*I DON'T OWN NARUTO*
Downtown Konoha was vacant and quite as Sakura made her way to Shikamaru's apartment. Her night bag was draped around her shoulder and she held the strap of the bag tightly in her hands. She could hear Naruto's summon, Kento, getting comfortable inside.
Sakura sighed as she thought about her boyfriend. She had no idea where he had gone, nor did she know when he was coming back home. She began worrying when she heard someone behind her calling her name. She paused and turned around. A very familiar shinobi, dress in a green jumpsuit, ran towards her. Rock Lee waved his hand eagerly at Sakura.
"Hello Sakura-san..."
"Hello Lee-san, are you alright? You look a little out of breath."
"Oh no Sakura-san I'm fine, I'm just out of breath because Guy sensei had me running laps in a handstand position around the village again. Once I reached my goal of 600 laps Guy sensei sent me home to eat."
"You ran 600 laps on your hands?"
"I sure did."
"That's amazing. How in the world do you stay so determined?"
"Simple Sakura-san, it's my shinobi way."
Hearing Lee's reason for his intense training reminded Sakura of Naruto's own determination. She knew Lee and Naruto had a friendly rivalry when it came to being the best. She smiled thinking to herself what Naruto would say if he heard what Lee had just accomplished.
"So Sakura-san it's starting to get late, were you heading home?"
"No, I'm actually making my way to Shikamaru's apartment."
"Shikamaru's? Why are you heading over there at this hour?"
"Well it's not him I'm really paying a visit, it's Ino. She's staying there over the weekend. I was alone at Naruto's place since he went off on a mission today and I didn't want to be by myself. I asked Ino if I could stay with her and she said yes."
"Oh I see, well please allow me to accompany you on your way there then Sakura-san."
"Oh Lee-san you don't have to go out of your way for me. You've trained so much today, you should head home and rest."
"It's alright Sakura-san, I'm headed in the same direction as you, so it's no trouble. Besides even if it was out of my way it would be my pleasure to walk with you. I mean what kind of friend would I be if I let you walk over there alone at this hour."
"Well alright, it'll be nice to have someone to talk to while walking over there."
"I agree I haven't had a chance to really talk to you since…"
"..."
"I'm incredibly sorry for evening bringing it up. Sakura-san, really I am."
"No it's alright."
"Are you so sure?"
"Yes."
"You're doing alright then?"
"I am, I felt horrible that night, but my perspective has changed since then."
"Really?"
"Yes, there's no point in crying over spilled milk, it isn't going to fix anything. All that matters is that Naruto and I are happy that I'm expecting. Everyone else's opinion isn't important."
Lee felt a wave of relief wash over him.
"That's wonderful, I'm happy you've taken such a difficult situation and made the best of it Sakura-san."
"I'm doing my best."
"That's what's important," replied Lee has he flashed Sakura with a wide toothy grin. "So then you said Naruto-kun is out on a mission?"
"Yes, Sai stopped by his apartment with a message from Tsunade-sama earlier today. She wanted him ready to leave the village immediately."
"I see, so you don't know the details of his mission?"
"No, but I wish I did. It was a little
unsettling how he was ordered to be prepared to leave so suddenly."
"I wouldn't worry Sakura-san, some missions are just time sensitive. Perhaps he needed to escort some VIP's out of Konoha. I've heard that since these sudden disappearances, political parties have requested extra security when traveling."
"I never thought about that Lee-san, you have a good point."
"You see, there's no need to worry."
"I guess you're right. On another note how did your team's mission go?"
"Oh, well it really wasn't a success."
"Really?"
"Yes, we weren't able to find any of the missing villagers, nor did we get any new leads."
"..."
"After being there for a few days we were relieved and ordered home. The Tsuchikage informed us not to worry about our fruitless attempts though. The Kazekage sent more reinforcements to help them search for their missing villagers just as we were leaving."
"Gaara-sama is helping out the Tsuchikage?"
"Yes, you know after the war both the Kazekage and Tsuchikage became rather close. Since Suna hasn't had any villagers gone missing Gaara-sama has called some of his shinobi back from small missions. He's using this extra manpower to help with the search efforts."
