Chapter 36

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Ninja Gaiden or DOA

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

So now we launch into Ninja Gaiden III. The game is actually divided up into days and given Ryu is primarily traveling by ship the events move impossibly fast. (That or the good ship JSDF Yunagi can teleport over vast distances instantly). I'll be including a few game snippets to show where the events are taking place in relation to Ryu's adventure but the Uzumakis will be following their own time table for the most part. As much as I'd like to keep everything in perfect synch it isn't going to happen. One other caveat; I really haven't looked into technical matters such as the revolution of the earth and time zones so bear with me and assume that the Uzumakis and whoever else is around don't suffer from jet lag. Writing about a day of jet lag recovery would be pretty damn boring. That all being said, I present to you chapter 36 of Naruto: Dragon's Maw. Enjoy!

[ ] signifies hand signs.

Last time:

The Sacred Wilderness

"….And so we must be going Orochimaru-sensei." said Hinata standing alongside a clone of Naruto.

Orochimaru nodded his head. "I understand Hinata; a ninja's work is never done. Good luck." The two bowed to each other respectfully and Hinata shot back to the campsite.

Momiji had just sent off the falcon back to Hayabusa Village with the simple reply, 'We're on our way.' Naruto and his clones as well as the rest of the girls were finishing up packing when Hinata got back with Naruto's shadow clone.

"Orochimaru-sensei wishes us luck." said Hinata. "Are we ready to go?"

Everyone looked at one another and nodded. "Let's move out." said Naruto.

The Uzumaki Clan went flat out tree hopping all the way back to the Hayabusa Village. They arrived about three hours after Ryu had left by helicopter with Mizuki. Arriving at the village gates they were quickly ushered to the Castle of the Dragon where Hayabusa Jô was waiting for them. The messenger bird arrived only a short while before so he was a bit surprised to see them arrive so quickly. "It is good to see you all." said the Hayabusa patriarch. "I just wish it was under better circumstances…."

Hayabusa Village

Naruto listened grimly to Jô-sama along with his wives and Maya. The situation was grim. Jô had Kureha describe what she could about the Grip of Murder curse. Momiji wanted to help but Kureha assured her younger sister that her place was at Naruto's side with the Uzumaki Clan. Jô then described the situation in full. The circumstances were less than ideal needless to say.

Naruto sighed. "So this Defense Secretary Ishigami Ken shows up out of nowhere to get Ryu's help, Ryu nearly gets killed as well as cursed and then Ryu takes off for the Rub' al Khali Desert in the Middle East along with this JSDF Agent named Mizuki McCloud. The leader of this group of terrorists also called out both Ryu and I by name. I really wish Ryu would have taken a little break instead of rocketing off like that." Naruto turned to his family and saw in his lovely wives' eyes that they had had already unanimously decided to go on this trip –so had Maya.

"Well Naruto-kun, it looks like the seven of us have an island trip set up for us." said Hinata in a tone that would brook no arguments. "I know all of us are eager to test our new skills."

Ayane interjected, "We know next to nothing about this Em Nenhum Island. We're going to need some serious intel on this place."

"Hopefully the JSDF Agent guiding you will have something." said Jô. "They should arrive here within a few hours. To be honest I had no idea you'd get back this quickly. I kind of expected them to get here first."

"When are they due to arrive Jô-sama?" asked Aoi.

"Around five in the evening actually." answered Jô. "That gives you about three hours to prepare for your trip."

Momiji nodded. "In that case let's take advantage of it, shower and change into fresh gear. We've been running all morning."

….

At 5:17PM a transport helicopter arrived and quickly landed in the clearing in front of the Castle of the Dragon. Aboard was JSDF Agent Subaru Kimiko, a short young Japanese woman with medium brown hair in a bob haircut. She currently had it tied back in a very short tail leaving only part of her bangs free that covered her left eye slightly. She was in a form fitting dark brown combat suit that showed off her nice body and twin pistols. Exiting the chopper she said, "I'm Agent Subaru of the JSDF. Defense Secretary Ishigami sent me here for Uzumaki!" About that time the Uzumaki Clan came out of the Castle of the Dragon in their all black combat gear armed for war. Agent Subaru couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and she said "I wasn't expecting an army." in a sarcastic tone.

