Naruto had been correct when she had said that Team Roshi would work well together.

After several more D-rank missions and even a few C-Ranks involving the less than hospitable animals and the bandits that thought they could take from the people of Tsuchi no Kuni or even the Military power of Iwagakure, the Tsuchikage allowed them to take a B-rank mission.

The Mission was supposed to get those from Team Roshi more integrated with those from Deidara's Team, because Naruto would often be working with her brother and it would drag the other members together.

The mission they were given was a simply meet and greet mission meant to check out if the newest business proposal, one from Wave Country done by the billionaire Gato, was worth agreeing to. The Teams were led under Deidara, while Roshi would stay behind for another mission ordered in by the Tsuchikage. The other members of the team would mostly be there as the backup team while Deidara's team was the diplomatic party in disguise.

Too bad Naruto had to deal with the over protective male's and her teammates the entire way. At least the Tsuchikage had given her permission to kick he brother's ass if he messed with her too much.

I~~~~I

"So, Naruto, what's your brother's team like, anyways?"

Yarui broke the silence that had descended after Roshi had briefed his team and dismissed them. The four members had quickly left to go get packed, and were now on their way to eat before heading out.

Naruto sighed and looked up, trying to think of a way to explain her brother's team correctly. She settled on the most basic explanation she knew.

"Deidara's the brash one, but he is kind and caring. He will have our backs on the mission. Hatori is the calm one, but he is honestly the scariest of the three. He is the one that plans the strategies most of the time. As for Ikate…"

Naruto trailed off as she tried to think. It was honestly hard to describe Ikate without saying a few choice words.

"He's an ass."

A voice called from behind them, turning Yarui and Shisui's attention to the scowling Darui. Seeing the other blonde scowling was an odd sight, one that was reserved for those he had no lost love over. Thinking back, Naruto remembered that Darui had a little sister training to be a priestess. Considering that Ikate had his three cousins that were around her age becoming Priestesses, then it wasn't a stretch to think he had met Darui or his sister.

"Woah, how do you know him Darui?" Yarui questioned, leaning close with a raised brow.

Darui huffed and turned away before he answered the boy. "He tried flirting with my little sister. She punched his face in."

Naruto wasn't surprised. Ikate liked blondes, and he also was a little bit of a flirt when it came to most of the ladies in Iwa. He tended to be more serious about such things around Naruto, but she wasn't that interested in boys or dating. She was a Kunoichi and she had her mind set on making her way to stand beside Deidara so he didn't have to be so alone.

The others had taken note of her rather serious mood, quieting down to let her think. She smiled at them, grateful that they understood. While none of them had gone through her situation, they still understood what she needed. It was a relief next to the people that pretended to know what to do or those that forced their own thoughts onto her.

I~~~~I

After eating at a rather nice teahouse the four went to meet the others that would be joining them at one of the gates. Deidara stood alongside Hatori, while Ikate was chatting with one of the Kunoichi guards who didn't look an ounce amused over his comments about her attire or the 'rich chocolate brown' of her hair and eyes.

Naruto snickered at the sight, used to such things after running several missions with the team. Ikate had a smooth tongue, that was true, but he also tended to overdo his flirting.

Hatori met her gaze and they shared mirthful smirks while Deidara took note of the three tagging along with his sister.

Yarui met Deidara's gaze head on with a bright grin, copying Naruto's tendency to raise her hands behind her head. Shisui was casting curious and wary looks over all of the members, while Darui was doing his best to ignore Ikate.

In the end Deidara nodded at the males and ordered everyone together to take note of their supplies.

"Alright, so quick introductions, un."

He paused a moment before continuing. "I'm Iwatoshi Deidara, commander for this mission, while the blue haired nin, and the second in command is Sarumi Hatori, and the green haired idiot is Mayuri Ikate, un."

Deidara finished by gesturing toward Naruto to introduce her teammates.

Smirking, Naruto pointed to each one.

"So the stoic raven is Kopi Hesei Shisui, while the energetic one is Oduriko Yarui. Last but not least we have my grumpy copy, Ryutai Darui."