"I see, I'm guessing you were ordered home because of the security of our own village."
"Correct, I wasn't too pleased to hear what happened when we were gone. The news we received upon arriving was infuriating. I just wish we could have been here to help with those intruders."
"You were helping Lee-san, there's no reason to beat yourself up. What matters now is that everyone is home."
"I guess you're right Sakura-san. Now that all the teams have returned we can focus on keeping everyone safe."
"There, now that's the spirit."
The two friends continued to make small talk as they walked to Shikamaru's. They had started discussing Sakura's plans to move in with Naruto when Sakura noticed Lee's eyes following something. She continued talking to him while she followed his gaze. She soon saw what, or who rather, had gotten his attention. It was a tall, slender,women, who looked to be in her mid-20's.
She had long jet black hair that cascaded down her back. Her body was well toned, yet still feminine and delicate. By her side was a large mountain lion, and behind her was a band of what looked like traveling companions, or subordinates. Together they walked through the gates of the village.
"She's gorgeous," whispered Sakura.
"What?"
"That woman, she's the one you're looking at, right?"
"Oh well yes, but, I wasn't gawking at her or anything."
"You don't have to explain yourself to me," giggled Sakura.
"No really Sakura-san, she is rather beautiful, but I was looking at her for different reasons."
"Oh, and what reason is that?"
"She's a taijutsu master."
"How in the world can you tell that just by looking at her?" Whispered Sakura.
"Simple, taijutsu is all I know, it's what I live and breathe. I can tell when someone knows taijutsu, and if so, I can tell how proficient they are in it. Just look at how she holds herself up, notice how she grounds herself so well yet moves so fluidly. This women is simply amazing, she would be a most formidable opponent."
Sakura looked back at the young women she and her companions obviously weren't from anywhere Sakura had ever been. They were dressed for much colder weather, and the fact that this woman had a mountain lion as a partner was peculiar as well.
"I wonder where they're from? By the looks of it they're far from their home."
"Well most small villages must be suffering since people are too scared to continue trading Sakura-san. I'm guessing villages are sending their strongest to trade for them, or they are hiring shinobi to do the task for them."
"You're probably right."
The group of visitors soon crossed paths with Lee and Sakura. The young women slightly slowed her pace, she flashed Lee a seductive smile as she passed by him. He gulped nervously, which caused the woman to giggle. She quickly looked over at Sakura and flashed her smile as well. Now that she was much closer Sakura was able to see a feature about she hadn't noticed from afar.
Her eyes were were a vibrant shade of yellow and amber, a shade Sakura had never seen before. Their eyes met for just a moment, and the next thing Sakura knew the woman and her traveling companions continued their journey, leaving her and Lee alone. After a few silent moments Sakura cleared her throat, which caused Lee to quickly look at her.
"Well that was interesting wasn't it Lee-san?"
"..."
"So you'll be able to help me move some boxes then, right?" Asked Sakura as gently pulled Lee's arm in an attempt to get him moving.
She couldn't help but giggle at how affected he was from the quick encounter he had with that lovely stranger.
"Yes..of course.. I can, and like I said, I'm sure Neji and Tenten can help too."
"Awesome, thanks so much Lee-san."
Sakura's smile helped Lee regained his composure, and together, he and Sakura continued their little journey. What little time they had left was spent on stories about their academy days. The trip down memory lane was fun, but soon they found themselves right outside Shikamaru's apartment knew the door was open, but she still knocked softly, she felt awkward just walking into Shikamaru's place. Ino quickly answered the door.
"Oh hey Lee."
"Good evening Ino-san, I just wanted to make sure that Sakura-san reached her destination safely."
"Awe you're such a sweetheart. Would you like to come in for a little bit?" Asked Ino.
"No thank you, I have some late night training with Guy Sensei so I need to get home and rest for a bit."
"You sure?"
"Yes Ino-san, but thank you for you hospitality."
"Alright then, have fun training."
Ino made her way back inside leaving Sakura alone to say her goodbyes.
"Thank you again for walking me here Lee-san."
"Oh it was nothing Sakura-san, really."
