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?

9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Beta-Reader & Co-Writer: Toa Naruto

Akira's bad luck continued to plague him throughout the rest of the month as he continued to suffer losses. After he'd made his declaration of war, Naruto and his small band of men managed to liberate two more key villages that had been under the corrupt man's control. The first one that was taken was Garī no Shinro, a village that was carved into the walls of two rugged mountains. It was considered to be one of the most ideal strategic locations in Mizu no Kuni, considering that it was in close proximity to a large river that trade ships used to enter ports. A couple of weeks ago, Naruto had led the attack that annihilated all of his men. Afterwards, the blond menace was able to take out several of Ren's ships with great ease.

The second stronghold was the village of Kanketsusen no Shima. It was located on an island known for its massive underground water supplies, and the hundreds of geysers that periodically shot broiling hot water high into the air. What really made this island village vital to Akira's regime, however, was the direct underground path it had to the Water Daimyo's island. The Godaime had often used the village as a means of keeping tabs on the Daimyo, as well as making sure that the ruler remained under his thumb. Sansei and Sayuri were the ones who led the invading force, with the former's team tasked with destroying the base on the island, while the latter's group focused on eliminating any lingering spies within the Daimyo's court. Once those two objectives were completed, they then destroyed the access tunnel connecting the two islands.

Needless to say, the Kirigakure shinobi had to tread carefully whenever they were around the Mizukage, whose temper was on a hair trigger as of late. With the loss of both villages, Tsurama-mura, and Kaiko, Akira was starting to lose face with his allies. To add insult to injury, any battalion he'd sent to retake the lost territories now ended up being mercilessly destroyed, and the broken bodies were always sent back to him, which angered the scarred man to no end.

What made things even worse for the man were the deserters. At first, it was only a small number of his shinobi that defected to the little band of anarchists, but he didn't really give much thought on the matter. After all, what were two or three traitors compared to his vast army? Yet with each passing raid, the number of treasonists increased to the point that about five percent of his forces had abandoned their post to join Naruto in the past month. He tried to put a stop to such widespread defection by placing a strict death penalty on anyone who so much as thought of betraying him, but there were still some people who were willing to take the risk regardless. Akira would've made the punishment even direr by threatening to punish the families of the traitors as well, but because he never really cared to keep track of his soldiers' personal lives, on top of the fact that they knew how to disappear without a trace, that plan was never put into action. The Godaime also had a sneaking suspicion that Naruto had his own men guarding the traitors' families with explicit orders to interfere should he try anything.

Akira's predicament enraged him to no end; if his ninja continued to defect to Naruto's side, the little brat would have a massive army in no time. Of all the annoyances that he had to deal with, another band of rebels was the last thing that he wanted to waste his time on, not when he was so close to increasing his influence in the shinobi world. By the time he'd finalized the negotiations with the conspirators, and the business transactions were made, Kirigakure would no longer be seen as the weakest of the Five Great Nations. All he needed to do was endure for a bit longer, and once he revealed the brilliance of his plan to the world, the other shinobi villages would flock to him with their support. He would finally be able to rule over all of Mizu no Kuni, and no one would be able to stop him.

XXX

Naruto sat on the edge of a recently created crater, smiling at his handiwork. He was so sure that he was getting closer to finally completing his new jutsu. The blond figured that mastering this original technique would make defeating Akira all the more easier, since no one else would be expecting such an attack like his. He recently had a good amount of free time to work on it after making great progress in the war against the incumbent Mizukage, and he wanted to take advantage of every second. His once small band of rebels and discontents had grown to a grand total of one hundred and fifty shinobi, including those that possessed kekkei genkai. It hadn't been easy to convince a few members to join their cause, however, but Naruto's charismatic words managed to win them over. Under his leadership, the shinobi fought as one, and there were hardly any major issues among the group.

With each victory, the young man's fame grew. His liberation of Garī no Shinro had the citizens worshiping him as their savior. He was quickly gaining the people's trust, especially since he always made sure to look out for their well-being. Naruto had even set up missions for his men to do in the reclaimed territories in order to help out those who were in need. This plan also helped the rebel's cause, as they were able to gain information, provisions, and funds from their clients.