Naruto stalked up to her with his blue eyes blazing as he stared into her chocolate ones and growled, "You're seventeen minutes late JSDF Agent."

Subaru faltered for a moment before her eyes took a long walk over the superb physiques of the Uzumaki Clan in their masked falcon style suits. 'Yum! Very nice view.' she thought with a smirk. "Well, all the more reason for you all to get aboard quickly then isn't it? We're heading to the Misawa Air Base." As the ninjas climbed aboard the crew of the chopper helped them all strap in. The rather aroused helicopter crew managed to keep their hands to themselves after some rather fearsome glares from the kunoichis. Once everyone was strapped in the chopper lifted off and they flew to Misawa Air Base in Northern Honshu to grab a military transport to head to the Azores.

As the noise in the helicopter's cabin wasn't very conducive to conversation the Uzumakis sat in silence occasionally hand signaling one another in Konoha's old ANBU code that they had practiced heavily over their training trip. Unlike Naruto and Hinata who knew the basics; Orochimaru knew it inside and out and was able to train all of the Uzumakis very thoroughly.

Ayane: [If that guy doesn't stop gawking at my breasts I'm going to kick his ass!]

Kasumi: [Calm down Ayane. He's been staring at mine too. Part of a kunoichi's arsenal is her sex appeal after all.]

Ayane: [But he's openly drooling Kasumi!]

Aoi: [He's also been touching himself. I'm in favor of Ayane's original plan of kicking his ass.]

Hinata: [They are talking about the one at the front of the cabin Aoi; not the one at the back.]

Ayane: [The one at the back is touching himself?!]

Momiji: [Is Subaru eyeing us as well?]

Maya: [I thought she was just eyeing Naruto but now that you mention it….]

The temperature in the helicopter's cabin dropped about fifty degrees suddenly when Naruto started leaking killing intent that made the hairs on the crew's necks stand up. Seeing the crewmembers had seemingly lost interest in gawking at his vixens Naruto released the killing intent and his wives' conversation turned to lighter subjects about it being their first time in a helicopter and the fact it smelled like a locker room….

Misawa Air Base, Aomori Prefecture, Japan

After landing at Misawa; JSDF Agent Subaru quickly led them to an enclosed building that was used for clandestine operations. 'I don't know what they can do but I'm just loving all this eye candy.' thought Subaru hungrily. She led them to a briefing room, bowed and said proudly, "Everyone please be seated and allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Agent Subaru Kimiko of the JSDF and answer personally to Defense Secretary Ishigami Ken." She smiled brightly and then noticed the ninjas seemed totally unimpressed by her announcement. 'Don't they know who the Defense Secretary is? Oh well….' "I was expecting one ninja but given the nature of this operation it is probably better to have several of you. Please tell me your names since we're going to be working together closely."

Naruto introduced himself and his clan mates one by one. He finished with, "Please address us by our first names as we all have the surname Uzumaki Agent Subaru. And just for your information both Hinata and Maya can see just fine."

'Okay….' Subaru decided to take this as an opportunity to get more informal and said, "All of you please call me Kimiko then. I look forward to working with you all. The transport we'll be using is a Lear C-21A and it will take us about 18 Hours plus stopovers for refueling. Flying from here it's about 7,200 miles between Misawa and Lajes Air Base." She handed each of them dossiers and said, "Please direct your attention to the screen in the front of the room. Kimiko then moved to the side and dimmed the lights so a projected map of the Azores Islands in the Atlantic could be seen. Agent Subaru used a laser pointer to highlight a particular Island.

