13: Scorching Flames & Dancing Chains

The sound of the wind hollowing outside the window was slightly unsettling to most anyone that wouldn't be used to desert sandstorm. Even though he was disguised as the Kazekage, the wind annoyed Orochimaru to no end. Not only that, but one of the Sand Village's council had come in with questions about Rasa's daughter, Temari, he reminded himself, and her betrothal to the Wind Daimyo's son.

He cared little for it, but motioned for the man to go ahead an inform her of the engagement to placate him. That had been a mistake. Not an hour later, the girl herself had come bursting through the door with Baki at her heels, livid.

The Snake Sannin had only half-listened to the girl's angry ranting, but it slowly but surely grated on the last of his nerves. "Enough!" He said in Rasa's voice, silencing the girl where she stood as the sheer staggering amount of killing intent washed over her as the man she knew as her "father" glared at her. "As your father, I make decisions that are best for you. As your Kazekage, I make decisions that are best for the village," he growled at her, sending a chill down her spine. "You will do as you are told, or else be whipped for your continued insubordination!"

With that said, the girl staggered out of the room in tears, Baki giving the man a short bow before hurrying after her. Orochimaru sighed, Really, I'm so glad that I never had children of my own.

Down the halls, well away from her father's office, Temari leaned against the wall and wept. When Baki found her, she was sitting on the floor, her knees against her chest, sobbing.

"Temari - " Baki started.

"It's not fair," Temari snapped, "It's just not fair! I've lost so much already." She looked up at him, her eyes rimmed with red, "My mother, my first friend, and now I'm going to lose my freedom?" She buried her face in her knees again, "What kind shit is that?!"

Baki shook his head and knelt beside her with a comforting hand going to her shoulder, "Listen, Temari-chan, we will figure something out," he said, causing the girl to look at him in surprise, "Don't look so shocked. I want to see you happy, and I'll be damned it that fool of a father sells you off to a fool Daimyo." He said, smiling at the girl, "You're like the daughter I've always wanted, and your brothers are as much my own sons as you are my daughter in my heart. If there's any way for me to save you from this fate, then I will do it without hesitation." He said with such conviction that she could do nothing but believe him.

Temari, in a moment of weakness, hugged the man, who returned it readily, smiling a he patted her back. "Baki-sensei...could father have been lying about Naruto-kun?"

"There's a possibilty," he sighed, "Sages know that he harbors no love for the Leaf, or it's Jinchuuriki."

Temari looked up at him in distaste, "Please, don't call him that. He's done so much for my little brother from that one meeting that I can't even begin to thank him for it."

Baki smiled knowingly, "Temari-chan...do you love that boy?"

The girl blushed, "I don't know how I could, Sensei." She said truthfully, "We only knew each other for such a short time, and even then it was through letters, but to say I love him - "

Baki chuckled and led her down the halls, "Shinobi marry young because we have a short life expectancy," he said, "Age means little to us, and when we do marry, it's usually for something trivial such as keeping our numbers up, or producing a new Kekkei Genkai, such as Pakura's Shakuton. Little Naruto was rumored to possess it."

Temari nodded as they left the tower, "Yes, I had heard that...and from what he'd written to me before the war, he had gotten quite strong, even though he's three years younger than me."

Baki nodded, "Yes, I'm still impressed that such a young boy could outwit the Leaf's Anbu Black-Ops so easily." He said, smiling, "But we're getting off topic. What I mean to say is that finding love in this day and age is rare, especially for one so young. Now that the Third War is over, people are just now beginning to think with their hearts again, and start falling in love."

Temari smiled shyly at him, "I don't know, really," she said, "When I used to think about him as a child, I'd always start smiling. His pranks and jokes made the three of us laugh so much...and when I heard about the civil war...I keep thinking about what he'd be like right now...if he was the same as he was before, or if he's grown into someone I could..." she trailed off, blushing heavily, which made Baki laugh slightly.

"If it's not love," he said, smiling at her, "Then I would say that it's a very heavy crush."

Temari said nothing as they moved through the village to where they would meet the rest of her team. Her thoughts turned to the happy little blond she had once called friend. She could still see his smiling face, beaming as brightly as the sun that would beat down on the sands. The feeling of his hand holding hers tightly.

