A/N:- So good news, I managed two updates within a month of each other, the bad news is that I was hoping to wrap this up but couldn't. Still that shouldn't take long either. Anyway here you go.
The Missing Damsel-V
Sakura was beginning to wonder just how much bad karma had she accumulated to deserve what she was currently going through. In a matter of few hours she had been ambushed, captured and rescued, while her team had been been engaging honest-to-god zombies. If that wasn't bad enough at the end of all that, she was doing what many would consider borderline treason to make sure she kept a job which would very likely end up killing her sooner or later. Judging by the current state of events it promised to be the former.
She blamed Naruto for this. For some reason he had managed to talk her into doing whatever she was doing at the moment. But then again in the process he had also managed to do what she would have deemed impossible a couple of days back.
Convincing Sasuke to do something he was opposed to doing.
In this case that was working as a team. That was admirable no matter how you looked at it. Compared to the Uchiha she was a total pushover. So much so that he had been presumptuous enough believe she would come.
He hadn't been wrong. But still.
She was regretting it now. The guy was obviously crazy, if his idea with these contraptions carrying her down the most turbulent river in the Elemental Nations at the worst time of the year was an indication. He called them 'river kites', though she felt that 'suicide cylinders' was a more appropriate term. One had to lie in them and shift their centre of gravity to navigate the river. Sounded simple enough.
It wasn't.
For one the turbulence of the river kept pushing and pulling it from all sides, the slightest of miscalculation was enough to capsize the whole thing. Sakura had lost count of the number of times she had been dunked into the river. The cylinder's buoyancy was the only thing that was keeping her from drowning at this point.
Fifteen minutes into the ride she finally managed to gain some semblance of control. So much so that she was only getting dunked once every minute or so instead of every ten seconds that had been the norm. She had even managed to avoid taking water up her nose by timing her exhales. Amidst all the chaos she managed to catch a glimpse of her teammates every once in a while. A few yards ahead of her, Sasuke wasn't doing any better than her, but he wasn't doing any worse either. He was seated in his kite, while she had opted for a lying position. Though his way of navigating the currents was a lot more aggressive.
Naruto on the other hand looked like he was having the time of his life. Most of the time he wasn't even inside his kite. He swam alongside it, by holding on to it like a floater, not even bothered by the strength of the river. He easily made his way to Sasuke and said something to him which she couldn't catch due to the racket the river was making. Judging by his deepening scowl , he probably didn't like what Naruto had to say.
Naruto was apparently done with him because next thing she knew he was right next to her.
"Stop fighting the waters," he shouted over the roar of the river, "relax and let the water do the work."
Sakura kept her mouth shut because she didn't trust herself not to start screaming. She wasn't above showing fear, it was just that screaming would inadvertently get her to swallow the river water. But she tried to follow his advice and things got a little better.
"I should probably tell you this now," he said, "in another couple of minutes or so we will be hitting a drop."
"What?" Sakura screamed taking another gulp of water in the process.
"No worries," Naruto said nonchalantly as she stuggled to clear her wind-pipe, even as her mind tried to register the horror, "Its only seventy five feet. Just remember to hold your breath when it arrived."
Sure enough within moments she saw it approaching. She couldn't see how deep it went, or what awaited her at the end. The colossal river thundered like a monster baying for its prey and the first time in her life Sakura understood the terror of the unknown.
"Brace yourself." Naruto shouted as he was the first to reach the fall, followed moments later by Sasuke. As she approached the drop she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her stomach dropped as gravity took over. After what felt like an eternity she hit the water. Holding her breath didn't help as the impact drove the breath out of her.
She panicked.
Confused and disoriented, she fell out of the kite. The currents dragged her away, and just as she was about to lose consciousness due to lack of oxygen, she felt an arm grabbing her own. Hope renewed she kicked hard and within moments resurfaced to be greeted by a bizzare sight. Naruto or rather a bunch off him had made a human chain from the bank of the river. Dozens and dozens of clones hooked to each other to resemble a strange parody of a fishing line.
"On my mark." A clone she figured to be the original, "Go."
"Don't fight it." The clone attached to her whispered in her ear.
Before she could ask what he meant, she felt the familiar tug of the substitution jutsu. She underwent repeated substitutions before finally reaching dry land, where Sasuke was already on his knees, coughing and retching.