It was also thanks to their continued service that they were able to set up base in one of the old ruins in Garī no Shinro, taking advantage of the area's swampy marshlands. The ruins themselves were covered by massive amounts of vegetation and long vines, which provided excellent cover for the rebels. The actual base was built into the side of a cliff, and had an access tunnel that secretly led out to the island's harbor. It was quite the ideal location that allowed his men to easily disappear at will, and there was plenty of space to store the many supplies and weapons that they'd amassed.

Naruto was about to continue his training, only to flinch as a jolt of pain throbbed through his arm when he moved the appendage slightly. Even though the discomfort was slowly going away, the phenomenon had been occurring quite often during his experiments; it was to the point that it was starting to become an issue. He quickly surmised that any future use of this original jutsu was going to be like a double-edge sword, yet despite this newfound fact, Naruto continued to push forward with the development of his new technique. Suddenly, Sansei arrived, putting a halt to his training.

"Hey, Sansei, what's up?" the blond asked.

"We have a visitor that's looking to hire us for a job." answered the teen.

"Really? Who's the client?"

"Hōzuki Ishikawa."

XXX

Naruto entered the room where Ishikawa was waiting, immediately noticing that the man was quite tall for someone in his mid-fifties. He had gray hair, onyx eyes, and wore a heavy maroon kimono. Looking up from his book, the two entered a brief stare down before Ishikawa scoffed derisively at him.

"You have got to be kidding me. The leader of this group is a child? Akira must be losing his touch if he's having this much trouble with you." he said, mockingly. Naruto narrowed his eyes at the Hōzuki. While the man's words didn't rile him up that much, he was still somewhat annoyed that Ishikawa didn't take him seriously. Throughout his campaign, people often underestimated him due to his youth, but he'd always make them eat their own words when he proved them wrong. He was still occasionally teased about his age, but only by the people that he personally knew, or was on good terms with. Ishikawa was just a stranger to him, however, which made his jeering attitude even more grating to his patience. Nonetheless, Naruto continued to maintain his neutral expression.

"Can I help you?" he asked calmly.

"I'm starting to doubt that you can." Ishikawa retorted in amusement.

"Well then, you know where the exit is. I'll have Sansei lead you back to the road." Naruto replied quickly and firmly.

Ishikawa dropped his entertained front and shot Naruto a serious glare. "Is that how you do business, boy?"

"Only with difficult bastards like you." was the blonde's dry reply, before he gave the old man a level stare. "Look, if you don't like that I'm young, then you're just wasting your time here. I've proven my mettle to the people of Mizu no Kuni several times in the past; they know that I'm serious about helping them. If I wanted to deal with arrogant old men with prissy attitudes and an unbearable sense of self-importance, I'd be paying Akira a visit right now."

Ishikawa's expression morphed to an enraged glare. "You want to rephrase that?" he snarled dangerously.

"No, I don't. Your reputation may be well known throughout these lands, Hōzuki, but it doesn't scare me in the slightest. I have zero respect for someone who just sits on his hands and watches as his home gets destroyed. Now, you can either state your business, or get out of my base and deal with your problem yourself. Whatever you decide, make it quick, because I actually have better things to do than listen to you." Ishikawa wanted nothing more than to fire a water bullet through Naruto's head for his disrespect, but he still needed him and his army to help him with his task; it was the type of job that he could never entrust with Kagura and Sentaro's lot. With an indignant harrumph, he withdrew a picture from his kimono and tossed it at Naruto. The young man easily caught the object and looked at it. The photograph was of a very pretty girl that looked to be his age, and had a very feminine figure. She also had shoulder-length lime green hair, and eyes that were bright like amber.

"Her name is Muramasa Mai, and she's one of the Kokushoku Kinzoku Roji's finest blacksmiths. The girl comes from a very proud lineage; her father was notorious for crafting two very powerful swords before he died, and her great grandfather created the swords used by the Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū. Yesterday, I'd learned that she left the village after I placed it under lockdown; that was two days ago. Just recently, one of my spies informed me that she's been seen in a village that's controlled by Akira."

