Chapter 10 - Cyclogenesis

The scene before him was straight out of the stories.

A forest of eternal trees, their iron trunks rising up into the darkness and their branches blotting out the sky.

No sun, or stars could pierce it, no moon that could shed it's lies down on them. Only the branches of the iron trees and their shade from those that came from above.

Only the protection of the dragon's wings.

But this was not Tetsukyoten-zan. The mount that had been the cradle of his bloodline was all the way in the Land of Snow, and Naruto could still feel the grass brushing at his toes through his sandals. And while the air was cool and crisp enough to remind him of a mountaintop, it was not the bitter cold and snowy wasteland that had been described to him in his great grandmother's book.

No, this was something else.

The trees were spaced wide apart, enough room, maybe, to fit his room or even one of Azuchi's training yards between each one. Naruto could almost imagine this being the fabled Forest of Death, but in the few times he'd been permitted to leave his home village, he'd come to know that even those forests were more densely packed than this.

He'd walked aimlessly, sensing nothing around him, and seeing little to no movement. There wasn't even any wind, but the trees might have been the cause of that..

And then he'd seen the light, pulsing gold in the distance. It reminded him…something. He wasn't sure what, but what he did know was that he could feel chakra now. So he went to it.

The light didn't grow distant, or fade, but it didn't come to him either. It waited, patiently, for him to come to it.

Naruto was smart enough to admit that he hadn't seen everything the world had to offer. He was a boy, and had spent almost his entire life inside his village and atop a mountain that he rarely ever left until recently.

Still, he doubted even the most experienced shinobi in the world could say they'd seen what he'd had when he got to the source of the light.

It had been the trees. Gold lines crept up them going from root to trunk to crown like the insects around the woodlands of his home. And from them Naruto could sense power, one that still drew his eyes even when something else should have been the center of attention.

To be specific, the large, shadowed form of the Kyuubi no Yoko seated before him, looking down at him with red eyes that pierced through the darkness.

And despite his size, the great beast still stood below the shadowed canopy of this place's trees.

That was when Naruto fully understood where he was.

"I'm in the seal."

He felt the air shift before he saw the beast move. A snout larger than he was tall leaning down while the scarlet eyes remained trained on him.

There was a sniff, and he had to stop himself from stumbling forward at the force of it.

"You smell just like your father." The Kyuubi said as he straightened, tails behind him beginning to sway. Naruto could almost see the creature's head tilt ever so slightly to one side. There was a pause. "Different from everyone else."

The red eyes squinted.

"Still… familiar."

And then the beast leaned down, the beginnings of a growl sounded like thunder in its throat, and Naruto felt so very, very small.

"You and I have things to discuss, little Namikaze boy."

~TtT~

The Land of Waves was a small place.

While Namikaze Naruto was aware that it had all the rights of a sovereign nation in the eyes of the international community, the island was so tiny, it only had room for one settlement, which was the very city they were in. The Land of Waves was essentially a city-state.

Hells, it didn't even have a daimyo, but Naruto was certain that it had more to do with the fact that no samurai lord from the time before chakra was willing to take on a land so small as his fief. Sailing back then was supposedly even less popular than it was now, so the ancestors of the Land of Fire's daimyo didn't bother staking a claim to the place.

Besides, who wanted a tiny island like this? If you needed ports, you could build them on the mainland's coast. Why bother with an island surrounded by deeper waters that'll need another ship to ferry goods back and forth from the mainland?

It's why the place hadn't been developed by anyone in the past thousand or so years.

Well, that and the fact that most of the mainland was mired up in its own wars for the better part of a millennium since the death of Otsutsuki Hagoromo. The area that was now the Land of Water was dealing with its own problems, and the Uzumaki of the Land of Whirlpools were more concerned with their immediate area, really, more local sailors than anything else.

And then the Warring States' Period ended, the nations and villages were established, and here they were. Still, the Land of Waves was forgotten.

Then Namikaze got its hands on a long-term trade deal with Kirigakure and the Land of Water, and most of his clan's assets were on the far western side of the mainland continent where they'd managed to avoid a lot of the conflict between the time of their founding and the shinobi clans finally getting their act together to have some semblance of stability.

Maritime trade was the only real solution. The volume of goods they dealt with was too large to move by land without it being too time-consuming and expensive, and you couldn't move in large volumes without taking forever and being an easy target for bandits.

The ships could carry this volume and travelled far faster than the carts and carriages did. Threats were also mostly limited to other ships in the form of pirates. Sure, the weather was a concern, too, but it was a profitable enough system that the corporation was willing to stick to it.

Still, that wouldn't have been a good enough reason to look into the place. It still posed the issue of needing another boat to go to and from the mainland, which meant that any needed supplies had to be ferried in.

And then the bridge was built a few years ago.