She hugged him tightly and despite how surprised, and nervous he was, he return the embrace. After a short time Lee slowly let go of Sakura and said goodbye. She waved as he left, and once he was gone she made her way inside Shikamaru's apartment.
As soon as she closed the door Ino grabbed her wrist, and pulled her towards the living. She was quickly guided to the couch, and before she could say anything Ino plopped herself next to her.
"Where have you been the last few days? I haven't talked to you since the night of the party."
"I'm so sorry about Ino. I've just been in my own little world since then."
"Hey it's alright, I didn't mean to put you on the spot there. I was just really concerned, that's all."
"..."
"You don't know how badly I wanted to call you, or stop by, but Shikamaru told me you and Naruto probably needed some time alone."
"He really said that?"
"Yes, and I hated him for it," huffed Ino. "All I wanted was to talk to you and make sure you were okay."
"..."
"I'm so sorry the party ended on such a bad note," said Ino as side embraced Sakura.
"What happened wasn't your fault."
"I still feel kinda bad since I did get everyone together."
"It's water under the bridge, besides why talk about that when there's so much you don't know, I have so much to catch you up on."
"Do tell," teased Ino.
Sakura began the tedious task of bringing her friend up to date on everything. The filling in wasn't what took so long, it was the conversations they had pertaining to every single topic that often took some time. After everything was said and done Ino spoke.
"Wow, you weren't kidding, that was a lot I missed out on."
"Yup," replied Sakura as she opened her night bag.
Kento leaped out and made himself at home on the soft cushions of the couch. Ino watched the tiny toad observe his new surrounding, and once he was satisfied he nestled down and fell asleep.
"I see Naruto left someone to keep you company."
"Yeah, he's really been fussing over me these past few days."
"I bet you're just eating up the extra attention," teased Ino.
"Maybe," replied Sakura.
"That's what thought," giggled Ino. "So are you really going to marry Naruto?"
"Yes, I am. Call me crazy, but, it feels right."
"Yeah and the fact that he's pretty good looking and loaded helps with your decision too."
""Of course you would focus on the money," sighed Sakura.
"Hey financial security is what really turns a women on."
""Oh shut up," chuckled Sakura.
"Fine, but I'll have you know it's a crime to shut down my hilarious remarks."
"Oh however will I live without them?"
"I'm sure you of all people will find a way."
"Challenge accepted."
Naruto tilted his head towards the east and inhaled deeply. He caught the faint scent of another individual, but it was just a harmless traveler.
"Looks like the coast is clear," said Naruto.
He carefully jumped down from the treetops and landed quietly in the middle of their camp. Naruto made sure not to make a sound as he sat down on top of his sleeping bag, he didn't want to wake his teammates. He watched the dancing flames of the campfire in front of him.
His mind began to wander and the next thing he knew he swore he saw Sasuke's cold stare looking at him from the burning flames. Naruto shook his, when he looked at the campfire once more there was no image of the revenge hungry Uchiha.
"You know we could just leave for Kumogakure and find that insufferable Uchiha ourselves."
"Stop talking nonsense, you know that we can't do that."
"Don't get smart with me Naruto. I'm simply pointing out that there's more we could be doing instead of being stuck here babysitting."
"We're on a mission."
"You call this waste of time a mission?!"
"Look, I'll admit that I hate having to be on a mission when Sasuke is not far from here doing god knows what, but we need to complete this mission."
"This annoying mission could be finished much faster if we ditched the brats and just took care of things ourselves."
"You're over exaggerating, the kids aren't going to slow us down. Besides it would be selfish of me to take the thrill of a mission away from them."
"Always thinking of others is your ultimate weakness."
"Maybe it is, but I much rather have it as a weakness then be a selfish prick."
"Fine, then what do you plan on doing once we reach Koka? "
"Simple, we'll find what routes the bandits are favoring, we'll stakeout them out, and we'll ambush them. We can handle this all in a day."
"Alright then, what's your plan for when we get home genius?"
"Easy, I'm going to confront Baa-chan once and for all. I'm going to get all the information that Kiba's team recovered while they were in Kumogakure."
