Team Gai and Team Yūgao stood in the harsh light of the mid-morning, staring at the gigantic boulder that barred their way. Tenten looked up along the cliffside, taking in the scenery as she scanned for any hidden surprises. "You sure that this is the place?"

Neji gave a sharp nod, the veins on the side of his face indicating his active Byakugan. "Pakkun was right. Gaara's in there."

The ninken on perched on his shoulder gave a quick snort. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, kid."

"Well then, we have our target." Yūgao looked over at Gai. "How do you want to breach?"

Instead of answering, Gai dashed forwards, fist drawn back. He struck the boulder with all his might, the sound of the impact reverberating through the quiet valley. Despite the volume, the stone itself didn't budge. Gai watched faint ripples fade away into the air just in front of the entrance. "A barrier…"

"A little warning would be nice next time!" Yūgao called from back behind him.

Gai looked back up at her, giving a brilliant smile and thumbs up. "Sorry! But, it looks like they've set up a barrier of some sort."

"If that's the case, we should go in from the side." Hideyoshi called out from the shore, where the rest of the samurai were waiting.

"I agree. If they're in a cavern, perhaps we could even collapse the ceiling and enter that way. I'm sure that Hyuga-san would be able to ensure that the Kazekage wouldn't be harmed by the falling rubble.' Hanbei added from besides Hideyoshi.

Yūgao turned around to face the people on shore, shaking her head. "That won't work. A seal of this caliber is bound to include the entire cliffside. I wouldn't be surprised if it reached underground as well."

"Yūgao-san's right." Kakashi appeared in a blur, landing next to Guy's team. The rest of his group quickly followed, even as Ieyasu rode up alongside the other samurai. "This is a Five Seal Barrier."

"Heh… You're late, Kakashi!" Gai grinned at him as the rest of their teams exchanged quick greetings. Yukimura's passionate reception of Sasuke and Ieyasu turned some heads with its volume, but the team leaders stayed professional.

"Yeah, well, we ran into some trouble on the way." Kakashi replied.

"Same here. Still, we were just trying to work out how to get through this barrier. Your thoughts?" Yūgao asked.

"Like I said, it's a Five Seals barrier. There'll be four other tags like that one up there-" He gestured to the large sealing tag that had been placed on the boulder. "-with 'Forbidden' written on them scattered around the area. All five have to be taken off at the same moment to disrupt the barrier."

"So, where are these tags then?" Naruto asked, impatiently looking around.

"Neji?" Kakashi shot a quick look over to the other jonin.

The Hyūga was already concentrating, Byakugan active. "Got it. There's one on a rock, 500 meters to the Northeast. Another on a tree next to the river 350 meters southeast. Then, there's one on the side of a cliff 650 meters to the northwest. And the last one is in a forest, 800 meters southwest from here."

"All right! They're all in range of our communicators." Gai paused, taking off his backpack. He began rummaging around inside, and quickly retrieved several black bands. Gesturing for his team to come in, he began handing them out. "Take these, and Neji can guide us straight to the tags."

Adjusting his communicator around his throat, Gai, stood back up, slinging his pack back over his shoulders. "Our team can handle this, as we're faster than the rest of you."

Sasuke looked his band over for a moment, before strapping it around his wrist. "I could just make a few clones and do this on my own. No need to spread ourselves thin, right?"

Kakashi shook his head. "They might have set additional defenses up around the tags. We have the manpower to spare, so it's better to avoid risking any one of us individually." Sasuke shrugged and gave a nod, so Kakashi turned back to Gai. "Head back as soon as possible once the barrier is down. I'll keep you updated if anything goes south here."

Sasuke spoke up again, raising his hand. "One more thing. Yukimura should handle one of the tags. He's going to be a lot more useful on that side of the river than over here if things do go wrong."

Kakashi looked back at Gai, who gave a thumbs up. "He has a point, Kakashi! Yukimura-san can handle the tag to the southwest, while Lee accompanies me." He finished by pulling out another communicator that he tossed to Neji, who headed off to fill Yukimura in on his part in the plan.

"Yukimura, your tag is a little further to the west." Neji's voice crackled slightly as it came through the speaker on Yukimura's neck. He brought his horse around, weaving through the dense trees.

After a few moments of searching, he dismounted, bringing his hand up to the transmit button. "I've got it!"

Gai's voice quickly followed. "Good job! Now, everybody wait to remove the tags until my mark. Three… two… One!"

Yukimura eagerly pulled down the tag. Seconds later a tremendous crash echoed through the forest, seemingly as confirmation that the barrier had dropped. Grinning, he turned to get back on his horse and head back to the hideout, only to pause. The forest floor was rising in a blob, and as Yukimura watched it seemed to coalesce into a human shape. He quickly reached back up to the transmitter. "Gai-san, there's movement over here! I think that it's some sort of trap!"