Supposedly, Tazuna, the engineer that had both proposed and financed the project wanted to connect the country to the mainland to make the place more accessible. "Make it more than a sleepy, dreary fishing village." were his exact words, if Naruto remembered.

He was nice enough, though he might have enjoyed his drink a little bit more than even his Jiraiya did. Still, he and his team had seen the bridge, and it was an imposing thing. It was made of solid stone, and looked to have had steel supports that went all the way to the sea floor below.

That stuff wasn't cheap.

Of course, when the Namikaze Corporation caught wind of it, they'd sent someone to check on the place.

It turned out, the Land of Waves, with the bridge now there, and large enough to service a lot of traffic, would make for an excellent site for a port for their ships.

He could still remember his parents talking about it. It had come up several times over the past few years. From what he could remember, people were sent to treat with the local leadership, and managed to purchase the land and building rights.

Now, the port was a few months away from being completed. They were already able to service a few ships, even. Granted, those were usually just Namikaze ships ferrying in supplies.

Still, it was good business for the locals. Local construction crews had been hired to build the thing, and when it was clear that there wasn't enough manpower available, the corporation had sent in more people.

Those people needed places to stay and food to eat. The fishermen were more than happy to provide the latter, and the corporation partially provided the former. Locals staffed the dorms that the crews stayed in, cooked their meals. The crews spent time in the city during their when they weren't working, so bars and gambling houses were put up to entertain them.

"Tazuna-jii," Naruto greeted the old engineer as he passed him. The man was slumped on the porch of one of the city's more pricey bars. He could tell since the place actually had a very pretty stone entryway, and was still polished to a shine. A sharp contrast to how the man liked to dress, in a sleeveless shirts and short pants. Those that had heard of his reputation would have never suspected the man of being a renowned builder. "Another all-nighter?"

The man started and looked up, bleary eyes still clouded with sleep. "Huh?" He blinked several times before deciding to rub his eyes. "Namikaze-gaki? You're out early, aren't 'ya?" He turned to the horizon, likely seeing that the sun wasn't even cracking over the sea yet.

"I'm headed to Kinami-ko." Naruto replied, gesturing vaguely in the direction of the port. "It's my turn on watch."

Tazuna nodded in understanding. "Alright." He then waved him off. "Hop to it, then. Don't wanna waste your time with an old man like me."

"Says the guy that got the whole ball rolling." Cut in the man that walked out of the bar door, the light from inside illuminating his short figure. "Ah, Namikaze-sama. Good morning."

Naruto gave the man a nod. "Good morning, Gatou-san. Just finished with Tazuna-jii's latest bender?"

Gatou stepped away from the door and into the dimly-lit street. Naruto could see the haori the businessman wore over his long-sleeved shirt, and the golden circle crossed with three vertical lines that was stitched into its left breast. His shaggy hair and preference for sunglasses really made him look a bit seedy.

Though the fact that he was of a height with Naruto made it a little comical, something the man sometimes played for laughs with the kids.

"Who else is going to make sure this idiot doesn't drink himself into an early grave?" Gatou gave Tazuna a not-too-gentle poke with his walking stick, causing the taller man to swipe at it with a slurred growl. "Tsunami-chan would never forgive me if I let her dear old dad do that."

"Bah!" Tazuna crossed his arms and looked away. "You drink just as much as I do."

"And I hold it better, too."

Naruto laughed. "And Gatou-san is also about half your size, Tazuna-jii."

This made the Namikaze-employed businessman join him in his laughter. As impossible as it seemed, Tazuna looked away even harder. Gatou punched the old engineer in the arm before waving Naruto off.

"Don't let us hold you up anymore, Namikaze-sama. Go do what your family paid you to do." The man laughed again, shaking his head as Naruto turned to continue walking down the street towards the port. "I swear, the Namikaze hiring its own heir to protect its interests is one hell of a story."

Naruto could imagine the short man taking off his glasses to wipe a tear from his eye.

The genin couldn't say he disagreed. It was a funny idea. Besides, Naruto couldn't be sure that it was planned. From how the Hokage sounded, the Sandaime only found out after he'd been handed the scroll. Naruto couldn't really imagine a reason for the old man to lie.

His walk the rest of the way to Kinami-ko was relatively uneventful. He ran into a few of the fishermen that were headed to their boats on the much smaller port beside the one being built. He'd heard from Gatou that a section of the Kinami-ko was being setup for them, but it was still under construction.

One of the fishermen he encountered was Tazuna's son-in-law, Kaiza. He reminded Naruto of what Shimura Danzo might have looked like as a young man. They both even had the same cross-shaped scar on their chins!

It made Naruto wonder how you even got a scar like that. Sakura's grandfather never really told them the story of it, and he never thought to ask Kaiza about it until now. Maybe he'd ask the fisherman on his next off day.

