Tip Of The Spear
Chapter 22
Straight To Hell
"Oh Papa-san
Please take me home
Oh Papa-san
Everybody, they wanna go home"
Neji looked around himself in disgust, children, the whole complex was filled with kids, all bearing a seal on their foreheads that he still has nightmares of. The caged bird seal, the one the former and now dead elders of his clan had inflicted upon him and all those deemed 'unworthy' of being a member of the main house. How it got placed on these kids was a mystery but one he would crack.
The rebels had been told of a large Kiri government complex that had been built on one of the secondary islands. A raid was then planned, the informant had said that there were thousands in the complex all young, it looked to him that it was a giant training center. A repeat of Kiri's 'Bloody Mist' days. It wasn't that though, it was something more sinister, more...ominous. What was thought to be a training center was something worse, much worse, it was...what had Naruto and Sakura called it when he sat through one of their lectures of the warfare history in the West?
Ah yes, a concentration camp, something the traitor Danzo had pestered the Third Hokage to let him set one up as to easier deal with 'enemies of the state.' This had to be one of Danzo's idea's and more evidence that he was in some way involved in Kiri. Orochimaru's involvement was confirmed upon the discovery of the 'medical' building. The doctor in charge and his staff were taken captive and upon seeing the horror on the operating table it took Lee and Tenten to stop Neji's rage. Placing paralysis seals on the medical staff Neji ordered and began himself, to remove their captive's teeth. It was well known that the enemy, especially those connected to Sound, had a poisoned tooth implanted to facilitate suicide when captured.
Zabuza looked around at the freed children. As he did he thought of Haku and how she could've ended up in a place like this. All the kids that were placed here looked like they all carried a blood line. While he frowned at hearing Neji and his teams go about their dentistry he knew that it had to be done. While a paralysis seal prevented movement, the one sealed could still feel pain, having their jaws held open and teeth removed with pliers and ninja tools was excruciating.
'Serves them right,' the former Mist ninja thought until he spotted a boy that bore a resemblance to his daughter. Stepping forward he dropped to his knee before the boy.
"Are you well enough to speak?" he asked.
The boy nodded as he took a drink of water, "Yes, what do you want to know?"
"What clan are you from," came the question whose tone was laced with hope.
"Yuki, I'm of the Yuki clan. The Mizukage ordered us rounded up along with the other blood line users."
"I see, how many of your clan is left and where's the adults? All we've found are just children."
"There...there's just ten or fifteen of us now. The rest were killed, too old the Kiri bastards said. The adults were killed off as well, their bodies were dumped at sea."
"I see, so, the kid is still going through with the purges," Zabuza said more to himself. Smiling through his mask he ruffled the boy's hair, "I need you to get everybody gathered into their clans, we need to know how many of you kids still live. In two days, two days you'll be seen by doctors, given better food and clothes and then we'll put you on a ship and head for a safe place."
"A...safe...place?"
"Yes, unlike Kiri loyalists the rebels and our allies, we don't kill children like you and the others only those that fight against us. Now, one last question, why did they allow you all to live when they killed the older children and adults?"
"They wanted us to fight for them, they placed this seal on our heads and used it to punish us when we refused to follow orders. The others were said to be too old to be trusted with their training, we were more...what was the word? Malleable, yeah, we were more malleable and easier to train."
"Well, you and the others don't have to worry and if I know my cousin he'll have places for all of you to live very soon. Now, follow me, when was the last time you had a hot meal?"
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Genin Sasuke Uchiha just stood in the tunnel shaking in anger. He'd just shot a Sound ninja in the face but that's not what upset him. The man, almost like Kakashi, had worn his headband slanted to the left covering one eye. It was when they began to fight that he saw the abomination and defilement of his clan. This ninja, a no name, had a sharingan implanted in his head. Sasuke scoffed at the notion that he had been gifted it like his cousin Obito had with Kakashi.
To him and the clan Obito was a hero, even a hard nosed traditionalist like his father had claimed his cousin as such. He gave his life and an eye to his best friend. What Obito did was a selfless act, whoever implanted this sharingan was a thief. At that thought he got sick to his stomach, Itachi's betrayal. The folder Naruto had handed to him mentioned the cremation of the fallen but nothing regarding their eyes. Truthfully it was a detail that could be missed in the best of times, but, with the amount of dead left behind that night and with what they now knew about ROOT still active...the teen's eyes widened in realization,
"SONOVABITCH!" Sasuke's cry echoed in the now nearly empty tunnel system.
Turning to him Hinata began to worry, she, as medical officer on this deployment, knew of his compromised mental state, "Uchiha-san?" she asked "Sasuke What's wrong?"
"Hinata, their eyes," he began to sob, "They stole my family's eyes. That bastard had the sharingan in his left eye but he's not a clansman."
Hinata gasped, if there was one thing that these two could understand was the fear of their eyes being stolen and given to someone else. As mentioned, Obito was the exception and even his cold bastard of a father understood that, but this, this was beyond the pale.
"I understand but he's paid for his crime. Sasuke, I can take the eye, preserve it until we know whose it is. We do that and we can give their eye back to them, give them some peace and a bit of closure. Do you want me to do that for you and your kinsman?" she asked as she held the now openly crying teen in a comforting hug.
"Please, once you're done I'll take care of the body. Whether he accepted willingly or not, he's a thief and needs to pay," came his reply.
Once that was taken care of and the body reduced to ash and dust the couple moved off to meet the rest of the raiding party. This was the third tunnel complex they had hit and were now in the process of a thorough search for intel and survivors. After that the place would be burned out using his fire jutsu combined with their Shinobi team leader's wind technique. Done right and with the proper entrances opened up the tunnels would become like a blast furnace that would burn as long as there was fuel inside. The open entrances would act as chimney flues and vent the heat and flame up and out, powered by wind jutsus that placed small but powerful tornado like vorticeis to ensure a strong draw. At two openings however a different job awaited. These would be the lowest points and would feed air and most importantly oxygen to the fires below.
As things heated up the easiest things to burn went up in smoke, wood, paper, scrolls and bodies. These would feed the fires and begin to ignite heavier items, furniture, light metals, chemicals and plastics. As the fire grew to white hot they would next consume all the metal and glass work with running streams of molten metal and silica covering the floors and walls. In the end, after several weeks things would be cool enough to enter the remnants. The silica in the earthen walls would have turned to glass and what had been molten metallic pools would have cooled to solid lakes of steel in the lowest points. That was all subjective as a small army of summons animals would watching and waiting for the moment that they could enter and place exploding tags in places that supported the complex's tunnel system.
Naruto's plan was to wait for a few years and then allow the tunnel remains to be mined for the glass and metals left behind. It was a twist on the old 'scorched earth' policy. It was his way of giving the finger to the traitors he was so set on pursuing to their deaths. Let their work and money be used to help those that they looked down on. That however was for later as Sasuke and Hinata were to find out.
Rounding a corner they heard Akamaru and Hinata's dog Sora growling and barking. Apparently they had found a survivor and cornered them in an unused office. Kiba was at the door, not sure if he should enter without backup or not. He was saved from making that decision when his teammates appeared.
"What's up? A now composed Sasuke asked as he looked at the two dogs.
"Akamaru and Sora have someone cornered and they refuse to give themselves up. I don't think they're a danger though, the dogs would be reacting differently if they were. I'd like for Hinata to talk to them for a bit before we figure out our next move," Kiba answered.
Sasuke looked at the girl, "Do it, we'll use the M4's to cover you. Don't worry, you've seen my pistol beat a sharingan so with these and a sharingan nobody is going to get the drop on you okay?"