Gai responded quickly. "We've got the same thing over here."

"Here as well." Neji chimed in. "They must have worked it into the seals so that they could delay us while we were separated."

"So, what are we supposed to do?" Tenten snapped.

"We have to return to the other teams as soon as possible! So, gather your youthful spirits, and overcome this obstacle!" Gai ordered, his trademark grin evident through the speaker.

Yukimura grinned, staring down what was now a perfect copy of himself. Neji and Tenten both gave their acknowledgements as he reached back to unhook his spears. "Yes sir! I, Sanada Genjiro Yukimura, shall overcome this with all my power!"

"Yukimura? Are you alright?" Neji asked, then paused for a moment. "...I think you forgot to hit transmit."

"Oh!" Yukimura fumbled for a moment, reaching up to press the button. "My apologies! I heard you!"

"Good! Now, do your best!" Gai's voice cut in again, before being cut off in turn by the sound of blows being exchanged.

Refocusing, Yukimura stared back at his duplicate. Bringing his spears out to his sides, he began to fan then up and down. "Uryaaaah! Burn, my soul!" Woooo, Sanada Yukimura, Coming!"

The tag at Yukimura's feet began to blister and curl away as he was wreathed in an aura of crimson fire. Drawing both spears back to his right side, Yukimura leapt forwards, the forest floor blackening in his wake. The duplicate mirrored the move, its absolute silence a strange counterpart to Yukimura's passionate yells. The pair slammed into each other, the hafts of their spears loudly crashing into each other. A crack resounded through the forest as fractures quickly spread through the fake Yukimura's spears. Seconds later, the duplicate disintegrated into a cloud of dirt clods and burning leaves as Yukimura pushed straight through.

Yukimura slid to a stop several feet behind the cloud, almost falling from the sudden lack of resistance. He turned back, blinking dust out of his eyes. He watched the falling debris for a long moment, his aura fading around him even as the small fires around him tried to spread. "That was… Incredible! My blazing soul has surpassed even myself!"

Laughing, Yukimura mounted his horse and began to turn back towards the hideout. Beginning the ride back, he reached up to the communicator. "Everyone, have you defeated your opponents?"

The first response was a shocked exclamation from Tenten, followed by a burst of bright laughter from Gai. "Wonderful! Rendezvous with Kakashi's team as soon as possible- we'll join you as soon as possible!"

Tenten leapt backwards, avoiding the cluster of kunai that thudded into the ground where she had just been standing. Unfurling her scroll slightly, she unsealed a pair of wide, fan like swords just in time to block the follow up volley. Looking to the side, she scowled as the kunai she had deflected dissolved back into river mud. "Damn. I can't keep this up, or my supply will be shot."

Dashing forwards, Tenten slashed out at the copy, only for it to perfectly parry the attack with its own pair of swords. Tenten continued her assault, ducking and weaving around the copy. At each turn, it countered every slash. Finally, feinting towards the copy's stomach, Tenten landed a hit. As the corner of her blade scraped along the copy's collarbone, Tenten had to pull back as the copy had landed a similar hit her with it's free hand.

Stepping back, Tenten reached up to wipe the blood from the new cut, staring at the changing face of her copy. "And I can't outlast it either…" She unfurled the scroll on he back, trading a few quick volleys of ninja tools as she gained some ground. Her finger thumbed across the scroll as she considered which weapon would give her the best advantage. Just as she was about to unseal something, a sharp crack echoed up the valley.

Tenten and the copy reacted perfectly in sync, head snapping to look at the source of the sound. Standing there, pushing through a short bit of underbrush, was a red haired woman with a unfamiliar weapon slung across her back. Tenten looked her over, rapidly trying to assess this newcomer. "Interesting outfit, not a standard uniform. No clan symbol, or any other insignia, for that matter. She looks like she's been out here for a while- probably longer than the Akatsuki…"

In the scant seconds that had passed since she first saw the other woman, Tenten had come to a decision. While her copy unfurled its large scroll, she shouted a warning to the redhead. "Watch out!"

As the newcomer turned to look at Tenten, the copy let loose a volley of kunai and shuriken at her. Dropping the pack she had been carrying, the redhead quickly grabbed a pair of the weapons that filled the sheaths wrapped around her left leg. Crossing one arm over the other, she opened fire, sparks erupting from the ninja tools as they were shot out of the air. The copy began a follow up, only to quickly abandon it in favor of dodging a series of Fuuma shuriken that Tenten launched its way.