Kaiza queried Naruto about Tazuna. Apparently the old man hadn't made it back home last night. Naruto, of course, had been more than happy to tell him that he and Gatou had been on another drinking binge, though it didn't look like anyone was hurt. He'd also mentioned that they looked to be about done.

The fisherman just shook his head before thanking Naruto. He'd turned to continue his trek to the docks, but Naruto caught up to him.

"If not for the fact that I've seen how dad handles his drink, I'd be worried." Kaiza mentioned as they started descending the slope leading up to the harbor. Naruto could already see the scaffolding of Kinami-ko from the high ground.

"Is it an every day thing? Tazuna-jii didn't look too bad, and it sounds like Gatou-san makes sure he doesn't go overboard."

"Not everyday." The man almost seemed to wince. "But a few times a week for sure. Gatou-san's good at making sure he doesn't go overboard, and dad's also got a good enough head on his shoulders to not get himself in trouble. That's one of the only reasons why I haven't brought it up with him. But he's getting older, you know? And not only is he still drinking like someone my age, he's also still going on trips."

He gave Naruto a pointed look. "Did you know he just got back from the Land of Fire's capitol when you guys came into town? He beat you back by a day and a half at most, I think."

"What was he doing there?"

"He'd been put in charge of modernizing the Daimyo's apartments. But he'd been so tired he spent that entire day and a half resting after he came back, and didn't really leave the house for the rest of the week. Man was exhausted."

Tazuna just wasn't as young as he used to be, huh?

"Still, he's in better shape than some of the others his age, I guess." Kaiza was talking to himself more than he was to Naruto at this point. Scratching the same scarred chin that reminded Naruto of Sakura's grandad. "I think I'll talk to him privately when I get back home. You said it looked like they were finishing up, right?"

Naruto nodded.

"Sorry for the trouble, Naruto-kun." The man gave him a pat on the shoulder. "And tell me when you guys are about to head out, you hear? You and your team need to have dinner at the house once the one month is up."

And with that, the fisherman sped up to rejoin his crew while Naruto stopped at the gate to Kinami-ko.

He'd make sure to bring it up with Kakashi next time he saw their sensei. Their one month assignment was about halfway done, another two weeks before the next team schedule to relieve them was sent.

Kinami-ko was large. In the case of the more well-traveled among them, including Tazuna, it was about as large as the ports of the major trading cities like Kagayaki-ko in the capitol of the Land of Water.

Concrete docks rose above the water, forming the fifty or so berths that had been prepared for larger trading ships, and another twenty or so smaller berths that had been set aside for the local fishermen's vessels, and any other arrivals that might need the space.

This place had been their mission. Konoha apparently had a running contract with the corporation to keep this place protected from pirates and raiders, and a team was sent over every month.

When he first got the briefing, he'd wondered why a team of genin were being sent to protect an asset as big as this was in the mission details. Apparently, the Land of Waves saw little to no conflict. Why strike at a place that held no apparent value, right?

Kinami-ko's completion would change that, of course, but the port wasn't even operational enough to serve anything but the ships running by to drop off construction materials. Unless you wanted to steal concrete, stone, wood, and wrought iron, there wasn't much to take.

And the city beside it, while growing, wasn't quite there yet. The only money they were getting right now was from the taxation of the land and any business the Namikaze employees working locally brought in. That was the construction crew, the foremen, and the administrators that managed it all, Gatou, included.

So the port was really not much of a target. The ninja were here on the off chance that some local raiding party got it into their heads to mess with the Namikaze corporation, but those that would have been able to make a profit from stealing from the port here would have been so small-time, a couple of genin or a chunin would have been able to do the trick.

Over the course of the past few years, it certainly held up.

Gatou told him that they'd be getting a more serious security detail once the port opened for business, something like the arrangement they had with Kiri with regards to the Namikaze ships.

It had been a relatively enjoyable two weeks for him, despite the fact that he was technically working. The setup they'd gone for was for one person to be keeping an eye on the port alongside the normal security that was there, while another was having off-time in the village proper. One would be resting, and the fourth would be on call.

Today, it was Naruto swapping in with Sakura. Sasuke was going to be keeping an eye on the radio receiver at the place that they were staying at, and it was sensei's turn to get some time out on the town.

A big part of why they could do this was the fact that the corporation had been willing to shell out for a wireless radio. It had originally been intended to let the port's offices communicate with each other, and the lighthouse. It had also been offered to them as a means of communicating with each other.

Besides that, there was a nice piece of sealwork that they'd been given. A mix of a transmission and tracking seal. It pulsed the stored chakra at whatever was making physical contact with it, and created a sort of pull towards a fixed point. In this case, that was the source of the activation.

Damn thing was strong enough to wake him up. Sakura had actually tested it.

