Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's Lost Property, High School DxD, or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.


Authors Note (A/N): Hey everyone I'm back. I left everyone on a little bit of a cliffhanger last chapter so here I am to rectify that problem. Some answers and more questions are what this chapter is all about so strap yourself's in for this one. I hope you enjoy it.


Chapter 9

The Demon Brothers

Sofiya Pavlovena. Otherwise known as Balalaika. She is the leader of the Mafia of the Village Hidden in the Stone. While the leaf's mafia is called The Jasmine Dragons the Hidden Stone's is called Hotel Moscow. Since the beginning Naruto has known that the Leafs greatest rival has been the Hidden Stone. It was common knowledge to all of the Shinobi and civilians in the village. So Naruto wasn't that surprised after joining the Mafia to learn that their main rivals were from the Hidden Stone. What he didn't know however was who their leader was. No one ever spoke of her name and especially around Shoko so Naruto remained in the dark about that fact.

Shoko was reluctant to say much but she only spoke a little on who Balalaika was. The woman's real name is Sofiya Pavlovena. She was an Elite Jōnin who fought for the Hidden Stone during the Third Shinobi World War. From what Shoko told him, Balalaika was the strongest person in the Hidden Stones army outside of the Third Tsuchikage and a very few individuals that you could count on one hand. She was the general and commanding officer for all of the shinobi of the Stone during the time of the war. While Shoko said that she already had somewhat of a name for herself growing up because of her prestigious and prodigy like talent it wasn't until the war broke out that Balalaika really made a true name for herself.

Shoko told him that she fought against Balalaika numerous times during the war but almost all of them ended in a draw which was caused because of a signal for retreat or with Shoko being beaten by Balalaika and having to be rescued by her teammates. Shoko also told him that the intimidating woman was so strong that she was easily able to fight off the man who would later go on to be the Fourth Hokage. Hearing this Naruto was naturally shocked since he secretly looked up to the Fourth and loved the stories of his strength during the War. To know that the Fourth couldn't outright beat her and the fact that she could easily match him left Naruto with a deep impression for the Mafia head. Naruto was also shocked to hear the Shoko never once beat the other woman and when Naruto asked if there was a person who was strong enough to beat her Shoko clammed up and refused to talk about it.

Shoko also briefly revealed to him that part of the reason why Balalaika was so powerful was because of a unique Kekkei Genkai that she uses in a unique and terrifying way that affects the surrounding land around her to a very large degree. Shoko told him that the woman's Kekkei Genkai allowed her to do wide area affect Ninjutsu and it made it nearly impossible to get close to her. Shoko never explained what the Kekkei Genkai was called or what it does but Shoko told Naruto that not only is it one of the most power Ninjutsu in the world currently but it is something that no one can currently go against.

Naruto also curiously asked Shoko how Balalaika got the scars around her body. When he asked that a look Naruto has never seen before crossed over Shoko's eyes. It was a look of pain, sadness, anger, regret, grief, and so much more. When she looked at him it was as if she was looking through him to a person only she could see. It was a haunted look that squeezed at Naruto's heart as he didn't want to see a look like that on the person who he cares for so much and who he looks up too. Shoko never answered that question and while Naruto was now curious about the answer he then decided it was best to leave it alone.

Naruto also learned that Balalaika was the name Sofiya want's everyone to call her by and she changed it after an accident during the war. Naruto's sharp mind naturally assumed it was probably the same accident that gave her those scars but he never brought it up since Shoko wasn't doing too good with revealing all of this information to Naruto. Naruto now understood why the older woman reacted the way she did in the Casino the night before when Shoko called her by her real name.

Hearing all of this Naruto now understood why Shoko was acting the way she was acting and why she refused to leave the village. Naruto was well aware of the fact that Balalaika was still in the village. Naruto was also deeply concerned about this as well. If what Shoko said was true with how powerful Balalaika is then there are only a few people in the village that could possibly take her on. The Hokage of course; Mr. Dino who despite his normally cheerful personality was actually a powerful Kage level ex-shinobi just like Shoko. Another would be Danzō Shimura. Despite the old man's fragile appearance the Hokage told Naruto that Danzō was currently one of the strongest and most experienced shinobi in the village and could have easily been the Hokage since he has Kage level abilities. The only other people Naruto could think of would be either Jiraiya or Tsunade of the Legendary Sannin but both have been out of the village for years. Naruto also heard that Kakashi Hatake and another ninja named Might Guy are the top Jōnin in the village and the strongest of their generation. While certainly believing the hype for their names especially after seeing a brief glimpse at Kakashi's skills during the bell test Naruto also knew that the two of them were not yet Kage level much less at the level of Balalaika if the warnings and information Shoko gave him is any indication.