"We're going to land at Lajes Air Base which is in the northeast corner of Terceira Island in the Azores." Kimiko said as the map zoomed in. "It's a military base used by the Portuguese Air Force and United States Air Force. We have a JSDF liaison there that will be helping us with transportation to and from Terceira Island." The map scrolled to the left. "From there we'll be heading to Em Nenhum Island which is about 300 miles due west of Terceira Island and is privately owned by the LOA Conglomerate. The LOA is a global conglomerate that manufactures a little bit of anything and everything. More information about LOA is in you dossiers. Geographically Em Nenhum is considered part of the Azores archipelago but politically no longer has anything to do with the Azores or Portugal because the LOA bought it for next to nothing from Portugal in 1923 by the Grandfather of the current LOA Chairperson, Ashtear Higgins."

Kimiko zoomed the map in on a kidney shaped island west of the Azores. "As you can see, Em Nenhum Island is loosely kidney shaped and covers approximately six square miles. It is three miles from north to south and two miles east to west. On the west side where the indention is that gives Em Nenhum its kidney shape there is a very small harbor. The rest of Em Nenhum is edged by high cliffs. The land is uneven and heavily overgrown with vegetation so it's never been very suitable for settlement. It is primarily covered with various species of evergreen plants and trees. The island is of volcanic origin and seasonally varies from around 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The weather is very humid and often extremely foggy so visibility there is generally bad which is another one of the major reasons it was never permanently settled."

Kimiko went over several satellite views and aerial photos of Em Nenhum. "Since World War Two ended LOA has used Em Nenhum Island for research and as an animal reserve. It is supposed the home of some sort of facility for developing hydroponic crops for the LOA to market worldwide." The photos zoomed in on a small area of buildings. "From the air it looks like a small group of old factory style buildings with dormitories that might hold fifty to one hundred people and it's connected directly to the port. There is also a large heliport there which is capable of handling large cargo helicopters and tilt rotors weather permitting. The port and the heliport are the only ways that the LOA Supplies the island with food, equipment and personnel. They also seem to be the only ways on and off of the island."

Several views showing the layout of the buildings and the heliport slowly went across the screen as Kimiko spoke. "As aircraft rarely fly in the area we felt it would be best to travel by boat at night and slip onto the island unnoticed. There are a few scalable cliffs on the south side of the island which should be accessible with grappling hooks. I trust you all know how to climb mountains?"

Hinata said, "We have training in climbing and travelling over all kinds of terrain Agent Subaru. Scaling a cliff of that nature will be simple enough."

"Excellent; I guess I won't have to hold your hands when we go climbing then." said the agent smartly.

Aoi asked, "What do you mean 'we?' It will hinder us travelling with a civilian."

Kimiko smiled haughtily. "I'm fully trained in military survival Aoi-san. Trust me when I say I won't be slowing you down. I've seen live combat and hold a 2nd Dan Black Belt Shōrin-ryu Karate. I was born and raised on it in Okinawa. You all may have to struggle to keep up with me."

'It's like watching a Chihuahua bark….' thought Ayane dourly as she looked at the short statured JSDF Agent.

'Well, she certainly has an ego.' thought Hinata. 'I hope that overconfidence doesn't get her killed.'

Maya pondered to herself, 'When I was a detective I would have thought that would make you a total badass but since I've gone through ninja training I've realized that that level isn't even adequate and I'm only chunin level. We'll have to watch out for her.'

"Our techniques and abilities are quite different from yours Agent Subaru." said Momiji diplomatically. "It really would be best if we operate separately."

Kimiko took a good long look at Momiji before she smiled eagerly and said, "Then maybe you can teach me a few moves. I can't wait to see what ninjas really are Momiji-san. That Hayabusa ninja is supposed to be some kind of legend. According to Mizuki-chan he claimed he'd bet his life on you. Believe me, if you're that good the JSDF would love to have you as agents and train others in your skills!" she said gleefully.

'Not in this lifetime.' thought the Uzumakis as one.

….