=x=

"Get back here, ya little flea bag!" Naruto roared as he and his team chased after Konoha's notorious 'Demon Cat', A.K.A. the cat belonging to the Fire Daimyo's wife, little Tora.

Beside him, Sasuke was grunting in exertion as he struggled to keep up with the wickedly fast blond, and the cat that seemed to be faster than him. "This is the third time this month!" Sasuke grunted angrily, "Why do we always get stuck with that stupid fur ball?!"

Naruto grunted, "Hell if I know, just keep after it, the sooner we get that stupid cat, the sooner we can get a real mission!" He reached up and touched his radio, "Hey, Sakura-chan, we're coming up on your location! Get ready with that net!"

"Roger!"

Naruto nodded to Sasuke, who reached into his pouch and handed him a flash bomb, "Make it count, that's my last one!"

"Do I ever miss?" Naruto asked, and hurled the bomb toward the fleeing animal, landing it right beside the beast, and causing it to explode, driving the cat in a different direction. It fled down an alley, where Sakura was waiting with a net, and blundered right into it.

Sakura was quick to calm the animal by scratching it behind the ears where she knew it liked, and picked it up, smiling as the boys blundered in, exhausted. "Great work, guys." She smiled brightly, "This was the fastest time yet!"

"Yay," both boys said sarcastically as Naruto slumped against the wall, "Man, this is bullshit!" He grumbled, "All we've been doing for the last four months is these stupid D-ranks, and that's just a fancy term for common chores!"

Sasuke grunted and sat down on the ground, "You got that right, Naru," He said, using his shortened name, "I wonder if my brother had to go through this?"

Sakura giggled, "Probably."

While the pair was resting, Kakashi and Pakura appeared at the end of the alley, the former smiling, "Well done, kids, this was the best time yet catching Tora-chan."

Naruto and Sasuke glared at the man, "If I weren't so tired, I'd beat that smug look off your face," Naruto commented.

"Can't we have something a little different than this?" Sasuke grunted, "We've been doing nothing but D-ranks ever since we became a team, and we've all three proven that we're a capable team!" He pointed out, "We all deserve something more than these stupid chores!"

Kakashi chuckled, "Now, boys, you know that these missions are necessary to build a good relationship with the village, and show others just how reliable your three are."

Naruto dead-panned at him, "Sensei, you forget something?" He gestured to his stomach, "Me? Be on good terms with the village? That's gonna take a long time just doing D-ranks! I need something more than this!"

"And I'm tired of chasing this stupid cat!" Sasuke snapped, "Please! Anything would be better than this!"

Kakashi was about to start lecturing them again, but Pakura stepped in, "They're right."

"They are?" Kakashi asked.

"We are?" Naruto and Sasuke asked.

Pakura nodded, smling at the three Genin, "In the Sand, after four months of service, a fresh Genin team like ours would be out of the village and making their first kills." She said, looking at the masked Jonin, "And there are two Jonin on our squad, Kakashi, so an out of village mission is well within our strength. And I'd like to see how the kids handle themselves against a real opponent, even if they're simple bandits."

Kakashi sighed, "No fair ganging up, Pakura-san."

A few minutes later found the team of five in the Hokage's office, watching with satisfaction as Tora's owner squeezed the life out of him, proclaiming how happy she was to have him back.

As the woman left, Pakura smiled at the team, and then at Kakashi, "Well?"

Kakashi nodded, and addressed the Hokage, "Team Seven requesting our first C-rank mission, Lord Hokage."

Hiruzen raised his brow, a smirk on his face, "Well, this is quite soon for you to request a higher ranked mission," he said, eyeing the young Genin, "Do you believe them ready?"

"I do," Pakura put in, "We've both trained them as well as we can inside the village, and I feel that they will only get better once they venture outside the walls, and experience the real world that Shinobi have to face."

Kakashi nodded, sighing, "Both Naruto and Sasuke have Fire-natured chakra, which both Pakura-san and I are proficient in, while Sakura has equal amounts of Earth and Water-natured chakra. I can train her as well as I can in both, but Pakura is right in saying that they need to see the world outside the walls...they are ready."

Hiruzen smiled, eyeing each of the three youngsters. Naruto dressed in his black jump suit(See cover), his bo strapped to his back, looked eager as ever, while Sasuke looked stoic as always, though he had the smallest hint of a smile on his lips. Sakura was beaming with excitement, hoping that he would assign them what they wanted.

