DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything from the Naruto universe.
Thinking (+ flashbacks, Natsumi speaking to Kurama in her mindscape, etc.)
Emphasis
Bijuu, etc. speaking
Bijuu, etc. thinking
"Something's not right," Sakumo told Dan in a low voice, unable to put his finger on what was wrong. He and Team Hanto had earlier led Dan's squad, Team Hakai, to the sight of a recent battle, just in time for Tsunade to heal the surviving Konoha shinobi: thank Kami. The last surviving Hatake - for now - pulled down his mask after pushing up the other and took a careful sniff of the air. "Taro," he called to the summons he'd partnered with the longest. The wolf bounded over from where he'd been trying to instill better discipline in Inuzuka Emiko's excitable ninken, Adzuki.
Seeing his summoner's stiff posture, Taro began sniffing around again. Adzuki quickly began doing the same while Emiko was busy attending to those with less serious injuries so that Tsunade could save her chakra. His other long-time teammates, Hyuuga Hayashi and Endo Daichi, were just finishing up from splinting two of their comrades' arms and legs.
"Still nothing in range," Hayashi said after activating his dojutsu, noticing his captain's unease.
"I feel it, too," Dan said, his eyes narrowed in the direction Sakumo was looking. "Go on, my friend."
"Maybe I should leave Badger with you," Sakumo sighed in a whisper, considering doing just that. They needed to begin escorting the injured shinobi back to Konoha before they could return to complete their mission. "Or," he drawled. "We could go back with you and triple our pace if we don't see another team before we reach Konoha."
"This mission is important, Okami," Dan reminded his friend, using his codename. Dan's team was led by Sakumo's tracking team. Normally, by now, a tracking team such as Sakumo's would be well ahead of them, radioing back intelligence.
"Maa, maa. I think it would be more important to Lord Hokage to bring his shinobi back alive," Sakumo said with raised brows as if saying something Dan didn't agree with. He scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest before continuing in a lower voice, "of all the times for Crow to have binged on ice cream. What the hell was he thinking?!"
Dan would've laughed if he wasn't so concerned about the prickling sensation on his skin. Uchiha Hinote, aka Crow, was normally assigned to Sakumo's team but had indeed binged on pistachio ice cream even though he was apparently lactose intolerant. Hinote also learned from his little stunt that he was allergic to pistachios.
"Uchihas don't like sweets."
"Uchihas don't binge," Hinote had (also) lied in the hospital before Tsunade threatened him with disembowelment.
"You will find that Uchihas are infinitely logical and in control of their desires:" that was another one of Hinote's infamous quotes.
"Badger is doing a fine job," Dan said, referring to Hinote's replacement, Emiko.
"Agreed," Sakumo sighed, rethinking his earlier position and deeply concerned with ensuring that everyone made it back to Konoha alive. Biting his thumb, he summoned the largest members of his pack. "Boys, I need you to carry our injured comrades back to Konoha. Something is... in the air, so be especially alert."
"Hai," the wolves who spoke said, while those that didn't responded with a quick, deep bark instead. His youngest pack member's tail was wagging shyly. Sakumo reached down to scratch his head. "You behave yourself now, Hoshi. Listen to your elders." The younger wolf - he really couldn't be called a "pup" anymore, especially since he was as big as the rest - yipped and looked around for someone to carry. After assisting some of the less injured shinobi onto his summons' backs, Sakumo did order Emiko to go back with Team Hakai. As formidable as Dan's team was, if they got into trouble, guiding nine badly injured shinobi back to Konoha would be a problem.
A small form of Lady Katsuya jumped onto Sakumo's shoulder, making him sigh. "Didn't we agree that you needed to save your chakra, Tsunade?"
"I've got plenty of chakra," the hot-headed woman replied. "Just as much as you!"
"Not right now you don't," Sakumo said under his breath. Dan simply shrugged at his friend before wishing his team luck and heading back toward Konoha.
Natsumi sensed that something was off and more, but nodded at the men waiting at the gate after observing them for more than a few moments.
Maybe she was just overthinking things. She used to trust her gut, but after she got stuck in that Tsukiyomi, it was harder to do so. How can ya trust yourself when you're unsure of what is reality?
After over two years, she'd like to say that she'd completely recovered from the end of the Fourth Shinobi War (not to mention Naruto's little stunt: as if,) but considering what happened yesterday? Maybe she wasn't.
She'd also caught a flash of the Sharingan one of the men possessed, which made Kurama growl simply on principle.
"Team Keiji?"
"Hai," the three men answered as one from behind their masks. Natsumi's mask was eerie and blank for now. She had to prove herself before she'd be put (back) in ANBU with both the demonstration of her skills, plus the loyalty the Hokage demanded.
"I'm Uzumaki Natsumi," she said with a quick bow. "Please take care of me."
"Uzumaki," the captain greeted tersely with a return nod. "We leave immediately. This is Hawk and Rat. I am Sparrow. You will be known on this mission as Fox."
"Hai," Natsumi agreed - although she never particularly cared for a designation that was so close to home. Hawk, it seemed, was the Uchiha. This would be her first ANBU mission with one.