"Now that wasn't so bad was it?" Naruto smiled.
XxX
Sasuke was going to kill him. At that moment he couldn't think of a single person he wanted to kill more in his life. If Kami were to come down to earth and offer him the boon to take one life, he knew what his answer would be.
And it wouldn't be Itachi.
It would be the blonde moron smiling idiotically at him and the pink-headed chunin while they did their best to avoid regurgitating their stomachs.
"Now that wasn't so bad was it?"
That's it this guy was getting a chidori through his heart. But to his great surprise Sakura beat him to the punch, literally. She launched towards the genin, who didn't even get the time to express his surprise before her fist connected to his jaw only to disappear in a burst of smoke.
Sakura turned around snarling in frustration, and Sasuke had to try very hard not to flinch. He half-expected to be the next target of the girl's righteous fury.
"Damn that was a little rougher than I expected." The genin or one of his clones at any rate pulled himself on to the bank, panting slightly but otherwise unaffected, when he suddenly paused.
"Did you just punch me?" He asked Sakura.
Sakura's next punch didn't dispel him into smoke, proving it was the original.
"Now I did," she said, satisfaction in her voice, "keep me out of your suicidal schemes next time."
"You got a mean right Sakura-chan." he commented spitting gamely, hunched over and hands on his knees.
"What?" It took a moment for Sasuke to realize she was talking to him. He realized that he had been gaping at her. Catching himself, he scoffed at her and shook his head and was satisfied to see the uncertainty that was characteristic of her return to her eyes. An aggressive Sakura was a little unnerving, even when said aggression wasn't directed at him.
Still it was extremely satisfying to see the genin get punched in the face even if he wasn't the one to do it.
"Now what?" Sasuke asked.
"Well my fellow comrades," Naruto smiled through his developing bruise, "I welcome you to Kusa."
"We're really in?" Sakura said, her anger forgotten momentarily.
"You bet."
"That's fantastic," Sasuke said, "we are in hostile territory, hundreds of miles from backup and no one who knows we are here."
"Already losing your nerve Uchiha?" The genin smirked at him.
"I just hope you have a plan," he said unwilling to rise to the bait, "'cause I'm this close," he brought his thumb and index finger close to demonstrate the fact, "to ripping your arm off."
"So dramatic." Naruto rolled his eyes, not affected by the threat, "And yes I do have a plan but first we need to prepare ourselves. You guys stand out
too much."
"We stand out?" Sakura asked incredulously, looking at the blonde-haired, blue-eyed, whisker-cheeked, orange-wearing genin.
He rummaged inside his jacket, bringing out strips of seals humming tunelessly under his breath.
"Ah," he said satisfation in his voice, "found it."
He tossed what looked like the business end of a mop to Sakura, which actually turned out to be a brown wig.
"What's this for?" She demanded holding up the hair-piece.
"It's either that or the dye."
Sakura looked like she wanted to argue but just settled for scowling as she went about adjusting it on her head. Sasuke got the feeling her initial protest was just a product of her residual annoyance with the blonde.
Then he turned to Sasuke.
"Don't even think about it." Sasuke muttered. He knew how to keep himself incognito and wasn't keen on accepting anymore of the blonde's help.
"Suit yourself." Naruto said.
"Do you have any dry clothes?" Sakura asked.
The genin shook his head, "We'll just have to steal some I guess."
"Are you teling me that you carry river kites and wigs on you but no extra clothes?"
"Never needed them." Naruto shrugged.
Sakura opened her mouth to say something but then decided against it. Naruto's features meanwhile, started undergoing changes. His golden locks now resembled the colour of straw, his whiskers vanished and his eyes became darker.
The henge, an E-ranked tranformation technique, which they did their absolute best to forget after spending years trying to master it in the academy. It was too volatile and risky. Even shinobi trained for spycraft were loathe to use it. They preferred actual physical disguises. Details were important while executing it and to use it against an enemy who was trained to spot details was a good way to get your throat slit or worse, getting caught. Not to mention even the slightest lapse in concentration could dispel the technique.
"You sure you can hold that henge?" he voiced his question out loud.