"So you need us to get her out of there before Akira learns of her presence?"

"Correct. Think you can you handle this?" Ishikawa demanded tersely.

"Sure we can. Where exactly is she located?"

"In a village called Onsen; it's a hot spring resort not too far from this area."

"Alright, a couple of my men and I will head out immediately." said Naruto as he opened the door. "You may work out the payment with one of our treasurers. If you make a left and head down the hall, then make another left, you will see two doors. The room to the right is where you'll need to go." Without another word Ishikawa promptly made his exit, not even sparing a second glance towards Naruto. He even ignored Jubei, who gave the neutral man a look as he made his way into the room.

"Still as cold as ever." Jubei remarked before turning his attention back to Naruto. "So, I take it he's hired us for a job?"

"A very important one." answered the blond. "Do you know someone by the name of Muramasa Mai?"

"Practically everyone in Kiri knows about her and her clan. Is she in trouble?"

"Oh, yeah. She was last seen in Onsen, and if Akira finds out that Mai's so close by, she'll have every hunter-nin gunning for her. We need to act now if we're to extract her before the enemy does. Do you know where either of the twins are? I have a feeling that I'm going to need their help on this mission."

"Actually, that's why I'm here. I've just sent the twins to Shumokuzame Shima after Sayuri returned with the information that Onimusha managed to gather from that ledger." Jubei then handed the report to Naruto, who quickly started to skim through it. But as he read more and more of the text on the paper, he couldn't help but become increasingly worried.

"So, she's still alive..." he finally said after a moment of silence.

"It would appear so, and she's been supplying weapons to Akira for a while now. From what Onimusha was able to determine, the people that are making those payments are investors, and the Godaime has been using their investments to hire workers and engineers. He's also bought a lot of steel with their money, too. As to how it all fits into his grand plan, we're still not certain, but we do know that's for something big." explained Jubei.

"So, why exactly did you send the twins to Ren's territory?"

"Akira is having a meeting with his investors there. I sent the two of them to gather some Intel on what they were planning." answered Jubei.

"Good call on that, Jubei. Right then, I'll round up some of our ninja, and get Mai out of Onsen. You hold down the fort while I'm away." Jubei just nodded as Naruto left to get ready.

XXX

Shin swung the Kubikiribōchō in a wide arc, cutting down a small tree with a single stroke. As he surveyed his handiwork, he couldn't help but still feel frustrated. For the past couple of months, he had made little progress in his hunt for Naruto, which did nothing to improve his foul mood. Just thinking of the blond was enough to piss him off, and the only way that he could properly alleviate his agitation was by cutting something or someone down.

Ever since Uzumaki's little display in Akira's office, he'd personally demanded to be given the task of hunting the annoying upstart down. After the Mizukage granted his request, he created his own personal team composed of several highly skilled trackers to help him find that sneaky brat, but they still couldn't find any trace of Naruto or his base of operations. The targets knew how to evade capture exceptionally well, not to mention they always made sure to hide their tracks and remove all traces of their presence. And while Shin knew better than to expect any help from the villagers, he was grateful that they didn't try to do anything to impede their search, especially since he'd been given orders to execute anyone that opposed them.

Although Shin wanted to complete his mission in order to the pay the boy out for all of the trouble he'd caused him, the one of the main reasons he wanted to capture Naruto was so that he could show that little runt the difference between him and his brother. Oh, he had known all about the person who was trailing him ever since he'd reacquired the Kubikiribōchō. He remembered all too well of the warning that Tsunami woman gave him about how someone would take great offense if he took the sword from Zabuza's grave. He'd merely dismissed her words as an idle threat at the time, figuring that he would be long gone before this certain someone ever got wind of his deed. To learn that "the person" was Naruto didn't really matter to him, yet he couldn't help but wonder if the young man was actually capable of carrying out his threat.