"Alright," he said, reaching into his desk drawer, "I believe I have the perfect task for a first time C-rank." He said, producing as scroll with a large black C on it. "You'll be going to Wave country, your ancestral home, Naruto, or part of it, at least, as Wave was once a part of the Uzumaki territory. As to your mission, you are to escort the client to his home, and protect him as he finishes a large bridge connecting his village to the mainland." He said, handing the scroll to Kakashi.

"We accept," Kakashi said as he took the scroll.

"Very good," Hiruzen nodded, "You can come in, now, Tazuna-san!"

Naruto and his team turned as the door opened, and the blond had to hold his nose as the smell of Sake washed into the room along with the man that was apparently their client. He was an old, scruffy looking man with a short grey beard, and glasses. He wore a straw hat, and a brown work tunic, and he held a Sake bottle in hand.

He took one look at the groud, and grunted, "This is the team you've assigned to protect me?" He asked, looking incredulously at the Kage. "They're a trio of wet-behind the ears rookies from the look of them!" He said, looking at the two boys, "The blond delinquent and the brooder with the bad hair cut are bad enough, but what's with the cutesy little girl?"

Sakura growled. Better a cutesy little girl than a smelly old drunk like you, Shannaro! Her inner voice shouted angrily while she outwardly smiled at the man and offered her hand to him. "Pleased to meet you, Tazuna-san."

Snickering while Tazune took her hand carelessly, Naruto and Sasuke nearly busted up when the girl crushed his hand in hers with a loud crack as Tazuna yelled in pain, and tried to retrieve his hand. Pakura looked at the girl with a little pride. Never underestimate a Kunoichi. She thought as Kakashi pulled her off of him.

"Now, now, Sakura-chan, you don't need to go around breaking our client," Kakashi said, smiling under his mask.

Sakura looked at him innocently, "I'm sorry, I guess I wasn't being cutesy enough." She said, while her inner self was laughing herself silly.

Kakashi sweatdropped at the obvious lie, but chose to ignore it, and turned to their client. "As you can see, we're all more than capable of protecting you, Tazuna-san." He said to the man, who nodded nervously as he eyed the rosette. "Now, I say we all get a good night's sleep, and head out first thing in the morning."

"You mean noon?" Pakura dead-panned, "Seriously, what is it with you and being late?"

Kakashi smiled at her, "Well, the paths of life are long and arduous, so I often get lost on them." He said, making Pakura, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura glare at him.

Naruto looked over at his mother for a moment, and grinned that special grin he had for someone he had just, or was about to prank before holding up a certain orange book to her, "Look, Ma, Kakashi dropped this a while ago."

Kakashi's one visible eye went wide as he snatched at the book, only for Pakura to snatch it instead, holding up single finger to it with a red-white flame flickering at her nail, "No! That's a signed first edition!"

Pakura huffed, "Show up on time, bright and early as you said, or I'll happily torch this, and spread the ashes over my watermelon patch...get it?"

"Got it!"

"Good!" Pakura flipped the book back to him, "And you'd better keep that promise, or else I'll torch your whole collection!"

"You wouldn't!" Kakashi blanched.

Pakura smiled proudly, "My son was able to lift that one off you without even letting you know about it, and you think he can't get into your smut stash?"

Naruto just grinned widely at the man, a veiled threat underneath the cheerfulness. "Yeah, I'm awesome like that, huh, Ma?"

"Scary as hell is more like it," Sakura muttered, looking over at the Anbu wall of shame, her eyes landing on the very first photo, "I'm still wondering how you managed to pull one over on Yugao."

"As am I." Yugao disembodied voice rose over the room, a chill settling in the air that scared Naruto almost as much as his mother did when she was angry. "Care to share that little trick of yours, Uzumaki-san?"

Naruto, sweating bullets as he felt the woman's presence, decided it was better to flee, and bolted, "Sorrygottagogetreadyfortomorrowbye!" He yelled, bolting out the door before Yugao was after him, appearing briefly in front of the remainder of the team, and Tazuna.

"Come back here, you little pervert!" Yugao yelled.

"Yugao-chan, don't you lay a finger on my boy!" Pakura roared, racing after them.