"Ha...hai Uchiha-san. Kiba-kun, I'm counting on you, I'm counting on all of you, so please.."
"We've got your back koi, now, go your thing," turning to face the open door Kiba yelled out, "Our medic is coming in to check you out for injuries! She's unarmed so no funny stuff, if you harm or attempt to harm her I let the dogs loose and let them feed on you! You understand me?"
"I...I do. Please, I'm hurt, I just want to get out of here safe and in one piece," a female voice answered.
"I'm coming in then," called Hinata, "where are you hurt?"
"In the leg, near the femoral artery, one of your ninja got a little too happy with his shuriken and hit me down there. I've lost some blood but the artery isn't cut that deep."
"Can you move? If so can you step into the middle of the room? Don't worry about my fiance` and our teammate, they're protective of me but they have their honor, they won't harm you if you don't try to harm me okay?"
"Yeah, fine. I heard you tree huggers didn't take prisoners or leave anyone alive after your raids. I'm...ouch...coming out into the middle of the room like you've asked."
"I see that, good, let me unseal this first," Hinata called out as she unsealed a large object, "There, now you can lie down on this, you'll be more comfortable."
"Okay, you're just going to treat me and that's it?"
"Yes, all I'm going to do is treat you, I'm just a medic, I'm not to take life unless it's to protect mine or my patients. My sensei and sempei made that clear when they were training me."
"O...okay, umm, what's your name anyway? I'm Karin, Uzumaki Karin."
With that all three members of DRACO gasped, one of Naruto's kin was found in a Sound base and she was obviously not a prisoner. Sasuke wanted to know what was going on but knew enough to keep quiet for the time being. Kiba just growled and pulled his carbine tighter into his shoulder but said nothing. Sora, Hinata's dog just slowly walked to his mistress and lay down next to the futon that was now on the floor.
Karin by then had moved over onto the futon and got comfortable. Hinata began to break things out of her pack and then start to assess Karin's injuries as she began to speak to the girl in a friendlier voice,
"Karin, I'm Hinata, the guy with the dogs is my fiance` Kiba and the other boy is for the time being to be known as Kuraso. He's kind of shy," Hinata lied.
"Hinata, that's a pretty name. Hinata, why aren't you healing me?"
"I am Karin-san, it's just the we don't use anymore chakra than we need to. Now, I'm going to have to cut away your pant leg so I can see how bad the wound is. Your weakness is a sure sign of blood loss so I'll be quick."
Saying that Hinata swiftly cut the pant leg up three inches above the wound and then across separating it from the rest of the clothing article, allowing access to the wound but preserving the girls modesty. Frowning she activated her byakugan, it was the next best thing to an x-ray in the field according to Sakura. Looking closely she saw the damage to be minor but still it was a laceration to an artery. Pulling a small package out of her pack Hinata tore it open and sprinkled the powder on the wound.
Karin hissed as it sent a burning sensation through her body, "What the hell was that Hinata? Kami that burns!"
"It's a sulfa compound, an antibiotic for situations like this. Are you in any pain aside from the sulfa?" Hinata replied as she began using her eyes to scan for other, hidden, injuries.
"My chest, that guy really packed a punch. I was trying to surrender or get away but all he did was hit me with that star and then punched my chest hard enough to drop me."
"I see, okay, you've three cracked ribs and a few others that are bruised so, I'm going to ask again on a scale of one to ten, ten being the worst you've ever felt, how much pain are you in?"
"An eight, Kami, an eight. It's worse than when those guys took my...SOB!"
"Shhh, I'm sorry that you had to go through that, Naruto-kun is going to flip out when he see's that in the report. Here, put this under your tongue, it's a lolipop with a strong pain killer. Now, Karin, I'm going to put this on your wound and then put a tight bandage in it. This powder," Hinata said as she shook the packet, "is called quick clot. It's going to take the water in your blood and make a very thick and strong scab. Once that's done we can get you to a safe place for surgery, you're not going to die and we're not going to hurt or abuse you. Naruto-kun would have our heads if we allowed that to happen to you."
"Okay, I trust you, but who is this Naruto you mention? And why am I that important to you three? It's like I'm a princess or something," Karin asked as the fentynol in the sucker began to take effect.
"Uzumaki Naruto, he's our Godaime Hokage Koho. He's also the last Uzumaki royal and head of the clan. He grew up an orphan so anyone of his clan that is found living is very important to him. You'll see, he's a kind man, I'm sure he'll find a place for you in Konoha."
"No...he won't sobbed Karin as the painkiller worked and lowered her inhibitions, "I've done terrible things for Lord Orochimaru but I didn't have a choice. He took my sister and I in after our mother died. Tayuya is one of his personal guards and does his bidding but she hates it as well. Hinata, she and I are trapped here, Danzo said that the Leaf would execute us after they drained us of everything we know about him and the Snake as well as Sound," Karin said between sobs.
At that a warm hand was placed on hers as a male voice filled her ears, "No, we won't. Naruto would never allow it if that were to happen to someone that can be salvaged and saved. Now sleep," with that Karin barely felt the sting of an injection but heard the hiss of it's propellant.
While this was going on Uzumaki Naruto, the Fifth Hokage in Waiting, was trying for all he's worth to form an orb of chakra in the palm of his hand. The teen was just moments away from creating his father's jutsu. It had been a couple of months that his grandfather had begun teaching him. His father's...chakra ghost, for lack of a better term, had helped him while he slept. Minato's coaching had allowed him to succeed in his mindscape but in the real world it's a different story.
As he concentrated Naruto's eyes widened as a blue ball of energy began to form in his hand. As it grew it stated to become unstable and as he waited for the last possible second he shouted out and hurled the orb downrange,
"RASENGAN!," just as he yelled out the ball had hit a boulder and exploded, the boulder was instantly turned to dust and gravel.
Naruto stood in place looking at the destruction he'd wrought wide eyed and slack jawed. Hearing applause behind his back he turned to see he wife, adopted father, foster grandfather and his actual grandparents clapping their hands.
"Very good gaki, very good!" his grandfather Jiraiya commented as he stepped toward the teen, "You've done a good job, you and my son. If you'd be so kind I'd like to talk to him for a minute please?"
"Sure Ero-grandpa," Naruto said as he made the now trademark hand sign. Sure enough a shadow clone appeared in the form of the late Minato Kamikaze.
"Hey dad, you wanted to see me?" the clone called out. Over time Jiraiya and Tsunade had accepted that their son was going to be a very closely guarded secret of their family. The love they had for Minato had never died and the clone was a welcome visitor and had insight into things the others hadn't gone through before.
"Yeah, as a matter of fact I did. Look, you've been helping the kid as much as you can right? Well, now that he can do the rasengan we can move onto the other technique. Can you help him with the Flying Thunder God in the physical realm?"
"I suppose I could, I mean unless I have to actually do it I could help him with the formulas and such, why?"
"Because you're the only one that knows how it works. I know you left me with all your and Kushina's noted but that was it..."
"No, I left a completed seal, not a kunai but an actual seal that could be placed anywhere. Wasn't it in the scrolls we left for you, ma and Naruto?"
"No, it wasn't in any of those and that means one thing, it was stolen. Danzo is the only one that low to steal from the dead. This is bad, if he or the Snake figure it out they can come and go as they please," Jiraiya said in a panic.
"Cool out dad, I'm not that stupid with a seal that powerful. There's a couple of safeguards in place," Minato calmly replied to his father.
"Oh? And what are these safeguards?"