"Chill out, Kurama," Natsumi warned the grumpy, complaining fox.
"Let's go," Sparrow, the team leader, ordered. The four shinobi jumped into the trees and began quickly flying through them. Sparrow signaled for her to move forward in their formation. When she did, he explained the mission and what he first needed from her. "We will investigate and nullify threats on the northern border. Attempted incursions are common. Report your specialties."
"Hai," Natsumi said: feeling that this was fairly normal, if not a bit rushed, which was understandable. They were at war, after all. "I am a nin- and taijutsu specialist, and usually use twin swords, but am efficient with a tanto." She missed her mother's swords and wondered what happened to them after she was sent back in time. Maybe Kushina had them even now?
"My primary affinities are Water and Wind with a tertiary affinity of Lightning."
Sparrow nodded and slightly shifted the direction in which they were headed. "You have a Kekkei-Genkai."
Natsumi shook her head. "Adamantine Chakra Chains are considered a Hiden:" a technique fiercely guarded by my clan, nearly extinct or not.
Sparrow nodded again but seemed NOT to have known that, after all. His posture had definitely - if only slightly - stiffened when she reported it. He'd also looked to his subordinates in a manner that told her that Sparrow wanted the others to know.
Fair enough, she said to herself.
"My specialty is taijutsu," Sparrow said, "Hawk specializes in ninjutsu, genjutsu, and kenjutsu, and his primary affinity is fire; Rat is skilled in all disciplines; his primary affinity is earth."
Natsumi nodded, understanding that Sparrow most likely wanted to keep his other skills on the down-low. At least in her time, an ANBU captain always had multiple specialties. Her former fellow captains had all been excellent in at least three shinobi disciplines as well as elemental manipulation, so she figured that Sparrow wanted to keep his little secrets for now. That was fine; she'd most likely find out what he had up his long sleeves later.
She enjoyed the way her muscles burned as they continued to move. Although she often ran around the village training grounds in the early mornings, really pushing herself through the trees was something she had missed. Now if only this were a simple guard mission, it could almost be enjoyable.
So why were her nerves so frazzled?
Hours later, Natsumi didn't feel any better. In fact, she felt sick - not that she'd ever really been sick. Anxious and clammy, she knew that something was wrong. Ensuring all her teammates were in front of her as they ate their rations, she leaned back against a large tree and closed her eyes, reaching out her senses. Nothing nearby particularly stood out to her, although there was something familiar about the three men that were sharing a "meal" with her. Something... off about them.
ROOT? Natsu wondered, having partnered with the emotionless shinobi for missions in her past. That didn't quite seem right, (and it's not like that would scare her, anyway.)
Although the men on her team were quiet, she had heard them quietly banter with one another a few times - something that never happened on a mission with the ROOT she knew. And when ROOT shinobis - like Sai, she remembered with a smirk - HAD spoken, they were normally so odd they stuck out like sore thumbs.
Upon meeting her team, she knew she had felt an additional seal that wasn't quite masked by the ANBU seal's tattoo, but what most didn't realize was that ROOT nins weren't the only shinobis to sport a seal on their tongues or elsewhere.
The seal on her tongue hadn't disappeared until the Sandaime was killed. It hurt like hell when he put it on me. She had only been 7 years old at the time. Right after the Uchiha massacre.
Hawk interrupted her thoughts.
"Are you managing?" he asked. "My understanding is that it has been some time since you were on a mission."
Natsumi smiled at him from behind her mask, although she was beginning to wonder about that, too. "Hai. Thank you for your concern, Hawk-san. Please feel free to inform me if you feel I can improve."
Hawk nodded at her but didn't criticize or say anything else.
They left soon, making an odd, wide loop through Fire Country after Sparrow received more intelligence from one of his birds.
Sakumo and his team didn't find jack!
Following false leads and becoming more and more annoyed at the tracks an enemy had obviously tried to put down to fool them in several directions, he was finally able to meet with one of Konoha's spies in a small shack in the middle of the forest. Sort of.
"Are you Sakumo-san?" a toad asked just before his summons had a chance to eat him.
"Woof," Taro barked mischievously as he jumped back, his tail wagging wildly. He was always eager to tangle with one of Jiraiya's toads. Sakumo rolled his eyes.
"Maa, tell me that idiot's officially back."
The toad grew by a meter, at least, before hopping playfully around his otherwise always level-headed wolf summons. "He is. Jiraiya-san returned to the village yesterday and has already been assigned an apprentice."
"Interesting," Sakumo said to the toad but sighed in exasperation while reading the obscenely perverted coded message his friend had left with the toad. Jiraiya didn't even know that I'd be the one to pick this up!
God forbid someone like Tsunade find and see what Jiraiya termed his personally-made cipher. There were few that would be able to interpret what the toad-summoner reported without blushing and believing they were reading what was probably the most outrageous porn known to man - not that Sakumo would KNOW - but gods was it embarrassing!
Which is why he almost burned it before turning to his team, sounding the alarm. Fortunately, he tucked Jiraiya's message in one of his chest plate's inner pockets.
