Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or anything else I reference.


Chapter Two: Building a Plan


"Who are you guys?" Menma asked.

"I am Kakashi Hatake jonin of team 7." Kakashi-sensei said.

"I'm Sakura Haruno." Sakura said introducing herself while staying behind kakashi-sensei.

"I'm Sasuke Uchhia." Sasuke said.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki and one day I am going to be the Hokage of Konoha." Naruto said pointing at them. This was bad. He had not meant to let Sasuke introduce himself before he had.

"You are certainly an ambitious little shrimp." Suigetsu said with a grin.

"You got a probblem with me?" Naruto asked glaring at Suigetsu. He had run into plenty of guys that wanted to make fun of him. Either because of his size or because of his dream.

"Don't start fights so early Naruto." Kakashi-sensei said causing his eye to twitch but he listened.

"Shut up Suigetsu Yamato-sensei is back." Karin said glaring at him.

Their jonin sensei looked to be younger than Kakshi-sensei. He had short brown hair that was spiky at the top. He wore the pale purple version of the flak jacket Konoha jonin wore.

"You are on my team. You should be on my side when punk kids start trying to pick a fight." Suigetsu said.

"Welcome back sensei what have you learned?" Menma asked as he got up from under the tree and looked at his teacher.

He was purposefully trying to change the subject. It seems that he was the one on their team that kept his teammates from fighting.

"Suigetsu set up a barrier." Yamto said after he joined the group.

"Alright. Water Style: Water Barrier Jutsu." Suigetsu said forming the hand signs as water spread from his feet and surrounded them in a dome.

"This is so cool." Naruto said as he walked closer to the dome. He brought his hand closer to touch it and see if he could stick his hand outside.

"Don't do that." Kakashi-sensei said causing him to stop and turn back to face the others "I assume what you want to tell us you do not want others to hear?"

"I have the past few hours trying to learn about this village." Yamato said.

"Trying?" Sakura asked.

"That is the best word as they don't say much of substance. Light facts and boring tidbits. Whatever they are protecting in that shrine is something they do not want to tell us." Yamato said.

"Could you not force the issue? Use genjutsu? Torture somebody?" Suigetsu asked.

"We are meant to protect these people." Naruto said unable to believe what he was hearing.

"Relax kid. These people may have hired us, but they do not trust us and if we are not careful, they could end up using us as sacrifices." Menma said.

"What did they tell you?" Karin asked.

"They claimed that this village was formed during the time of the Sage of Six Paths. He created this place after saving it from a monster." Yamato said.

"It is that old?" Menma asked in a way that meant it was supposed to be important

"Tons of villages on many worlds say things like that. They think it adds importance to the place." Suigetsu said.

"Who is this sage?" Naruto asked looking at the people around him. He hated when they started talking about things, he had no clue about.

"Have you never opened a history book?" Sakura asked.

"I opened the books I can't remember everything I looked at." Naruto mumbled as he looked away. He was more focused on doing things instead of reading about them.

"History was never my favorite subject either." Suigetsu said.

"That's because you are too stupid to read." Karin said. If he spent half as much time reading as he did when swinging around that sword of his then he might not act so stupid all the time.

"I can read. I just choose not to." Suigetsu said annoyed as he glared at Karin.

"Focus you two." Yamato said snapping his fingers.

"The Sage of Six Paths was an ancient hero that came from a world far away. He was the one that gave chakra to the people and spread them throughout the galaxy." Menma said.

"His children started the clans that formed the first guilds." Sasuke said.

"Wow." Naruto said. He did not remember any of that in the books he had read during the academy.

"Did you learn about what they are hiding in their shrine?" Sasuke asked.

"They would not talk about that. Anytime I asked they moved it to another subject." Yamato said.

"Another thing I have learned is that Gato is not on the planet." Yamato said.

"Where is he then?" Naruto asked.

"He is staying on his personal ship off-world waiting for the signal that it is time to invade." Yamato said.

"How would he know that?" Sakura asked.

"He has an agent on this island watching. His name is Kanryu Takeda. He is here to make an offer to buy the land from the villagers. They don't intend to sell but they are using the time to stall so Kanryu does not signal Gato to send his forces." Yamato said.

"Did the villagers tell you anything about this Kanryu?" Kakashi-sensei asked.

"The man has his vices. He is staying in Uzaki. The next village over." Yamato said.

"Then we need to come up with a plan." Menma said.

"We can't leave the village undefended. Some of us will need to stay back." Sakura said.

"Naruto can do that. He can perform the shadow clone jutsu" Kakashi-sensei said.

"Really?" Menma asked looking at him.

"It's no problem. I have enough chakra that I can make an army of them" Naruto said.

'Not much use when they are all as stupid as him though.' Sasuke thought as he looked at his teammate. He still remembered when Kakashi-sensei got him and his clones to beat each other up when they were trying to pass the bell test.

"How is your transformation jutsu?" Menma asked.

"What are you planning?" Yamato asked.

"Word might spread about how many ninja are in the village so I was thinking that he transform into us and members of his team so that when we go anyone curious will still think that we are in the village." Menma said.

"That sounds like a good idea, but I think all the genin should stay here. We do not know if Kanryu has any bodyguards that could pose a problem." Kakashi-sensei said. There were people who took lessons at academies but because of one reason or another they left their villages and their worlds selling their services to the highest bidder. The guilds constantly updated information on those that left and sent agents out to hunt them down to prevent them leaking information or giving their village a bad name.

"That is true." Yamatio said.

"That is why you should let us come with Sensei. What if you need backup?" Suigetsu asked.

"You just want to cut up people with your sword." Karin said causing Suigestu to glare at her.

"Excuse us for a second." Menma said putting his arms around the two of them and taking them a bit away to whisper between themselves.

"What do you think they are talking about?" Naruto asked Sasuke.

"How could I know?" Sasuke asked.

"I have convinced the two of them that it would be better if we stayed back in the village." Menma said as he walked away from the group and to them.

"Good. Yamato said.

"Sure thing Yamato-sensei but since Karin and I am not going I want to lend you my goggles." Menma said taking them off of his head.

"Thanks." Yamato said as he took them from Menma.

"What do those do?" Sasuke asked.

"They serve many functions but mainly they allow you to see through walls and track people's body heat." Menma said.

"That sounds awesome." Naruto said. If he had goggles like that then he probably would have been able to avoid the teachers better when they started chasing him for pulling pranks.

"We will spread ourselves through the village making sure that no one is spying on them." Menma said.

"Very well." Yamato said as he looked at Kakashi-sensei and nodded.

"I have a few words left for my team and then I will meet you at the entrance of the inn." Kakashi-sensei said.

"Alright. Let's give them some time. Suigetsu when they are finished release the jutsu." Yamato said.

"Alright Sensei." Karin, Menma, and Suigetsu replied as they walked outside of the dome. The dome responded as they walked closer to it by spreading out and hanging above them.

"What's going on Kakshi-sensei?" Sakura asked once the dome returned to normal.

"I wanted to tell Naruto when you make shadow clones I want you to send a couple with Sasuke and Sakura each." Kakashi-sensei said.

"Why?" Naruto asked Kakashi-sensei.

"Shadow clones when destroyed send the information back to the caster of the jutsu. This way if anything happens to Sasuke or Sakura you will know and can alert the other and send backup." Kakashi-sensei said.