Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or Naruto.

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xXx-Chapter 27-xXx

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Inoichi shares a glance with Chouza as the two of them stood off to the side watching Rin, his daughter sitting in meditation trying to discern the exact numbers and power of the enemy forces they were about to encounter. Yugao was sitting across from her, helping to guide and focus her meditation. As much as he was suspicious of her appointment, there was no denying the fact that his daughter couldn't have asked for a better teacher. They knew that as they got closer the few sensor types among them, would be able to discern more, he himself as well as Yugao Uzuki were both able to sense the large force ahead of them. But from their current distance it all felt like one massive chakra source.

Rin however, even from this distance, was able to pick up the individual sources of chakra. While Rin gathered information on the enemy, everyone else was to lie in wait here and suppress their chakra to the best of their abilities, that way they hopefully hid their presence from Kumo's own sensor ninja.

It should be impossible for them to get any solid information on the enemy from their current distance, but his Rin seemed to routinely change what was and wasn't actually possible. Shikaku and he had both been surprised by the distance and accuracy that Rin was able to read the enemy. They knew she was a powerful sensor but this was the first time they were in a situation to see just how powerful.

The fact that there was a jinchūriki waiting for them was cause enough to have the platoon pause and reevaluate the situation, Rin had made the correct choice in calling for a stop. Jinchūriki were a village's ultimate weapon, and Kumo had two. They needed to learn as much as possible, because a jinchūriki changed everything on the battlefield. The fact that Rin could also give them a working position, power, and numbers of their enemy, before the enemy could probably even sense their approach was an advantage that Shikaku was eager to exploit as well, because up until now they had been going in blind.

Shikaku comes up to him and Chouza, "How is she?" Shikaku asks.

Inoichi glances over at his daughter, "Still working. Yugao is helping her focus, but it's a lot of information to be gathered and sifted through. It may take her a while."

Shikaku nods his head, and looks over at Rin. "Have you thought about the potential consequences of all of this? She was right in informing us, but it certainly shines a spotlight on her that she doesn't need."

"Agreed." Chouza adds, "She was already a curiosity among our forces, but now that they know what she is capable of… people talk, even shinobi."

"Word of her abilities is going to spread, they're already strong but with each telling they'll grow, it's only a matter of time before people outside of Konoha learn of what she's capable of." Shikaku says, placing a comforting hand on his best friend's shoulder. "She's going to be a target. Our enemies won't be happy to learn that we potentially have a shinobi that can pick out their ninja's positions and strengths the way that she can."

Inoichi sighs and rubs his brow, "I know, I'm racking my brain trying to figure out how to stop it. I knew that her reputation would grow as she continued to take on missions, especially with the path she is taking but… I have no idea how to mitigate this."

"We can send out a general order, classify any information regarding her, but like Chouza said, even shinobi talk. It'll stem the rumors for a time but it won't stop them." Shikaku says, troubled as well. His brilliant mind contemplating not only Rin's situation, but the larger implications, as well as their current mission.

All three men's heads turn to face Rin when she lets out a small, tired gasp. "Genin Yamanaka?" Shikaku asks, wishing that he didn't need to be quite so formal with someone whom he'd known their entire life.

"Sir…" Rin staggers to her feet, Yugao helping to steady her. "I apologize for the wait, I can make my report now."

Shikaku nods his head, wishing this could be done a little more privately, but time was of the essence and he needed the information now. He pulls out a map of the area and he as well as Inoichi, Chouza, Rin, and Yugao surround it. "Alright, proceed genin."

"Right, before I begin please note that while the numbers are accurate, my estimate of their power might not be and that as far as the jinchūriki is concerned I can only tell you they are there and nothing more."

"Question, how do you know that they're a jinchūriki?" Chouza asks, curious.

"It's… it's hard to explain, but it's like…" Rin twirls her hand as she tries to figure out the best way to describe it. "It's like a single entity but with two distinctly different chakra sources. Both of them are massive and so entwined that it can be hard to separate, but… one is… it feels like normal chakra, the other one is so… unrefined, wild and furious. They're so closely linked it's hard to separate them, but at the same time there's no way they can be from the same thing, despite sharing a source… it's… I'm sorry, that's the best way I can describe it, I know it doesn't make a lot of sense. I just know they feel the exact same way that Naru… that he does."

"It's fine Rin, really." Inoichi reassures her.

"Can you give us an estimate of how powerful they are, do you know if it's the two tails or eight tails?" Shikaku asks, he had info on both, though it was painfully little, but he could still plan better if he knew which jinchūriki was waiting for them.

"I'm sorry, there's no way for me to know that. I can usually estimate a shinobi's strength based on their chakra, but the system's not perfect, and jinchūriki throw that system right out the window. I can give you a rough estimate on the other shinobi but the tailed beast is too big a variable for me to determine how strong they are on their own."