"We need to head back! The entire mission's a set-up!"
Several things happened at nearly the same time...
Natsumi's breathing was hard and coming out in pants. Woken only minutes after they'd finally stopped to rest, she had been exhausted before but was trying not to bother Kurama for more chakra as they sped through the trees.
"Taicho," Natsumi addressed her leader in a short, pained voice, furious with herself for allowing herself to get so out of shape. "We seem to be going in circles."
Natsumi could've sworn the green-eyed man's eyes literally paled when he looked back to examine her - and wondered for a moment if her squad leader was half-Hyuuga.
"Do you detect genjutsu?" Sparrow finally asked as he turned away.
"No," she said immediately, although she thought about waking the sleeping fox in her seal, just to make sure she hadn't missed something. Kurama usually screamed "GENJUTSU" at her after the Fourth Shinobi War's genjutsu, so she figured she was pretty safe, so she blew the idea off.
"Very good," he said as he picked up speed and raced forward.
Natsumi wanted to scream at the man but noticed how tense her teammates were, even in her exhaustion. Obviously, there was something that she was missing here... That's when they were nearly thrown off the branches of the trees they were skimming across thanks to what felt like an earthquake.
Fire Country didn't experience earthquakes! Reaching out her senses, she realized immediately where the "earthquake" came from - and they were heading away from it/her! "Taicho! It's - we need to assist a nearby team!'
Tsunade wasn't necessarily nearby, but Natsumi had little doubt that one of Godaime-sama's chakra-enhanced fists or kicks of devastating destruction had caused the tremors that they all felt. Godaime-sama's chakra was absolutely panicked!
"We have a mission, Fox."
"We're going in circles, and a Konoha team is in crisis!"
Sparrow bounded toward the ground, and his team followed him. Just as Natsumi left the branch she'd been on, she heard the idiot mumble, not even seeing his hands fly through the signs before he turned around.
"Five Elements Seal," Sparrow whispered: his fingers and thumb SLOWLY lighting up in tiny flames.
"Taje Kage bunshin no Jutsu," Natsumi hissed, flipping backward. Her chains quickly pulled her back up into the trees, and she screamed at the men as her clones took defensive positions. "What the fuck?!"
"Grab her!"
"Fuck you," Natsumi screamed, pulling on Kurama's chakra and streaking off toward the Godaime Hokage. The chains from her back caught the Uchiha and the other guy and dragged them behind her, smacking them into and through every tree nearby as she sucked their chakra out, making her feel better - at least for a few minutes.
Whether the Godaime had tried to kill her before this mission - "baa-chan does shit like that a lot," she'd always heard from her brother - and also whether or NOT that was just an insane dream, Natsumi was going to save her!
.
After nearly a half-hour of intense battling, Tsunade and her temporary teammate, Aoki, were desperately trying to protect Dan's body while he was using his Spirit Transformation Technique to decimate what seemed like a sea of Iwa shinobi they'd run straight into. Sakumo's summons were valiantly battling to protect their injured comrades.
"Coming in, HOT," one of the Iwa shinobi screamed regarding the enormous chakra signature headed their way. All but two jumped away, and Tsunade gritted her teeth, smashing one deep into the fractured ground with her fist while Aoki battled the other formidable Jonins with his sword.
Tsunade threw herself over her lover's body at the last second as the temperature heated to an extreme degree then dropped to the point she was shivering. Looking up, she saw what HAD to be the Iwa jinchuuriki in a fierce battle with a golden nine-tailed Natsum- — WHAT THE FUCK IS THE PREGNANT BARTENDER DOING OUT HERE?! - whipping repeated sharp spears of ice at the other jinchuuriki and smacking him around with her tails? Natsumi was shouting something to the jinchuuriki, and a cold storm was surrounding them, keeping Tsunade from hearing what she might be communicating.
And had the bartender earlier been dragging bodies behind her?!
Tsunade sat up in horror when she realized that the unconscious or dead men Natsumi had brought along for the ride were Leaf shinobi, with two things on her mind:
Did she kill them? And
Uzumakis really are insane, aren't they?
Two swords came from different directions and Tsunade threw her head back, remaining alive only thanks to her training, the blow just missing her - but Dan... She cried out, afraid to look down at the man she loved and should've protected beyond all others. Had she just been more aware - had she only had any chakra left!
A chain, however, was wrapped around the Iwa shinobi's neck and sword. Despite her negligence, the love of her life had just been saved at the last possible moment!
Natsumi face-planted straight into the sleet-covered ground, her energy and chakra having failed her, her chains disappearing, just as Dan returned to his only slightly-battered body. He and Aoki quickly finished off everyone else. The lava-blowing Iwa jinchuuriki had run north to the border for his life. He was the only Iwa survivor.
Sakumo flew into the destroyed forest only seconds later, his team behind him looking exhausted but ready for battle.
"Are you alrigh- IS THAT? OH MY GOD," he screamed, completely losing his composure as he ran to and turned the unconscious woman with the sunset hair over. "WHAT THE HELL IS NATTY DOING HERE?"
That was the question, wasn't it?