''I once held a henge for three straight days and nights, trust me, I got this." The genin took his jacket and reversed it so that the formerly orange jacket was now brown, "Alright then," Naruto said brightly, "its time to go."
"Go where exactly?" Sasuke commented dryly.
"To see a friend." came the reply.
After navigating a turbulent river and hiking through miles of forest Sasuke found his endurance tested, Sakura was struggling the most even though she tried to hide it. Surprisingly, once again it was the genin who was the best off amongst them. That wasn't to say the journey hadn't affected him, but he looked more travel-worn than really tired.
He began to gain a grudging respect for the blonde's stamina.
They came across a village and managed to steal some clothes that were left to dry on the makeshift clotheslines. By this time their own clothes had dried, but they would stand out if they went anywhere near civilization. Buying the clothes wasn't an option either, since that would involve dealing with people, something that was to be avoided till they could blend in.
By the time they were done dressing up, all three of them could pass themselves off as country-folk.
They had been graciously allowed to hitch a ride into town on the back of a peasant's wagons who was going to the city as traveling by foot or using shinobi means of travel wasn't an option.
The wagon was congested and smelly, which could be attribute to the goats that were their travelling companions. Night had fallen, and the journey was slow. Sakura was nodding off in her place.
"So who is this friend of yours that's supposed to help us?" Sasuke asked.
"He used to be a samurai in the service of the previous Daimyo of the Land of Rice." Naruto said, "A veteran of the second war and the hero of the battle of Naoki Valley."
Sasuke was impressed. He may have forgotten most of the history taught in the academy, but he remembered one of the game-changing moments during the Second-Shinobi War where The Land of Rice had weathered a combined assault of Kumo allied with a myriad of minor villages for a whole day before before being reinforced by Konoha.
As far as victories went it wasn't big. But it went a long way in improving the morale of the side. The fact that a relatively small village like Kusa could deny one of the five great villages was a great boost. Its significance and implications turned out to be massive.
"After the Daimyo died," he continued, "of natural causes of course, he retired from active duty despite repeated pleas by the current Daimyo to stay."
"And you believe he will help us." Sakura interjected, now wide awake.
"Like i said," came the reply,"he is a friend."
By the time they reached the town it the sun had set. Naruto thanked the peasant and paid him before leading them through a maze of alleys and buildings to a part of the town which looked a little more glamorous than the rest. The streets were brightly lit, high-class escorts and geishas hung off the arms of their patrons, giving them slightly curious looks.
They weren't dressed right for this place it seemed.
Soon enough they found themselves standing in front of a building with green neon-sign that read,
Nirvana.
"Before we go in I need to tell you," the genin said, "don't talk to anyone or even make eye-contact. The samurai here, in general view civilians as less than the dirt beneath their sandals and have nothing but contempt for shinobi. Keep a low profile."
Sasuke suppressed a scoff at the advice and made to follow Naruto who was stopped by the bouncer at the door. A huge samurai, towering over them, a pair of daisho on his waist.
An intimidating sight indeed... for a civilian. Sasuke for one would have liked nothing more than to cut him down to size. Naruto however whispered something to him and he just stared at them for a while expectantly.
Naruto sighed as he turned to them, "He wants to search us."
Sasuke just stared at Naruto and from the corner of his eye he could see
Sakura fidgeting definitely not comfortable walking into an unknown place unarmed.
"No." He said.
"C'mon man," the genin whined, "you're making me look bad."
"The answer's still no."
"Let them in Benkei," A woman made her presence known from behind the hulking guard, "I'm sure they aren't dangerous."
"But my lady..." The guard protested, his voice surprisingly soft for one so big.
"Its okay Benkei, he's family," the woman said before turning to Naruto, "Its been a while Naruto-kun."
"So it has, my lady." The genin bowed at the waist in a gesture of greeting and respect. The woman moved closer to them and the guard tensed, reluctant to expose his mistress to danger.
She was a remarkable specimen of her species, Sasuke had to admit. Tall, elegant and graceful and without a hint of fear or apprehension as she approached them. Her manner and bearing exuded nobility and the way Naruto treated her with reverence had Sasuke caught off-guard. He didn't think it was possible for the uncivilized genin to project anything close to etiquette.