Yarui laughed at her description of the team, reaching over to put his arm around her shoulder. Naruto returned the gesture, ignoring the way Ikate had stiffened and Hatori had narrowed his eyes on the boy.

Deidara ignored it with the practice of a Jonin and started to take count of their supplies. He took the list Naruto had made of her company's supplies, leaving him to add it with his own. After he had finished taking inventory, all of them looked to him for instruction.

"Come on, we have a long ways to go, in fact I would say a good week and a half of traveling, maybe more, before we arrive there, un."

There was another pause to make sure everyone had heard him before Deidara continue speaking. "Tsuchikage-Sama told me to take my time if it was worth it, and to cut our losses if Gato turns out to be like most merchants tend to be. While we walk I suppose you all can discuss abilities, but for now we'll go with granite position with the younger closer to the middle, un."

Deidara waited for everyone to take formation, before he nodded sharply. With a simple wave of his hand everyone took off running across the rocky wasteland.

I~~~~I

By the end of the first day, the teams had made it to the edge of Tsuchi no Kuni, setting up camp near the border of Kusa. They would skirt through Kusa and Ame as quickly as possible, only relaxing slightly when they reached the Kawa no Kuni before continuing over the ocean on a fare boat supplied by Gato to Nami no Kuni. The path was one that left Hi no Kuni alone since none of them wanted to deal with Konoha and its shinobi.

They set camp quickly and divided the time spent on watch evenly, Naruto taking first with Hatori while Shisui and Yarui took the next, Darui and Deidara left with the one after that, Ikate having to deal with the last alone.

Deidara had only to glare at the male in order to silence his mutters over how he wanted watch with Naruto. The complaints were only half-serious, after all.

Hatori was excellent company, allowing Naruto to sit next to him and talk to him about everything that had happened without any interruptions. She even told him about her newer techniques involving exploding tags, some of Deidara's clay, and a well-placed wind jutsu.

The night passed without incident, Naruto falling asleep on Hatori's shoulder after they were relieved of their duties.

I~~~~I

The next few nights followed the same pattern, each person taking watch with a different person each time so everyone got to know each other better. At the end of the fourth day they reached the edge of Kawa no Kuni and Ame and stopped for supplies.

They left the village without incident, trekking through Kawa on foot or even on boats.

It only took them four more days to reach the ocean, and by then most of them were ready to take a break from running through wetlands and overtop water. It had been hilarious to watch Yarui and Shisui get a hold of the ability after starting to master it only a few days before they left Iwa, but wet Genin aside things went well.

Deidara ordered everyone to stock up on supplies while he went to meet the escort Gato had provided them with, Naruto taking the opportunity to ditch her teammates and go find some food.

As Naruto looked, she found that most of the shops only had seafood. While it was too be expected for this area, she was craving something different than what those places were offering. It was only after moving into a shadier part of the port town that she found what she was looking for. Nestled between a teashop and a pawnshop was a simple ramen stand decorated in blue and grey banners. Naruto was quick to duck inside and grab herself a bowl of the first thing she saw.

By the time she had walked back to the others she was smiling and satisfied. Ever since her last escort mission with Deidara regarding the Tsuchikage traveling through Ta no Kuni, Naruto had been craving the heavenly food that was Ramen.

In Ta no Kuni Naruto had her first bowl of the lovely food, and ever since then she had loved it. However, in Tsuchi people were still adjusting and as such no one really knew about the food or how to prepare it the same way that the old woman in Ta no Kuni had.

Deidara's amused glance told her he knew what she had gone after, but she didn't really care. Ramen was her favorite food next to her father's hot curry. Not much could make her feel bad about eating several bowls, not even the horrified looks those stepping into the ramen stand had given her when they watched her devour the noodles and broth rather quickly, only to ask for another bowl to add to her towering stack. The owners of the stand would no doubt have more than enough money to work with for a good month or so.

I~~~~I

Naruto rather hated water. She didn't understand why people enjoyed the cold or the wet parts that surely came with it, or the rocking on a boat followed by the smell. She would much rather bask in the sun or even stay hidden in one of the few sturdy trees Iwa was home to. There was also the fact that the nice smell of the wind was covered up by the smell of salt, which annoyed Naruto greatly.

