Journey Through the Mist

by Dragon6

The second book in the 'Mizukage' series. Saito comes to Nami no Kuni in search of the famed Kiiroi Senkō no Bōrei. He learns that he is the same person who he's searching for is the guy who broke him out, Uzumaki Naruto. He begs Naruto for help in saving Kirigakure no Sato from the tyrant, Akira. Naruto agrees and ships out. What adventures await the young blond in Mizu no Kuni?

8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Beta Reader & Co-Writer – Toa Naruto

Tsurama-mura was a village that was always covered in snow, which earned it the moniker: Eien Fuyu Mura. It was also the former home of Kirigakure's Yuki clan, before the entire village had been attacked by Yagura's faction when he ordered the slaughter of the entire clan and all of its allies. After the massacre, what remained of the village was but a shadow of its former self, which made it easy pickings for Akira when he arose to power. The moment the Godaime had the village under his tyrannical thumb, he seized control of the numerous coal mines scattered across the lands, and delegated a large portion of their collective product supply to use for some secret project of his.

To safeguard his spoils, Akira had placed a man named Kurahashi Izo in charge of the village. He was a lanky man with the face like a rat, and was as far from imposing as one could get. The man was also an unfriendly and cruel sociopath that arrogantly ruled over the village with an iron fist. His men were allowed to run wild, and anyone who challenged him was brutally dealt with. Izo didn't give a damn about the well-being of the villagers, so long as his pockets were stuffed with money. Life in Tsurama-mura was hell, but all of that was going to change very soon.

XXX

In the market place, a young woman held onto her bags as she quickly moved through the streets. Despite her efforts, she couldn't move fast enough to lose the three Kiri-nin that were harassing her. Even though the woman wasn't the only one on the street, no one came to her aid in fear that they'd be killed on the spot for interfering.

"Come on, why won't you talk to me? I'm just trying to be friendly." one of the men said to her in a falsely cordial tone.

"P-Please leave me alone." she replied, nervously.

"That's a sweet voice you've got. I wonder what else is sweet about you." Said his friend as he leered perversely at the young woman, making her whimper in fright and walk faster. The three ninja continued to tail her all the way to her home, able to keep up with her speed quite easily. She quickly entered her home and attempted to lock the door behind her, only for the trio to force their way inside.

"Now, that wasn't very nice. I was only trying to get to know you better." said the leader, his eyes showing nothing but ill intent.

"Hey, get the hell away from my wife!" shouted a grown man in the kitchenette, glaring furiously at the intruders. The husband charged at the ninja to protect his wife, but was quickly restrained by the two subordinate ninja. He struggled to break free, only to have the wind knocked out of him by a hard punch to the gut. Amused by the pathetic display, the leader grabbed the young woman, making her cry out in fear as he threw her onto the couch.

"So, you're married? What does this guy have that I don't?" the slime ball asked with a sneer, as he began to take off his flak vest and slowly walk up to the woman. "Well, I'm just going to have to show you what a real man feels like." The leader's subordinates grinned sadistically, already knowing what was going to happen next.

"Too bad you'll be dead before that ever happens." came an unfamiliar voice. The would-be rapist turned toward the door, only for his body to be littered with shuriken and kunai a moment later. His corpse dropped to the floor with a loud thud a second later. The other two ninja were shocked by their leader's sudden death, but were swiftly killed from behind before they had the chance to react. Now free from his enemies, the man rushed over to his wife to see if she was okay. Without a sound, three robed figures shimmered into existence and began checking over the dead bodies. The smallest of the trio faced the couple who was kneeling on the floor, looking at them with fearful expressions. With slow and careful movements, the smallest figure knelt down to their eye level.

"Are you alright?" asked the mysterious person, the voice clearly feminine.

"Y-Yes, thank you for your help." answered the man. The woman simply nodding in agreement, too shaken to speak. The cloaked woman was about to help her partners move the bodies, when she stopped to withdraw some money from her pocket, and handed it to the couple.