With this in mind the protection of the entire village rest in the hands of three very old Shinobi who are all past their primes and by all rights should all be in retirement. Naruto could clearly see and understand Shoko's anxiety about leaving the village unprotected while such a powerful women as a potential enemy. If the three old men were still in their primes then Naruto and Shoko would not worry about the safety of the village but that was obviously not the case here.

When Naruto asked Shoko if she was never able to stop let alone beat Balalaika during the war then how would she be able to beat her now if she decided to attack the leaf Shoko just turned to Naruto with a resigned sad smile that did not belong on her face at all. Shoko told Naruto that she couldn't beat Balalaika during the war and she definitely couldn't beat her now that Shoko's max power has declined by a good amount since the war and disturbingly enough Balalaika's power has actually increased somewhat since the war. Knowing all this Shoko told Naruto that she would gladly die fighting against the woman and give it her all to not only kill her but to protect the village the best she could. Hearing this a proud but sad smile made its way across Naruto's face and he silently wished that he could stay behind to help out Shoko in the event that such a thing happened but Naruto knew without a second of hesitation or doubt that he would only be a burden and only amount to cannon fodder against someone of Balalaika's standing if an attack by her was to break out in the middle of the village.

Naruto thought of all this and more including the pressure and anxiety he was feeling at being one of the leaders of this mission. He was essentially the vanguard leading in his comrades into enemy territory and the thought excited him but also scared him at the same time. As of now his thoughts preoccupied his mind as his feet brought him to the Main Gate of the village where the rest of his team was meeting up at this exact moment.


Village Hidden in the Leaf's Main Gate

'Hey girls you have everything you need?' Naruto thought as he approached the Main Gate. He was using the telepathic link he shared with the girls to talk to them. Normally it only works when they are in close proximity to his body.

[I didn't bring enough clothes daddy.] Iris responded back. [I didn't bring enough pranking supplies.] Chaos whined. Sweat dropping Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose. 'Girls you won't need those things. Besides I brought enough things for you guys and they're sealed up inside one of the scrolls I'm carrying.' Naruto responded back in exasperation but he wanted to crack a smile at their little worries. It was certainly taking his mind off of his problems at the moment. [Yay! Dada you're so cool!] Chaos cheered back happily. [Woohoo! I won't have to wear the same smelly clothes every day!] Iris clamored. This time Naruto did smile at hearing how happy his girls were now, since that was all he needed to make him happy.

"Hey guys. Is everyone ready?" Naruto asked politely as he approached Sasuke and Sakura who were just arriving. Tazuna was already at the Gate and he was standing with the two gate guards Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane. Kakashi decided to be on time for once and appeared in a Body Flicker.

"Yo. Everyone ready to hit the road?" Kakashi greeted in his normal laid back tone. "Yes Kakashi sensei." Sakura responded. "Does everyone have their equipment backed?" Kakashi asked as he looked over each of his students. Sasuke nodded yes, Sakura looked a little unsure, and Naruto gave a simple nod as well. Kakashi saw that Sasuke had a backpack on his back and it looked fairly full with most likely useful things. Sakura had a small backpack that looked a little full but Kakashi was unsure of its contents and as he looked at Naruto he could see that the blond haired boy had a large backpack that looked heavy and stocked full of supplies.

"Um… Naruto may I ask what do you have in that bag? It looks quite heavy. Aren't your worried that it's added weight might slow you down?" Kakashi asked in curiosity. Nodding his head Naruto smiled a mysterious smile. "Any and everything Kakashi sensei and no I'm not worried about the extra weight. I'll be fine." Naruto responded. Shrugging his shoulders at this Kakashi was going to say more but he was cut off by Tazuna who wanted to get moving.