The secondary reason was because the little bastard had the nerve to hold Zabuza's name in high regard. To the younger Momochi, his brother was a coward who didn't deserve such praise or acknowledgment after he'd betrayed his family and his duty to Kiri. Zabuza was a selfish man who only looked out for himself, and anyone that came in contact with him usually paid the ultimate price, like that Yuki boy that once served him. That was why before he took Naruto down; he was going make him regret ever thinking that any aspect of Zabuza's character was praiseworthy.

"Shin-senpai," a voice called out, which turned out to be his team's medic, "we've just received some intelligence that might be of some use to us."

"What is it, Ruka?" asked Shin.

"Word is that Muramasa Mai is no longer in Kokushoku Kinzoku Roji. She was recently spotted in Onsen, where Jiryoku is the head commander of the shinobi forces stationed there." Shin was surprised to hear what Ruka had told him. If there was one person that Ishikawa cared for above all, it was Mai. Numerous questions began to cloud his mind: Why would she leave the safety of her home? What would Ishikawa be willing to offer should he return her to him? But all of those thoughts were immediately shoved aside once he recalled the last part of his comrade's report.

"Get everybody up. We move out to Onsen at once."

XXX

Naruto and his ten-man squad surveyed the village of Onsen through the cover provided by the area's copious amount of steam. He had specifically chosen the shinobi currently with him due to the fact that they were extremely skilled in the art of stealth, and had experience completing high-risk extraction missions. It had taken two days for Naruto's squad to reach their destination, and he was somewhat displeased to see that the village's security detail had been heavily fortified. It didn't take him long, however, for him to realize what had caused the change: Momochi Shin. Seeing that man in the village confused the blond, as Ishikawa had told him that Jiryoku was in charge of the shinobi stationed in the village. Did Shin take control from him? And if so, then how long had he been in charge? Regardless of the sudden change in command, his team still had a job to do.

"Alright, everyone, based on our current situation, we only have one option available to us." he began. "I'll stay behind, and serve as the distraction by engaging Shin in combat. Meanwhile, you lot will slip in through the steam and take out the guards. Knock them out, kill them, do whatever is necessary to neutralize them as quickly as possible, and without alerting the enemy. Your main priority is to find Mai, and get her out safely. Once you are all a good distance away, shoot up a flare and keep going towards the rendezvous point; I'll meet up with you shortly. Am I understood?"

"Yes, sir." his team chorused at once.

"Alright then, let's get started." The group split up into two teams, and broke off into different directions. What they didn't know was that there had been someone close by, watching their every move.

XXX

Shin sat patiently on the crate that was placed at the center of the town square. The Kubikiribōchō was stabbed into the ground to his left, while a bloodied and unconscious Jiryoku was laying face-first to his right. Earlier that day, he had arrived in Onsen and had caught the Kumo-nin attempting to rape Mai; he wasted no time in immediately putting a stop to the sick degenerate's vile actions. He then proceeded to challenge the rapist for control of the town, to which the arrogant man hastily responded to his provocations. The fight that followed was heavily one-sided as the young Momochi made quick work of his opponent, making sure that he beat Jiryoku mercilessly for his abhorrent intentions. After he took control, he had his team join up with the stationed forces and increased the patrols around the border, on top of placing a large guard detail at the hotel room where Mai was being kept. He also gave implicit orders for Jiryoku to be left where he lay, and that the medics were not to treat his wounds on the grounds that his humiliating position was part of his punishment. That had been nearly two hours ago, and so far all of the ninja were checking in at regular intervals, which meant everything was running like clockwork. That fact alone had Shin on edge.

Suddenly, a figure appeared out of the steam, and was making their way towards the center of the village. The stranger's stride was a confident one that showed no fear whatsoever about walking closer towards the swordsman. Sensing the rising tension in the area, the villagers hastily cleared out of the area. Shin said nothing as he rose from his seat, and walked towards the obscured figure, grabbing his sword along the way. Even though he couldn't clearly see who the approaching stranger was, he could tell by the person's chakra signature alone that it was none other than Uzumaki Naruto. Meeting the blond out in the middle of the road, the two stared into each other's eyes, as if they were trying to read their opponent's thoughts. Taking a quick glance around them, Shin noticed that the resistance leader didn't have any back-up, although he knew better than to think that Naruto was alone. But that wasn't important now; he figured that his team could handle the rebel forces, while he took care of the young man in front of him.