"For the damages." was all that she said, before she left with the other two and the corpses. Now alone, the couple simply looked at each other, before the husband and wife engulfed one another in a tight embrace.

XXX

A man was violently thrown against the wall of his building, the force of the impact making him collapse onto the ground in a heap. He struggled to get back up on his feet so that he could glare at the three ninja that assaulted him.

"You had better watch your attitude!" shouted one of the ninja. "We're the ones risking our lives protecting you sorry lot, and we deserve to be treated with more respect!"

"That's right! You owe us protection money, old man, and we're here to collect what's due!" added another member of the trio.

"You despicable ninja scum, have you no shame?!" spat the old man. "What have we done to deserve such brutality?!"

"Shut your mouth! If you had just done as you're told, and paid us what you owed, then we wouldn't have needed to rough you up!" countered the finally member of the three-man cell.

"Actually, I think he brings up a valid point." came a voice from behind. The trio and their victim turned to see a robed figure step towards them, before it turned its attention to the ninja. "What did these people do to deserve such harsh and cruel treatment? Aren't you supposed to be protecting them as citizens of Mizu no Kuni?" the figure asked.

The three men sneered contemptuously at the interloper. "What the hell do you know?! These ingrates should be thankful that we're even protecting them! Who cares if we charge them for our services?" interjected one of the ninja.

"As ninja, it is our duty to protect those who cannot defend themselves, not to cause them pain or oppress them. They shouldn't have to pay such exorbitant fees for the false protection that you're offering. You three bring shame upon the name shinobi." Spurred by the figure's admonishing tone of voice, one ninja charged towards the intruder with a savage snarl, lashing out with a punch meant to smash the robed stranger's face in. The unidentified person easily deflected the initial attack, however, and retaliated with a hard kick to the man's kneecap, smashing it with a loud crack. The assailant crashed to the ground screaming in agony, all the while cradling his injured leg. Seeing their partner being taken out so swiftly, the other two immediately drew their weapons and launched themselves towards the faceless attacker.

"Ougi: Shunko." In the blink of an eye, the mysterious figure vanished in a burst of speed and reappeared behind the two attackers, whom crashed lifelessly to the ground moments later. The man in the cloak then turned his attention back to the ninja cradling his abused knee. Stomping menacingly towards the man, he made sure that he had the corrupt shinobi's attention. "Tell your commander that he's got until dawn to get his entire unit out of this village. And warn your comrades that if they continue to terrorize the citizens, my associates and I will end each and every last one of you." he growled, before he turned to leave, only to stop and face the wounded man one last time. "Remember, you all have got until dawn." With that said, the robed figure vanished in a whirl of mist.

XXX

Izo threw his sake saucer at the wall in anger, sending ceramic shrapnel everywhere. Gazing back at the men in front of him, the shinobi could see the raging infernos burning in his eyes. It had only been yesterday when several of his men had reported that they had been attacked. Most of them had been killed and their corpses looted, but one of the few injured survivors managed to relay the message that was meant for the commander. In response, Izo had the village placed under lockdown, and ordered everyone to hunt down those who dared to undermine his authority. They had searched throughout the night but found nothing, and dawn was quickly approaching.

"You mean to tell me, that for the past fifteen hours, my entire battalion has been completely incapable of hunting down the four terrorists responsible for taking almost all of my men?!" hollered Izo.

"That's what it looks like, according to the reports we're getting. I had all of the recon teams report in on an hourly basis, but there are some that have gone missing, and we can't find them anywhere. Izo, maybe we should clear out of here. I mean, this guy said that we had until dawn, and he sounded like he meant business." said one of the lieutenants.

"Like hell I'm going to do that!" hollered Izo. "We aren't leaving this village just because a few anarchists are causing us problems! You tell everybody to find these bastards and kill them, or else they'll be executed themselves!" The men all nodded and left the room, leaving Izo to stew in his anger. He let out a frustrated sigh and sat down at his desk. Why was this happening now? The man had occupied the village for several years, and never had any problems like the one he was currently facing. As he leaned back against his chair, he was brought out of his inner musings when he suddenly felt something metal stab into his neck. His hands shot to where the blood was spurting out, but it was no good; copious amounts of his red life fluids had already stained his clothes and splattered across his desk. A second later, someone dressed in a hooded cloak stepped out in front of him.