"What if she refuses?"
"She prides herself in being stubborn, but I'm winning this time. Besides if she doesn't give me what I want I can just get it from Shikamaru. Once we get the information we need we'll get a good rounded team and then we'll head to Kumogakure."
"What about our mate?"
"I'm going to have to tell her everything. She'll be safer if she knows what to expect. You and I know that Sakura-chan can take care of herself if she needs too."
"I suppose you're right. So then if we're going to do this we should hurry up and get going. Wake these brats up and let's head out. I remember you telling them that the village is only 3hrs away."
"Yeah it is, we're very close."
"Good then hurry up and get moving."
"Right…"
Naruto stood up and walked over to Konohamaru's sleeping bag. He knelt down next to him and gently nudge the young shinobi.
"Hey Konohamaru."
"What?"
"Come on wake up."
Konohamaru sat up slowly and looked at Naruto.
"Is it time to leave already?"
"Yeah we're really close so it's best that we just finish the trip. When we get to the village we can find a place to sleep. So hurry up and help me wake the others up, we're leaving in 10 minutes.
Shikamaru rubbed his eyes in an attempt to get a better look of his surroundings, but sleep kept his eye lids heavy. He wasn't sure what had caused him to wake up so, but now that he was up his body informed him that he needed to use the restroom.
He remembered Sakura was spending the night, so he put his boxers on before leaving his room. He walked into his living room and quickly noticed her pink hair as she slept on his couch. Next to her were a pair of small yellow eyes. For a split second Shikamaru was startled, but soon he recognized who the eyes belonged to, It was Kento, Naruto's small summon. Both he and the toad nodded in acknowledgement to each other and soon afterwards Kento closed his eyes.
Shikamaru continued making his way to his restroom. Once he was done he made his way back into his living room. Suddenly his groggy mood was replaced with panic and fear. His eyes darted from left to right as he searched his living room. Everything in the room was covered in a blanket of darkness. The only moonlight that pierced through the darkness was coming from a small window in the kitchen.
Shit this isn't good, I'm at a huge disadvantage.
His heart raced as he prepared himself for anything. He made his way carefully towards Sakura. When he reached her he noticed the tiny toad was nowhere to be seen. He placed his back towards her protectively.
Alright I need to think, if I can get this bastard into the light I have some chance of capturing him. Now all I need to do is pull this off while still protecting Sakura…simple enough.
"Shikamaru is that you? Yawned Sakura.
"Just stay still Sakura, don't move," whispered Shikamaru.
"What?"
Before Shikamaru could answer he felt something cold and slimy on his shoulder. He looked over quickly at his left shoulder. He saw the tiny toad perched on him, its yellow eyes glowed.
"It's alright they're gone," whispered Kento.
"So there was someone here," whispered Shikamaru.
"Yes, they were outside that window right there," said Kento as he pointed a webbed hand at the window next to the living room. "I managed to see them run away but I was unable to get a good look at them."
"Whoever they were they were strong. Their presence alone was terrifying," said Shikamaru.
"What are you two talking about?" Asked Sakura.
"I don't think we should notify Naruto about this, it's too insignificant to bring him here."
"I guess you're right Kento, but we need to let Tsunade-sama know about this."
"Yes I agree, it's better to let the Hokage know now. There's no point in getting Naruto all riled up."
"Alright you two what in the world is going on here?!"
Both Shikamaru and Kento winced at Sakura's tone. It was clear that she was upset, and Shikamaru knew he couldn't lie to her any longer. He reluctantly looked at her, she was sitting up with her arms crossed against her chest. It was scary just how much she behaved like Ino at times.
"I hate to break the news to you Sakura, but we haven't been honest with you."
"..."
"Everything was done to protect you, but now things are getting dangerous, and you need to know for your own safety."
"Dangerous?"
"Yes, there was someone looking into my apartment from that window, and their eyes were set on you."
Sakura froze in fear, she couldn't believe what she just heard. Suddenly the dark living room was engulfed in a flash of light and both Sakura and Shikamaru covered their eyes from the sudden burst of light.
"What the hell are you guys blabbering about?" Yawned Ino.