"The first is that it's keyed to my blood and Kushina's blood line, not the Uzumaki as a whole but the royal line. As far as we know, Naruto is the only one that is able to use it for now. Later on Sakura will be added as well as their children. The three they have now will be also entered into the matrix, dad, when I say their kids I mean all their kids okay?
"Now, the second is that the seal will degrade over time unless it's maintained. All they can get from it by now is the basic design, the trigger and unlocking mechanisms have destroyed themselves," Minato explained to his father and son who was standing nearby.
"Well at least that's good for now. So, what I want you to do is teach your son the theory behind the seal and how to use it. Higurashi-san still has the things he needs to forge the kunai...why are you smiling like that?"
"Well, the kunai are good for short range but I was already thinking global. That's why I made the seal, so we can place it anywhere we want. It was meant as a means of traveling quickly between villages and key points in the Elemental lands. I could either send a diplomat or an army depending on the situation."
"I see, that actually could be of use. Who else besides Kushina-chan knew about it?"
"No one else. It was a very tight secret. Look, getting back to the rasengan. You know it's not finished right? I wasn't able to add my affinitive element like I planned. I'm going to see if Naruto can achieve that. Wind might be extremely hard but the end result should be worth it."
"That's not a bad idea, we'll be heading to Suna in a couple of days so you can work with him when he's sleeping, that sound like a plan Naruto?"
"Uhh, sure. Dad? What was that about all mine and Sakura-chan's children? Do you really mean Kono, Moegi and Udon?" Naruto asked with a hope filled voice. Being an orphan sucked monkey balls so he understood how the three children feel about things. Thankfully they had been in foster care for a short time before he and Sakura had made a place for them in their home and later family.
"Exactly that, those three are my first grandchildren and I love them as much as you do. Your mother will be worse, I can see Moegi becoming a clone of Kushina. You and your family are the leaders of Konoha and truth be told, I hope that our family guides this village for many generations,
"The village prospered under the first two Hokage as they were brothers and had a better idea of how to rule. The council was not the powerful entity that it became, it was a go between the civilians and the ninja. Back then, back then the shinobi clans were dependent on the civilians to provide support since we shinobi had to devote all our free time to training.
"Along the way those same civilians that begged us to protect them in exchange for services started thinking that they were more important than the ninja. That was when they began to plot as to how they could steal as much power from the Hokage over time. Well, the joke's on them son, over the years the clans and clanless ninja began to acquire skills that the civilians jealously guarded. It must of made them feel smug when a disabled ninja came to them for a job but that was the sneaky part."
"How so dad? If the civilians were to support us then why let a crippled ninja work and learn from the...ahhh! Let them think that they're better than us while we steal everything they know right?"
"Exactly, as of now, there's enough skilled vendors, craftsmen, bakers and others in the clans that the civilians are no longer important other than to produce children for the academy and training center. Look, son, as cynical as it sounds it's the way things have to be done. The villagers were given an opportunity to thrive and grow in safety. At some point they began to think we weren't needed anymore. That's why I'm happy that that damn council is on it's last legs."
"I know, the thing that makes me sad is...I agree with everything you've told me. I hate the villagers as a whole, I probably will for the rest of my life but I want my family to trust and embrace them. Is that crazy?"
"No, no son it's not. Naruto, you're still young but even I can see that when your grandparents deem you ready, you're going to be the best leader this village has ever had. Now, if you'll excuse me, the fox and I were both losing terribly at cribbage."
With that Minato poofed out of existence. Jiraiya just placed his hand on the teens shoulder, "Your dads something else. Now do you understand why we're letting you grow into your own and actually earn this title? The others, Harishima, he founded the village and everyone proclaimed him Hokage but Madera was just as strong and just as wise. The problem was no one trusted the Uchiha. Tobirama, well he inherited the job from his brother and sensei? Sensie wasn't cut out for the job but Tobirama saw something in him. Besides the only other, well, vocal, choice was Danzo."
"Boy, what is going on with Sound and Kiri is stressful, I know. That said, things are still on track and you've dealt with unexpected events very well, but, some things have come up. Meet me in your grandmother's office in an hour, bring Sakura-chan with you. She needs to hear this as well."
With that Jiraiya shunshins away in a flurry of leaves. Naruto frowned at how cryptic the old pervert could be at times but that was how the man was wired. Nodding to himself he walked up to Kakashi and Sakura, "Well, it's not often your dead father praises you and gives you a history lesson at the same time. Pops? You hear anything from Jay or Silent Bob?"
"No, but I've been busy with the others and training, Sakura?"
"No, the comm center has been quiet except for routine traffic. Don't worry babe, we'll find out in an hour okay?"
"Sure hon, let's get some Ichiraku for ramen, I'm hungry and Ayame-nee is back from her rotation."
Hearing that one of their big sisters was back in the village brought a smile to the girls face. Ayame had been a genin years ago but a tragic encounter on a mission had ended her dreams of being a ninja. Well at least they had died until a certain blond loudmouth came back into her life. Now as a reserve genin she would stand alert duty for one month every quarter and attend training drills two weekends a month the rest of the time. Reactivating the villages reserve forces had taken pressure off of the standing forces and placed shinobi that were no longer combat effective in jobs that were considered not combat related.
This though was a double edged sword as there were genin that had been ready to quit because their friends were in the field while they were stuck inside the village shuffling papers. While the ninja themselves were happy the civilian born families were not. They had thought that their child or grandchild had outgrown this ninja nonsense and the risk to their lives were over. Now, the Daemon Child returns and puts their family member in danger all over again. Minato was right, Naruto thought, the civilian villagers could leave and the village itself would continue as it has. Their only use now was to make new ninja to continue to serve and protect the village and the Fire Lord.
The newest change and division was communications, Ayame and a few others had been trained by Naruto and a few of the Hanyo in human form to operate the radios and correlate the information being received from ongoing missions. It was funny to think that before Naruto returned messages were sent by animal and summons creatures. Now within a year of his graduation radio was being used on a daily basis.
Ayame was one of the new radio operators and she was good. In fact she had been recently made first section leader then later division communications supervisor. That meant in her last rotation she was in charge of scheduling shifts and supervised the day shift specialists with two others she trusted as supervisors for the other two shifts. Ayame was so good that the jonin in charge, another medical retiree, had put her name in for advancement to Chunin. Naruto had considered sending it up the line before his big sister asked that he hold her promotion, she felt like she still hadn't earned the rank yet.
So, as he thought of his sister being back to work in the ramen stand Naruto walked next to his wife with a huge smile. While Ichiraku ramen was the best thing on earth, next to tacos, menudo and refried beans, it seemed to taste better when Ayame-chan was serving it up with a smile of her own. Naruto was happy for another reason, Ayame was a few years younger than Kakashi and Naruto knew the two were attracted to each other.
Sakura was also in on the not so secret 'secret' and did all she could to push the two together. Kakashi, for all his mysterious past as an ANBU agent, only non-Uchiha bearer of the sharingan living in Konoha and now father to the young Godaime Hokage was still unlucky in love. His relationships rarely lasted beyond a few months in part because of his regret over losing his teammate Rin. He would carry that pain for all his life and it would take a very special girl to help him deal with that pain. A certain part time ninja and full time waitress in a ramen shop.
Entering the stand the trio sat in their usual places and were greeted by hellos and smiles from Ayame and her father. As the Uzumaki couple ate, in Naruto's case wolfed, or would that be foxed, down their meals Kakashi made small talk with Ayame. Ayame for her part had listened to her little sister when it came to Kakashi. Flirting, Sakura said, would only go so far. Kakashi in a way was like Naruto and Sasuke, he loved to train and he was attracted to strong girls, both physically and emotionally.