The group soon ate and Kimiko was rather goggle eyed at their looks. 'Damn….they're all so hot! Where did they get those faces and those bodies? I think I'm in love….'

About that time an enlisted man came in and spoke to Kimiko. "Agent Subaru, the Learjet is ready for boarding. We have your luggage but none of your guests have presented any. We need to load it quickly if we are to take off on time."

Kimiko turned to the Uzumakis. "Do you guys have a change of clothes or something? Now that I think about it you didn't have anything when you boarded the chopper back at your village."

Kasumi smiled at them (which made the enlisted man blush). "Everything we need is already on our persons. We can leave whenever you are ready."

Twenty minutes later the Uzumakis (once again with their masks up) boarded the plane and buckled in for their long flight. Once they were ready and Agent Subaru confirmed her equipment was safely stowed they were ready for late night take off….

….

The trip on the Learjet was largely uneventful despite the multiple takeoffs and landings for fuel. The Uzumakis mainly divided their time between sleeping, meditating and studying their dossiers in extreme detail. The kinds of plants, the local animals, and the specific terrain….nothing was too insignificant. The pictures of to LOA's buildings there were very plain and simple in layout. The ninjas figured there were probably underground facilities as well.

Rub' al Khali Desert, Arabian Peninsula

Hayabusa Ryu was travelling through the desert with Agent McCloud and they eventually found the tower where the terrorist group he faced in London originally transmitted their demands from. Ryu travelled ahead alone and had to fight his way through desert assassins of all sorts including mages which was unanticipated. He'd faced them in London but Ryu wasn't expecting them here as well. Having slain all his foes Ryu eventually came face to face with the Regent of the Mask once again….when it was all over Ryu was absolutely exhausted and managed to make it back to Mizuki before he collapsed. It was only through sheer willpower he made it back to her….

Mizuki soon called for a retrieval team to fly them back to the JSDF Yunagi. "This is McCloud." she said into headset. "I need an air extraction quickly. Hayabusa's in bad shape and is in need of medical attention." Receiving a confirmation she looked into the distance at the tower and saw the flaming wreckage of what was once an attack helicopter. 'Did Hayabusa actually fight that thing alone and win? What the hell happened over there?' Loading the injured ninja aboard the 4x4 they were traveling in she had to wonder if Hayabusa Ryu was something more than just a mere human….

Lajes Air Base, Terceira Island, Azores

The C-21A Learjet sat down safely after a multi stopover trip for refueling at various air bases along the way. The sun was just coming up in the Azores when they arrived. Agent Subaru was the first to disembark and was greeted by the JSDF liaison. He was a young lieutenant on exchange duty with the U.S. Air Force. When the ninjas disembarked the liaison introduced himself as Lieutenant Shigure Toru and he quickly escorted them to a classified area. He whispered to Kimiko "Are these people actually real ninjas? I mean, they look the part but I thought ninjas were just in movies and stories."

"High command says they are so who are we to question?" said Subaru. "I'll be travelling with them to assess their skills for future missions. The Defense Secretary is very interested so you'll be expected to submit a report as well."

Shigure nodded. "Understood." He turned to the Uzumakis and said, "The rooms are two bunks each so pick your roommate. I guess since there are seven of you then one will bunk alone. The showers are down the hall and the mess hall is on down to the left. This area is private due to the fact it's a clandestine operations staging point so please don't leave the premises as they are heavily guarded." Soon the Uzumakis divided up. Momiji and Aoi took one room on the left and Kasumi and Ayane took the next one. Hinata and Maya took a room on the right and Naruto took the last one.

The Uzumaki's were soon showering after their long trip and Momiji came in last. She was soon joined by Kimiko in the shower. "So tell me Momiji-chan, has anyone ever told you that you have the face of a goddess and the body to match? You could be a superstar in all my wet dreams." said Kimiko in a sultry tone. "Why don't you come bunk with me? We could have lots of fun together."

Momiji's eyes got wide and her brain froze up before she said, "I wasn't aware that you are a lesbian Agent Subaru." 'Gods protect me. This is so awkward.'