"Alright. That's enough of that. I want to get moving! So quit standing around here." Tazuna said grumpily. Adjusting his backpack Naruto nodded that he was ready. "Alright team let's move out. Since Tazuna here is a civilian we will be going at a pace comfortable and practical for him, especially given his age." Kakashi said as he began walking out of the gate with Tazuna close to him. Naruto decided to take the lead. Sasuke drifted off to the left of the formation and Sakura started to drift off to the right. Tazuna unknowingly found himself in the middle and Kakashi purposefully positioned himself behind Tazuna at the rear of this diamond formation. 'Good job you guys. You subconsciously got into formation without me having to tell you anything. I knew those long hours drilling that formation into their head would pay off.' Kakashi thought to himself in silent appraisal. He was satisfied with his team's performance so far.


Half an hour later

'It's so calm and peaceful out here. I rarely get the time to appreciate the scenery outside the village.' Naruto thought to himself. He could see many forest animals scurrying around minding their own business and the greenery around the small dirt road they were traveling on was enticing Naruto. While he may not look it Naruto has a decent green thumb but compared to that he has a massive appreciation for wildlife and nature itself.

"Hey Naruto why did you suddenly take off earlier? You were acting weird." Sakura questioned. It was relatively quite for the first little leg of this trip and she was eager to get rid of the silence. "Oh sorry for ditching you back their Sakura. I just remembered I had something to do at the time." Naruto said as he looked over at his teammate. "Something important like what?" Sakura questioned curiously. "Oh I remembered I left the stove on in my house that's all." Naruto said with a smile on his face. You could see the mischief swirling around in his eyes. It was clear to everyone that he was telling a lie but then again Naruto really wasn't trying to hide anything at the moment. Naruto partially blamed Chaos in that moment; she was influencing him to say something sarcastic or witty. The tiny terror was starting to get bored and a bored Chaos was a dangerous Chaos.

Sakura's eye twitched at the lame response as she knew he was lying to her. The more time she hung around Naruto the more she grew curious of the blond haired boy. She didn't really know anything about him. Which she freely admits was mostly her fault but she was trying to fix that. Sasuke was remaining silent at the time as he used this opportunity to just view the scenery around him. He wasn't interested in finding out what was going on with the conversation Sakura and Naruto were having next to him. He was a tad bit curious about Naruto's weak lie but not enough to actually ask.

Deciding that it wasn't worth it to pursue her next line of questions with Naruto Sakura instead turned towards Tazuna and Kakashi. "So Mr. Tazuna what's your home country like?" Sakura asked cheerfully. That was one thing Naruto knew about Sakura since he first met her back at the beginning of their academy career. She was always eager to learn something new and she had a natural curiosity. Even if her questions would sometimes come off as sounding dumb because of her excitement, she would sometimes ask questions she should already know the answer too.

Deciding to humor the young girl Tazuna spoke up. "Well we are a small country really. Our entire country is made up of a small chain of islands that is a couple miles away. The closes of the islands is only a half a mile away from the mainland. We depend on the fishing market to sustain our economy." Tazuna explained. "Oh so then what is the bridge for?" Sakura asked next. This time Tazuna took a small pause before answering. Kakashi looked up from his book for a brief moment before going back to it. "The bridge will connect the mainland to the Land of Waves. With the bridge we can expand our economy and open up a wider variety of trade. It will help my people very much in a lot of ways in the future when it's complete." Tazuna said but he sounded a little different saying it. Naruto just closed his eyes with a small sigh since he already knew the reason.

"So does your country have shinobi Mr. Tazuna?" Sakura followed up. She was really enjoying asking the old man questions about his home. It was understandable really. This was definitely her first time out of the village; and more than likely this was her first time meeting a foreigner, especially from an island country whose customs and way of life is different compared to a major hidden village like the Leaf. 'There she goes again. She should already know the answer to that question.' Naruto thought with a mental sigh. He really couldn't fault her but still. Luckily Kakashi stepped in at that moment and explained to Sakura about the 5 great ninja villages and the other lands that had ninja villages in them.

Time passed after this with the small group making small talk with each other. Naruto was staying ever vigilant to make sure nothing happened. Out of the corner of his eye Naruto could see Sasuke was also remaining alert but in a more aloof manner. Sakura was busy talking to Tazuna and occupying his time. Kakashi had his nose buried in his lovely orange book that Naruto has been trying to sneak a peak in for the last 3 weeks. The action itself seemed familiar to him but he didn't know why. Naruto saw Kakashi twitch ever so slightly before stilling his body. The movement was virtually unnoticeable and Naruto would have definitely missed it if it wasn't for the fact he watches people very closely.