Taking heed of Sakura's word Ayame leaned forward as she filled Kakashi's glass of iced tea, "So, I heard that you've been short a training partner since the Uchiha kid left, huh?"
"Well, not so much as being short a partner but yeah, I'm short a partner, why?" Kakashi asked the girl.
"Well, as you know, a certain blond press ganged me back into the forces. I'm in the comms division now but I still feel not at my full potential. Kakashi, I'll be honest, I don't like what I've been hearing over the radio and I feel that I'm not strong enough. I want to train with you, nothing to advanced, just the basics so I can get back into the groove. What do you say?"
"Ayame, training and sparring with me can get...intense. Are you sure you want to train with me?"
"Yes, I mean look at what you've done for my little brother and sister. I know Kurama-san did all the groundwork but you Kakashi, you and Jiraiya-sama have put the finishing touches on them. So, can I train with you or not? I'm one of the top reservists you know."
"So I've heard," chuckled Kakashi as he gave the girl an eye smile, "You know what? I'll let you train with me just don't complain to my son about your rough treatment."
At those words the eighteen year old reservist inwardly shivered. She'd had a crush and then fallen in love with the older ninja after getting a glimpse of his face while eating one day. In her most sultry voice she nearly purred into Kakashi's ear, "You can be as rough with me as you like Kakashi-san, I can take anything you give me."
With that she leaned a little closer giving him a look into her blouse and cleavage as she ran a finger down his face to his chin before lifting said chin up so his eyes met hers. Just as he began to speak she pushed away and began serving Naruto his last bowl. Sakura could be heard softly giggling at the entire exchange before she winked and nodded her approval to Ayame. Yup, the bait had been taken, now all Ayame had to do was set the hook and reel in her catch.
Finally the time had come to meet with Tsunade, Jiraiya, Hiruzen and Tsunade's other advisers, Shikaku Nara the head of tactics and strategy and Inoichi Yamanaka, head of Konoha's T&I division and expert on psychological warfare. They all greeted Naruto and party as they entered the office.
"Naruto, last night we received reports from both deployments and both are of grave concern," Tsunade began without preamble, a telling sign of the seriousness of the matter at hand.
"The first report is from Kiri," she said as she handed him the transcript of the radioed report, "I don't like what was uncovered in that last raid. I've notified Tazuna and asked him to send that last frigate to evacuate these people as well as any other ship that can handle the task. We'll need a place for them to be relocated and..."
"Send them to Wave, they're better set up for something like this," Naruto interrupted, "They have much more established system to take care of these kids and enough food to maintain them."
Curious, Sakura took the first report from her lover's hands and looked it over. What she saw chilled her blood, old black and white images of Auschwitz, Dachau and Ravensbrook sprang to life. The terms of ethnic cleansing as well as the history of the Kosovo, Serbian and Croatian conflicts that brought into being the term 'Balkanization' and the end of the country known as Yugoslavia came back with a vengence. While they didn't have to deal with that horror show where she and Naruto had fought all those yeas ago they both had to endure countless hours of history and psychology in order to understand and deal with things like this should they encounter a concentration or death camp.
Now, it seemed that this was what Neji and the others had stumbled onto. Looking over she saw Naruto shaking with rage. As he fought for control Tsunade softly spoke to him, "What do you wish to do with this information? This is your operation so this is something for you to decide."
"Leak the information out to the other villages spies stationed here. Wait until we get the refugees to safety and we have photo evidence to give them as well. Most of these agents have been turned have they not?"
Inoichi spoke up to answer, "Yes, in fact all of the known agents are in our pocket. Naruto, may I ask why you want this to be leaked out? It may compromise the secrecy of the mission and point to Konoha's direct involvement."
"Because Kiri is killing off blood lines, they've begun to round up whole clans and shipping them off only for the adults and older teens to be executed and the surviving kids brainwashed into serving their clans killers. No matter what we say about the other villages they value their blood line clans as much as we do. This discovery will work to our advantage,
"Let word leak out that Haku Yuki requested a mission to find and bring out what was left of her family in Kiri. Tell our people to let slip that it was genin team nine that had taken the mission and had made the find. Haku then made contact with the Kiri rebels of which her adopted father Zabuza is a part of. It's a known fact that they were escorted here and Zabuza petitioned for sanctuary and eventual citizenship in Konoha. The rebels then raided the complex while being aided by a group of unknown mercenary's. It's a mix of truth and lies with more truth this time than lie. This will work, it's a proven method, what do you think Yamanaka-san? From a psy-war standpoint?"
"It's a well thought out plan and I believe it will work. This plays up our strengths from a humanitarian point of view and paints the Mizukage and Kiri in general in the worst possible light. The fact that a man of Zabuza's stature is fighting alongside the rebels is also telling considering how loyal he was to the Mizukage and how much that degenerate trusted him," Inoichi answered.
Naruto smiled at that, acceptance from the senior Shinobi clansmen was important to him. It was a way for him to measure his growth as a leader. Turning to his grandmother he asked about the other report from Sasuke's group.
"This one is a little more difficult son," the Regent began, "They destroyed their sixth base this week and got a huge intel haul and a few prisoners. Naruto, one of the prisoners is an Uzumaki, Karin Uzumaki. She and her sister Tayuya have been working for the snake since their mother died a couple of years ago."
"An Uzumaki was working for those two? How? Why? Why would they degrade themselves like that?" Naruto asked as he dropped heavily onto the office's sofa nearly in tears.
Sakura as always was by his side offering comfort. At times like this Inoichi and Shikaku never knew what to do, this was their future leader at his most vulnerable but the boy or his family didn't seem to care. Inoichi was privately happy that Naruto was able to still be able to show emotions. Shinobi were taught from a young age to suppress their emotions, something that was inherently unhealthy. Repressed and suppressed emotions were a time bomb waiting to happen so seeing Naruto letting go was a good sign the kid was reasonably mentally healthy. It helped that his father's ghost was more or less rooming with the fox.
Yes, Inoichi and the other clan heads were informed of Minato's unique...situation. Their beloved leader took the entire Clan council to task for ignoring his wishes and leaving his son to suffer at the hands of the ignorant masses. When it was suggested that something be done to bring him back into a human body Minato stated that he was perfectly happy where he was. He also alluded that Kushina would be brought back soon and it was she they had to fear.
But back to the situation at hand, Sakura had managed to calm her husband down and he was once again focused on the report. Karin it seemed was the daughter of Kushina's sister according to Tsunade. The woman had two daughters, Karin and Tayuya who according to the Regent was a gifted genjutsu user that used a flute to cast her techniques. The girl also had a temper and foul mouth if the older woman's memory was correct. Karin was gentler but had no skills that stood out. The family were under the protection of ANBU but once again since they were in a foreign country it was hard to do, especially since it looked as if Danzo has compromised the mission, another charge against the mummy. His hatred towards the Uzumaki clan knew no bounds.
Naruto was reading the report line by line, Sasuke was very detailed in his transmissions to his home. Naruto had taught them all that it was better to include details that might on the surface be unimportant but could possibly be the one thing that could cause a mission to fail or get unnecessary people killed. In the report Sasuke reported that the method of burning out the underground complexes were a success. The intelligence take would be delivered in a few days after an initial inspection took place as the teams looked for information of priority attention.
As he continued to read the report Tsunade looked at her grandson, "I'm curious, where did you come up with that idea to get the fires to burn so hot and so long?"
"I read it in a fan fiction," was the only reply he gave in such an uninterested tone that made Kakashi's chest swell with pride.