It was used in conjunction with another array that stored chakra for the seal to use this way, and another one that made it part of a matched set, so that all four of their seals were connected to each other.

In combination, the completed array functioned as a means of signaling an emergency to the other three members of the team, as well as pointing them in the direction of whichever of the four seals had activated it.

Naruto, of course, had already copied it, and was thinking of how else it could be used.

Gatou hadn't minded. Naruto was considered part of the corporation, after all. He was even in their records and all that. Also, an interesting thing Naruto learned about seals was that while they had a tendency of being copied, they still sold well.

Case in point, the explosive and storage seals were some of the easiest things to make, and a staple for beginner sealing specialists. They were still some of their top-sellers as far as seal-related shinobi goods went.

There really just weren't a lot of seal masters available. Those that were tended to be unwilling to waste their time creating explosive seals en-masse.

Even though Naruto did exactly that.

But that was for personal consumption, thank you very much. He liked the excessive use of explosives.

Also, he cheated. Skyscribing really saved time when it let you make several seals at once.

"Good morning, Na-kun."

Sakura was seated on top of a stack of concrete slabs, with one of the regular security guards standing beside her. This one was a bit older than their sensei, though it would have been hard to tell since Kakashi was always masked.

Conversely, the head of security favored a low collared undershirt with a loosely-wrapped battle kimono over it. Sharp black eyes matched well with his well-trimmed beard.

He gave Naruto a shallow bow. One that he returned before the older man excused himself to retire to the partially-completed administration building where Naruto knew the man went about his work until the little barracks for dedicated security was completed.

"What was that about?"

Sakura shrugged. Her movement was slow, tired. Her hair looked a bit limp, and Naruto thought he could see where the spray of the sea might have touched her clothes. It wasn't unexpected, she'd been up all night for her twelve-hour shift keeping an eye on the port. Some of it was spent checking-in on the lighthouse off the coast, since that was part of their security detail.

"You holding up, Sa-chan?"

She just hummed, shrugging.

Alright. She needed sleep. Walking up to her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and tried to lift her from her seat.

"Oi, Na-kun!" She protested, but with little actual heat behind it.

"Go get some sleep, Sa-chan." He set her down on the ground, her sandals scraping against the dusty concrete. "Myt turn."

Sakura nodded. "Nothing out of the ordinary. Waves got a bit rough at the lighthouse around three in the morning, and it got me a bit wet when I was on my way back. Everyone there's okay though."

"Radio still working?"

"Yeah, that's what I was checking on with Komamura-san about earlier." Sakura pointed a thumb over her shoulder towards the administration office. The girl shrugged. "Well, one of the things. The talk helps keep me awake. It's been… dull."

Naruto could relate. While he'd been over the moon to finally be able to travel outside the village again, their work was more than a little bit repetitive. Coordinate with the regular security, check in on the lighthouse, patrol the port complex, and then repeat. It wasn't unexpected since this was supposed to be a C-rank mission, he'd been told, but if it wasn't for the days they were permitted to go around the village, it would have mind numbing.

"We're halfway there, Sa-chan, and then we'll be going home." He gave her a pat on the shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "You still been doing your chakra training while you were here?"

At this, she seemed to perk up a bit. Raising an armored hand towards him, she asked, "Do you want to check?"

The Namikaze boy laughed, waving his hands in front of himself protectively. "Nah, nah, I believe you."

Both friends exchanged a quick goodbye and, after a final check to make sure she still had the signaling seal she'd had applied to her kote, Sakura was on her way.

Once she'd crossed the gates with the help of the guard keeping an eye there, Naruto turned to the off-shore lighthouse.

"Kage Bunshin no jutsu."

A puff of smoke later, several copies of Naruto stood before him, all dressed in the same kimono and haori he always wore. Two immediately set off for the lighthouse to keep an eye on things there, while two more went to the far end of the port. Naruto would be starting his patrol from here and circling around. The last clone was headed to the administrative building to join Komamura at the radio.

With a wave of his hand, ink flew out of one of his sleeves and began dancing about his left hand. Just like Sakura he'd try to get some training in while he was keeping watch.

Might as well make good use of his time, after all.

~TtT~

Yuki Haku had grown to enjoy the cool rush of the air that came with the seaspray. It was one of the things she liked about standing on the bow of a ship.

She and her team had been assigned to keeping watch at the front of the fleet, their sister team bringing up the rear.

They'd been at sea for several weeks now, the trip south from the archipelago she called home was a long one and required them to circle the Land of Tea's southernmost cape. Unfortunately, the canal was still being dug and couldn't service them yet, though she hoped it would be operational by the end of the year.

While she'd become plenty used to being on a boat, with a good number of their missions being ship-related since she'd become a genin three years ago, Haku did not relish being away from home for months at a time. The trip south had already taken weeks, and some of the missions they'd taken before would go as far west as the Land of Storms, on the far side of the mainland continent.

