I do not own Naruto Shippuden or any of the characters.
Working Together
Ryuu flashed through the air, catching the queen as she fell. She was the same girl that had been singing when they woke up, and when she'd come out of her tower to greet the crowd around it, someone had pushed her from behind before the balcony collapsed. Ryuu flipped, landing lightly on the outside of a wall around the courtyard where the crowd was gathered, then set her on her feet and stepped back just before Naruto and Fu appeared beside him.
"Are you alright, Your Highness?" Ryuu asked.
"Yes," the girl nodded. "Thank you."
"So, you're the queen of this place, huh?" Naruto asked.
"I am Sara, the High Queen of Loran, if that's what you mean," Sara said haughtily.
"And I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto grinned, jabbing his thumb into his chest. "A Shinobi from the Hidden Leaf. Man, Loran sure looks a lot better now than it did before. It was ruin before."
"How dare you say that to me!?" Sara snapped. "Loran's the city I inherited from my mother! It's more precious to me than life itself."
"Oh...uh...boy, I just don't understand what's going on here," Naruto said.
Ryuu sighed, grabbing his hand and cutting a scratch into it with a kunai.
"Hey!" Naruto said, yanking his hand back. "What the heck!?"
"Shut up and listen," Ryuu whispered. "Right now, your hand's injured, but yesterday it wasn't, right?"
"Yeah, because you just cut it!" Naruto said.
"Right, well, when you saw Loran before, it was a ruin," Ryuu whispered. "However, we went backward in time. If Loran is your hand, and the cut is Loran being a ruin, then we're in yesterday, when your hand still looked like this." He held his hand out, healing the cut almost instantly.
Naruto stared at it, then looked around before nodding. "I don't get it."
Ryuu groaned. Fu giggled, then leaned in to whisper to Naruto. After a moment, his eyes went wide open.
"Ooohhh!" Naruto said. "Okay. I get it now."
"Wait, what?" Ryuu asked. "What did you..."
"It's a secret," Fu smiled.
Ryuu rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
"Anyway, what happened up there?" Naruto asked. "How come you fell from the tower?"
Sara gasped, then looked up at the tower before frowning and dropping her gaze to the grass off to one side. "It felt as though someone pushed me from behind."
"What!?" Naruto gasped. "Seriously!? Is someone trying to kill you?"
"What!?" Sara asked. "No! who would ever want to do that to me, the queen!? You saw! My people were showering me with adoration!"
"They still are," Ryuu said, everyone listening, still hearing the cheers. "You'd think they'd stop cheering when their queen fell, then disappeared."
Sara's eyes widened before she frowned. "I...They're probably...cheering because you saved me."
Ryuu hummed thoughtfully. "If you were to die, who'd take over ruling?"
Sara hesitated before frowning. "Well...that would probably be Anrokuzan."
"Who?" Naruto asked.
"He's my advisor," Sara said. "But that doesn't matter! No one would try to kill me!"
"But you just said someone pushed you," Naruto said.
"Yes...well...I probably just imagined all that!" Sara snapped.
"Do you think it was them?" Fu whispered.
"I think it was Mukade," Ryuu said. "Anrokuzan."
Fu nodded. "You think they're here to stop him?"
Ryuu nodded just as the three masked Leaf Shinobi appeared in a semicircle around Ryuu and the others, in front of Sara, who scrambled backward.
"So, you really did stay," the blond said, Naruto pressing himself back against a round pillar behind him, kunai in hand and eyes wide with surprise and fear.
"I told you," Ryuu said. "We have a mission as well. Besides, it's good we did. Sara would be dead now if we had left."
"Excuse me!" Sara snapped, shoving her way past the three and standing between them and Naruto defensively. "Just who are you people!?"
"They're Hidden Leaf Shinobi," Ryuu said, standing along with Fu. "Just like us."
"They are?" Sara asked.