Sakura rolled her eyes but did nothing else, "Koi, what are you planning to do about this information Sasuke has sent us?"
"Honestly? I don't know yet, most likely nothing other than authorize the teams to either rescue or snatch and grab my cousin Tayuya. Karin's saying that her sister hates the snake as much as she does but the pedo has some kind of hold on her. I know that it's sounding like I'm putting family before the mission but according to this, Tayuya is highly placed and somewhat trusted by the traitors."
Turning to Shikaku Naruto's face was stone, "Send word to Det Jay, they're to stand by for orders to terminate the Mizukage once the other Kage have validated the sanction. Continue as planned for now, in fact step up the pressure. I want Haku-chan placed on a SOCC and have it deployed to meet Retribution outside of Wave's territorial waters. Transfer her to Retribution and dispatch it to join the Kiri rebels. Haku is to meet up with Team Nine with the mission briefing requesting aid and escort to find her surviving family."
"She's to establish her and the team's presence in the islands and to aid with the kids we rescued. Before she leaves have her go to the hospital for her vaccinations for typhus, cholera and what ever diseases Neji has found infecting those kids. Sakura-chan, send a couple of level five medical packs and enough vaccines for the teams as well as the victims. Have Makoto and Asahina get more from home if we need to, Bayer, Glaxo and Pfizer should be able to help, didn't the clan invest in those companies when they started up?"
"Yeah, I think Baxter and Norvo were also a part of the clans portfolio, I'll ask Makoto. Anything else?" Sakura asked.
"Yeah, have him see if that foundation they named after you can provide some clothing, not too Western but something that can blend in here, I mean that's what they used your name for isn't it?"
"It is Koi but it was set up for the kids there but to tell the truth it's been so long that the clan may not have any influence anymore though," Sakura answered which got the attention of the Nara and Yamanaka clan heads.
"Hmm, haven't thought about that, oh well, we can't do anymore than wait until Haku is in place and the Kage's and Feudal Lords meet. A question Nara-san?"
"Yes my lord, I and Inoichi have noticed that you and your wife will go into these conversations with each other from time to time and it's like we're seeing a different couple at times, an older more mature one that's been through hell and back, care to explain?"
Naruto chuckled a bit before speaking, "Are you sure you want the answer? It may be more than a little troublesome."
"As much as I'm sure it'll be we need to know just who you are and exactly how much did you learn in exile," answered the man with the same lazy tone his son used from time to time.
Glancing at Sakura he chewed on his bottom lip as if debating but once she saw her determined nod he knew what to do, "Inoichi-san, give me a moment to talk to my guests and then I'll allow you to mind walk Sakura-chan and myself. In our minds you'll get all the answers you both seek and more. Once you walk our minds you may transfer what you've seen to Shikaku-san and anyone else we feel needs to know. Is the agreeable to the both of you?"
"More than agreeable but I'd like to know why would you need to talk to your guests first"?
"Papa-San is still angry at the village, especially the clan heads and Kurama-jijii hates unexpected company," Sakura explained with a small smile.
"Oh yeah he does, he even hated the door to door salesmen but for some reason those little harpies could get him to buy every box of cookies they had when they showed up at the house," agreed Naruto.
Meanwhile as Minato snickered Kurama was yelling at his host, "Hey! Those thin minty ones were great! I didn't see either of you two saying no to those girls when they showed up selling those things not to mention the phone numbers the kit got every year! Naruto? How many of the peanut butter ones did you get over the years?"
"None of you business and did Makoto let the others at the estate know to get as many of those as they could? Hey! I'm talking to you!" Once he realized that the fox wasn't going to answer turned his attention back to the clan heads. Sakura, who was listening in on their 'conversation' just shook her head. She knew about the phone numbers and in fact Naruto had actually dated a few of those girls but he always returned to his first and only love. She just rubbed his shoulder to calm him down but made a note to ask about their missing cookies this year.
"Okay, I'm ready. Look, before you go into my mind there's something you need to know and agree to. There are places that I and Sakura don't wish to be seen. Although they're locked away so to speak, Kurama is going to be guarding them. Should he tell you that access is forbidden please just leave it at that. Those memories are painful for us, and those memories are not confined to our first years in the village."
"Like Naruto said, we have some very painful and personal memories that we don't wish for anyone to see but we will allow you access to one. Naruto, they'll have to know about Haruhi-chan so they can understand why we're so reluctant to start our family. I know you two didn't bring that up but ever since Ami announced the she was carrying the Uchiha clan's heir all eyes have been on us."
"Sakura, you're like a daughter to me, I can't jus..." Inoichi began to protest.
"You can and you must," Naruto ordered, Sakura and Tsunade smiled at their handiwork, since his voice had changed as it should have a year ago Naruto's words and how he spoke them were powerful, more powerful than his father's own voice.
"It's who we are and one of the things that shaped us," Naruto continued, "To understand us now you need to understand us then. Inoichi, I'm ready."
The Yamanaka bowed his head as he wove the signes for his clan's jutsu. As it took effect his Nara friend caught his body out of habit and placed it on the couch. A couple hours later he was looking at the two Uzumaki in a new light.
"You two, now we understand, but why? You could have lived in peace had you survived that last battle. Why didn't you stay and been at peace? You both are rich, you have more than all the feudal lords combined, why didn't you stay?" Inoichi asked with tears in his eyes. These two have gone through so much already and they turned their backs on a chance to live out their lives in peace and comfort.
"You know the answer father," Sakura said as she hugged the man that had tried for years to take her in as is own, "yes, we could have stayed but once we were told who we really were we knew where our duties lay."
"What you saw, all that Kurama would allow you to see, only a few people know, our family of course, Sasuke, Ami and Ino are a few that we've let in on our secret, now it's you two. What you experienced, seen and heard is an X class secret, I trust you both to not spill the beans but over time you'll have to let other clan heads know. We'll tell you who and when so don't worry about that. Any questions?"
"Is it possible to bring some of those flying machines that Sakura rode in over here, for our use?" Shikaku asked.
"Yes, but they won't move without the pilots and aircrew which we don't have, not to mention the amount of manpower needed to maintain just one of those. Aside from those factors Konoha is already tipping the balance of power to our side just with our new Navy as it is. That's not counting the training the new genin are undergoing as well as the weapons we're now using. While we won't be getting anything like that there will be some things the village as a whole will be receiving," Naruto explained hoping that he could dissuade the two men before him from pushing for more technologies and equipment. Naruto wanted a world that was as devoid of the technological horrors of their old world as he could engineer it. As a student of history he read over and over that every leap forward in weapons was usually conceived with the intention to make war as horrible as possible to the point that it would be seen as pointless, in the end it was seen by the generals and politicians as a more efficient way of killing the enemy, whoever that enemy was at the time.
Sakura in the meantime had kept reading the report, the one Hinata had filed. Turning to the second page she kept reading as thoroughly as her husband. Getting to one particular line she gasped, looking at her husband with wide and sorrow filled eyes she began to cry, "Naruto, your cousin, the Sound ninja that she was left in charge of...they...oh Kami!"
Naruto stepped to his wife and looked over the offending piece of paper, "Raped, those bastards! Grandmother, I wish to send a team and personally see to my cousin Karin's safety and Tayuya's rescue."
"Denied, you're to leave for Suna in two days. We'll keep you apprised of the situation."
"Baa-chan, you forget, this is one of the jobs I trained for. I'm not asking I'm demanding!"
"No, Naruto, you have your orders and your duties to the village take precedence."