"My my, you've grown Naruto-kun," she said, a playful smile playing on her lips as she examined him, "who are your friends?" Her demeanor resembled that of a woman asking her son to introduce his friends from school and not trained killers.
"They are my team, my lady." he said, taking that as their cue, he and Sakura bowed hesitantly.
She nodded in acknowledgement of the gesture of respect.
"Please follow me." She said turning on her heels, the guard bowed as he moved out of the way, Naruto moved without needing any further prompting. Sasuke found himself exchanging a glance with his female teammate, whose eyes seemed to reflect the apprehension he had been feeling. For some reason walking into this respectable looking establishment felt more dangerous than jumping into a raging river.
Sighing deeply he followed after the pair.
They were greeted by a haze of smoke and the gentle music produced by the strumming of shamisen when they entered the bar. The place consisted of futon and cushions for customers and waitresses moved between them catering to their needs. A few of the customers looked up curiously from their places at the new arrivals, Sasuke suspected it had more to do with their escort than them.
So much for keeping a low profile.
The woman led them to the back of the establishment, opening a pair of ornate mahogany doors revealing a lavish office. But he couldn't bring himself to appreciate its beauty as he felt the familiar sensation that he had come to associate with the loss of access to chakra.
It was too late to turn back now. But at least he wasn't walking in unarmed.
The man sitting behind the desk grinned widely at them, or rather the genin as he got up, clapped him on the shoulder and hugged him.
The man was in his fifties, relatively short and stocky and his waistline showed hints of a developing paunch, but his powerful shoulders and arms spoke volumes about his past as a samurai.
"Let the poor boy breathe darling," the woman gently admonished, though her eyes were shining.
"Welcome back my boy," he said, holding the genin at an arm's length, "you brought company I see and judging by the expressions on their faces I'm guessing introductions are in order."
Naruto nodded and did as asked, "These are my teammates Sakura and Sasuke and guys meet Kamakura Hiten, the Hero of the Naoki Valley and his wife Kamakura Risu."
XxX
Naruto found himself returning the man's grin. It was infectious. It had been years since he last saw him not to mention their last meeting had not been a pleasant one. But sitting here, it might as well have not happened.
He had come to know him through Jiraiya in the good old days when he had been taken by the Sannin on the training trip. Jiraiya and Hiten went some way back. Friendship between a samurai and a shinobi was highly unusual, but the war had brought them together as comrades who had each other's back and later as simply men who enjoyed each other's company. The friendship not only survived but thrived once the war was over, and after retiring from active duty he opened this establishment with his savings.
So much so that the man didn't blink an eyelid when Jiraiya asked him to beat the basics of tactics and politics into his apprentice. Those few weeks had been pure torture for someone like Naruto who had never been the most cerebral of people, but he still managed to learn a lot. His wife Risu too had grown fond of him.
The two of them were an odd couple. She was the younger sister of the last Daimyo and they had an arranged marriage. Both of them were rather contrasting characters. Hiten was a passionate man. Loud, boisterous and loyal to a fault. Risu on the other hand was a calm, stately lady full of grace. Despite their obvious differences or maybe because of them, the two of them had a very successful marriage if one devoid of any children.
However, seeing a friendly face no matter how welcome wasn't the reason Naruto had come here though. He came here because Hiten knew things. He was still in touch with affairs of the Daimyo's court not to mention most of his patrons were samurai and court officials and even now he was often called upon in advisory capacity and Naruto intended to use the treasure trove of intelligence that Hiten had at his fingertips to finish the mission.
After the greetings had been exchanged Hiten gestured them to take their place on the tatami mats placed on the floor, while his wife poured out tea for them.
"Two years ago when you left my door, I was sure you were walking to your doom," Hiten said uncharacteristically somber, "did you find what you were looking for?"
Naruto could appreciate the cryptic nature of Hiten's questions. He obviously realized Naruto's need to keep things from his teammates.
"No," he replied, "but I found something else."
"Was it worth it?" Hiten took in the aroma of his tea as he stared at him.
"I think so."
"Well that's more than I hoped for," he smiled, "but that's not why you're here today? Not with the with rather illustrious company you've brought," he turned to Sakura and raised his cup to her who bowed back graciously, "a rather lovely young lady, and... an Uchiha."