The blonde haired Kunoichi was a very space-conscious person, so being held up on a boat for too long was slowly killing her. She missed land quite a bit, but didn't allow that to cloud her thoughts. They were still on edge around Gato's men; even after the warm welcome they had been given. No one trusted the smirking faces of the cocky 'samurai' that Gato had hired, especially after they had commented on Naruto one too many time to be appropriate.

There was a rather unanimous relief among the group of Iwa Shinobi when they finally reached Wave after another three days.

I~~~~I

Naruto hated Gato. The moment she met the pig she hated his guts and wanted to stab him with several hundred explosive kunai before shoving explosive clay up his ass while happily chanting 'kai' repeatedly. The many was a slimy bastard, but he also was very good at what he did. Gato offered Iwa many of the profits that he was extorting from the land he occupied, if they helped him secure it. This meant that they could not really argue or how he ran things or what he was doing. Nami was a very profitable trading partner, especially if they stole it away from Hi no Kuni.

So Naruto held her tongue and allowed Deidara to talk to the man that kept glancing her way, she held Yarui back when the man commented on her in the same manner his hired hands had, and she turned the other way when he tried to goad her.

In fact, Naruto began to dodge the man and remove herself from his presence rather quickly, and soon she was hardly ever seen around him at all.

Instead, Naruto found solace in the other Nin that Gato had already hired. The Missing Nin were a rather odd and an equally unpleasant surprise, but the benefits from the deal were too great to push aside over something as simple as mercenary Nin.

Naruto found she did not mind Momochi Zabuza or his apprentice Yuki Haku that much anyways.

Haku was a very insightful male when it came to poisons and medicinal practices. Zabuza ended up being someone to bounce Kenjutsu ideas and techniques off, right up until they both argued enough that they ended up sparring. Zabuza was far stronger than Naruto, but it was still nice to test her strength against him and receive pointers. Shisui and Darui also grabbed some new techniques, while Yarui started learning some of the medical techniques with Naruto.

Over all it was a nice time, despite the less than savory businessperson all of them hated to work with.

However, that was about the time when the Konoha Shinobi decided to show up and ruin their carefully thought out plans.

I~~~~I

Naruto started her day off by going out with Haku in order to gather some herbs and just enjoy the Nami scenery. When the two had returned to the house Gato had given the Nin to live in temporarily, they had found Zabuza and Deidara talking about how they wanted to work through a new development.

A few days before the team from Iwa had arrived a Bridge Builder by the name of Tazuna had made his way out of Nami in order to find outside help to protect him while he worked on his bridge. The Bridge Builder had started his project little over a year ago, planning to connect Nami with the mainland so that Nami could break free from Gato's reign. Gato did not like that idea, and so he had sent Zabuza's partners, the Demon Brothers of the Mist, Gozu and Mizu, only for neither of them to return. It was obvious that the team Tazuna had procured was a lot stronger than what Gato had thought he could afford, which meant that the next one to go fight them would be Zabuza.

Gato, however, had felt that Zabuza wasn't overkill enough and had jumped at the chance to force the Iwa Shinobi into a rather difficult position. In order to keep their deal with Gato they had to help Zabuza, and that meant sending one of them with the Ninja of the Bloody Mist in order to fight the Konoha Shinobi.

"I'll go." Naruto spoke up after gathering all she could about the situation, taking into account that out of everyone Zabuza was least likely to get pissed with her and she knew his style better than the rest of her teammates.

Deidara opened his mouth to protest, before he shut it and began to think over the idea. Zabuza turned to her and looked up and down her figure, taking in how she had started to look and act around them, as well as the fact that she was an interesting person to talk with.

"Hm." Zabuza hummed, his bandages twitching in a way that meant he was smirking.

"I suppose the Gaki wouldn't be too much trouble to bring along. An Iwa Shinobi might even push Konoha to return. They wouldn't want to cause anything, after all."

Zabuza idly commented at them both in a way that sealed the deal before Deidara had even made his choice.