Turning back around to face forward Naruto expanded out his senses to see if anything was amiss. 'I don't sense anything. Maybe it was nothing… THERE! It's extremely faint but right up the road.' Naruto thought. He initially didn't sense anything in the area until he sensed a small minute spike in energy up the road. "Eva get ready." Naruto whispered out quietly as he scratched his hair in a certain gesture that let his tiny partner know it was show time. 'Girls quiet down now and focus. Something's about to happen.' Naruto said in his mind. Immediately he could hear both his girls get quiet. The two excitable blond haired girls were busy talking to Naruto about any and everything and they even started to play eye spy to pass the time. It was sort of hard to concentrate and stay vigilant of his surroundings with two 7 year old girl's voices in his head constantly talking and bouncing around the walls of his mind but Naruto didn't have the heart to tell them to stop. It was making them happy and it was keeping them preoccupied. The two sisters were starting to get bored like any normal 7 year olds but the difference is when Iris and Chaos get bored bad things tend to happen and a happy set of twin supernatural sisters were a lot easier to control than a bored pair of supernatural sisters especially when one is name Chaos.

Just then Naruto could see it. Up the road off to the side there was a small inconspicuous puddle of water that was by itself with no water source in sight. 'There it is. So this is the trap?' Naruto thought to himself as he approached the water puddle. 'Well now what is this? It hasn't rained in weeks so what is a water puddle this big doing way out here?' Kakashi asked himself; although you could tell by the tone of his thoughts that it was more sarcastic and he wasn't fooled even the slightest.

Sasuke didn't notice anything wrong with the puddle. The sight of it was registered in his brain but that was as far as it went. However to his credit he could sense a sudden shift in the atmosphere surrounding the group and it caused him to subtly start looking around. Sakura didn't even notice the puddle since she was too busy talking to Tazuna. As for the old man Naruto never expected him to notice what was wrong with the scene in front of him. So he excluded him from his thought process.

Just as he finished thinking this Naruto and the rest of the small group passed by the puddle. 'They should be attacking any second… WHAT!? That's…?' Naruto thought to himself in shock right before he registered what had his senses going off.

Two figures jumped out of the puddle of water and they were nothing but blurs and suddenly a long silver metal chain that had extremely sharp metal spikes sticking out of them wrapped itself around Kakashi's body; he appeared to be shocked by the sudden attack.

"One down."

"Three to go until our target."

Each individual said one after the other. The only thing Naruto could see in this slow motion scene playing out in front of him was the fact that the metal chain wrapped around Kakashi's body was attached to each individual's arm and without warning both men tugged hard on their gauntlet like hands and Kakashi's severely disembodied body splattered to the floor in a gush of blood and guts. Naruto could hear Sakura's blood curdling scream behind him since she witnessed this as well.

All of that played out in slow motion through Naruto's eyes as he just witnessed his sensei get shredded apart by his two assailants. 'Got to focus!' Naruto chanted in his mind as his battle oriented instincts took the front seat. "SAKURA! Protect the bridge builder now!" Naruto shouted as he could see the two assailants moving in. 'These men. I sensed a burst of Yōki from them just a second ago. Could they be demons?' Naruto thought to himself frantically as he rushed in to intercept the opponents who made it clear they were not here to talk peacefully.

Naruto's now battle oriented mind took in his two opponent's appearance in seconds.

The one on the right had shoulder-length, wild dark-brown hair, and dark eyes. He was wearing a re-breather that covers the lower half of his face and a large, clawed, poisonous gauntlet on his right arm which had a chain coming out of it that had the other end attached to his partners own gauntlet. He wore a camouflage suit with bandages around his waist, dark-colored, knee-length sandals, and a ragged black cape. His head band was showing the sign of the Hidden Mist Village and his head band had a single horn on it.

The one on the left had shoulder-length, wild dark-brown hair, and dark eyes. He was wearing a re-breather that covers the lower half of his face and a large, clawed, poisonous gauntlet on his left arm which had a chain coming out of it that had the other end attached to his brother's own gauntlet. He wore a camouflage suit with bandages around his waist, dark-colored, knee-length sandals, and several pouches around his waist. He didn't have a ragged cape like his partner though. His Hidden Mist head band had two horns on it.