Naruto, having noticed the look that Shin was giving him, slowly placed his hand on the Mari-Blade's hilt. "Judging by your stance and body language, you seem to be angry with me, but we can talk about that later. What I really want to know is how you knew that I was going to be here."

Shin shot a dark look towards the rebel. "There are only two people Ishikawa would go to in order have Muramasa Mai rescued from Akira, and you're the safer bet. Unfortunately, you've wasted your time coming here. I'm going to be the one who returns Mai back to Ishikawa after I've dealt with you." Shin stated.

"Is that so?"

"I don't like being threatened, or hearing people say that there are any redeeming qualities to my scumbag brother. You may respect Zabuza, but to me he's nothing but a coward. He did not deserve to wield the Kubikiribōchō nor be a member of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shu. I will not show a shred of remorse for his death; that traitor got what he deserved."

Naruto simply scoffed at Shin, which made him deepen his glare. "What, you think that just because you aligned yourself to the Godaime Mizukage as a loyal Kiri-nin, that automatically makes you the better man? Your boasts don't impress me one bit, Momochi Shin. Even though Zabuza did do some pretty heinous deeds, he did have some decency left in him. You didn't witness your brother cut his way through a mob of mercenaries, all so that he could murder the bastard who disrespected the corpse of a boy that Zabuza saw as a son. And you definitely weren't there to see him shed tears over the fact that he'd treated Haku like a tool. You may think that he was unworthy of the blade you now wield, but you're dead wrong. He was far more worthy than you will ever be. If he were still alive, Zabuza would've fought off any of Akira's men that came after him, unlike you; he had the courage to stick to his beliefs, and not submit to that deranged man's demands just to save his own skin." Shin's grip on the Kubikiribōchō tightened as his glare became deadly. Naruto responded by unsheathing the Mari-Blade and adopted a battle-ready stance.

XXX

Despite all the preparations that Shin had set up, Naruto's team was able to move about without being noticed. Along the way they took out several guards, making sure that they didn't kill any of them, and asked several of the villagers where the Muramasa girl was being held. It was on their third attempt that one family finally told them the location of the hotel that Mai was being held. The team quickly dashed towards the hotel, only to arrive to see a startling sight: all of the guards tasked with protecting the building were already knocked out cold. Wary of the chance of a possible ambush, the rebel shinobi carefully entered the building, only to find a trail of unconscious guards that stretched from the front lobby to a stairwell. Deciding to take a chance, the team followed the bodies that actually wound up three flights of stairs, until they reached a specific door. Knowing that there was a high probability that traps were prepped to go off inside the room, the majority of the members took defensive stances, while the sub-commander carefully stepped forward and knocked on the door.

"Muramasa Mai? My name is Nuri. I am a member of the resistance movement led by Uzumaki Naruto, and we are here to help you escape." said the shinobi.

There was a brief moment of silence, before they heard a reply. "Slide your armband under the door. I know that anyone who follows Naruto wears an armband." demanded a young female voice. Nuri quickly unfastened the cloth on his left arm and slid it underneath the small gap between the door and the carpet. A few moments later, it was slid right back to him. "The door is locked, and I don't know which guard has the key."

"Alright, hold on for a minute." Nuri then made a motion to one of his comrades standing beside him. They switched places, allowing for the new shinobi to get to work on the door's lock. After managing to disable the locking mechanism, and checking for traps or trip wires, the kunoichi opened the door. Almost instantly, the prisoner stepped out, revealing herself to be a young woman dressed in a lime colored kimono that revealed a large amount of her cleavage.

"What's the plan?" Mai asked instantly.

"We're going to escort you back to our base. Please stay close to us." explained Nuri. She nodded silently before one ninja allowed her to climb onto his back, and the whole group began to move toward the back of the village. As they ran, one of the ninja couldn't help but ask a question that had been on his mind. "Muramasa-san, before you were captured, did you ask for help from someone within the village?"

