. When he joined, he provided intelligence on a variety of subjects of interest to the village. Among these reports were possible locations for Orochimaru's hidden laboratories."

"What!?" Anko shouted. She quieted up when Shikaku glared at her.

"We have found a currently active hideout. You four will be acting as advance scouts. You will survey the area, the lab itself, and you will establish a base camp that we will be able to attack from. Any questions so far?"

"Yes sir, I do."

"Go ahead Shinobu," Shikaku said indicating the up to that point silent Aburame.

"How is it we will contact you when all preparations are complete?"

"You will be using this scroll. Once you have all preparations complete you will activate it."

"Is Orochimaru going to be there?" Anko asked next not waiting to for Shikaku's leave. Ziren looked askance at the woman, curious as to her change in behavior.

"From what we have gathered no you shouldn't encounter him. However, be vigilant it's possible you'll run into him. As far as everyone outside this room is concerned you four are being sent on a routine border patrol. The area you'll be surveying is a mountainous region to the northeast."

"The spot outside the resort town?" Ziren asked.

"That's the one, means I don't have to explain its location. You know the area best, and seem to have some experience hiding your tracks. Adair you're leading this mission."

"Sir I must object," Anko said stepping forward. "I know Orochimaru better than anyone in the village. I should lead this miss-"

"That's enough Mitarashi!" Shikaku shouted silencing the kunoichi. "Your experience regarding Orochimaru is invaluable to this mission. That is why you are being assigned to it in the first place. But you are much too close to this to lead. Understood?" At first it seemed as though Anko wasn't going to back down, but with an effort of self-control she nodded and stepped back. "If that's all, I'll finish going over the finer details of your mission. You are not to speak of this among one another until after you have left the village. Now pay attention cause I'm not going over this a second time and we can't afford to have any of this in writing. Let's finish up."


The sun had just risen as Teams Eight and Ten trudged their way into Ōkina Toppū. "We're finally here," Ino said.

"Remember that this is only a pit stop, the dig site's about an hour north of the town," Kurenai said dampening Ino's spirit once again.

"But we can stop here and rest for a while," Asuma said.

"At least there's shade here," Choji noted as the group passed under the shade cast by a merchant's awning.

"Let's just find a place to sit down," Shikamaru said tiredly. He was tired, hot, and there hadn't been any clouds to look at for a full day now.

Out of the corner of his eyes Shikamaru saw a couple of locals whispering to each other and pointing at them. They were well off the beaten path, plus eight Konoha shinobi would be conspicuous anywhere that wasn't Konoha. The group finally made it to the town square. Stalls and awnings lined the area, merchants hawking their wares and workers moving said wares about. The whispers and stares followed the group as they approached the well in the center of the square. Shikamaru felt uncomfortable under the intense scrutiny. His hand itched to move towards his weapon pouch, granted that would most likely only make things worse. Kurenai and Asuma and the other genin were also on edge, even the normally oblivious Choji had noticed the looks they were getting. The only one who didn't seem to notice was Naruto. Although as Shikamaru watched his temporary teammate more closely he noticed that Naruto had in fact noticed all the attention they were getting, he was just the only one who seemed comfortable with it.

They made it to the well and Naruto hauled on a rope pulling up a water filled bucket. "Who needs a refill?" Naruto asked as he filled his water skin.

"Are you sure that is allowed?" Shino asked even as he licked his chapped lips.

"So long as you're not greedy the people around here won't say no." Naruto said holding out his hand for Hinata's water skin.

"Th-thanks," Hinata said. "W-what's the p-plan from h-here?"

"Can I recommend we eat some actual food?" Choji asked somehow managing to drool despite the dry air as he watched a nearby vendor prepare some breakfast to sell.

"I'm okay with that," Kurenai said taking her turn to fill up on water. "I love sampling the local food when I travel."

"I'll drink to that. I hate field rations," Asuma said taking a deep drink of his canteen.

"Um…where did Naruto go?" Ino asked once she finished hydrating.

"O-over there," Hinata said pointing over her shoulder. Naruto had drifted from the group and was currently talking to a pair of older men, seemed to be a nice conversation as one of the men started laughing.

"Is that okay?" Asuma asked Kurenai.