He saw Sasuke stiffen from the corner of his eyes and he knew that Hiten had seen through his attempted deception when he tried to keep their last names from him.
"You honour me with your words Kamakura-san," Sasuke said with remarkable poise, "I would like to extend my gratitude for extending your hospitality to us."
Hiten burst into laughter.
"He is just as prim, proper and stuck-up as the rest of his clan."
"Be careful Kamakura-san," Sasuke said his eyes flashing with anger, "heads have rolled for lesser infarctions."
"Threatening your host counts as one of those infarctions one loses their head over," Hiten mocked, "or so I have heard."
The mood in the room turned oppressive as the two stared at each other, neither willing to back down.
"Stop messing with my team old man." Naruto said breaking the tension.
"Cheeky brat," Hiten grumbled, "interrupting an old man's fun."
Sasuke looked confused at the sudden change in the atmosphere while Sakura just looked relieved. Naruto was fully aware of the games Hiten played with others. He liked to keep everyone around him on their toes with his sharp wit and blunt honesty. Except it probably wasn't a good idea idea to antagonize the Uchiha considering his volatile temperament. Its a good thing he wasn't aware of it, or he may have goaded him till he could get a violent reaction out of him.
"Your idea of fun is frowned upon in civilized circles, dear husband," Risu had re-entered the room and was now serving them snacks to go with their tea, "I apologize for my husband's behaviour Uchiha-san," she said, "he has a rather unrefined sense of humour but he means nothing by it."
To Naruto's surprise Sasuke's gaze actually softened a bit and even muttered an 'its okay,' as he accepted the apology on behalf of her husband. She smiled at him and returned to her husband's side after serving Sakura.
Hiten meanwhile had lost his interest in Sasuke and turned his attention back to him. "I'm guessing you didn't enter Kusa through official channels."
"You would be correct." Naruto smirked.
Realization dawned in Hiten's eyes and Naruto savoured it.
"You crazy son of a bitch," he said, amazement in his voice, "you actually did it. You actually used that suicidal idea."
"What does that mean?" Sakura's eyes flashed angrily
The words were said in response to Hiten but she was expecting an answer from him and Naruto had a feeling that what he was about to say wouldn't be received well.
"A long time ago he told me that the river was the best way to infiltrate Kusa," Hiten obviously was in no mood to give him any respite now that he knew the trouble he was in with his female teammate, "and I had told him it was impossible to navigate that monstrous river, but it seems like I have been proven wrong." Barely contained glee shone through his words.
"I thought you said that river kites were used all the time." Sakura seethed.
"They are," Hiten said fairly, "but in gentle rivers, by lovers for romantic rides. You just used them to navigate one of the deadliest river in the world."
He gave another snort of laughter.
"Well we had an emergency and time was short," Naruto explainedd before Sakura could act out her rage. She looked like she would like nothing better to gut him then and there. Sasuke's face had gone blank revealing nothing.
That probably meant he shouldn't sleep tonight.
Just in case.
"What was this emergency that led you to break a dozen laws, violate a treaty and put yourself and your team in this situation?"
"What do you know of Oto?"
The question caught everyone in the room off-guard. Even more so because it hadn't come from him but Sasuke.
Hiten's gaze shifted from him to Sasuke and he considered the Uchiha, before nodding to his wife who gracefully left the room without a word.
"Okay kid," he said once the door had closed behind his wife, "what's your deal?"
"Otogakure was running its operations from inside The Land of Rice even before the invasion," Sasuke said, "in short you were harbouring enemies of Konoha, your allies."
"Be careful of what you're insinuating boy," their host warned, "those issues were resolved by people way higher on the totem pole than you."
"I wonder what they will have to say once I tell them that Oto remains active," Sasuke countered, "despite having been 'resolved' as you say."
"Let's say for a moment I were to ignore the fact that you're presence in my nation is illegal," Hiten said reminding them of the weakness of their current position, "What proof do you have of this?"
"Bodies of bandits who attacked us showed signs of experimentation," Sakura interjected, "a signature of Oto shinobi."
"That's hardly conclusive."
"It doesn't need to be," Sasuke said, "Citizens of the Land of Fire have been the targets and these attacks take place near Kusa border, if nothing else it raises some serious questions as to what Kusa has been doing to address these issues."