The girl shook her head. "Not from anyone that I personally knew. All I heard were bodies dropping on the other side of the door, and then someone telling me that I was going to be rescued soon. But I had no idea whose voice it was." The rest of the ninja exchanged worried glances, and wondered just who was their mysterious assistant.

XXX

The sounds of clashing blades echoed throughout the village. Metal ground against metal as the two combatants struggled to gain an edge over their opponent. Naruto shot his foot towards Shin's ankle in an attempt to sweep the leg out from the Kiri-nin. Unfortunately, Shin saw the sneak attack coming and was able to avoid it before countering with an elbow strike. Naruto in turn evaded the strike by pushing off from the blade lock and ducking as the elbow swiped harmlessly above him. He retaliated by swinging the Mari-Blade in a low sweeping arc, which forced Shin to jump in the air to avoid. While he was in mid-air, he brought the Kubikiribōchō up and swung it down with the intent of bisecting Naruto down the middle. The blond rolled out of the way as the blade embedding itself into the ground. Speedily getting back on his feet, Naruto shifted into another battle stance, which was an action that Shin mimicked.

The fighting duo stood still, staring each other down, before they simultaneously charged into the fray once more. Even though they had been heavily fighting for nearly thirty minutes, they still had enough energy to continue. Their blades crashed against one another at high speeds, sending sparks flying everywhere. Despite the fact that his blade was larger, Shin managed to wield the Kubikiribōchō with enough agility to easily parry Naruto's strikes. The blond attacked from every angle possible, but Shin was able to block every single attack. The two separated after yet another blade-lock, gaining some much needed distance to catch their breaths and rethink their strategies. Although there were other ninja in the immediate area, they were too stunned to do anything. Shin was known throughout the region as a highly skilled swordsman, and to see someone so young being able to keep up with the Momochi was quite the unusual sight; it was a clear testament of how much Naruto's skills had improved.

Naruto was about to go on the offensive once again, when he suddenly saw a flare shoot up into the sky. Seeing the signal meant only one thing: his team had secured Mai, and were now making their escape. Resuming his charge towards Shin, he slipped the Mari-Blade back in its sheath and quickly formed a small chain of hand seals.

"Futon: Fūjin no Jutsu!" A stream of high-velocity wind shot out at Shin, as well as everyone else behind him. Shin managed to quickly roll out of the way as the jet stream violently knocked down everyone in the area, kicking up large amounts of dirt and dust particles. When the jutsu finally died down, Shin saw Naruto making a break for it. With a single hand gesture, his soldiers followed after him as he gave chase to the blond. By the time he'd spotted the flare that was still ascending in the sky, he cursed angrily as he realized its significance. He was about to perform the necessary chain of seals for a jutsu to slow Naruto down, but the man was forced to come to a sudden stop when someone abruptly appeared in front of him. The newcomer wielded an axe and hammer, both of which were connected at the end of their hilts by leather band. It didn't take Shin long to recognize the Kabutowari, as well as who was wielding it.

Before the hunter-nin could react, the man slammed the hammer hard on the ground, creating a powerful shock wave that sent the Momochi and his soldiers flying back via another torrent of stone and dust. Satisfied that the Kiri-nin were subdued, the mysterious man then turned to a surprised Naruto (whom had witnessed the entire encounter) and grabbed the young man before vanishing in a burst of speed.

"Search the area! I want them found!" Shin shouted as he got back onto his feet once again. After everyone else recovered from the surprise attack, they quickly took off to follow their commander's order. Now alone in the abandoned area, Shin was left to his thoughts. 'Just what is going on? Why was Genji of all people here?'