"He grew up moving place to place, probably has more experience talking to strangers than we do. He probably won't offend them. Though, Hinata keep an eye out for any of his pranks okay."

"So after we have eaten, what then?" Shino asked as Hinata turned to watch Naruto.

"Well The dig site is still…still…Naruto's still got the map," Asuma said patting himself down. "It's just up north from here. I figure it won't be hard to spot from a distance. Shouldn't take us more than an hour."

"I got a better idea." The group, minus Hinata, turned to regard Naruto, who had walked up on them while they weren't looking. "I was just talking to a guy who makes deliveries out to the dig site. He says that the area north of here is infested with some nasty scorpions. Plus, sink holes' form seemingly at random. There's a road between the town and the site, people traveled to the location long before it started getting dug up."

"An actual road oh thank goodness. No more sand," Ino said breathing a sigh of relief.

"Uh…I wasn't done. The guy I was talking is going to make a delivery soon, he offered to let us hitch a ride on one of his carts."

"Wait what? He just offered to give us a ride?" Shikamaru asked, his shinobi trained paranoia kicking in.

"Yeah, most of the people working at the site are from around here. They have people from some university working there, but most of the actual manual labor is done by locals. The guy doing the deliveries has a brother and half a dozen cousins working there. Eight shinobi means that raiders will think twice about attacking."

"What are we waiting for then? Let's get some food and not have to walk any further than necessary," Choji said happily.

"If it was offered, my feet could use a break," Kurenai said.

"I ain't going to argue let's go." Asuma said putting his canteen away.


Anko got the fire going while Ziren was busy preparing two rabbits he had managed to hit with some shuriken. They had left Konoha almost immediately and had moved fast. They were going to camp here for the night and make it to the mission area the next day. Since they couldn't risk a fire near the hidden lab this was their last chance to have a warm meal. Kō and Shinobu were currently securing the perimeter leaving Ziren and Anko alone. "I had a couple of questions I wanted to ask you." Anko sighed heavily before turning to Ziren.

"Right, you wouldn't know. When I was younger Orochimaru took me on as his apprentice. At least that's what he told everyone, the truth was that I was a lab rat to him. He experimented on me then left me to rot when Konoha caught on to his illegal activities. I will say this once. I have no loyalties to that snake bastard, and my greatest hope is to one day see his head staked on a pike outside Konoha's gates as a warning to anyone else thinking of betraying the village. I will not have my loyalty to Konoha questioned. I want this mission to succeed more than even the Hokage does. You don't have to worry about me sabotaging or betraying the mission," Anko said definitively.

"That's all well and good but I wasn't going to question your loyalty."

"You weren't?"

"No. Shikaku and Hiruzen know you better than I do. They're not stupid, if they're not questioning your loyalty I see no reason for me to."

"O-oh…thanks. Ever since Orochimaru left everyone always thinks I'm going to betray the village at the first opportunity."

"The man experimented on you. Why would you want to go back?"

"You'd be surprised at the kind of meaningless grudges the people of Konoha can hold."

"No, I really wouldn't."

"If you weren't going to ask about my loyalties what were you going to ask me about."

"I was going to ask about that mark on your neck." Ziren said skewering the prepared rabbits.

"This?" Anko's hand went to her neck, scratching at a trio of tomoe marks. "A mistake, from my troubled youth," Anko said trying to laugh off the question.

"One thing you need to know about me Anko is that I'm the best sensor you will ever meet. That mark is a simple tattoo the same way I'm a simple merchant. You want to keep my trust, don't lie to me. The chakra coming off that thing is giving me the creeps."

"It's Orochimaru's chakra. This is what I meant by experimenting. He gave…he forced it on me. If I invoke it it gives me incredible chakra and strength, but I can feel his presence through it. Clawing and scratching at my consciousness, at my soul."

"You lose yourself when you use it?"

"If only that's all. The influence is deeper than that."

"Is it a problem, or going to be a problem?"

"I haven't had to use it in years, and even then, the situation was life threatening. My will is stronger than it, it won't control me." Ziren nodded in understanding.

"Thanks for telling me, they're back," Ziren said as Kō and Shinobu walked up to the fire.

"The camp is set up and the perimeter is secured," Kō said taking a seat.