The JSDF Agent smiled and said, "Actually I'm bi. You ninja all have such hot bodies I'd do any of you but you are my ideal Momiji-chan. And please call me Kimiko-chan."

Momiji wanted to face palm but said, "I need to get going." She grabbed her towel and vanished in a body flicker before Subaru's astonished eyes.

"Awww….I was just trying to be nice." muttered Kimiko to herself. 'Was that a real ninja move? Maybe Momiji-chan will loosen up after the mission.' she thought disappointedly.

Momiji appeared in the room she was sharing with Aoi wearing just her towel. Aoi raised an eyebrow. "Why aren't you dressed Momiji-chan? You look a bit flustered."

The Dragon Priestess sat on her bunk and said, "Agent Subaru made a pass at me in the shower. She's bisexual and she likes me."

Aoi stifled her laughter as best she could as Momiji glared at her. The Auburn hair kunoichi finally got herself under control and said, "Just tell her you don't swing that way."

With Ayane and Kasumi….

The pair had already showered earlier and were lying in their bunks across the room from each other. Ayane looked at her sister. "The operation starts this evening Kasumi-chan; do you think there will be any real action or is this going to be a simple infiltration? My instincts are telling me to get ready for a major fight."

Kasumi propped her chin up in her hand. "I think all of us are feeling that way Ayane-chan. To be honest after spending so long boxed up in that airplane I hope it turns into a wild fight. I'm eager to cut loose." Kasumi looked at the clock on the wall and said, "Anyway, let's get some sleep. We've got to be ready to go tonight after dark."

With Naruto….

"Man it sucks sleeping without one of my vixens close." thought Naruto aloud. "This bunk isn't too great either." He laid down and entered his mindscape to talk to Kurama.

"Well, well. Getting all psyched up for your mission Naruto?" asked Kurama.

Naruto nodded. "I have a feeling I may need to call on your chakra Kurama. The information is minimal at best and I have a feeling that island is going to be a deathtrap."

Kurama's tails flicked around showing the fox was thinking. "It's always best to follow your instincts Naruto. Anyway, being prepared for the worst is a good policy."

With Hinata and Maya….

The two kunoichis had already laid down to sleep but Maya was wide awake and was tossing and turning. Hinata said, "You're thinking to loud Maya-chan. What's wrong; can't you sleep?"

Maya peered over at Hinata in the darkened room. "Is it that obvious? I'm worried about if I will do well on this mission."

"You'll do fine Maya-chan." said Hinata in a reassuring tone. "You are already a chunin level kunoichi. I'm more concerned that we'll have to babysit Agent Subaru. She thinks she's invincible and I think she's in for a rude awakening. Have you been having visions of the future about this mission?"

"No, I'm just worried." answered Maya. "I guess I'm just nervous because it's my first real mission as a ninja."

Hinata said, "All us girls and Naruto-kun will be there to catch you if you stumble Maya-chan. We are Uzumaki's and we'll always be there to protect each other. Try to get some sleep. We're going to be up all night after all."

Feeling more reassured Maya soon fell asleep and after that Hinata drifted off as well.

JSDF Yunagi

Ryu and Mizuki withdrew back to the JSDF Yunagi so Ryu could recover overnight. The Grip of Murder was gradually getting worse and Ryu woke up agonized in the morning. After he got up he was shown a bit around the ship by Mizuki who seemed kinder and more informal to him in a way. Ryu soon met Mizuki's silent daughter Canna and Cliff Higgins, Mizuki's brother-in-law. Cliff soon informed them that the group they were fighting is called the Lords of Alchemy, which is known internationally as the LOA conglomerate.

"We need to contact Uzumaki Naruto and tell him about the Lords of Alchemy" said Ryu. "This information could be vital to him."

Cliff asked, "Who is Uzumaki Naruto? Is he a friend of yours?"