And then they'd have to take a ship back home if they just didn't end up being double-booked for protecting another fleet on the way back.

On the bright side, she got to travel. The lands to the far west were so very different from the world she'd lived in, or even the mainland right across the sea from her homeland. Shinobi weren't all that common there, though a few small villages had supposedly cropped up. Haku had encountered individual clans acting on their own and picking up contracts more often than not. It was like getting a look at the past to see what being a ninja was like before the time of the villages.

Though it was a lot less bloody, from what the locals had told her.

Still, Haku should probably ask their sensei if they could go for something a little more… local for their next mission. Her parents were starting to wonder if she was avoiding being home. It was said in jest, she was sure, but the fact that they could do that bothered her a bit.

"You seem to be thinking very hard about something."

Haku turned away from the parting waters to see green eyes looking down at her, a pale eyebrow raised in query. She could see the way the seaspray splashed unto the collar of his shirt, turning it a shade darker in the afternoon sun.

"Kimimaro-sama!"

She tried to suppress a smirk at seeing an eyebrow twitch.

His arms twitched, too, her teammate suppressing the urge to cross them at her. "We've been teammates for three years now. You don't need to talk to me that way."

They had, and she knew it still bugged him.

"But I have to address you with respect, Kimimaro-sama!" She knew that he could tell she was being sarcastic. That was the damn point. "You're the Mizukage's eldest son."

"I'd point out that I'm adopted, but you also knew that."

"Still her son."

"And both of you need to focus on keeping an eye out."

This time, both turned to see their jounin sensei walk up the deck towards them. Momochi Zabuza had taken to not having his shirt on beneath his vest after he'd become one of the Seven Swordsmen. Haku found it very odd since he'd supposedly dressed very mundanely before that, from what she'd been told by some of the Mizukage's administrative staff.

Some of them pegged it as a need to stand out, since all of the other Seven Swordsmen looked vastly different from the regular Kirigakure shinobi except perhaps Suigetsu's older brother, Mangetsu. Considering her sensei just shrugged when she brought it up with him, she was inclined to agree.

As though the swords didn't make them stand out as is. Kubikiriboucho was very hard to miss.

"Zabuza-sensei," Haku gave their teacher a bow before turning away from both him and Kimimaro to look out into the sea again. "I'm still keeping watch. It's my and Suigetsu-kun's turn, anyway."

The swordsman hummed at her response. Haku was certain he didn't really mean the accusation. He'd been teaching them long enough to know that Haku was a decent enough sensor, especially out at sea, and Suigetsu was adept at scouting through the waters.

"And is Hozuki not back yet?"

"He should be back in just a moment, sensei."

Zabuza nodded before moving to the side to lean against the railing, his arms crossed, clearly opting to wait the few minutes it took for Suigetsu to get back from scouting ahead of the ships.

Being able to turn into water made it really convenient.

"So what's going on, sensei?" Suigetsu asked as he… crawled? Splashed? Slid on? Haku still wasn't sure. Sometimes her aspiring swordsman of a teammate reminded her of those slimes in some of the manga they'd pickup during their trips. Not in the sense that he was a murderous glutton, but in the sense that he felt like he was part-liquid.

In retrospect, he was part-liquid.

Also, Suigetsu was a glutton.

Okay, Hozuki Suigetsu was a slime.

And then Zabuza gave them the news that pulled her out of her mental tangent.

"I'm nominating you three up for the chunin exams this year."

Haku's immediate reaction was surprise, and then pleasure. She and her team had only taken the exams once before, almost a year and a half ago when the exams had been held in Kumogakure. Zabuza had been the one to submit them for it then, and had apparently been barred from doing so for subsequent exams by the Mizukage.

When she'd asked Kimimaro about it, the reason given had been that his sister and her team were taking her own exams, with the Godaime being more than a little unwilling to have both of them put in the danger the exams implied. Haku was certain there were other reasons for the Mizukage's decision, but neither she nor her teammate were privy to it.

Suigetsu, of course, was the first to respond.

"Hell yeah. It's about damn time, sensei."

Kimimaro looked to have been doing some math in his head, his eyes narrowing a bit upon coming to his conclusion. "The next one is going to be in Konoha, I think. The last one for this year."

Her eyes widened at the information while she saw their teacher nod.

"And that's not the only thing. The Namikaze corporation are taking steps to allow the exams to be broadcast to all of the major villages, and to a larger scale. Means more potential clients can see them, and not just whoever is in the hosting village like before. It's caught the attention of just about everyone."

"It'll be the biggest exams held since the time they were first established." Kimimaro added, clearly knowing something of this. "If kaa-sama's assumptions are correct, all of the Five Great Shinobi Nations will be participating. Even Iwa."