"Is this to be our last hot meal before mission start?" Shinobu asked choosing to remain standing.

"Right on the money," Ziren said checking the rabbits. "So, Shinobu, tell me your story."

"I apologize but…my story?"

"Yeah we're going to be working together and as leader I need to know who we're working with. I know Kō's story, and I just heard Anko's story, so what's yours?"

"There is not much to tell. I am an Aburame. My Kikaichῡ make me ideal for scouting and intelligence gathering missions. I know a small number of fire ninjutsu, but my main focus lies in the use of clan techniques. Any questions?"

"No that about covers it."

"And what of you team leader? You have asked for my story, what is yours?"

"Like you I'm afraid there's not much to tell."

"That does not correspond to what I have heard."

"Oh," Ziren said raising an eyebrow. "And what have you heard?"

"You recently joined the village by defecting as to avoid annoying legal matters, you claim to be a simple merchant yet remain tight-lipped about your assets, your skill in kenjutsu is exemplary, your sensory skill is second to none, and your apprentice is on the same team as the Aburame clan heir."

Ziren sat back, impressed at the breadth of her knowledge. "That's fairly comprehensive, how…how do you know so much about me?"

"Your apprentice is on the same team as an Aburame," Anko spoke up removing a finished rabbit from the fire.

"Why do you say that like it should explain things?" Ziren asked.

"Aburame like Shinobu here look and talk all reserved like, right? But that's only outside the family, what most people don't realize is that within the clan compound the Aburame become huge gossip mongers," Anko said biting into the juicy meat.

"And by what authority do you speak of the Aburame so?" Shinobu said, her monotonous voice gaining the slightest inflection.

"Dated one a few years ago for a while. I'm not criticizing your clan at all. I respect how close you all are to one another. It's heart-warming." Shinobu was slightly taken aback by Anko's frank honesty, before bowing in thanks.

"So you heard all about me from Shino, huh? I cannot see him doing that?" Ziren said trying to reconcile the image of the quiet withdrawn boy and someone who would be part of the gossip mill.

"To be fair to Shino he doesn't talk about such things to most people. Unfortunately for him his mother is the most active member of the gossip mill. She is incessant, and well respected. From what I hear she often weasels information from her family." Shinobu said accepting a hunk of rabbit.

"Shino's mother, huh? Did not see that coming. I thought she wasn't from the Aburame clan though? I guess sometimes you really do just find your place sometimes." Ziren said introspectively.

"I have noticed your clan is far more accepting of fraternization with those outside the clan," Kō said finally speaking up.

"What's up Hyῡga, jealous?" Anko said teasingly.

"Maybe." That put Anko off balance.

"O-oh." Was all she could say. The atmosphere around the fire grew awkward.

"I'll take first watch," Ziren said cutting through the tension. "Get rest, we leave at first light. We have a, to borrow a catchphrase, troublesome mission tomorrow."


The two carts trundled along the packed dirt road. The lead cart was driven by an older man and held multiple large jugs of water. The cart behind was being driven by the man's son and was laden by packed and preserved foodstuffs. Littered amongst these edible delights were the Konoha Shinobi. "So what exactly is this place?" Naruto asked. He was currently sitting shotgun next to the man driving the lead cart. "I mean, this road seems pretty old. I doubt it was made for the dig…thing going on."

"Oh, it's a real old place, called the Tomb of the Wise Man. People have been making pilgrimages out to it for years. Long before Ōkina Toppū was founded. My grandpa told me that the Wind Daimyo himself would come out every now and then. You know, that's a sign a man respects tradition, shows humility. This latest Daimyo hasn't come out once, not once. Where's the respect in that." Naruto listened patiently as the older man continued to ramble about the younger generations lack of respect.

"Your dad and Naruto seem to be getting along huh?" Ino asked the second driver, a young boy the same age as the genin.

"Y-yeah my dad um rambles and um uh It seems that y-your friend is willing to uh listen." The youth was obviously nervous having Ino sit next to him and kept shooting glances at her before catching himself and looking back at the road. Kurenai smiled as she watched the two. The boy obviously didn't have much experience with the opposite gender.