"God dammit Tsunade! She's family, blood, my blood! I have to go! I...I..I need to go! Please Baa-chan, I have to save my family," Naruto cried out as his grandmother wrapped her arms around him.
"I know you feel you need to but we can't send another team, they're needed here, you know that. Naruto, she's on one of your ships, she's safe there. Sasuke and the others all are looking over her. Look, he's already sent a plan of attack for Tayuya's rescue. By the time you and Sakura get back from Suna they'll be here waiting for you, I promise."
"Fine but I'm placing them under your care. Make sure you take them to T&I once the arrive," Naruto ordered shocking all in the room, "I'm not dumb, they've been working for our enemy, they need to be debriefed and mind walked. Inoichi-san, I want you or someone you trust to mind walk them both. I don't need any surprises like Danzo gave the Uchihas. If they're enemy agents kill them at once. I'd rather have the blood of one on my hands than the blood of many."
With that the young couple left the office to prepare for their trip to Suna and the next round of talks. He would also be meeting his father's clan as they would be guiding him and his accompanying DRACO team to the Sand Village. The only thing he was looking forward to was seeing Temari once again. He and Sakura had talked at length about the tan skinned blond girl. She was a strong lady that had a beauty of her own, one that complimented Sakura-chan. Maybe having two wives wouldn't be so bad as long as Temari agrees, Naruto had already made it clear that he'd marry only for love and any potential wife had to feel the same.
As they entered the office Naruto began to expand Haku's mission to Kiri. The shinobi detachment accompanying her would be bringing in a game changer and they had been trained extensively on it. The teams had three eighty-one millimeter mortars and five hundred rounds of ammunition. They would be placed to give fire support and weaken the enemy forces. The rebels had pushed the Mizukage into a literal and figurative corner in the northern reaches of Kiri. The addition of the support team and Haku would be enough to tip the balance. The final instruction was the codes to be radioed to confirm the start of the attack and the confirmation that it was successful.
Two weeks later Neji was scowling once more at the hand carried orders Haku had given him. He didn't like it but they had no choice. The Wave frigate Retribution had hastened to the rebel held island that had been chosen as the rebellion's base of operations. Along with Haku the ship had discharged several doctors and medics, a container bearing medicines and several others containing food and clothing for the liberated children.
The food was earmarked solely for the kids, Naruto made that very clear. It was formulated to provide the maximum of nutrition in as small a package as possible. The food was in packages similar to MREs but had more flavor in the form of healthier types of sugars and a higher protein and fat content. The drinks were all milk based and once again had added fat and protein as well as kid friendly flavors. The meat component was in the form of once again kid friendly items, fish, beef and chicken were the most common and as most of the children were old enough to cook for themselves they were allowed to prepare their meals for themselves and their siblings.
Whole groups of clan members would gather at meal times and pool their food ration with the older of the kids cooking and feeding the youngest ones first. Clothing was handed out to all, the rags that they'd been wearing were taken to pits and burned with fire jutsus. As much as Naruto hated to use it all children were deloused, literally sprayed with a powder that would kill any parasite living on the children. The camp was destroyed next, after it was documented with pictures and written reports on the function of each and every building. These were then leaked as planned to the other nations and hidden villages. Within one week of the revelations of the camp and it's inhabitants the consensus of the leaders concerned was unanimous, even Iwa's fence sitting leader, the oldest of the Kakges, voted for the sanctions asked by Konoha. The children were given the honor and torches to set their prison alight.
So now, now it had come to this Neji thought as he waited until all the pieces moved into place. The town the Mizukage had been trapped in was sited on a spit of land that jutted into the sea. There was only one way in by land and the had been cut by the rebels in the first days it was learned the man was there. The two frigates and their combat craft prosecuted a blockade. Nothing in and nothing out. Civilians that wanted to leave had to do so by land and submit to intense inspection. At the end of the second week one last group came out, a team of genin with their jonin sensei, only this wasn't a team that was loyal to the Mizukage. This team was loyal only to Konoha and Nami No Kuni. They were the team that the Mizukage had sent as a sacrifice to kill Zabuza but mercifully had run afoul of Naruto instead.
Now they were employed as instructors in Waves academy but for the time being acting as infiltration specialists. They were the last out of the town having reported that the Mizukage had sent every civilian and wounded shinobi to safety. Although he knew his wounded would be taken prisoner they would still live and not be killed in their sick beds once the rebels broke through. At the moment they were in debrief onboard the Retribution going over a map of the town that had every key building marked and labeled. These positions would be fed to the ships Masters at Arms and Gunner's Mates as well as the land based mortar crews. The combined firepower of the cannon, rocket batteries and mortars would be used to pin the enemy forces.
The plan was to storm the town itself, the rebels would follow Konoha's special warfare teams and engage the enemy head on. Neji's teams would, along with Zabuza, Mei Terumi and her entourage would go after the Mizukage. What galled Neji was that he and the others had to wear the head bands of another country, Sound to be exact. The blame for the death of the Mizukage would be blamed on Danzo and Orochimaru should any of those that voted for the sanction of death back pedaled. It would be Konoha to say that team nine had nothing to do with the attack, only the rescue of the concentration camp detainees.
Neji himself was now in position with his complete Detachment Jay members waiting for the signal. Sending a signal to the Retribution's communications center, it's radios having more powerful transmitters he let Konoha know it was time to go. The wait would be one of the longest in Neji's short life.
In Konoha Naruto sat in the communications center having put off his trip to Suna until at least Kiri was wrapped up. The young leader had taken to placing a cot in a far corner of the room and sleeping there. It was at three-thirty in the morning that the message he'd been waiting for came in.
At that point Naruto was on the radio to Neji, "Jay, this is Dante, confirm the color and word of the day."
"Dante, this is Jay, color is black, I say again color is black and the word is legs, over."
"Jay, color and word are confirmed, what is the situation?"
"All noncombatants have left the town, team Garbo has reported in with the most recent locations. We are ready to strike, I repeat, we are ready to strike."
Naruto looked at first Tsunade and then Hiruzen as Sakura stood to his side as always, "I understand that the last of the noncombatants have cleared the target area. I have new orders for you and your forces do you understand?"
There was a pause before Neji responded, "I understand you have new orders for me, proceed with the new orders, over."
Looking at the gathered officials Naruto's face grew grim, in a few seconds he was going to end a war and quite possibly order the death of a fellow Kage and jinchuriki. The standing orders were that should the man surrender he's to be shown mercy and taken prisoner, Neji and a member of the Kurama clan were to check to see if Yagura was or is under a genjutsu. The reports of his previous behavior is vastly different from that he has displayed in recent years.
From what Naruto and others have gathered the man was strict and a strong leader but he actually loved his people as was loved in return. He also valued his blood line bearing clans before the purge began for no reason that anyone, even Terumi and Zabuza could think of. The man had just...snapped. Should he fight back Neji was to personally execute the order of termination. Naruto had chosen him for one reason, his clan was duty bound to follow an order and this was from the combined leaders of the continent. Only Snow abstained but then again, they never bothered to respond in the first place.
Taking a deep breath Naruto keyed the mic, "I'm weary and want to sleep."
"But I have miles to go and promises to keep," came back the terse answer as Naruto began to sweat, he still had a choice, to call off the sanction was still in his grasp but seeing the pictures of that concentration camp helped him steel his resolve.
Looking once again at his loving wife he took one last breath and spoke one more time, "Climb mount Niitaka,I say again climb mount Niitaka."
After a pause Naruto could hear the thumps of the 81mm tubes firing as Neji made the confirmation transmission, "I understand, Climb mount Niitaka. Operation has begun I will send the code once it's concluded, Jay out."