"For the love of god Ino how about a little warning," groaned Shikamaru.
"I'm still waiting for an answer Shikamaru."
"Look Ino this is serious, please turn that light off and turn the light on in my room instead."
Ino gave Shikamaru a questionable look. She was sleepy, confused, and agitated that their talking had woken her up.
"What in the world are you talking…"
"I'm serious Ino, do it now," snapped Shikamaru.
Ino jumped, it was clean that Shikamaru wasn't in the mood, nor was he playing with her. She turned the light off in the living room and turned the bedroom light on like instructed. She slowly walked into the living room and without saying a word she joined Sakura on the couch.
"Now listen you two, it looks like there was someone spying on Sakura, but they didn't attack. Obviously they were sent to simply locate her."
"How can you be sure of that?" Asked Kento.
"Simple, this person was strong, they could have come in here and taken, or even killed Sakura if they wanted too, instead they fled."
"If that's true what would have happened to you if you would have stayed at Naruto's," whispered Ino.
"I don't even want to think about that," said Sakura.
"What do we do now Shikamaru?"
"That's hard to say, we're stuck inbetween a rock, and hard place. I honestly don't want us to leave, we could be walking into a trap if we did. Same thing if I went alone, I'd be leaving you two vulnerable to an attack, and there's no way I could handle an encounter alone if I was ambushed outside in the dark."
"Well how about we call for help," said Ino
"No I wouldn't want to put someone else in danger by having them come here," said Shikamaru.
"Plus Tsunade-sama doesn't have a phone in her living quarters, and at this hour there's no one in Hokage tower," added Sakura.
"So we're stuck here like sitting ducks?" Asked Ino.
"For now yes, we're just going to have to sit tight until sunrise. I want you two to sleep in my bedroom for the rest of the night. I'll keep watch until morning. If anything happens Kento will fetched Naruto."
"Alright Shikamaru," said Ino.
Both girls got up and made their way to the bedroom. Shikamaru followed, and once he was in his room he opened one of his dresser drawers. He pulled out his clothes and walked back to the living room. Kento hopped off Shikamaru's shoulder and made his way towards Sakura.
"Shikamaru," whispered Ino.
Shikamaru turned around and smirked at his girlfriend.
"Sorry I snapped at you earlier."
"It's alright, I know I can be difficult at times…"
"Look I won't let anything happen to either one of you. Just try and get some rest," said Shikamaru.
He softly kissed Ino on the forehead and made his way back into the living room. Ino walked back into the bedroom and sat on the bed next to Sakura.
"Are you okay?"
"I guess so," murmured Sakura. "Do you know what's going on Ino? Shikamaru told me there was no use in hiding things from me anymore. What exactly did he mean?"
Ino looked surprised and hesitated to answer. Before she could reassure Sakura that she knew nothing the pink haired kunoichi spoke.
"Please don't lie to me Ino, I just want to know what the hell is going on."
"Sakura I…"
"Please Ino, you're my best friend."
"..."
"If my child and I are in danger I have the right to know," pleaded Sakura.
Her eyes glazed over as fresh tears flowed down her cheeks. Ino looked at her and sighed in defeat.
"Naruto ran into Team 8 on route to his mission today. He and Kiba got into a fight, and afterwards Kiba revealed that he had to get home because of the importance of their findings in Kumogakure."
"What exactly was so important, and what does this have to do with what just happened?"
Ino looked back at Sakura's tear streaked face, she couldn't believe she was about to tell her about him, but Shikamaru had partially spilled the beans already, and Sakura had a point, she had a right to know. Ino gathered her wits, took in a deep breath and spoke.
"Team 8 learned that Sasuke in Kumogakure Sakura."
"Sasuke-kun..."
"Yes,Shikamaru's been working hard figuring out what he's planning. Over the last few days he's learned that Sasuke is responsible for the disappearances, the attack I was involved in, and quite possibly the spy that just ran off."
"..."
"Everything that has been happening is all because of him."
"And Naruto knew before Kiba told him...didn't he..."