"Kumo, too." Their sensei continued. "And that's considering they've been avoiding contact with Konoha since that incident involving the attempted Hyuuga kidnapping. You three will have your work cut out for you, but there's no better time and place to test yourselves."

"So we're gonna be up against the best of the best from the whole shinobi world, huh?" Suigetsu crossed his arms as his grin grew devilish.

All five of the Kage-led villages, and who knows how many other villages will be attending. Haku, in the one time she'd taken the exams, and the several times she'd watched them happen in Kiri, knew how much it meant to the villages to be seen performing well.

If these exams were as big as Zabuza was making them sound to be, the villages were sending their strongest genin, just like Suigetsu said.

"Then we'll just have win then, won't we, sensei?" Haku felt the excitement at the idea, and knew it must have shown in her eyes.

Zabuza's grin was obvious even with his mask on. The swordsman looked at all three of his students.

"You're damn right. We've held you three from taking your exams so I could focus on making sure you three only ever needed to take it one more time. This is that exam.

"We're going to hand the other villages all their asses, in view of the whole damn world."

~TtT~

The teahouse that Itachi had entered was surprisingly clean despite how dark it was. Surprising, since the place seemed not-too-well-maintained when he and Kisame had been scoping the place out for the meeting they were going to have with their client.

Details had been sparse when the 'mission' had been assigned, and they were really only going to be able to get all the information from their client proper, as they had apparently been unwilling to provide any details besides what they needed in terms of manpower and how much they had been willing to pay.

So here they were, sitting at the table furthest away from the door as their orders were placed before them alongside a pot of green tea and two cups, teahouse sandwiches for the both of them, then kuzumochi for Kisame, and an order of dango for Itachi. They hadn't detected anything that could threaten them in the immediate area, and Itachi hadn't found any seals that might indicate a trap with his rather rudimentary ability in the field.

Of course, the civilians could tell there was something amiss and had given them a wide berth. Smart of them, but Itachi also knew it wasn't hard to do. Between their black coats decorated with red clouds, and wide-brimmed hats, they should have stood out like a sore thumb.

The choice of outfit was bizarre, but even village-affiliated shinobi had uniforms, too, so subtlety would have been out the window for them, anyway.

Both he and Kisame dug in. The sandwiches were well-made. Certainly worth the price as far as he was concerned, and from the gusto that Kisame finished his, he liked it.

"So, what're the odds that this is just some boring job again, eh, Itachi?" Kisame asked as he washed down his food with a gulp of tea.

Itachi agreed that it was more likely than not going to be the case.

It was rather amusing that even though he was now in an organization made up of some of the most terrifying S-ranked missing nin in the Shinobi Nations, they were still reduced to doing missions, some of them even ended up feeling like grunt work despite how much they were being paid.

Wealthy civilian clients were like that, Itachi supposed. Sometimes it was interesting, like discreet protection detail, or having to kill-off another wealthy rival. But those were only ever interesting if the client had high-level shinobi sent after them, or if the target had hired a strong bodyguard of their own.

Otherwise, it was even more mundane than the missions he had run for Konoha.

Mostly due to the fact that high-ranked missions from the villages usually involved deep-cover infiltration, high-level assassinations where the expected targets were either involved with powerful shinobi or were powerful shinobi themselves, or the acquisition of sensitive information.

No matter what, however, the risk was always high.

With Akatsuki, meanwhile, the organization's need for gathering as much funding as they could at this stage of the game meant they'd take whatever job was available as long as the pay was good.

At least that's what Madara had told him when the man acting as Akatsuki's leader had given him and Kisame this mission.

The glint of gold thread caught Itachi's eye as an old man in well-appointed robes walked through the teahouse door. He was hunched forward with thick brows that darkened his eyes, and what looked like sharp teeth that stuck out from his bottom lip.

"Ouwani-sama!" The serving girl that had seated Itachi earlier and handed them their orders walked up to the man and gave him a bow. "Seat for one?"

Long, bony fingers tipped with sharpened nails waved the girl away.

"I have company waiting for me, Mirai-chan." A greyed brow rose, and even though Itachi could see no eyes, he knew the man was looking at them. "They're already waiting for me."

The girl bowed. "Of course, Ouwani-sama. Will you be having your usual, then?"

Ouwani nodded, but said nothing else. Giving the girl a friendly pat on the shoulder, one that required him to reach up to her due to his short stature, he approached both Itachi and Kisame.

"Shinobi-sama. I hope I haven't kept you waiting." His voice was gravely, but steady. He gave both shinobi a shallow bow.

Itachi wasn't used to being bowed to. Even when he'd been heir of his once-clan, bows were uncommon among them. Maybe if he'd managed to succeed his father, but he hadn't.

Of course, it was Kisame that responded.