"You have just forfeited the lives of yourself and your men. I pray that keeping your pride was worth the price." said the man, before he placed a piece of paper on his desk and vanished. Izo tried to reach out for the paper, but he dropped dead before his finger could make contact with it.

XXX

The sudden violent shaking throughout the village immediately woke every citizen up. Rushing out of their homes to see what all the commotion was about, they were just in time to see the entire Yuki clan compound become encased in a giant black dome, before it suddenly disappeared along with the entire compound. The strange light show left everyone confused and somewhat terrified. Their unease only worsened when four figures suddenly appeared before them. Before anyone could panic, the strangers all lowered their hoods in unison. There, standing in front of the entire crowd was none other than Naruto, Sansei, Sayuri, and Jubei.

"Excuse me, may I have your attention please?" the blond called out. The villagers stopped their nervous murmuring and turned toward him. "Thank you. I guarantee you all that I won't take up much of your time." Whipping out a scroll within his cloak and unfurling it, he bit his thumb hard enough to break the skin and swiped a bloody trail across a long chain of kanji seals. In a large puff of smoke, large stacks of food, clothing, scrolls, and medical supplies appeared on the ground before the crowd.

"I believe that all of this belongs to you." said the whiskered blond.

"Who...who are you?" asked someone from the crowd.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and I have come to help liberate your village."

"By destroying the compound and killing Akira's men?! If the Mizukage hears about this, he'll destroy us all!" another person exclaimed, getting several others to voice their agreement. It took a while for Naruto to finally calm everyone down long enough to speak again.

"I promise you all that my associates and I will not allow that to happen. As I speak, seals for a large-scale genjutsu are being placed around the perimeter of your village. Once activated, it will conceal the entire area with the illusion of a destroyed village, and will also serve as an alarm system should any intruders get within close proximity of your position. This genjutsu can't be broken by outside forces, and will keep your families safe from Akira." explained the blond. The crowd was shocked by the whiskered ninja's words, and began to talk among themselves in a much calmer fashion. It wasn't long until a woman stepped out of the throngs of people to address the four ninja.

"Why are you doing all of this? What do you hope to gain from helping us?"

"What other reason do I need other than to help?" asked Naruto. "All of you have lived in poverty during both the Yondaime and Godaime Mizukage's reign, leaving you without anyone to rely on for protection. Well no more, it's time for that madness to stop. Every single one of you is an important part of Mizu no Kuni. For your cries of pain and your demands for justice to have gone unanswered this long is an unspeakable crime. I am not in league with the rebels, nor do I want anything in return. All I want to do is protect the people of Mizu no Kuni, and that is what I intend to do." The villagers were shocked that a non-native was showing this much concern for them, whereas Akira, the rebels, and even the Water daimyō didn't seem to give a damn whether they lived or died. Even though they had no idea who this young man really was, they couldn't help but be swayed by his words, feeling somewhat at ease for the first time in a long while. Seeing that there were actually some people who were willing to believe in his words brought a small smile to Naruto's face, before he made a subtle hand motion to his group. An instant later, all four vanished from the village, leaving the citizens to distribute the provisions left behind among themselves.

XXX

The moment Izo refused to heed Naruto's warning, the blond and his friends abducted every ninja that were still alive. Twenty shinobi in total were taken captive and dragged out of the village. To ensure that they didn't escape, all of the corrupt ninja were restrained, and had their chakra sealed off by one of Naruto's custom-made seals. Yet despite these deterrents, the ninja still had enough courage to glare defiantly up at the four from their place on the ground.

"So, what do we do with these guys?" asked Sayuri.

"Aren't you just going to kill us, like you did with our comrades?" one of them demanded.