"Yeah, he and Shikamaru figured things out on the day you ran errands with him. He asked Shikamaru to keep things under wraps, and of course I did the same thing. Once it was officially confirmed by Kiba Naruto sent Kento. He wanted to make sure he had a way to get back to you in case something happened."
Sakura looked at the toad in her lap.
"Naruto can only do so much Sakura. He can sense if the village is in danger but there isn't much he could do about it since he's far from home. He sent me so that I can do a reverse summoning on him if need be. By doing that he'd be here in an instant," said Kento.
"Naruto," whispered Sakura. "Like always he thinks of me first."
"Sakura I'm so sorry about not telling you. We all thought it was better for you not to know."
"Am I really that bad Ino?" Asked Sakura as she wiped her tears away from her face.
"What are you talking about?"
"With Sasuke-kun, am I that much of an emotional disaster whenever he's involved."
"Sakura..."
"I can see why none of you told me. Every time I hear his name I revert back to my younger self. I've always made a mess of things whenever I have to deal with him."
"..."
"For so many years I thought I loved him, but I was young and naive, I never loved him, instead I loved the idea of being in love. I never knew who he really was, I didn't what he was going through, I didn't know about his obsession with revenge."
"None of us did."
"I should have though, I was obsessed with him Ino. You would think that his so called number one fan would know who he really was."
"Don't do this Sakura, you know I liked Sasuke too. Part of our rivialry was for his affections, so you can't blame yourself for not knowing."
"Thanks Ino, I just can't believe he's fallen so far into darkness."
"I know, what about Naruto, do you think he still has hope for him?"
"I wish I knew, Naruto doesn't even talk about Sasuke-kun with me anymore. I don't know if it's because of my typical reaction to the subject, or because he himself has given up on him. All I know is that I have to help Naruto this time."
"Sakura…"
"I refuse to be unreliable when it comes to Sasuke-kun. Especially now that our child's life is at stake."
Naruto sat on his sleeping bag deep in thought. He and his team were in a small room in the home of the village elders of Koka. Moegi and the boys were eating breakfast in the dining room while Naruto took this time of solitude to reflect on what he had learned the moment they approached the village. He crossed his arms and hung his head low. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind.
"Things are way different than I first thought," whispered Naruto.
"Yes, it's annoying."
"This place does have a few bandits, but there are also some pretty strong chakra signatures around the entire village. They're hostile, and they aren't just traveling shinobi that are passing by. It's almost as if these individuals followed the bandits here."
"Those idiots were being hunted Naruto."
"Hunted?"
"Yes that would explain all this fear."
"You're right, I've never felt so much paranoia before. It sucks that I was unable to sense this earlier. I wonder if this has to do with Sasuke?"
"It's too early to tell, but we should proceed with caution."
"Agreed, now I just need to think how we're going to handle this."
"Like I said before we should just do everything ourselves."
"No, we aren't doing that. I'm captain of this team and I'm making sure that my teammates get to participate. Beside they're excellent shinobi, they aren't useless like you think they are."
"..."
"The more help we have the faster we can finish this mission and get back home to Sakura-chan."
"Fine, but if those brats mess up it's your fault."
"They won't mess up, I have faith in them."
The Kyuubi snorted in disgust as it drifted back into his sub consciousness. Naruto opened his eyes, sat up, and made his way to the dining room. He walked down a small hallway as he stretched his arms up high above his head.
He entered a small dining room where he found the rest of his team sitting in front of a table eating breakfast. Naruto had eaten earlier, while the rest of his team was still asleep. He had decided to let the kids get a little more rest, they needed it far more than he did. He stood in front of the table and cleared his throat.
"So are you guys almost done?"
All three youths had their mouths full, so instead of speaking they all nodded their heads.
"Good, we're leaving as soon as you're done."
Just then a plump older women, and thin old man, strolled into the dining room. The cubby women looked at Naruto and smiled sweetly.
"Oh my dear are you sure you and your team won't stay a little longer and rest?"
"Oh no ma'am, we have a job to do," replied Naruto.
"But you're just children."
"They aren't children Momo, at least they aren't your run of the mill children," said the older gentlemen. "These here are shinobi, and we requested their help, remember?"