"Ouwani-san!" The Hoshigaki answered cheerfully, always happy to talk with their clients since he got so little socialization with the rest of their organization. Kisame was a much more social animal than the others were. "Sit down. My partner and I were just having a bite. We'd been on the road all morning to get here, so we've been hungry."

The old man took the offered seat, an immediate exchange of pleasantries taking place between the two such as how the trip to the port city was, if the roads had been clear for them, and the weather pleasant. Ouwani even asked them about what the other countries were like this time of year since he had supposedly not travelled in a while.

As this happened, Mirai served Ouwani with a separate pot of what smelled like roasted green tea, and a plate of soba with the accompanying broth, and a final plate of steak.

Itachi didn't even know this teahouse served steak. He certainly hadn't seen it on the menu.

The three began their actual discussion as Ouwani consumed his meal, doing so at a relaxed pace as they spoke.

"This is the slowest time of day here. We shouldn't expect anyone else to come in, so we can speak freely. Mirai-chan is also a smart enough girl to keep to herself whenever something's happening in the teahouse. She won't bother us."

So Ouwani used this teahouse to meet with people relatively regularly, then, if he knew so much about how this place was a good spot for talking.

"So what exactly do you want us to do, Ouwani-san?" Kisame asked after he swallowed the last of his kuzumochi.

"So, did you happen to see the Kazemichi-sosui on your way down here from up north?"

How could they miss it? The site had been perhaps the largest collection of builders Itachi had seen in his life. He'd seen castles being serviced by fewer workmen.

"Is this about the canal?" Asked Kisame.

"Sort of." Ouwani said before taking another bite of his steak. "When it is done, the canal will allow faster access to the south-western parts of the mainland without having to circle the Land of Tea. The experts we've spoken to suspect it can cut a month from the trip for most ships."

And then Itachi understood.

"Which will save the ships on time and port fees. And the Namikaze Corporation need fuel for their motor ships. They'll save on that, too." Which was probably why they were footing the bill for building the canal. Namikaze could probably charge toll for ships that weren't theirs that planned to use the waterway, too.

How long would it take for them to recoup their costs? Five years? Ten? Itachi didn't know.

What he did know was that the port here would see less traffic if that was the case. Whatever the toll was going to be was probably not going to mean much in the face of a month or two saved on time, and Ryo on port fees and supplies.

Itachi saw the ships at the berths. There were a lot of them here. He could also imagine what would happen to this place when the Kazemichi-sosui opened.

Midorimiya could become a ghost town.

Clearly Ouwani agreed. "The daimyo isn't all that concerned with the loss of business for his other ports. The capitol will be servicing ships that are planning to enter the canal, and he's already agreed on profitable tax rates with Namikaze. As far as the fief is concerned, revenue will go up."

Which also meant that the daimyo didn't need to be worried about losing money due to the unused ports. The lords in charge of those cities would be a different story.

"Is the daimyo not compensating you for the lost revenue?"

Ouwani almost looked at him surprised, both bushy brows rising at the query. Then, he grinned, revealing a row of sharpened teeth that put Kisame's to shame.

What was this old man?

"You're a smart one, boy." Was Ouwani's answer. "Yes, the daimyo has offered to waive port taxes for all of the cities affected. There are other plans, too, but that doesn't matter. We'll still take a hit, but it'll be a lot softer, and we'll have some time to do something about it. But that's not what the actual problem is, here."

Again, the man picked up a piece of his steak and put it on his tongue, his teeth glinting with the motion, and Itachi thought he might have seen a flash of something golden beneath the grey brows.

The slice was swallowed whole.

"With the power to control any kind of shipping routes taken from the harbor lords of the south, they lose almost all influence they have at the daimyo's court. Why should he care about our say when we bring him reduced revenue? When our position costs him more than it brings him. We'll lose the ability to protect ourselves."

Meanwhile, the daimyo's direct stake in the Kazemichi-sosui will consolidate more of his power.

"So what do you want us to do? Attack the Kazemichi-sosui?" It was Kisame that spoke this time, seeing where this was going.

"No, actually."

Itachi blinked. "What."

"The canal improves the Land of Tea's position in the eyes of the international community, it's also a very clear problem for the harbor lords, and the daimyo knows that. It's why he's helping us financially in the first place."

"So anything bad happening to the canal puts you as the first suspects." Itachi finished. "What do you want us to do, then?"

Again Ouwani grinned. "Only those paying close attention to news from the shipping lanes know this, but Namikaze has full intention of milking their project for all its worth." He took a chopstick-full of noodles and dipped it in the bowl of broth. "They're building a port in the Land of Waves, which will be just at the exit of the canal if you're sailing from the east. From what we've heard, they're planning to turn it into a refueling station for their motor ships, and then a trading and resort city for everyone else."

"And that's our target?"

"Yes. The Kazemichi-sosui's management and security after it's completed is going to be handled by the Namikaze Corporation, but the diamyo only agreed to that on condition that they be able to protect the place."