As he set his mic down he had by accident or design locked the transmit button on and left the mic open. In doing so the assembled in the communications room were able to hear the soundtrack of a modern war. Other than the mortar tubes firing they heard the cracking ripple of the rockets fired from the Vengeance class frigates as well as the crack-booms of their heavy caliber deck guns as they shelled the town. Each gun had been assigned a series of elevation and azimuth to aid their aiming to their targets. To add to the sound and confusion the sounds of firecrackers added a staccato counter point as the Konoha teams small arms came into play.
Naruto had ordered the unrestricted use of the weapons for a few reasons, one, to speed up the operation. The second was that Mist ninjas were hard to kill, the water clones were as good as any other clone but were able to fool an enemy into thinking they'd killed their target as the water running from a wound would resemble blood. A bullet hole would take done the target, clone or not and if not kill then incapacitate the person hit. The last option was that a bullet was faster than a jutsu in most cases, the rounds also were able to defeat any chakra based armor a ninja would use.
As he ran to the gate of the town Neji heard a Konoha team yell out "EASE!" Hitting the ground the Senior Genin opened his mouth as wide as he could as an AT4 missile was fired into the gates blowing them open and in one case off it's hinges. Standing up Neji resumed his charge as he felt the chakra signatures of his longtime teammates nearby. Looking to his left he saw Lee bounding into cover before firing a burst from his M4 the bowl cut wearing genin ducking his head back from a fusillade of kunai. Even if they had better weapons a thrown blade or spear could still be lethal. Lee and Tenten were thanking Kami that Kiri had very few archers and those the did have were fighting for the rebels.
Coming to his fist target Neji had Lee kick the doors in as he covered the windows and balcony. As the entered the first room the paused. Tenten closed her eyes and reached out with her chakra. As they snapped open she pointed upwards and led her team to the second floor room. In it they found a group of genin, two girls and two boys huddled in the closet with tear streaming from their eyes. Not taking their eyes off of them Neji ordered one of the shinobi teams to restrain and apply seals to the kids and pass them to the rebel's provost marshals, their version of military police. Heading out they rushed to their next target, the most important one on the list.
Blasting the doors off their hinges with explosive tags and with three teams following team nine rushed the mansion. Fanning out Neji and the others began searching for their main target. They found him waiting in the gardens behind the house. Yagura stood with his back to a corner and a arrogant sneer marring his young features, "So, it seems that the other villages leaders have sent you errand boys to do their dirty work. I'm not afraid of any of you, who are you to judge me? None of you are a Kage, are you? If you're not a Kage then why should I yield to you lot?"
"We, we have a warrant to either capture or kill you Mizukage-san," Neji answered in a polite but neutral tone, "As you said, I'm the messenger of the recognized leaders of this continent. Calling me and my colleagues errand boys is of no importance. My leaders have allowed me some room for judgment in your case, it would be prudent to surrender to my team and allow us to take you to the Land of Iron for a trial on neutral ground. Should extenuating circumstances be found my superiors will not seek execution, in fact my leader understands the implications of a tailed beast being removed from it's host. As I've mentioned, should circumstances show that you're as much a victim here as the others you will be allowed to live in a comfortable exile."
Yagura looked at Neji for a moment, "Yes, I would imagine that Orochimaru would know about tailed beast's and their hosts. Care to tell me why he's turned his back on me since he promised me support to fight against the rebels?"
Neji thought for a moment before remembering the sealed instructions as to why the teams were wearing head protectors with the Oto music note on them, "Something was mentioned about your liquidation of clans bearing blood lines. You know how much my lord values a good blood line, the rarer the better and you went out of your way to kill as many as you could, that was never in your agreement for his aid was it? So why did you begin the purge?"
As the man thought of the reason he began the purge his head began to throb, like a spike was being driven into it, Neji and the Kurama clan partner noticed that at once and both men began to use their talents to examine the man as Lee subtlety removed his arm and leg weights, moving into position for his part in the capture. Neji flared his byakugan and at once noticed the signs of a genjutsu, his partner weaving the signs to either break or minimize it.
Neji gave a shout as Lee rushed in and slapped a seal on the man's forehead, his confused state a great help. As the seal hit Yagura's skin it activated dropping his chakra level to that of a civilian a second applied to the mans neck, crafted by Naruto with Jiraiya and Minato's help cut the chakra output by the Sanbi by nearly ninety-six percent. Yagura staggered and collapsed into Lee's arms. As he faded into unconsciousness Yagura heard a voice that had been silent for years,
"Hey, brat! Can you hear me? Yagura, come on kid answer me, that bastard mummy played you boy, you've been played like a drum."
"Sanbi-san? Kami, where did you go? I thought I did something to make you hate me. Why haven't you said anything to me? I've missed you, it's been, it feels like years," Yagura replied in shock.
"Brat! It has been years. You and I've been under a genjutsu, a very powerful one. You and I know that the only way to place me and my siblings in such a thing is with a sharingan."
"Konoha! Those tree huggers! So they're the ones behind this outrage!"
"Calm down, you're going to have a stroke. It wasn't Konoha, the Uchiha clan was decimated by the clan head's son or did you forget? No, it was some else, someone not related to that weak village. The survivors are children and low to mid level chunin and a few active and retired jonin so it wasn't that village. Now think, before all this happened we were meeting someone, who was it?"
Who was it indeed, Yagura thought while his body was being hauled back to the Retribution. Hazy images from his memory drifted into and out of focus before one face persisted. An old man, injured, bandaged to the point of resembling a mummy. A bandaged eye was remembered, an eye with three tomoes that spun a whirled, an eye that didn't match it's mate.
Like a flash the man's name sprang to the front of his mind. His betrayer was the same man that betrayed his home, Hokage and best friend. The man that had been placed in the bingo books as a traitor with a kill on sight order Shimura Danzo. The man had used the sharingan on him and his three tailed companion a sharingan that was stolen from the clan he ordered butchered in revenge for his exposure as a traitor.
Bowing his head the once arrogant young man spoke in a whisper, Neji noted that there wasn't fear in his voice nor did he cry, he just spoke in a quiet yet still commanding tone, "I yield, I place myself, mt lands and my people at your mercy. What ever you did to me...I thank you. It broke a genjutsu that I nor the Sanbi could not escape."
Nodding Neji turned to his team, "The Mizukage is under the protection of the rebellion. He's not to be harmed or maltreated in anyway. He's to be held on the Retribution for safety."
Turning to his radio operator Neji took the handset, "Dante, this is Jay, swordfish, I say again swordfish."
Letting out a heavy but relived sigh Naruto key his mic, "Jay, this is Dante, I read swordfish, good job. I want all my forces including a certain cousin to return home at the earliest. Team Nine is to escort the Mizukage to the Land of Iron at once. He's to be turned over to the Shogun's forces at their main port of call. Bravo Zulu to you and the rest of our teams."
"Dante, I read and will comply**, thank you. We will carry out our last orders and speed home. The kids should be arriving in their new home in a day or two. All of those that would have died en-route have already done so before they shipped out. End of report, Jay out."
A/N;
Okay, second chapter out for this month, no, I'm not banking then to take a vacation. It's just easier to do these chapters than the ones where I'm world building. Now, a few things before I get into the meat of the story and my reasons for the madness.
Codes and phrases:
Every operation is going to be code named and then have additional codes included for authentication and safeguard purposes. The codes used in my story aren't going to ones that I may or may not have been privy to but are taken from various sources. Most are Easter eggs but since no one wants to play the game and these are too obscure but for one I'll list where they came from.