Rushing in the two older men charged at Tazuna who looked like he was ready to have a heart attack. Appearing in front of the two men in a blur Naruto reached into the large pouch on his back and pulled out a sleek yet simple metal collapsible staff that was simple yet durable. Naruto rarely uses it since he can create any weapon he could possibly image out of his ice and it will be twice as durable as any conventional steel. However in situations when he couldn't use his Ice Style he would pull it out. A cheap substitute but still a viable option.

Naruto could see they were going to try and wrap him up in their chain to immobilize him and then kill him. Bringing his staff up Naruto with blinding precision impaled his staff through the small circular openings in between each metal prong. Slamming his staff into the ground with the chain now caught up in it the two assailants forward momentum was severely cut short and it caused them to stumble and jerk back. This moment of distraction would cause them as Sasuke seeing the opportunity landed a mule kick to the two assassins faces rocking their head and it had them briefly seeing black spots in their vision. "Meizu detach and take care of these brats." The assassin with one horn on his head band said. He twisted a small section of the metal gauntlet and the end of the chain that it was attached to came shooting off. "On it. Just hurry up and end him Gōzu!" The assassin with two horns said to the now named Gōzu. The now named Meizu also twisted a section of his gauntlet and the chain became detached freeing him from his own restraints.

Seeing Gōzu going for Tazuna Naruto blurred in front of him with his staff and clashed with the man who brought down his heavy clawed gauntlet. "Out the way kid. Unless you want to get hurt." Gōzu said menacingly. Narrowing his eyes Naruto twisted his staff and tried to take the man's legs out from underneath him. Seeing this Gōzu jumped up over the low swing. However he couldn't dodge the next strike. Flicking his wrist Naruto suddenly smashed the end of the staff into Gōzu's chin which had the older man stumbling back and it left him open to Naruto's follow up strike in which Naruto smashed his staff into the side of the man's head. He was trying to knock him out quickly but too the older man's credit he was tough.

Coming back into the action Gōzu flung himself at Naruto with a roundhouse kick which was a feint so that he could build up his momentum. Naruto ducked under the kick but he had to brace himself since the man came in with his large metal claw and attempted to take his head off. Using his staff Naruto positioned it in between himself and the incoming claw. Just as the claw smashed against his staff Naruto twisted the staff in two different directions and using the momentum of Gōzu's attack he pivoted on his foot which helped him spin around to dissipate the force of the Chūnin's attack. Now coming out of his spin Naruto had two smaller staffs in his hand. He smashed one of the staffs which were coated in his Wind Style Chakra into Gōzu's head which broke off the horn attached to his headband and took a few locks of his brown hair with it. Naruto's other staff was used to block Gōzu's clawed gauntlet.

"Oh… your good kid. Really good. What's your name?" Gōzu asked Naruto since they were in a deadlock at the moment. "Wouldn't you like to know?" Naruto sarcastically said as he suddenly rocked Gōzu's world when he landed a perfect kick to the man's chin with his foot at a perfect 180 angle. He almost snapped the man's neck with the force of his sudden snap kick. Smashing his staff into the side of Gōzu's head Naruto brought the man down to his knee's dazed and disoriented. Naruto took the brief moment to look over at Sasuke to see how he was doing. The Uchiha was doing very well against Meizu who seemed to be wilder and less composed compared to Gōzu. Sasuke's natural speed helped a lot in this fight.

"Why you little brat. You'll pay for that! Die! Yōjutsu: Poison Claw." Gōzu said as he suddenly lunged at Naruto who had to leap back out of path of the man's swing. His claw had a faint purplish hue to it now and Naruto could now sense Yōki coming from the man's claw and body. 'So they are demons. This complicates things.' Naruto thought to himself grimly. "Sasuke don't let them hit you with their claws. They have poison on them." Naruto warned the Uchiha who only grunted in acknowledgement since he was now dodging claw strikes. "You should be worried about yourself kid!" Gōzu announced as he suddenly appeared in front of Naruto who barely raised his staff up in time to block. Twisting around the attack Naruto struck at the joint in Gōzu's elbow. The man's arm went slack for a brief moment and Naruto took his other staff and tried to bring it down of the man's head.