Dashing in under the cover of the shuriken, Tenten unsealed a three section staff and brought it up towards the copy's chest. It blocked the attack with an identical weapon, wrapping one section around Tenten's own staff. Tenten let go of the free portion of the staff, slipping a kunai into her hand as she stepped into the copies' reach. The copy shifted backwards perfectly in sync with Tenten's lunge, pulling the staff out of her hand. It then staggered, blood pouring out of its shoulder as the red head fired again. Capitalizing on the opening, Tenten drove her kunai into the copy's gut.

Tenten lost her grip on the weapon as the copy leapt backwards, moving with unnatural ease with its gaping wounds. It stopped on a tall rock by the side of the river, pulling the large scroll off of its back. Unfurling the scroll, the copy threw it back towards its opponents, letting it arc over their heads. Tenten's eyes widened as the scroll opened further, hands flying to her own scroll.

The stranger also reacted quickly, drawing another one of her weapons. Rolling out of the way from the first weapon that shot down, she opened fire up towards the scroll. Before a second weapon was unsealed, the shots tore through the thick paper of the scroll, perforating in a straight line. She finished the burst of fire with a single shot on either side of the line, the impact tearing the extended portion of the scroll in half. The copy's assault continued, but each weapon that it unsealed just caused the scroll to fly further out of place.

As weapons rained down around her, Tenten changed her aim to the copy itself, readying a long stretch of her scroll. White smoke curled around her as she began to unseal a barrage of weapons. The rain of steel slammed into the copy, the force of the repeated blows lifting it into the air. After maintaining this assault for the better part of minute, Tenten cut it off, sliding her hand along to a new section of the scroll. She then unsealed a cluster of kunai, launching them and igniting the attached tags with one quick gesture. The daggers hit home, sinking into the copy's chest before the exploding tags detonated, scattering mud around as it violently disincorporated.

The blast echoed through the valley as both women waited, still at the ready in case the fight wasn't quite over. The redhead was the first to stand down, returning both of her weapons to their holsters. "Nice shot."

Tenten sucked in a deep breath, wiping the sweat from her brow. "Same to you. Those are quite the weapons that you have there."

"Well, our firearms are the Saica's pride." The stranger acknowledged the comment with a distracted nod, adjusting the fit of one of her gloves.

Tenten didn't notice the her attitude, instead leaning forwards to get a better look at the holsters. "Firearms… I've never seen anything like them before." Catching herself, she pivoted backwards, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Anyways, what are you doing out here? Pretty far from any typical routes."

The other woman muttered a curse under her breath, looking away. "That's what I figured. I've been lost out here for days. I was hoping to find a road or village when I came across you and your… problem."

"I see. If you don't mind me asking, how did you get that lost? I mean, couldn't you just backtrack out of here?" Tenten asked.

"It's tough to explain. There was some sort of flash, and I was in this valley." The redhead shrugged slightly, looking irritated at the situation. "That's all there is to it. If you can just point me in the right direction, I'll get out of your way."

Tenten paused, looking to the side. A second later she looked back up, with a slightly embarrassed smile. "Oh, that sounds like quite the predicament! I can give you directions if you need- but first, I just realized I never introduced myself! I'm Tenten, a shinobi of Konoha."

The other woman stared at Tenten for a moment with a stony expression. "Saica Magoichi, head of the Saica Clan. I was in Kishū before this."

"Good to meet you, Saica-san!" Tenten bowed slightly. "Now, I would be happy to give you directions, but I need to check in with my team and see if they're alright. It'll only take a few seconds."

Magoichi nodded slowly, still looking guarded. Tenten accepted that, and started walking along the side of the river. After she had gone a short way, she reached up to activate her transmitter. "I"m clear over here. What are your statuses?"

Neji's clipped response was the first to come back. "Still engaged."

"Same here! These foes are quite challenging!" Gai radioed in.

Tenten nodded to herself. "Got it. I'll be there ASAP."

"Negative! Kakashi's team needs assistance- head back there instead." Gai replied.

"Understood." Tenten paused for a second. "Also, Yukimura, have you heard of a Saica Magoichi?"

"Saica-san? Of course, I've heard that she's a great leader!" There was a short pause, before Yukimura continued at a much louder volume. "Wait, how have you heard of her?!"

"It looks like I just met her. I'll tell you more when we rendezvous." Tenten cut off the connection, turning back to Magoichi. She was standing where Tenten had left her, starting after the shinobi with her arms crossed. Jogging slightly, Tenten gave a slight wave as she called out to her. "Sorry about that. My team and I are actually out here to deal with some threats in the area. They're still active, so it would probably safer if I escort you out of here rather than just give you directions to the road- that is, if that's alright with you."

Magoichi thought about it for a second, eyebrows furrowing. "Alright. I can take care of myself, however, so don't feel that you need inconvenience yourself on my account."

"No, it's no problem! But, we should get moving." Tenten waved her off, turning back to the forest.

"Lead on then." Magoichi adjusted the strap on her rucksack, and the pair headed off, back towards the hideout.