I'm weary and want to sleep/ But I have miles to go and promises to keep. This is a paraphrase of a famous American lit poem. It was also the trigger to activate Soviet sleeper agents in the Charles Bronson movie Telphon. It's a good waste of time and has Donald Pleasance as the bad guy (when isn't he?) Released in 1977 it was actually the last movie I and my date saw before I left for boot camp the next day. Won't say much but Debbie was more fun than the movie.
Climb Mount Niitaka. I really shouldn't have to explain this one but for those that paid as much attention in history class that you all did in English and grammar class her it is. This is one of the most infamous transmissions ever sent in 1941 as it was the goo code for the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Swordfish. This was the center of a routine done by Groucho Marx and his brother Chico with Groucho trying to remember the password to a speakeasy. According to Chico, "It's the name of a fish." The movie I believe was Horsefeathers and is one of the funniest, well nearly all of their movies are funny, of the Marx Brothers films.
Color of the day/Word of the day. This is an actual procedure in verification in a combat situation. You need to be as sure as you can be when talking over a radio or other device. These are changed daily and woe to those that forgot.
Okay that's done and one last thing, the phrase marked with this **. This is the root of the brevity code Rodger Wilco, verbal short hand for Received, WIll COmply. At least this is one definition.
As for the actual ongoing missions, yes, the procedure to burn out the Snakes underground bases came from a fan fiction I read here but I can't remember the name. I do remember is that it's a very long one shot that follows the prosecution of Sound after the failed invasion. Sadly Gaara is killed and Kankuro is severely injured with Temari taken as a POW and forced along with the surviving Suna ninja to fight Konoha's war. It was very well written and allowed Team Seven to grow into a power house. One of the earlier stories before the Akatsuki were introduced.
Now, let's get to Kiri first. I know that most are mad that I didn't have a knock down drag out fight with Yagura. I have my reasons, the first is that he's as much a victim here as anyone, just as in canon he's under someone else's thrall. Yagura is not a stupid man and he's seen and heard of the weapons these new fighters the rebels have partnered with so he knows that the chance of surviving even with the Sanbi are small. Naruto has already ordered his forces to wear Oto headbands to confuse the enemy as to who is really helping the rebels. That give Neji an opening to talk to the Mizukage and try to determine exactly what had happened.
Neji was also given a list of things he can offer to entice a surrender at the same time he's preparing to kill the man just in case. Yagura is one that not much is known so I can paint him as I want within reason. I've shown him with a good relationship with the beast that's sealed inside himself and how worried the Sanbi was for his host. between the beast, Neji and the unnamed Kurama clansman Lee is able to place specially designed seals to aid in the capture of Yagura. Naruto is aware that his orders can end the life of a fellow Kage so he tries to keep the bloodshed to a minimum. Yes he ordered the shelling and bombardment of the town and the killing of those that resist but he's also ordered to give quarter to those that ask.
Naruto in this story was trained to be a SEAL and contrary to pop culture, SEALs do not go in and indiscriminately kill and blow things up. Their missions in some cases is to gain intelligence and the best way to do that is to take prisoners. Dead men tell no tales and neither do they tell you the fall back positions, replacements and mission plans they know of. Sparing lives also plays into the hands of Konoha, should they be found out, and the rebels. They'd be seen in a more caring light than if they executed all that fought against them. In sparing lives they gain support of the population they've been fighting for.
The survivors of the purges won't be returning to Kiri anytime soon. Fist of all, most are just kids tht are starting out and there's the matter of clan leadership to be figured out. Wave is hosting them since they would be following the Uzumaki and Whirlpool's protocols as to who will lead each of the nearly extinct clans. Haku is not going to lead the Yuki clan since canon had established the (s)he, in the anime and manga, was the child of a woman the married outside of the clan. That said, she will be an elder or advisor to the Yuki clan as they settle in Konoha at Naruto's invitation.
Back to Yagura, his situation will be resolved in the next chapter or two. He's not going to be killed and will be placed in an exile not unlike Napoleon. That said, he won't be coming back to rule as it's going to be Mei. The question for is, do I a) have her marry Zabuza like some other stories I've read, b) make her an Uzumaki, hey her hair and other traits make her a candidate or c) do both? It won't happen for sometime to come but it is on the list of things to look into. Don't worry about Haku, I'm planning on putting her with a certain budding intelligence agent that works of Naruto's grandfather.
And finally, Detachment Silent Bob. So, the ground work has been laid out and counter to Naruto's wishes Sasuke and the others are going to be the ones rescuing Tayuya, that is, if she wants to be rescued. Naruto and you readers will have to wait and see if the Emo Avenger is successful. As far as Karin is concerned, right now she's being cared for by Hinata and Sasuke. I won't go into what's going to happen with Karin and the Uchiha but at the moment all he sees is his best friend's cousin and nothing else.
As for he and Hinata, yeah, they had a moment but it's because of what Sasuke discovered and what it meant to the both of them. Had Neji been there he would have joined in. Now, this does make the two heirs to the dojutsu using clans a little closer as friends and allows them to know that should one of them need comfort or understanding regarding certain fears the other is near and ready to help.
And lastly Inoichi's mind walk. At an earlier point writing this I began t understand that I needed the adults helping to run the village to know the truth about Naruto and Sakura. I picked Inoichi and Shikaku for various reasons, the first was Inoichi would be able to use his jutsus and learn the truth of Naruto and Sakura. In turn he can now use that knowledge to inform the other clan heads at the right time. The second reason for those two is that these two did all they could to take them in and otherwise care for them in defiance of Danzo and his cronies. Sakura and Inoichi have a sort of father-daughter relationship unlike the ones we see in our own lives. In the Navy one eventually becomes an uncle or aunt of sorts to their Shipmates kids and over time the bond is returned when you get your own demon spawn. I'm also uncle to my best friend's kids as he is to mine. That said, in the story Sakura does call Inoichi 'father' as a sign of her love and respect to him.
The last reason is that both Shikaku and Inoichi is trusted by Naruto to keep his secrets and understand why he does the things he does. He and his wife also opened up to them about their child they lost in the other world because ever since Ami and Sasuke announcer her pregnancy all eyes have been on these two. Let's face facts, not only are Naruto and Sakura scared of what may happen but Kurama is also nervous about Sakura having a baby before she turns 16 or 17. Remember, she was a little younger when she lost Haruhi and it still haunts her. That was also the reason that Kurama gave her so much chakra when Naruto marked her in Wave, so any child would have a better chance to survive. I won't say when they do get preggers but it's on the way.
As for the reference to the GS cookies. My oldest granddaughter sells those things and can melt the hart of the tightest SOB in the world. Personally I won't buy them any more for two reasons, the first is that one of my cousins in the 80s set her sales goal so high that her folks had to buy every case she didn't sell. Let me tell you there was a lot and it was stacked in my office in the family business. To this day I get sick just smelling thin mints and don't get me started on the peanut butter ones. Let's just say it took six or seven months to get rid of those things and no matter how much you think you can eat, you can't. I even gave another dope smoking cousin as many of those things that he wanted, he sent six cases back. The second is that I can see the most powerful of all the tailed beasts brought low by a Girl Scout Brownie's puppy eyes no jutsu.
Last thing, on the trip to Suna Sakura will have a chance to close out some unfinished family business.
Take care, I thank you for your support and readership. This story is far from finished and I enjoy creating each chapter knowing that I can make someone happy reading it. I also bit the bullet and joined Heaven and Earth's Naruto/Sakura forums. Things and ideas not found here will be, over time, found there at some point.