Sasuke sweatdropped at the scene, "The only person I know that can outrun, and outwit an entire Anbu squad, and he's scared of a single Anbu?"

Kakashi and Hiruzen chuckled, "Sasuke-kun, believe me when I say that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." Hiruzen smiled, "And Naruto did pull quite the prank on her." He said, and clapped his hands quickly, "Alright, the rest of you need to return home, and rest for the mission tomorrow, and Kakashi-kun, be sure to show up on time, or I'll help Pakura-san out on her threat!"

"Hai!" Kakashi was gone so fast that he nearly left his mask behind in the afterimage.

=|Back In The Sand|=

"We're being hired by Gato?" Baki asked the 'Kazekage' as he looked over the mission contract. "Such a high-paying client, why come to us when Wave is so far away?"

The disguised Sannin shrugged, "I know not, however, I do know that he has offered us substantial compensation for such an arduous venture, and will be paying double what this mission is worth under the rank of A."

Baki nodded, tucking the scroll under his arm, "Understood, Team Kazekage will move out immediately."

=x=

Naruto stretched his arms above his head and sighed as he took in the early morning air. "Man, it feels like ages since I left the village!" He sighed happily as the large team made their way through the forests at the borders of Konoha's territory.

"Six years is a long time," Pakura smiled at the boy fondly as she took up the rear guard with Sakura, while Kakashi and the boys took the lead, "And that was quite an adventure if I do say so myself."

Kakashi chuckled at the memory, "It certainly was, wasn't it?"

Tazuna was only half-listening to the banter, casting small glances about nervously. Pakura caught on to it, and frowned, "Tazuna-san, is there something worrying you?"

Tazuna jumped slightly, "Er, well, you see, the area around Wave is fraut with bandits, so much so that it's all but destroyed our trade route through the mainlands, and our own local markets."

Sakura looked at the man curiously, "Is that why you wanted us to protect you while you built your bridge?"

"It is," Tazuna said truthfully, "Many of my workers have been killed, or badly injured at times when there was a raid, and it's getting all of our hopes down to know that we're so close, but unable to finish the bridge."

"How come you don't use your own Nation's Shinobi corps?" Sakura asked, "Even smaller countries like Rice and Waterfall have at least one village that supports a shinobi population."

Kakashi sighed as he looked back at the girl, "That's somewhat of a sore subject to the Leaf." He said, looking down at Naruto, who nodded brightly, "You see, the shinobi village that once held a place in Wave was centered on yet another island. The Isle of Whirling Tides. And on that island was the Village Hidden in the Eddies, or the Village of Longevity, which played host to one enormous clan of the fiercest shinobi ever to grace the battle field." He said, smiling now as Naruto beamed, "They were the Uzumaki clan, blood kin to both the Senju, and the Uchiha, who were their distant cousins.

"The Uzumaki were feared, and revered for their master over Kenjutsu, and Fuinjutsu, and for their titanic chakra reserves. One Uzumaki had enough chakra to out last even Lord First, or so it's from how his wife, Mito Uzumaki, often used her special seals to heal errepairable damage to her body, and increase her strength."

Sasuke looked from his blond friend to Kakashi, "If they were so powerful, then what happened to them?"

Kakashi shrugged, "What happens to all shinobi that prosper for too long, Sasuke-kun. War." He explained, "Toward middle of the Third War, a joint attack was aimed at Uzushio headed by Kumo, Iwa, and Suna, who held off our own forces from aiding the Uzumaki clans against the other two armies." He said, looking down sadly, "That isn't to say that they went without a fight. No, the Uzumaki left their mark on the island they called home, leaving a massive crater in the ground where they made their last stand against the armies. It was a suicide attack, which would have leveled Kumo had it been the target, but, as it happened, it destroyed the entire village, and over half of the continent. Three quarters of the combined armies were wiped out in a single attack."

"Geeze," Sakura shivered, looking at the blond, "Naruto-kun, I never knew your family was so powerful?"

Naruto nodded to her, smiling, "Yeah, they were awesome!"

Sasuke grunted, "So Naruto's the last one?"