XXX

A group of Kiri shinobi ran passed a run-down old shack in their search for the intruders. Since the building looked as if it was going to collapse at any second, they didn't bother to check its interior and kept on moving. But even if they decided to investigate, they wouldn't have found anything. The reason for that was because of the underground layer hidden directly underneath the derelict building. The hiding place had been an idea of Naruto's. Knowing that there was a high chance that his men could end up getting captured by Akira's bounty hunters, he had created several underground bunkers all throughout the land in order to provide his comrades with some emergency cover should they ever need it. They were quick and effective shelters that his men could use to hide, resupply, and rest while they were in the field, especially since they were also laced with special seals that prevented their chakra signatures from being detected by sensors. It pissed the Mizukage off to no end trying to figure out how his enemies disappeared without a trace, which made the bunkers all the more appealing to the rebels.

Within one of the many hideout bunkers he'd crafted, Naruto couldn't help but stare at the man standing in front of him. Even though he had never personally met the guy before, he knew of him through his reputation alone.

"I guess I should be thanking you for your assistance back there." said Naruto.

"There's no need to thank me, I was going to help anyways. You did very well in your rescue operation. Now all that's left to do is for Mai to explain why the hell she's not in Kokushoku Kinzoku Roji." said the notorious ninja. At that moment, the young woman in question stepped out from the shadows and gave Genji a sharp look, one that was readily returned. "Don't give me that look, young lady. You deliberately left the safety of your village all because you wanted to find this young man, and I want to know why."

"I… I couldn't stay there, not after what I'd learned. I needed to get out of there and do something to help. It's what my father would've done, if it hadn't been for him." Mai said with a growl at the end.

"Him?"

"Ishikawa. He… He… He's responsible for my father's death!" exclaimed Mai, shocking everyone in the barrack.

XXX

Shin dodged the punch thrown at him, and countered by slamming his fist into Jiryoku's mid-section as hard as he could, making the man drop to his knees wheezing for air. He turned to look up at Shin with unadulterated rage burning in his eyes.

"You son of a bitch, I'll fucking kill you!" he snarled.

"That's big talk coming from an unabashed rapist." said Shin. "Tell me something; are you really that big of a failure as both a shinobi and a man? The security around Onsen was abysmal until I arrived. Naruto would have easily snuck in, saved Mai, and then killed you without so much as batting an eye. And if I hadn't stopped you from forcing yourself on that girl, Ishikawa would have used every resource at his disposal to see you dead once he found out about your disgusting act. I practically saved your ass on two different accounts, so quit your bitching."

"Enough!" exclaimed Akira. "I don't care if the two of you fight each other to the death on your own time, but I grow tired of your failures; especially yours Shin!"

Shin stared accusingly at his leader. "Excuse me?"

"Don't you take that tone with me! You've wanted to eliminate Naruto ever since he first revealed himself, and I assigned you the mission thinking that you could actually get it done! And yet you've come back, time after time, without his head! I'm beginning to have doubts that you can actually complete this task!" Akira was going to say more, but he was suddenly silenced by the Kubikiribōchō effortlessly splitting his desk in two. Akira looked at the blade's owner, and physically flinched at the intensity of Shin's cold glare.

"Do whatever you want, but Uzumaki's my kill. If you ever interfere, I will end you." growled Shin before stalked out of the room. After steeling his features and sending Jiryoku out of his office, Akira allowed his anger to run wild, his fists clenching until his knuckles turned white.

'Damn him. Damn that Shin! How dare he look down at me like that?! He thinks he's superior to me, that he's above me? Well, I'll show him. I'LL SHOW THEM ALL WHO HAS THE REAL POWER HERE IN KIRIGAKURE!'

XXXXX

Author's Notes: I really like how this chapter came out. I can't say how much I respect and thank my Co-writer and Beta Reader, Toa Naruto, for the help that he has given me. Anyway, I hope that you all enjoy the new chapter.

Glossary

Garī no Shinro - Gully's Path

Kanketsusen no Shima - Geyser Island

Kaiko - Sea view Port

Shumokuzame Shima – Hammerhead Island

Jutsu

Futon: Fūjin no Jutsu – Wind Release: Dust Cloud Technique - This technique creates a stream of high-velocity wind containing dust particles, capable of decimating anything caught in it in only a matter of moments. The completed technique is directed through vertically overlapped hands that are placed in front of the user's mouth after forming the necessary hand seals.