"He's another ninja helping the JSDF Cliff." explained Mizuki. "I'll try to contact Agent Subaru through JSDF Command. She should be with him."

Cliff seemed to be very curious about Naruto and it didn't sit quite right with Ryu. But the scientist seemed harmless enough and the curse was really casing Ryu a great deal of pain. The Hayabusa heir decided that the throbbing from the Grip of Murder might be clouding his judgment and decided to let it go.

In the end Mizuki was unable to contact her fellow JSDF Agent Subaru Kimiko and the matter remained unresolved. Mizuki said to Ryu, "Once we've investigated the LOA Abismo Island base I'll try to contact Kimiko again. It looks like the satellite communications are down for some reason."

Ryu was disappointed and said, "I guess it's the best we can do for now…."

Em Nenhum Island

In the early afternoon a large tilt rotor landed and the LOA Head Researcher Lovelace arrived with a small staff. She immediately went to see Lisa Hamilton. Lisa was less than thrilled to see the cold woman but was cordial nonetheless. "Welcome back Lovelace, I'm surprised to see you. I was under the impression that you would be staying at the Abismo Island LOA facility."

Lovelace nodded and said, "That was the original plan but one of LOA's military contacts at Lajes Air Base informed us that a ninja and six kunoichis arrived there this morning so I reversed course and came back. Our insider in the JSDF confirmed it is indeed Uzumaki Naruto. Chairman Higgins said that getting samples of Uzumaki's DNA was paramount and that my assistants could handle the facility at Abismo a little longer. LOA's Goddess Program is coming along nicely." Lisa raised an eyebrow at the name 'Goddess Program' but said nothing. Lovelace continued. "When this operation is done the plan is to have enough samples to impregnate several women although I think both you and I would prefer to get the samples naturally. Personally I can't wait."

Lisa didn't say anything but the idea of getting knocked up by a total stranger didn't appeal to her at all and she had no idea how Lovelace planned to pull this off unless they drugged Uzumaki. Lisa sure as hell wasn't some sort of seductress….They had to prepare for a major assault anyway so she put thoughts of being used for breeding purposes out of her mind….

Lajes Air Base, Terceira Island, Azores

The Uzumakis got up at 2:00 PM and the sun was high in the sky with clear weather. They had a large meal in the private mess and were soon in another briefing room with Shigure. Kimiko kept shooting glances at Momiji but the Dragon Priestess was pointedly ignoring her. Lieutenant Shigure pointed to a map of Em Nenhum on the wall. "We'll be taking an unmarked SH-3 Sea King helicopter to Em Nenhum Island which is about a two hour trip. You'll be dropped off in a raft that you will take to east side of the island where you can find a spot to scale the cliffs. That will make your landing at the island around 6:00 PM** so you'll still be in the daylight for 3 hours. We'd go in later but the heavy fog forecast tonight won't allow for full night operations to see the cliffs or for the helicopter to operate safely. After we drop you off we will be stationed at the nearest landing strip to await your signal for extraction from your position in the morning."

4:00 PM

The Uzumaki clan was strapped into the ex-U.S. Navy helicopter which was painted a simple gray with no visible identification markings. The trip was noisy in the cabin and Subaru Kimiko was talking over it explaining the technical aspects of how she'd keep them on course with her GPS and tablet she had with her. The general mood of the Uzumakis was grim and ready for conflict. Agent Subaru acted as if this was going to be a walk in the park but the ninjas felt otherwise. Kimiko soon realized that Naruto and his clan mates weren't all that interested in her high tech gadgets and sighed. 'Well this is no fun. Momiji-chan is ignoring me and the others aren't really paying attention. I'll try changing subjects.' Turning to Hinata who was sitting beside her Kimiko said, "So, where did you get such….ummm….unique eyes Hinata-san? I don't think I've ever seen any quite like yours before."

Hinata turned to Kimiko and said simply, "I inherited them from my parents and hopefully they will be passed down to my own children some day."

"Oh. I had no idea that others had those." said Kimiko awkwardly. "So you really have normal vision without a pupil?"