"Why shouldn't we? You lot did some pretty despicable things in that village: rape, murder, and burglary just to name a few. We would be doing the world a favor by ending your miserable lives right now." countered Sansei. A few of the ninja looked ready to protest and possibly pass the blame, but they were abruptly cut off by Jubei.

"Don't even think about trying to blame Izo for your deeds. He may have allowed such heinous acts to occur during his regime, but it was ultimately your choices that led you to commit those crimes." At the mere mention of their activities, the group of four rebels saw several of their prisoners smile maliciously, showing that they truly had no remorse for what they did. Naruto's eyes swept through the group until he noticed that there were two men out of the entire group that did not smile.

"The both of you don't seem to share your comrades' satisfaction in your actions." said Naruto, pointing out said shinobi. Everyone looked at them and waited, but the men remained silent. The former Konoha nin moved in front of the older of the two men, whom refused to look the blond in the eye. "Tell me something, what was your reason from becoming a Kirigakure shinobi?"

The man was silent for a short while, until he finally looked at Naruto and spoke. "I became a shinobi to protect the people. My father was a part of the squad that fought the Kaguya clan when they betrayed the village. He survived that bloody battle, but was injured so severely that he had to retire. When I asked him why he chose such a violent and dangerous career protecting people he didn't even know, he simply told me 'that's what a ninja does' . It was his philosophy that drove me to become a shinobi, just like him." Naruto simply nodded, before turning his attention to the younger man.

"My sister." said the other repentant ninja. "I originally became a shinobi so that I could protect my sister, the only living family member that I have left. But as time went one, and the Godaime came into power, she grew more and more ashamed of my actions. Now, she curses the fact that we share the same blood. At first, I didn't care what she had to say, until she gave birth to a little baby girl. I wanted to meet my niece, but my sister forbade me. Any money and supplies that I sent to help support them was returned outright. When I confronted her about her behavior, my sister told me that she didn't want her daughter to ever know about her monster of an uncle. I believe that was the first time that I ever cried since I became a ninja."

"So then why are the two of you still serving Akira? You should know by now that he doesn't have his people's best interests in mind. With each passing day that you enforce the Mizukage's will, the both of you corrupt the principles that you live by and hurt the ones you love. What is the point of either of you carrying on as shinobi if you must give up your pride and standards in order to serve a power-hungry tyrant?"

"Then what would you have us do?" the older of the two asked. "Being a shinobi is all that we know; it's too late for us to try and take up a different career. And even if we did, no one would want to hire an ex-shinobi that served under Akira."

"You can join us, and help bring about a better Kirigakure. This is your second chance to protect your people, just like your father once did," Naruto then turned to the younger man, "and this is your chance to redeem yourself in the eyes of your sister and your niece. If the two of you fight alongside us, you both can say that you had a hand in saving Mizu no Kuni from destruction. But I won't lie to you and say that it'll be easy. You will face many dangers for siding against the Mizukage, but if we succeed, thousands upon thousands of people won't have to suffer under Akira's reign. So, what will it be: living with the fact that you've become the very thing that you've vowed to protect your loved ones from, or risking your life for a chance at redemption?" The two men briefly looked at each other before turning to face Naruto once again. It was the younger of the two who broke the silence first.

"My name is Hideyoshi. I have a surname, but I wish to earn it back. I will join you and your cause."

"My name is Ueda Katashi. I will follow you and protect the people Kirigakure and all of Mizu no Kuni." declared the last member of the duo. Enraged at how quickly the two men "betrayed" their country, the rest of the prisoners started shouting death threats at them.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" roared Naruto, quickly silencing the remaining eighteen "loyal" Kiri Nin. "These so-called "traitors" actually have the balls to admit their wrongdoings, and are willing to work to redeem themselves! You lot, on the other hand, only wish to cause pain and suffering to others! These two have far more courage and dignity than any of you sorry lot!" That had the men snarling like mad dogs as they began to spew death threat after death threat at Naruto, while Sansei and Sayuri freed the two remorseful ninja of their bonds and led them away from the group. Now alone with Jubei and the remaining captives, the blond silenced the prisoners with a dangerous glare, and a massive amount of killing intent. Their bravado was swiftly replaced by terror as the men gazed up at what would most likely be the last thing they ever saw before they died.