"I don't think so!" Gōzu roared as he suddenly lunged forward and struck Naruto in the hand that was holding the staff about to smash into his head. Naruto grunted in pain as he lost his momentum. Gōzu lashed out with a vicious snap kick that threw Naruto into the closes tree off to the side of the road. 'He got me. I can already feel the poison in my body.' Naruto thought with a grunt of pain as his back slammed into the tree.

"You were good kid but it's time for you to go to sleep permanently." Gōzu said as he charged at Naruto. Narrowing his eyes Naruto slammed his hand down on the ground with the intention of freezing the man's legs to the ground to stop him. However he didn't get the chance since somebody stopped Gōzu for him. Kakashi was now standing in front of Naruto and he caught Gōzu in a vicious lariat that he quickly turned into a tight headlock. Gōzu was knocked flat out from the jarring force of Kakashi's unexpected arrival.

Naruto's muscles that were tense with adrenaline started to unwind now that his sensei was here. Looking over Naruto could see Meizu on the ground out cold. He could only suspect that it was Kakashi who stopped both of the Chūnin since Sasuke was now looking at Kakashi with an unreadable expression on his face.

"KAKASHI SENSEI! You're alive?" Sakura exclaimed in absolute shock. She just witnessed Kakashi get shredded apart by the two assassins who were now knocked unconscious by Kakashi. "How? I saw you get…?" Sakura tried to ask. She didn't want to say killed since it left a bad taste in her mouth. Eye smiling Kakashi pointed over to where his fresh corpse should be laying on the road but instead of a badly torn up body there was only a pile of tree logs that had deep slash marks shredding through them. There was also no blood anywhere despite the fact that everyone saw blood splash from Kakashi's body.

"Substitution Jutsu." Kakashi said with a hint of humor in his voice. Sighing Naruto closed his eyes for a brief moment before he winced in pain. A hiss escaped his mouth as he covered up his bleeding hand that had been injected with poison. Seeing this Sakura acting in concern raced over to Naruto. Kakashi and Sasuke weren't far behind. Tazuna also joined them now that the commotion was over with. "Naruto are you ok?" Sakura asked. She saw how Naruto took charge of the situation and battled against the enemy with skill that was far beyond what she thought he was capable of. She was impressed by his actions. However at the moment she could see that he was poisoned and as his teammate she was concerned for his health.

"Yeah I'm fine. It's just a little scratch." Naruto said as he leaned up against the tree comfortably. 'Iris how is the poison?' Naruto asked inside of his mind. Without a second of delay the little blond haired girl replied back. [It's actually ok daddy. The poison is not poison at all. It's just raw Yōki that the assassin injected into your body. However since your body naturally produces Yōki it won't affect you too much. Your body just has to purge it on its own. It should only take a few hours.] Iris explained happily. [That man sure is stupid. He should have sensed the Yōki in you dada] Chaos giggled. 'Aw it was too much to ask for girls.' Naruto thought back with a chuckle.

"Naruto you're not fine. You've been poisoned." Sakura protested. She didn't understand how someone could shrug off being poisoned like it didn't matter. "I said I'm fine. The poison is actually pretty weak and my body will purge it out soon enough." Naruto dismissed offhandedly. He reached into one of the many pouches scattered across his body and pulled out some bandages and medical tape. Wrapping his hand up tight Naruto then stood back up. "See I'm fine." Naruto pressed.

"Kakashi sensei we should tie them up." Naruto said while looking at the Demon brothers. "Yes you're right. We wouldn't want them attacking us again. People who wake up with bad headaches tend to be quite grumpy." Kakashi said lightly as he quickly tied the two Chūnin assassins up in seconds. "Now then with that out of the way I think it's time we had a talk Tazuna." Kakashi said as his voice lost all of its playfulness from earlier.

"Talk what is there to talk about?" Tazuna said evasively. Sweat was starting to come down the side of his face. "Oh I think you know what I'm talking about Mr. Tazuna." Kakashi said as he started to drill into the old man with a series of questions. Eventually Tazuna broke down and told Team 7 about what was happening in the Land of Waves. He told them everything he knew about Gatō and his part to play in why his country is in the state it's in at the moment. Tazuna begged Team 7 to help him save his country and people. While it was unnecessary the old man even guilt tripped the team by mentioning his daughter and grandson.