Hiten remained silent and stoic before sighing resignedly and taking another sip from his cup and started speaking, "The Third War cost my nation greatly. We were on the side that was victorious yes, but the price we paid was too great. Our allies had abandoned us in our time of great need, not that I blame them. The war had taken its toll on them as well and it was unfair of us to expect it.
The vultures had begun to circle us and with our shinobi system in tatters Oto came as a godsend. Or so we thought. By the time we tried to revive Kusagakure it was too late. Oto was the poison stuck in our throats that could neither be swallowed nor spat out."
"They have been kidnapping the people along the trade routes Kamakura-sama and then experimenting on them to boost their own forces." Sakura said.
"That maybe," he admitted, "but as long as they aren't targeting our citizens the Daimyo is content to ignore them."
"How long do you think it will be before it is your citizens that are targeted?" Naruto decided to re-enter the conversation, "Those trade-routes are already running dry. Even if you ignore the damage they do to your economy, and it won't be long before they turn to your own people." Naruto held his gaze as he spoke his next word, "maybe they already have."
"You have any idea what you're up against?" Hiten said, "if you get caught you will be interrogated and then executed. Not to mention what it will cost Konoha."
"If we succeed we will expose Oto's operations and maybe even take measures to put a stop to it," Naruto countered, "risk and reward old man."
"Don't throw those words back at me boy," the older man admonished him,
"I taught you those lessons."
Naruto fell silent as he allowed Hiten to think things over.
It didn't take long.
"You look tired," he finally said, "eat, rest, regain your strength tonight. Tomorrow we'll talk."
Sakura looked like she wanted to protest but Naruto raised a hand stopping her.
"As you wish."
"And wash up will you?" He barked, "the three of you stink."
A hot shower and a change of clothes, provided graciously by their hosts later they joined them for dinner. The rest of the evening was pleasant enough. Hiten was an excellent host and kept them regaled with stories and jokes. He had Sakura in splits and even the usually stoic Uchiha managed to crack a smile or two, though it seemed as if he had been forced to swallow a lemon whole. The food was delicious, however all three of them avoided the alcohol their host offered.
When it was time for bed all three of them were given separate rooms for which they were grateful. After being in close contact for so long all of them welcomed the respite if only for a few hours.
Or so he thought.
Within minutes of lying down he heard a knock on the door. Grumbling to himself impatiently, he opened the door and was surprised to see Sakura standing there. She was dressed in a brown kimono lent to her by Risu, and was hugging herself to warm herself from the cool night-air. Her wig was still in place, Naruto noted with some satisfaction.
"Can we talk?" She asked.
Naruto was expecting this, just not this soon. But he moved away to allow her in.
"Look I apologize fo..." he began.
"Who are you Naruto?" Sakura demanded.
"What?" Naruto asked completely nonplussed.
"You heard me," she said, "what kind of genin is capable of doing the things that you just did?"
"And what did I do Sakura-chan?"
"You led us in here," Sakura nearly shouted, her impatience getting the better of her, "granted we nearly drowned in the process, but we have managed to avoid both the authorities and shinobi. Who can do that? Not a regular shinobi and definitely not a genin, and why do you know these people?"
Naruto sighed, "You're asking me for answers which I can't yet give Sakura-chan."
"You don't trust me," She said accusingly, "after I trusted you with my life?"
She had him there, he had to admit. She deserved answers and yet he couldn't bring himself to reveal things. There was too much at stake.
But he could compromise.
"Tell you what," he said, "after the mission, once we're back in Konoha I'll answer your questions if you still want them."
Sakura bit her lip and shifted her weight on her feet.
"Will we succeed?" She asked him, doubt and fear colouring her voice, her green eyes full of uncertainty. The intensity of her gaze surprised him. She had held her own remarkably well throughout the mission and only now was he beginning to appreciate just how far out of her comfort zone she actually was.
He walked upto her and took her hands in his own, surprising her with the gesture. She didn't withdraw though and he took it as a good sign. Holding her gaze he put as much resolve as he could in his next words.
"Believe it."
So there you go. Don't forget to leave a line. A writer needs his muse after all and guess what fuels her? You guessed it... Reviews people! Until next time.