"Don't worry; I'm not going to kill any of you. Akira will most likely do that for me." growled Naruto, unwittingly answering the question that the prisoners had on their minds. "If you keep moving south of here, you should reach Kirigakure in a day. Since it's clear that you all only care about yourselves, I suggest that every single one you starts running, now." With that, he and Jubei took to the trees, leaving the eighteen men to their fates.

XXX

Akira was downright furious. He just could not believe the gall of this Uzumaki Naruto. It had been a month since his "message" had been delivered to him by the eighteen men that returned to Kirigakure. In a fit of rage, Akira killed three of them, and sent the rest to prison. Afterwards, he immediately mobilized another squad to take back the village, but the ninja returned two days later with the alarming news that Tsurama-mura had been destroyed. That drove Akira into a blind fury so severe that he destroyed his office. Two weeks later, another village under his control was saved by this "Naruto". Just like last time, a majority of his forces were slaughtered, with just a fraction of them returning alive, and an even smaller quantity (a total of three traitors) defecting to the bastard's side. When he sent a four man squad to investigate, they returned with the same news from before: the entire village was destroyed.

Furious with the man's actions, Akira placed a large bounty on Naruto's head in hopes of putting an end to the anarchist's actions, but all he got in return were the broken bodies of his shinobi. It didn't help matters that this Naruto was quickly becoming a folk hero among people either. They felt safe knowing that there was someone fighting for their rights, and actually cared about their well-being. This feeling of security that he provided for the people actually convinced them to hinder his men's progress on capturing Naruto, which only frustrated him even more.

"Can someone please tell me how the hell you all can't eliminate a few deserters and their leader?" Akira demanded from the gathered ninja before him.

"We've attempted to track them down several times already, but they always seem to be able to vanish into thin air whenever we're close to capturing them. They also know how to cover their tracks surprisingly well, so we don't have much to go on." Raiu reported.

"DAMN IT! I do not need this right now! My plans have already been delayed long enough because of this boy! Raise the bounty on his head; maybe that will encourage the people to loosen their tongues."

"You did the same thing with Genji, and look how well that worked. Throwing more money at the problem isn't going to make it magically disappear." countered Shin in a snide tone, earning him a venomous glare from Akira.

"Well since you three are completely useless in finding the renegade-" he was cut off by the sound of someone knocking on his door. "What is it?!"

"It's Suikazan Ren, sir." was the nervous reply that he got from the secretary, as she poked her head through the crack in the door. Akira just growled and made a simple motion to the woman. As he sat down at his desk, Ren and her guards entered his office. The woman with blue-tinted skin had a body toned for battle, yet still had the feminine curves that could make any man stop and stare. She was dressed in a pair of baggy, dark purple pants with golden trim and ornate designs around the seams. On her shins was a pair of greaves that looked as if they were crafted out of gold. Holding up her pants was a purple rope belt with bells tied to the ends. She wore a tight black top that revealed the multiple tattoos on her upper arms, and the golden arm braces encasing her forearms. Her amber hair was unkempt, giving her an overall wild appearance. The moment the door close behind her, she jumped into the visitor's chair and rested her bare feet on Akira's desk.

"So, I heard that you've been having some issues with another small group of rebels." she said humorously, all the while giving the Mizukage a mocking toothy grin.

"Don't you worry about that." replied Akira, curtly. "Just make sure that you do your job: protecting my investment."

"You don't have to worry about me doing my job." said Ren, making it a point to stare at the other three ninja in the room as she spoke, before turning her attention back to the scarred man. "So long as you keep the money flowing, your investment will be well protected. I just figured that I could take care of two of your problems at the same time, for an additional fee, of course."

"BAH! I pay you enough already. I'll deal with this new nuisance myself." Suddenly, more knocking could be heard on the door, making the man all the more irritable. "What is it now?"