"And if the new port city they're building in the Land of Waves gets trashed, it's gonna make them look like they can't protect the canal once its' completed." Kisame had figured out the game plan almost immediately.

Itachi did, too. "He'll probably give Namikaze the boot and take over then. But he'll need people to run the place for him. People that have had experience protecting shipping lanes and dealing with the people that use them."

Like Ouwani and whoever he was working for.

Ouwani put the noodles in his mouth. After swallowing, the old man grinned. "There's no guarantee that it'll be us, but the harbor lords have every intention of putting themselves forward to do so, and there's a good chance the daimyo will pass it on to them if only so he doesn't have to work for it while enjoying the extra income."

They'd also gain more influence with the daimyo when that happens, perhaps even more than they enjoyed now.

"So the Namikaze Port in the Land of Waves is the target."

Ouwani nodded. "Destroy the port. Maybe even the village it's attached to if you can manage it. We'll happily pay extra for that." There was pause. "You'll have help. We've contracted some pirates to hit the port, too, just to be sure. We've got no information on what the protection in the port is like. Namikaze ships dock here, but their crews are notoriously tight-lipped about what the corporation is up to."

Both members of the Akatsuki nodded.

"And the people?" Itachi asked. Owani shrugged.

"They're not the concern. Better if they live, even. Means people get to talk about how Namikaze can't protect their own."

Kisame leaned forward. "So who're we working with?"

"Raiga's Raiders."

Again, Itachi blinked.

He wasn't sure if whoever Ouwani was working for was ignorant of shinobi or just had money to burn.

Kisame laughed.

Kurosuki Raiga was an S-ranked missing nin from Kiri, one of Kisame's old colleagues in the Seven Swordsmen. If he and his fleet had been hired to torch this new port of Namikaze's, then this client of theirs was really throwing around a lot of money.

"You know him?"

Hoshigaki nodded. "Former colleague of mine. He does good work. If you want that port and the village around it to burn, he'll make sure it does. So you want us to go anyway?"

"Definitely. No kill like overkill, no?"

Itachi found the sight of two grins of sharpened teeth a little unsettling. He had a feeling he would have to get used to it.

"One of his ships is at port now. We expected that you'd need a ride. It's about two weeks from here to the Land of Waves, but the wind is favorable so you may make better time."

The Land of Waves would burn, one way or another.

~TtT~

Nohara Rin liked being back at the Grand Hinata Inn.

This place had been home to her during the years she'd been away from Konoha, more home than Konoha had been before she moved into Azuchi, even.

It was perhaps the premier resort on the continent. No other place could compare to the security and service the Grand Hinata provided its clients.

From the hundreds of rooms to the various amenities and services they offered, few could compare. Did you want to swim? The compound had its very own freshwater lake. Hot springs? Available in every room. Large group functions? Grand halls were available for advanced booking.

Hells, they even had training grounds for shinobi that may have been interested in doing a luxury training trip.

And they were good. After all, the Namikaze trained there, and Rin had spent some time with her sensei there on occasion, too.

Yes, she was more than happy to be back, even if she'd be working.

But now it was time to go again, now that she'd been caught up on what the corporation was up to in recent years, as well as what their goals were.

"Our crews have reported being questioned about Kinami-ko." Sensei's older brother said, the head of the Namikaze Clan had asked Rin to join him in his office housed on the inn's highest floors. "I suspect someone is going to want to do something stupid."

To make sure nothing bad happens to the port or the city went unsaid. Rin accepted the order with a quick nod and made to stand up and pack.

"There's one more thing."

Rin paused and sat back down, brown eyes meeting purple before Namikaze continued, "Naruto's in the Land of Waves."

She was frowning before she knew it. That could potentially make things more difficult depending on how… stupid this was going to be.

"Make sure that he survives. The clan and the corporation has gold to spare if the port is burned down, and we've been around long enough that our reputation can recover that, too. But Naruto is to be the next head of the clan, and his death we cannot afford."

Her lips pursed into a thin line, her resolve should have been plainly seen on her face, in the flash of her eyes.

Neither she nor the rest of the clan were willing to give up another son, spare or no. It's why she and Jiraiya made it a point to push Naruto as hard as they did, for Saiki and the head to give them whatever resource they asked for.

The Namikaze bloodline had a thousand years of history running through its veins. It would have a thousand more if they had anything to say about it.

This one took a bit to write, and the chapter after this took even longer. I've been making it a point to make sureI have the next one to two chapters done before publishing anything, in case I need to backtrack and make edits in order to get things to fit.

It's been helpful with this chapter specifically, since I had to adjust some things to make sure things line up for next chapter.

I hope you guys enjoyed the read, and I'd love to hear what you guys think so far.

Cheers!