"Oh of course I remember Watari you old fool. I just can't get over the fact that they're so young."
"Sure they're young, but you know very well that all shinboi are trained at a very young age in Konoha."
"It's just hard, their captain can't be over 18."
"Nonsense, this here is Uzumaki Naruto, the hero that saved us all. I knew Tsunade wouldn't fail us," said Watari proudly.
Naruto smiled sheepishly at the old man's remark.
"That may be but he's still young," scolded Momo. "I can believe you youths are here to save our tiny village. We must look horribly incompetent."
"Ma'am don't beat yourselves up," said Naruto.
"Oh bless your heart Naruto, you really are a sweet one."
Naruto grinned at Momo, he was about to excuse himself when he remembered he needed to thank her for something.
"Oh I almost forgot. Thanks again for fixing my pants ma'am."
"Oh it's no problem my dear, I think those pants of yours were the biggest laundry challenge I've ever gotten. It was horrific how much blood was on them, but no stain is too tough for my experience. I still can't believe you were attacked by a bear, they usually keep to themselves."
Naruto heard soft snickering from the dining room table. Konohamaru couldn't help but chuckle at Naruto's lie behind the gash in his leg. Naruto gave him a warning glare when their host wasn't looking.
"Yeah well I had to save one of my underlings. Konohamaru here could have been dragged to his death if I hadn't of interfered," said Naruto.
Konohamaru almost choked on his breakfast. Before he could protest Moegi roughly jabbed him in his ribs. Konohamaru quickly stopped pestering Naruto and are his food in silence.
"Well thank goodness you saved your friend. I'm happy you have a medic on your team as well. You could have really been in a lot of danger had she not stopped the bleeding," said Momo.
"You're right ma'am I know Moegi will be able to assist you with any sick, or wounded, you may have."
Momo looked over at Moegi and smiled.
"My dear the doctors at the clinic are going to be thrilled to see you."
"I'm going to do my best in helping in any way
I can ma'am," said Moegi.
"I'm sure you will."
"Well if you'll excuse me I need to speak with your husband," said Naruto.
"Yes dear, I need to help Naruto here in any way I can," added Watari.
"Very well then," said Momo.
Naruto followed Watari as the both of them made their way outside. Watari stood outside his house and looked around his village.
"I've been the village elder for 40 years Naruto, and never has my village been in such peril. My people are basically prisoners in their own home."
"What exactly has been going on, and for how long?" Asked Naruto.
"Bandits have taken over our trading paths. Before it was extremely rare to be attacked on these routes. They have been safe for generations. However a few months ago we started experiencing a rise in attacks. Soon many villagers were too scared to travel to Konoha or any other close villages to trade."
"So why haven't you asked for our help sooner?"
"Pride I suppose. My mother was a distant cousin to the fire daimyo's father, and quite honestly I've never like mentioning it. I wanted to fix the problem myself. I didn't want to resort to bloodline for assistance. However my selfish decision has made my village suffer. We have many who are injured or who have fallen ill. Our shortage in medical supplies and food is more that apparent."
"..."
"Tsunade was becoming concerned in the lack of activity she saw from our village and Konoha. I finally gave in and told her what was going on. She wasted no time on sending a team. Now I stand here before you Naruto, please help us."
"Rest assured sir I plan on fixing everything, so please don't worry."
Just then the rest of Naruto's team walked outside.
"Perfect timing," said Naruto. "Now sir please I can tell your people are curious to the reason behind our visit. I suggest you inform them on what's going on for their own safety. I can't afford to have civilians following us into the woods."
"Yes of course," said Watari.
"Alright you three let's head out," ordered Naruto.
Before Watari could say anything else the four young shinobi in front of him vanished. He looked around in disbelief, he couldn't tell which way they had gone. Momo walked out and joined her husband's side.
"They're gone?"
"Yes it would seem so my dear, now come we need to have a village meeting."
Momo nodded and grasped her husband's hand. Together the old couple walked to the village hall. There they would inform everyone that Konoha had stepped in to help. Watari hoped that soon he could face his villagers again without so much shame in his heart.