Looking back up Kurenai continued her scrutiny of the rock spire that was steadily getting bigger. They were almost at their destination. The spire itself wasn't very tall, but it was the only thing elevated out here. They were on the edge of the sands so that the dunes weren't higher than two feet. This close Kurenai could make out what looked like canvas walls erected around the spire, now that she was close enough, she realized it was to keep the sand out.

"Do you think that bandits will really attack?" Naruto asked once he could get a word in edgewise.

"Well…a lot of these old graves got a lot of treasure in them. Why? I don't know, just something they did. But I doubt that raiders will go after eight trained shinobi. Most of them are just layabouts who don't want to get a real job. We're here," The man finished as he waved to a few men standing guard at the entrance to the canvas walls. The guards held spears in their hands and scimitars at their hips. They waved to the driver but stepped forward when they spotted the shinobi.

"Halt and state your business!" One of them shouted in a commanding tone. "We're Shinobi of Konoha, hired to defend this place," Asuma said stepping down from the lead cart.

"I am assuming you have proof of your claims." Asuma stepped forward and produced a scroll. The older of the guards looked the scroll over before nodding. "It checks, welcome. Report in at the main tent. It's the biggest tent, can't miss it.

The guards parted and let the carts enter as they waved to the driver and his son. A few men were waiting beyond the gate preparing to unload the food. They stopped when they saw the Shinobi. "Quit your gawking and help me unload!" The driver shouted hopping from the cart and grabbing a water jug. Shrugging, the group got to work unloading the food and water.

"Form up! Let's go," Asuma said leading the group through the entrance. Those guards at the entrance weren't just any run-of-the-mill hired muscle. Asuma didn't know why the Wind Daimyo's elite guards were here, the scimitars gave them away, but he wasn't going to let Konoha lose face in front of them.

Once they were out of the crowd they finally got a good look at the compound itself. Multiple tents were set around the perimeter of the area. Workers were seeing to their duties, digging, moving sand, or sifting the dirt that was dug up. The sound of activity filled the area as people went about their business, a few stopped to look at the newcomers, but quickly went back to their jobs. In the center stood the jutting formation of sandstone that was the tomb. A trench had been dug around the spire and men were down among the dirt digging and even using the odd brush here and there. Out of the corner of her eye Hinata noticed an opening in the stone, that must be the entrance.

"Gah! What are those?" The group jumped as Choji shouted from their midst. Looking to where he was pointing. Off in the corner row upon row of what looked like statues sat staring back at them. Naruto moved closer to get a better look at them.

"Naruto leave them, we need to check in with the head archaeologist," Kurenai said after the boy.

"Hold up I sense chakra!" Naruto shouted back. And he did sense a faint amount of chakra coming from the bizarre statues. They were made of sandstone and stood four feet in height. They were of a crude design, where there should have been hands, instead their arms ended in blunt clubs. Most disconcerting was their face, or lack thereof. They possessed no mouth and deep holes where their eyes should have been, giving them a disconcerting vacant expression. Naruto's eyes finally made it up to the statues forehead where the most interesting feature lied. Three runes in a language Naruto didn't recognize were deeply etched into the sandstone forming the creatures head. The whole thing was infused with trace amounts of chakra, but Naruto couldn't figure its source or point. It was too little to do anything.

"Hey you! What are you doing here? This area is for authorized personnel only!" Naruto stepped back from the statues as a young man stormed up to him. "Those are fragile artifacts and need to be properly stored. How did you get in here anyway? Who are yo-" The young bespectacled man stopped up short when he spotted Naruto's headband. "You're the shinobi the professor asked for?"

"One of them, yeah," Naruto replied pointing over his shoulder. "Excellent, the professor wanted to meet you as soon as you showed up. Please follow me. Quickly now, hurry!" The man hurried off towards a large open awning, not even bothering to make sure the others were following him.

The shinobi stepped under the awning and were greeted by numerous people sifting through handfuls of dirt, cleaning off bits and pieces of one thing or another, and cataloguing everything cleaned. "So you're the shinobi our Daimyo called for?" They turned to find an older woman who appeared to be in her late fifties or early sixties, yet still fit. Her greying hair was done up in a tight bun and her eyeglasses were dangling around her neck on a lanyard. "Welcome to the Tomb of the Wise Man."