"Akira-sama, t-there is someone h-here to see you." stuttered his secretary.

"Can't you see that I'm busy?!" shouted Akira.

"Trust me, you're going to want to see me, Godaime." answered an unfamiliar voice. Everyone tensed as the door slowly opened to reveal none other than Uzumaki Naruto holding the secretary at knife point. Everyone stared at the young man as if he was the stupidest person alive. Ignoring their expressions, Naruto muttered a quick apology to the woman he was holding hostage before pushing her out of the room and closing the door behind her. His gaze swept across the assembled ninja before landing on Akira, but even the sight of the brutal leader was not enough for him to break his neutral expression.

"So, you're the Mizukage? Heh, you don't look so tough. How you managed to gain your rank is beyond me." said Naruto.

"You must be the most idiotic person alive. Are you not aware that you're outnumbered here? You've practically waltzed right into your own death." Akira sneered.

"So not only are you excessively cruel to your own people, but you're also incapable of looking underneath the underneath? Of course I know that there are more of you here than there are of me, you moron, but that's beside the point. I'm only here to deliver a message to you." Everyone was confused by the intruder's words, prompting Shin to stare at Naruto with great intensity, until realization finally dawned on him.

"You're just a Kage Bunshin, aren't you?" asked the Momochi. Naruto turned to face Shin and smirked. The two entered into a staring contest of some sort, with Zabuza's younger brother disliking the look in the blonde's eyes with each passing second. Finally reaching his limit, the man grabbed the hilt of the Kubikiribōchō strapped to his back, making his intentions quite clear. "You got something you want to say to me?"

"Only a warning. Tsunami allowed you to take Zabuza's blade because she sensed that you wouldn't misuse it. And from what I've heard, you have yet to spill any innocent blood, unlike your comrades. But make no mistake, I will be watching and listening. The moment I find out that you've used the Kubikiribōchō to inflict harm onto others, I will come after you and I will kill you." said Naruto, his tone leaving no doubt of how serious he was. Shin glared at the clone's audacity to order him on how to use his brother's sword; the fact that it was talking to him as if he were some kid being reckless with a toy made him want to cut the thing to pieces. The clone, however, paid no attention to the swordsman's ire, and settled his gaze back on Akira.

"Stop wasting my valuable time and deliver your message!" snarled Akira.

"My message is simple: I, Uzumaki Naruto, declare war against you and your faction. I intend to do everything within my power to overthrow your reign of terror for the sake of Mizu no Kuni's people. It might take me a few months, or even a few years, but I will remove you from your position, and bring back the hope that Terumī Mei once championed before you betrayed her. So prepare yourself, Akira, your end is quickly approaching." With a roar of fury, Akira launched one of his hidden daggers at the clone's head, dispelling it in a cloud of smoke. The clone's speech had Akira snarling like a rabid beast, his breathing ragged, and his killer intent skyrocketing.

"Find this bastard and bring me his head, NOW!"

XXX

Sentaro and Kagura listened intently as one of their spies gave his report about the recent events within Kirigakure. Sentaro was somewhat impressed with what he heard; it took a lot of courage to openly declare war against Akira, and Naruto managed to do so right in the twisted man's face. From what his spy said, the former Konoha nin's little display had Akira on a warpath, and had placed a massive bounty on the young man that would have scores of bounty hunters gunning for him in no time. The rebel leader couldn't help but wonder if Naruto knew what he was doing; the fact that he had managed to persuade some of Akira's men into joining his side surprised him. He didn't know how Naruto managed to pull off such a feat, or what he had offered those ninja in return for their service, but considering that they had yet to betray him it must have been quite appealing.

"Well, it seems that Naruto's doing quite well for himself." Sentaro said after he dismissed the spy.

"Tch, I beg to differ." snorted Kagura. "He hasn't done anything that impressive, and challenging Akira like that was just plain foolish of him. If any good has come from the little bastard's show, it's that he's taken some of the pressure off of us."

"I wouldn't count all of his recent feats as nothing, Kagura. He's managed to accomplish a lot more in a month than we have in two years."