Naruto lead his team to the outskirts of the village. He wanted to make sure their conversation wasn't heard by any villagers. Once he knew the coast was clear he removed a map from his backpack.
"Alright now listen up here's what's going on. The villagers are getting attacked on these two main trading paths," said Naruto as he pointed to the map. "Now I can already tell you guys that these bandits aren't very bright, they've been camping in the woods for months."
"But I thought that these people were too scared to continue trading. Why in the world would these guys stay if there aren't any people to steal from?" Asked Moegi.
"Fear, every single one of these men is scared shitless," said Naruto.
"Scared of what exactly?" Asked Udon.
"Maybe they caught wind of us coming," said Konohamaru.
"No they don't know we're here, it's something else. Watari said that his village rarely has any problems with bandits, and then all of a sudden there was a wave of activity a few months ago. I think these guys were kicked out of their territory by a much bigger threat than them. So in desperation they've been staying here praying on this village."
"Wow this is turning out to be interesting," said Konohamaru.
"Yeah I guess you could say that. It seems this situation has more behind than I first thought. Anyhow this is what I want you three to do. Moegi you're to report to the clinic here and heal the sick and wounded. Konohamaru, Udon, you guys are to make sure the village perimeter isn't breached and is safe. I'm going to find these idiots main camp ground so that we can plan an attack later on today. Now get your communicators and set them to channel 2."
"So it'll just be us in charge of the village?" Asked Udon as he fumbled with his communicator.
"Yes, I'm counting on you three to take care of the village. Be alert, and keep out of sight, the residents here are very skittish."
"Yes Naruto-taicho!"
"Remember to report anything suspicious, and do not, I repeat, do not engage anyone alone."
"Why not, you just said these guys are just stupid bandits," said Konohamaru.
"Yes I did say that, but they're aren't who I'm worried about."
"Then who are you worried about?" Asked Moegi.
"I'm worried about the individuals that have scared these bandits so much that they haven't budged in months."
The three young shinobi all glanced at each other. Before they could question Naruto any further in the matter he spoke.
"Okay you three let's get down to business. Moegi make sure to let us know when you're done, we'll meet up as soon as you are."
"Right Naruto-Taicho."
"Alright then, I'll see you all soon," said Naruto, and in an instance he was gone.
"This is turning out to be bigger than we thought," said Udon nervously.
"Yeah we need to be careful, especially if Naruto-Taicho is worried," said Moegi.
Konohamaru was silent as his two teammates discussed what could possibly be happening. He looked at the both of them and sighed.
"There's something he isn't telling us you guys."
"You really think so?" Asked Udon.
"Yeah, Naruto-niichan wouldn't warn us just because of a hunch. I think he knows who's here along with the bandits. His real reason for leaving is to find the real threat first."
"You're right Konohamaru. The three of us could have easily found the bandits camp site with simple tracking. Naruto-taicho wouldn't waste time looking for them, instead he's using his heightened senses to search for someone else," said Moegi.
"Exactly, he knows he can't afford to leave the village unprotected so he left us here to guard it."
"I can't believe we have such a big responsibly under our belts. We can't afford to mess this up," said Udon.
"You're right, people's lives are at stake here," added Moegi.
"I know, come on Udon lets escort Moegi to the clinic. We'll split up and check the perimeter when we get there."
"Right," said Udon.
The three Konoha shinobi took off quickly towards the village's clinic. A pair of intense cerulean blue eyes watched them leave. Naruto smirked, he knew they'd figure things out sooner than later.
"See, and you thought they were useless. I told you they are excellent shinobi. Together they were able to see through my lie."
"Don't get so excited, they still need to prove themselves in combat," snapped the Kyuubi.
"Alright fine I'll give you that one, but I'm not worried."
"Why did you purposefully lie to them if you knew they'd figure it out?"
"Well for starters to buy us some time in our search. If I would have told them from the get go about this stronger chakra signature Konohamaru would have been determined to follow me. Instead I lied, now they think they've outsmarted, which in turn has given them a stronger sense of purpose."
"Well at least they won't be in our way," muttered the Kyuubi.
"You're such a grouch you know that," said Naruto as he rolled his eyes.