Kakashi shook his head, "As a matter of fact, he isn't." He said, shocking them all, including Pakura, "You see, before the attack, the leader of the clan evacuated many of the women and children from the village before it could fall, and sent them to the Land of Iron, where the integrated with the Samurai there." He smiled, "The clan of the Uzumaki lives on in the Land of Iron, scattered, but alive."

As he spoke, he noticed a puddle in the middle of the road, and made a sign to Pakura. Two shinobi, hidden in the puddle.

Pakura nodded, and signed back, Do we take them?

No, I want to see how the kids handle them. Kakashi signed back, Pakura nodding approvingly, moving back to protect Tazuna.

"How come the Uzumaki don't come to Konoha, then?" Sakura asked, "Or go back to their old home?"

Kakashi passed by the puddle first, noticing it ripple for a moment, "You can't expect entire families to up-root themselves just because a small number of their own kind is living in a different area, or go back to a desolate wasteland." As Pakura and Tazuna neared the puddle, the water erupted into a large fountain, two figures leaping out.

A chain whipped out and struck Pakura across the head, knocking her from the road, coming around again to join another in wrapping around Kakashi. Sakura screamed as the bladed chains proceeded to rip the man to pieces.

"Two down," one of the shinobi said, grinning.

"Four to go," said the other.

Naruto growled and lept into action, his bo coming to his hand, "Extend!" He roared, swinging the staff toward one of the men, caught unaware by the staff-user, and was slammed into a tree where he struggled to get back to his feet. "Sasuke, you take that one!" Naruto roared as he made a beeline for the one still airborne.

"On it!" Sasuke snapped, running through his hand signs rapidly, "Katon: Dragon Fire Jutsu!" He roared out as the head of a large fire dragon shot from his mouth, roaring toward the downed shinobi.

He saw the attack coming and ducked behind the tree as the jutsu struck, engulfing the tree. "Suiton: Water Dragon Jutsu!" He snapped out as a massive stream of water came out of the air and took the shape of the serpent.

Sasuke cursed and lept out of the way, "Sakura, protect Tazuna!"

Sakura nodded, clapping her hands together, "Doton: Earth Dome!" She and Tazuna were soon covered by a dome made of earth, completely hidden from sight.

Naruto, meanwhile, was having a little more trouble than he thought with the other shinobi. The chain was wrapped tightly around his staff, preventing him from using it for fear of losing his main weapon.

The man laughed, "Give it up, brat!" He taunted, "You're messing with the Demon Brothers of the Mist! No way a Genin can take us!" Naruto grunted, debating whether he should let go and make due with his Tessen. The moment of hesitation was all the Demon Brother needed. He gave a harsh pull on his chain, and yanked Naruto forward into stumbling while he shot forward, his clawed gauntlet flying toward his throat.

Naruto's eyes widened as the blade close...and something snapped. Through his eyes, the world became a heat haze. His body became unbearably hot. So hot that it felt as if his skin would melt right off of his bones. Instinctively, he clenched his fist as the attacking shinobi arrowed toward him. He planted his feet on the ground and ducked under the man's strike, and hammered his right fist into the man's stomach, a high-pitched keening coming from the strike. "Shakuton!" Naruto shouted, alerting the 'downed' Pakura to his awakening, "Rising Dragon!"

A blast of white heat erupted from his arm through his fist and into the shinobi, a look of shock and horror crossing his face as his body turned an ashen grey, and crumbled to ashes as the flash of heat shot through and out of him, incinerating the trees, and scorching the road behind him. The sound the accompanied the new Jutsu was almost like a thunderclap as Naruto stood back, stunned at what he'd just done while the ashes that had once been a human being fell around him.

"GOZU!" The remaining shinobi roared, shooting toward the blond, "YOU FUCKING BASTARD! I'LL KILL YA!"

Sasuke cursed again as Naruto just stood there, "Dammit, I won't make it in time!" Sasuke yelled as the remaining Demon Brother reared back his claws...only to be clothes lined by Kakashi as he reappeared.

He glared down at the man coldly, "Don't you dare lay a single finger on my student."

Stopping it here!

Naruto: What?! But it was just getting good!

Me: Deal with it, my fingers are tired!

Jutsu: Shakuton: Rising Dragon: A Taijutsu based attack where Shakuton chakra is channeled through down the arm into the hand, and punched into the opponent, resulting in an instantaneous incineration.

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Next time: Singer in the Mist