The sigh that the explosion specialist made told her he knew it too.

I~~~~I

In the end, the blonde haired Kunoichi sat among the twisting branches of Nami's trees, lying in wait for the team of Konoha Shinobi.

She wondered about them, especially who they were. Taking out B-Rank Shinobi wasn't rare, but it was surprising that Tazuna had managed to scrounge up the money to pay for Ninja capable of doing so.

Suddenly, a spot of blue began to emerge from the shifting leaves of the trees. The shade of the object was much darker than that of the waves the country was named after, which left very little guesses left as to what it was. What Naru saw next confirmed her thoughts.

The intruder had pale skin, followed by a small body decorated in several visible weapons. The girl was probably a year or so older than Naruto, but younger than Deidara. After her, there was another pale teen with black hair and another with red hair and tanned skin. All three of them looked relaxed and rather harmless, and Naruto would have had to double check if it were not for the headbands decorating their person. The three wore their headbands in varying styles on their heads, the girl's keeping back her shoulder-length locks along while the redhead's pressed against his high-tail. The pale raven wore his in the standard manner.

Other than that the only other notable feature of the three was the fact that a scratched up Konoha headband adorned the girl's right arm. As far as Naruto knew, only one clan wore extra headbands on their arms. The clan was a scattered one, much like the famed Uzumaki, but several known members resided in Konoha.

Soon after the three were made visible, two older brown-haired people came into view. One of the men was obviously a Jonin, while the other was a shoe in for the Bridge Builder Gato had described. The Jonin was rather plain, but Naruto wouldn't write him off too quickly. The fact that the man was teaching an apparent member to the Oreshizoku Clan and one that very closely resembled an Uzumaki was more than enough to make her warry, if not the fact that the man was a Jonin.

Offhandedly Naru noticed that Zabuza had signaled to her a little ways away. Soon after the signal was given, the Missing Nin's plan was set into action.

To the right of the Konoha team Haku placed her white rabbit down before she quickly fled the area. Naruto reached over to grab onto the kunai in her pouches while she took in the scene bellow. The girl had apparently noticed Haku's sudden appearance. She calmly reached and grabbed a kunai, flinging it casually toward the area Naru knew the bunny resided.

No one went for the bait, all of them tensing while Tenzo's eyes narrowed on the stiffened form of the white rabbit. The red haired boy glanced back to his Sensei. The man only nodded once.

Zabuza chose that as the time to launch his blade at the team. However, in a rather surprising display of power, the girl blocked the giant clever.

"Blood Style, Six Petaled Blood Lotus!"The girl shouted, red chakra rushing up her body and to her aide. The blade barely hit the wall of razor sharp petals before it was knocked away, right into Zabuza's awaiting hand.

The girl didn't drop her jutsu, keeping it around her team and the Bridge Builder while they all took offensive stances. The one who had looked toward Haku when she dropped the Bunny was angled toward that spot and Zabuza, his blade held in a forward grip. The pale raven had moved to the other side of his female teammate, while the Sensei was in front of the girl.

The formation was similar to the granite position, with the most critical members further from the enemy. With the girl's barrier, attacks really did not mean as much and it only strengthened the formation.

At least, it would have if Zabuza were alone. Naruto figured that she would use this to her advantage and wait before launching into the fray. Besides, Zabuza looked to be having fun talking with the Jonin Sensei whose name she learned was Tenzo.

So, Naru waited up in her little area, taking in the situation while she tried to figure out the best way to off the Bridge Builder. Zabuza took great pleasure in trying to scare the ninja he faced, but it seemed like Tenzo's Genin Team was made of stronger stuff than most were.

That said, Naru found her opening when the girl finally allowed her barrier to drop once their sensei vanished mid-battle with Zabuza.

Quickly, Naru tugged at her kunai pouch and pulled out a single kunai, her eyes narrowing on her target as she flashed forward in a blur of speed. Years of running from Roshi had upped her agility as well as her ability to traverse various landscapes. She had trained in the forests of Hi no Kuni and over the rushing rivers of Kawa no Kuni. She had bounded over the sands in Kaze no Kuni and made her way through the mountains of Tsuchi no Kuni, and throughout all of that she had managed to not die during one of Roshi's harsh training regimes.