"Yeah? Well, his success won't last long. He's a sap for trusting those deserters. It'll be just a matter of time before his so-called allies stab him in the back. And when that happens, I'll be laughing my ass off over a few bottles of sake."

Sentaro simply looked at her and chuckled. "Are you still sore that one of his shadow clones was able to keep up with you? You shouldn't dwell on something that happened so long ago, Kagura. That's something that I'd expect from a child, not a grown woman." Kagura said nothing, but instead glared at him.

In another tent a few feet away, Saito took off his headphones and slumped against a rock he used as a makeshift chair. The electronic bug that he hid within the main tent while the rebels relocated their base had finally paid off. While he was happy to hear that Naruto was okay, Saito was a bit disturbed by what he heard from the leaders of the resistance movement. He tried to wrap his mind around what he had learned since the young man's sudden disappearance, but it felt like he was missing something important. It was now clear that Naruto left due to some sort of disagreement between Kagura about some men that had been taken prisoner, which didn't really make any sense to Saito now that he thought about it. Weren't Kagura and Sentaro supposed to be doing the same thing that Naruto was: recruiting men from Akira's side? And even if they couldn't persuade the prisoners to join their cause, didn't they just release them blindfolded a few miles away from the camp?

Yet when he heard their surprised tones once they learned that Naruto was convincing Akira's shinobi to fight alongside him, even more questions began to arise. If his rebels weren't accepting defectors from Akira's forces, and they weren't letting them go, then what really happened to all those men that were captured? Did Naruto know something that he didn't? Since he now knew that getting definitive answers from either Sentaro or Kagura was all but impossible, Saito knew what he had to do. Without a word, the veteran snuck out of the camp, and set off to the location of the old base to do some investigating.

XXX

Kenpo and his family were sitting at the main dining table, listening to their courier reciting Jubei's recent report. Once the messenger had finished reading, the old ninja could only chuckle, while Onimusha, Yoko, and Takashi were silently coming to terms with what they've heard.

"To think that it has only been a month, and Akira is already this enraged. On top of that, young Naruto's group continues to grow with each passing day; he already has fifty shinobi under his command." commented Kenpo.

"He certainly knows what he's doing. Protecting the villages and its inhabitants is one way to show the people that he can be trusted. They really appreciate the help, especially since he's set up counter measures so that Akira can't retaliate against them. Not to mention that he continues to help the villages by sending his men to do jobs for them. With everything that he's done for the people, they'll never rat him out to the Mizukage." said Takashi, saying the last word as if it were a nasty curse word.

"He's becoming quite the hero." agreed Yoko, before turning her attention to her older brother. "Have you made any progress with that ledger, Onimusha?"

The eldest child of Kenpo nodded. "I've just gotten word from a few of my men. The pay-offs are made to several high-ranking politicians within our government. As for the weapons, my spy network has managed to find out that a ninja named Kakuyoku Fubuki is the one selling those arms to Akira. I've got a picture of the ninja in question that I'll send to Naruto shortly."

"The fact that Akira is paying off government officials has me worried." murmured Kenpo, before turning his attention to his first son. "Tell your men to find out what Akira is scheming, and to be quick about it. I'm afraid that whatever that madman is plotting might actually drive Kirigakure no Sato back into the dark ages." Onimusha nodded and walked off to contact his spies.

XXXXX

Authors' Notes: Well, here a new chapter from me and Toa Naruto. I hope you like it and enjoy what happens. The war is on between Akira and Naruto. Things are about to get crazy as the story continues. Anyway, enjoy this new chapter from us.

Techniques

Ougi: Shunko - Secret Technique, Instant Light - Naruto moves with incredible speed slicing several opponent or inflicting several wounds to one opponent with Mari-Blade in a blink of eye.

Ura Shishō Fūinjutsu - Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique – This fūinjutsu releases four symbols from the user's body or a sealing tag that then forms a large, black sphere around them. Anything caught inside the sphere's area is then drawn in and sealed within.