"Well it would seem we are at an impasse. Team what do you think we should do?" Kakashi asked the three Genin. Each Genin had a thoughtful look on their faces. "Um… Mr. Tazuna we would love to help you but this mission is starting to look like it may be out of our league. We might not be able to handle it. Plus our team mate was poisoned so I think it's best to head back to the village." Sakura said as kindly as possible. She really wanted to help the poor old man out but she was scared senseless on the inside. She was afraid of the conflict they might get into if they continued any longer. However she was thoughtful enough to consider Naruto and his condition into her thought process even though she was still very scared.

Evangeline could sense the fear emanating off of Sakura and she shook her head at the display. Everyone looked at Sakura with varying degrees of understanding but they all still had different opinions. Sasuke was the next to go. "I say we should continue. We can't let those people suffer; besides there are bound to be strong opponents there and I won't pass up the opportunity to fight them." Sasuke said. This is what he thought of the situation and how he felt about it.

Turning to Naruto Kakashi silently asked him his opinion. "Turning back is not an option. We must continue. Those people are suffering and we have a chance to help them. So I say we shouldn't waste it. Besides this Gatō person can't be allowed to get away with his actions." Naruto said with a determined look on his face. He wasn't backing down. Especially since he has many responsibilities for this mission and he wasn't about to let everyone down. He also wasn't going to let Gatō get away with destroying an entire country and its way of life. It was cruel and inhumane and it set something off inside of him. It was like a fire and it was burning from deep inside of him. A fierce sense of justice that extended way beyond the boundaries of his mission. Unknown to him Iris was mentally smiling a proud smile.

"Well then I think it's settled. We will continue the mission Tazuna. You can count on our team to help you." Kakashi spoke up after gathering everyone's opinion on how they should proceed. "Thank you so much. I promise that I'll pay the full amount of this mission once I get my country back on its feet." Tazuna promised in gratitude. "It's a deal then." Kakashi said as he shook Tazuna's hand who was all too happy to do the same with the help he was receiving from the group of ninja.

"Kakashi sensei what are we going to do with these ninja?" Sakura asked in concern. She kept sending glances back at the two tied up assassins who were both knocked unconscious. "A patrol will be passing by soon and I took the liberty of alerting them to pick these two up while you were busy fighting them." Kakashi said calmly as he took out his precious orange book and motioned for everyone to start walking. Sending a discreet look to the tied up ninja Naruto didn't look back as he picked up on his vigilance so that another incident like that didn't happen again. In the meantime he was actively circulating his Yōki infused chakra throughout his body to help purge the effects of what Gōzu did to him. The pain he was feeling was really only a hindrance and irritation to him so he wanted it taken care of. What Sakura and Sasuke didn't know however was that Naruto discreetly made a Shadow Clone during the commotion of the fight and it backtracked up the road by a mile and went off the side of the road.


With Section 2

The clone of Naruto drifted off the side of the road into the bushes where section 2 was slowly tailing Team 7. "What's the news?" Aspen asked since he was the one to sense Naruto's approach. Since Shoko declined from taking part in the large operation Aspen was once again called out into the field. This will be his first field operation in nearly a year. "My team is being attacked by two assassin's going by the name of Gōzu and Meizu. Do you recognize those names?" Naruto asked. He looked around and saw that the others were here. Henrietta and Jose along with the other handler pairs were all huddled up in a small tight group and they were sticking that way so that they can remain close behind Team 7 so that they can slip into the Land of Waves right behind the team.

"Yes I do. They are the Demon Brothers of the Hidden Mist. They are high C, low B – Rank shinobi in the Bingo books and they are Chūnin level. They excel in coordinated tag team taijutsu combat but they lack sufficient long range attributes. Other than their background and past history there is nothing that I can see that will help you out right now." Aspen explained. He showcased his vast knowledge on the criminal underworld and many of its missing ninja. "You should be ok. If it is only those two as your enemy then you should have no problem handling them on your own. Provided you put forth some effort that is. Other than that Kakashi Hatake is more than capable of dealing with them in a matter of seconds so your team is in no real danger." Aspen commented. His personality was laid back, stiff, and professional to a default. He was also non sociable during missions and tended to do things by the book and combine that with the encyclopedia in his brain about the criminal underworld and you are given a very knowledgeable man, if a bit stiff during work hours.