There was barely a second between the blue haired girl noticing Naru's presence and the arching of Naru's kunai to Tazuna's neck.

Tazuna noticed her the same moment that the Kunoichi had, which left him to watch in horror as his death creeped up on him. Belatedly, Naru promised that she would address Nami no Kuni's treatment with the Tsuchikage, if only because of this one brave old man.

Her eyes widened when something impacted her chest, a strong force sending her far away from the bridge builder as chakra began to build up in the direction of the two Jonin.

Naru turned with the impact, carefully pushing her chakra to catch herself as she touched the ground with her right palm and evened out into a crouch. A rolling blaze was making its way toward her, a familiar flash of working with Shisui popping into her mind fast enough for her to summon the willing pieces of Wind that she always held around her body. Calling out the familiar name of the Gale Bullet left Naru's element to pulse and force itself into the blaze, wrapping around the roaring technique before it propelled it right back at the Kunoichi who had sent it in the first place.

The Kunoichi vanished, a log landing in her place. From the sides of the blast both the girl and her red haired companion appeared, blades drawn and angled for attack.

Naru's lips twisted and she quickly drew her Tanto to block a strike from the Kunoichi before she parried a blow from the ninja. Both worked very well and were able to push her further than what she knew. Naru wasn't that interested in Kenjutsu, unlike Shisui happened to be. Yarui understood her sentiments, and Darui even agreed that dabbling a bit into different pools of techniques was a good thing to do. When it came down to it though, Shisui was far better than any of them with swords, while Darui took the top with weapons, and Yarui held that spot with Taijutsu.

Over the years of trying out so many different things, Naru found what her strength was. The new members of her team were quick to figure it out, especially since she kept 'showing off' during training or missions. Right now, faced with two rather skilled pupils in kenjutsu, Naru decided she might as well focus on what she was better at rather than what field she knew she was lacking skill in now.

Her Tanto shoved back the two blades, her fingers drawing up to her face to form signs. Like most of her other time spent using jutsu against new opponents, Naru chose to use her weakest element.

"Lightning Style, Scorching Fang!" She called, pulsing her chakra along her blade while she aimed the point at the male.

Shock traveled over the boy's features as he was struck in his shoulder, a sharp gasp leaving his lips while Naru grabbed some Shuriken with her free hand and aimed them at the boy.

Sweeping her blade out to the right of her, Naru blocked a rather sharp swing made by the Kunoichi before her. The girl's bright blue eyes were narrowed on her in a rather vacant manner, but Naru could see the anger in her eyes.

It was rather nice to see such a nice comradery between Ninja when their world was often filled with treachery and lies. Even so, Naru didn't have time to admire the Kunoichi's protective anger.

The boy wouldn't be able to move too much after getting hit by that attack, especially since he would get a low-dose version of the poison Naru had coated her blade with. Most of the poison's effects would be nullified from the rather odd way of transferring, though.

Naru quickly broke off the girl from her comrade, pushing her further from the battle between the Konoha Sensei and Zabuza.

From the corner of her eye Naru noticed how the male was cupping his hand into an earth symbol, but the rest of the image vanished as the fiery Kunoichi before her attacked with a series of well-thought blows.

It was in that moment that Naru witnessed the flashing red in the girl's eyes, three spinning tomo catching her own blue gaze. Everything seemed to slow down, the air becoming stale as the girl's chakra tried to overpower her own.

Darkness fell down over them both.

I~~~~I

There it is. Alright so it's been busy. Lately our English Teacher has us working on sentence structure and components, and so that had me rewording a few things and thinking a little differently. If you notice, then that is cool. Ff not then I am perfectly fine with it. As long as you understand and enjoy the content, I don't really have much else to care about.

All right, onto other things. I am wondering about the future basis of this story, such as pairings, storyline, and integrating Naru into Konoha. I have a basic idea of how to do so, but fitting that in cohesively will not be fine.