"Byakugan eyes are unique and those of us who have them can see differently than other people." said Hinata. "You may see how they work during this mission."

"Like how?" asked Kimiko puzzled.

"All ninjas have their secrets." replied Hinata mysteriously.

'Jeez….I'm just trying to be friendly. All these ninjas sure are secretive.' thought Kimiko. 'I guess I'll just have to see what they and do in the field. When I asked to see Kasumi's sword earlier she basically hid it from me. Are they all paranoid or something? It's going to be difficult to give a real assessment to the Defense Secretary if they won't show me anything.'

6:00 PM

Dropping the raft in the ocean and loading the Uzumakis and the JSDF Agent into it went without incident. Once the helicopter received the 'all clear' signal from Kimiko they rapidly withdrew. The Uzumakis arrived at the foggy Em Nenhum Island twenty minutes later with Hinata in the front guiding them through the pea soup with her byakugan eyes. Kimiko couldn't see Hinata's face from her angle and wondered how the hell the indigo haired kunoichi could see anything further away than her own hand. (Kimiko was having a hard time seeing her own hands). Hinata soon said, "Turn off the engine Naruto-kun. We can use the oars from here." Naruto shut off the motor and grabbed the oars while Kasumi took over steering. Fifteen minutes later Hinata guided them to a smooth stop and said, "I'll tie us off."

That's when things got freaky to Agent Subaru. She expected Hinata to splash into the water but instead Hinata was standing on the water like it was dry land as she tied the boat to an outcropping at the base of the cliff. "Everyone get on your night vision goggles for the climb up." said Naruto. "Agent Subaru, I guess I'll have to carry you piggyback style as we walk up the cliff." Kimiko's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as everyone piled out and started walking vertically up the cliff face with Hinata in the leading position. She watched dumbfounded as Naruto walked on the water around the boat to her side and said, "Climb on my back." Once the diminutive JSDF Agent was arranged Naruto also started walking and said "Hold on tight." as he too went vertical which made her squeal in fright. "Be quiet Subaru; this is a stealth mission!" whispered Naruto harshly.

Kimiko was totally embarrassed as she hung on to Naruto for dear life. Finally regaining some composure the JSDF Agent whispered, "How in the hell are you defying the laws of physics?! You were standing on the water and now you are walking up a sheer cliff face like it's a flat surface. This is impossible!"

Naruto whispered back, "We're ninjas." as if that answered everything. Then he added, "Trade secret." which made her sweat drop. Soon they were at the top of the cliff and standing horizontal again. Naruto then let Kimiko down.

Standing on shaky legs Kimiko sat down and willed herself to calm down as well. Hinata said, "Are you all right Subaru? You are still perspiring heavily and your heart rate is elevated."

"How can you tell in this fog Hinata?" asked Kimiko.

Hinata said, "I told you I can see differently than you. That's how I can see through this fog. Come on; we need to get moving." Hinata pulled Kimiko up by the hand and led her over to the others which were lying on their stomachs on a ridge looking down towards the center of the island.

Aoi said quietly, "The fog isn't nearly as bad on the other side of the ridge. It's mainly forest and I'm hearing all kinds of animal noises I don't recognize. None of the scents smell familiar either. We should be careful of the local wildlife. I know the smells of rodents, rabbits and weasels that are supposed to here and it smells nothing like them here. It smells more like lizards…."

POSTSCRIPT:

**Yes, yes. I should be using military time but I stuck with AM and PM to avoid confusion.

Well, a tad bit of a cliffhanger but the real adventure on Em Nenhum Island should be self contained next chapter (or at least I hope so). At any rate, this chapter took some time to write because of the many technical aspects involved. Finding the right aircraft for the particular job, the right airfields, etc. was a bit taxing. Obsessive compulsive disorder at work folks! The next chapter is tentatively named Mysterious Island after the classic Jules Verne novel. See you next time! Blue out. 1/26/16