"That's right," the blond nodded. "I was about to catch you, but he beat me to the punch. Come with us. We'll find somewhere out of sight to talk."
Ryuu nodded and Fu picked up Sara before they all left, travelling through the city quickly before finding a way into a building away from Sara's tower. Sara sat in one of the windows and Ryuu and Fu leaned against the wall opposite her, Ryuu wrapping his arms around Fu, while Naruto stood at Sara's side.
"So, what's your mission?" the blond asked.
"You first," Ryuu said. "We've got more than just a mission to explain, so your side would be quicker."
The three looked at each other before sighing, taking off their masks. Ryuu's eyes widened. Minato Namikaze, Choza Akimichi, and Shibi Aburame. Naruto, Choji, and Shino's fathers.
"I can't tell you everything, but I'll tell you what you need to know," Minato said. "The Hidden Leaf Village sent us here on a top secret mission. A shinobi came here from the future six years ago. He suddenly found himself here, and his name is Mukade. We were sent to stop him."
"I thought as much," Ryuu nodded. "We're also from the future. I'm the Jonin Captain in charge of the mission. These two are among the group I brought on the mission. We were ordered to stop Mukade in our time. He was after the power of the ley line, which had been sealed. However, I was too slow, and reacted too late, and he absorbed the jutsu formula keeping it sealed, allowing him to wield its power. Then, as the ley line's power was unleashed, it cast Mukade into the past, then us a few seconds later, though apparently that was enough of a difference in time to result in a six year gap. We have to stop Mukade, then find a way back to our time. I believe that if we can seal the ley line again, there's a chance we'll be sent home."
Minato nodded. "It's possible. Either way, we must stop Mukade, or all of time will be destroyed."
Ryuu nodded, glancing at Naruto, who was staring at Minato in silence, face an emotionless mask, but eyes filled with emotion.
"Da-" Naruto stopped as Ryuu appeared behind him, covering his mouth.
"That's enough, Naruto," Ryuu said. "Not another word. If you change the past, or say too much about the future, you could erase yourself from existence. Or Hinata. You might change something, and then she'll have never been born."
Naruto's eyes widened before he nodded. Ryuu removed his hand and Naruto swallowed hard, nodding.
"The power of the ley line is deep underground beneath Loran," Minato continued, unperturbed by the exchange. "Mukade is using that power to build an army of formidable puppet soldiers."
"Yeah, that's right," Naruto nodded. "Mukade said-"
"Enough!" Sara snapped. "It wasn't some evil Shinobi who appeared in the street six years ago! It was a good man named Anrokuzan! And today, Anrokuzan serves as my minister and has faithfully carried out my mother's wishes! He loves peace! He would never develop military weapons! And I won't stand for you speaking ill of him!"
"I beg your pardon, Your Majesty," Minato said kindly. "I don't mean to upset you, but this man has been deceiving you."
"I refuse to believe such tales!" Sara spat. "In fact, if anyone's suspicious here, it's you!" She turned, storming away.
"Hey!" Naruto called after her. "Where are you going!?"
"I'm going to go ask him about this myself!" Sara said, then turned, running away from them.
"Wait!" Naruto shouted. "You almost got killed a little while ago! What if An...Ankuru...Mukade was behind it!?"
Sara ignored him and he sighed.
"Naruto, tail her," Ryuu said. "Keep her safe, but stay out of sight."
Naruto nodded, running after her, and Ryuu turned to Minato.
"I kind of wish I could have a sparring session with you to see which of us is faster," Ryuu said. "Unfortunately, the mission takes priority."
Minato nodded, smiling. "We should split up. Your friend might need your help protecting her."
"Nah," Ryuu said. "He's more than strong enough. But I agree with you about splitting up. We'll split our time between defending her and searching for Mukade."
Minato nodded and handed Ryuu one of his kunai before he and his teammates put their masks back on and left with the Body Flicker Technique. Ryuu and Fu sunk into the ground again and followed after Naruto.
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