"Either way I hope you and your team will be ok Naruto." Henrietta spoke up since she was close to the spot Naruto emerged from. "Thanks Henrietta. I'm sure we'll be fine." Naruto said as he gave the chestnut hair colored girl one of his charming smiles. It had the poor girl blushing madly and it made it worst that Jose was right next to her and the rest of the group was surrounding them. Jose was like a father to Henrietta so it was really embarrassing for the poor girl.

"My team and I should be almost finishing up the battle with them. We are most likely going to leave them tied up and a patrol will be called to pick them up. I want you to get their first and take them. We can interrogate them and learn more about what's going on. Of course I'll leave interfering on official Leaf Shinobi business up to you Jean." Naruto said as he turned to look at Aspen and Jean who were right in front of him. The older blond haired man narrowed his eyes at Naruto for dumping the responsibility on him and the rest of the team.

"Just find us an entrance into the country and stop wasting time." Jean said agitatedly. "Right. I'll have an entrance for you guys in no time. Believe it! Hahahah. I really like saying that." Naruto said with a laugh as he went up in a cloud of smoke leaving the rest of section 2 alone. "That boy." Jose said while shaking his head. "Come on let's go before that patrol gets to those bodies." Jean said as he and the rest of the group got moving again.


With Naruto

After an hour long walk Naruto and the rest of team 7 made it to the shore where they could see the ocean. They were at a small enclave where the tree line came close to the actual water line. A small dock only large enough for one boat or two at the most was directly in front of the team. "Our ride should be here any minute now." Tazuna said as he walked over to the small dock with Team 7 walking with him. After 10 minutes of waiting a small boat was seen drifting into the dock. The operator was manning rowing ores instead of using the motorized engine built into the boat. "I'm glad to see you are ok Tazuna. Even more than that you pulled through and brought help. Although I was expecting more than this." The man said as he gestured for everyone to get onto the boat. "This was all I could manage but I think they can do it." Tazuna replied as he and the rest of Team 7 got onto the boat.

"Very well. I hope they can help us Tazuna." The fisherman said as he started to row the boat into the open water. "It will take us 3 hours to get their so prepare yourselves." The fisherman explained quietly. 'Three hours huh. I guess I can relax until then.' Naruto thought. He silently and discreetly made a shadow clone underneath the boat. The heavy mist that was on the surface of the water helped hide the cloud of smoke his Jutsu created. He made the clone to inform the rest of his team of the entry point into the land of waves.

'Wave Country here we come. I just hope I'm ready.' Naruto contemplated. Although as he thought this he ignored a very dull almost unnoticeable burning pain in his back. He assumed it was from when his back slammed into the tree earlier from the fight so he paid it no mind and assumed it would stop hurting him soon.


To be Continued


Jutsu Library

1.) Yōjutsu: Poison Claw - A demonic technique that the Demon Brothers used. It is a simple technique that lets them forcibly inject their Yōki into a victim's body. Since demonic energy is toxic to a humans body it acts just like a poison hence the name.

2.) Substitution Jutsu - One of the three basic Jutsu's required by the academy for everyone (with exceptions of course) to master in order to pass or at the very least to adequately on. This Jutsu is simple in how it works. The user searches or senses out a target and with his chakra he will identify that target and latch onto that object or target with his chakra. Then using his chakra like a beacon and transmitter the user will jump to the location of the object causing the object to switch places with the user so that the user can reconnect with his chakra in a space not already being taken up by said object.


Author's Note (A/N): Here you go people. There you have it. Some very interesting things happened in this chapter. The mysterious woman's identity that showed up at the casino has been revealed.

It's the Leader of the Mafia for the Hidden Stone Village and it's none other than Balalaika herself. Based on the description I gave her I expected someone to mention her name but it's ok. A woman that everyone fears is here and now the question is what does she want and what exactly is the nature of her and Shoko's relationship?

I decided to make it a little twist. If they were called the Demon brothers why not actually make them demons. With the Universe i've created I was allowed to get away with it. I thought it was a fun idea so I rolled with it.

The infiltration team for the Mafia is also waiting to sneak into Wave Country and it's up to Naruto to get them there. So what dangers awaits them when they get there? Keep your eyes peeled because some clues were left in this chapter to suggest some interesting things. I wonder if anyone will see them?


That's the end of chapter 9 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it.

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Published: 8/27/15