"Alright," Shikaku says, "if you could give me a rundown of the numbers of the enemy shinobi as well as our own, and the strength of anyone whom stood out to you."

"Yes sir." Rin begins to go over the map with Shikaku, pointing out numbers and strength, taking careful note to show the exact location of the enemy jinchūriki. But Inoichi was too distracted to pay too much attention and he noted that Yugao was too. Both of them were carefully watching the surrounding shinobi who were listening in intently with a lot of focus on the strange genin who had been allowed to accompany this mission. He catches Yugao's eye and look passes between them that shows they are in agreement of one thing at the very least, Rin's days of anonymity were over and that wasn't a good thing.

Yugao gives him a slight nod of the head indicating that she would do everything in her power to protect his daughter and he nods back, accepting her promise.

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xXx-Scene Break-xXx

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Hana gives a low appreciative whistle as she absentmindedly scratches behind the ears of one of her nin-ken. Completely focused on Rin Yamanaka, every second the girl seemed to grow more and more interesting to Hana. "Definitely more to that girl than meets the eye." She says quietly to Hizashi who was standing next to her.

"Agreed. And because of that we're going in a lot less blind than we thought we were. Though it does make things a little more interesting for me as well, I may have to stay behind on the search and rescue mission."

Hana looks at him a little startled by that declaration, "What, why?"

"Jinchūriki are best combated by a master of the sealing arts, the caliber of which is extremely rare in this day and age, and certainly not to be found among our current group of shinobi, no matter how skilled they may be. Sealing techniques at that level are becoming more and more of a lost art. As such, the Byakugan and gentle fist style are best suited to fight a chakra powerful foe like a jinchūriki, it becomes a matter of how fast they can reopen their tenkestu versus how fast I can close them. With the right support it should be manageable, but… who knows really."

"Damn… didn't think of that."

"Still, even if that is what comes to pass, between yourself, Yugao, and definitely that girl over there, finding our target shouldn't prove too much of a challenge for you."

Hana nods her head as she continues to study the young blonde, "That girl, certainly is something."

Hizashi hum's in agreement, watching the young girl known as Rin Yamanaka as well, very much aware that he was quite possibly looking at the next legend that would come out of Konoha.

"Cute too." Hana adds after a moment.

Hizashi quirks an eyebrow at her, "You going to take her up on that dinner?" He teases, a little amused. The Inuzuka clan had never been known for shyness or subtlety.

Hana hums as she considers the question, before finally answering with, "Maybe I am."

"With her abilities, we'll need to look after her even more now. It'll be a while before the enemy learns of her but even still, she may be our best chance at locating Nami Yamata." Hizashi says after a few moments.

"Leave that to me." Hana says.

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xXx-Scene Break-xXx

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"I'm sorry, that's all I was able to determine, I hope it helps." Quinn says after finishing her report.

Her uncle Shikaku and Chouza both chuckle, and she can even sense the amusement coming from her father and sensei through their anxiety.

"Rin, I've had ninja teams come back from month long reconnaissance missions with less information than what you have just given me. This was game changing and I can now tailor my plans to fit the situation. You did very well, I'm proud of you." Her uncle Shikaku says.

Her father wraps an arm around her and places a kiss to her forehead. "I'm proud of you too. Why don't you go take a rest, focusing like that had to be pretty taxing."

Quinn nods her head, focusing and sifting through all of that information and chakra had left her with a bit of a headache.

"Everyone, prepare your things, we head out in thirty minutes." Shikaku calls out, before concentrating back on the map.

Her father gives her one last affectionate squeeze before releasing her and joining his teammate, her uncle Chouza sending her a good natured wink before doing the same.

"C'mon kid, you did great."

"I just hope it was enough…" Quinn trails off uncertainly.

Yugao rolls her eyes good-naturedly at her apprentice, "Kid, you just became our villages most powerful intelligence asset, after word of this gets out, mission's like this are going to become a lot more common for you, every infiltration and reconnaissance team is going to want you. Just look around, everyone is watching you."

Quinn glances around and is very disconcerted to see that Yugao wasn't exaggerating, just about everyone was watching her and appraising her, talking quietly amongst themselves. "Oh…"

"Yeah."

"Why do I feel like that's not a good thing?"

"Depends on your perspective, on the one hand, just take a moment and feel around, you've boosted the morale of everyone here. Information is a ninja's best weapon and you just gave our village's greatest strategists everything on our enemy but the kitchen sink."

Quinn lets her ability wash over the group for a moment and her sensei was right, hope was flying high in this group, which was a stark and startling contrast to the grim feeling of acceptance that had been prevalent when they had first set out.

"Downside to that is you're becoming a known entity. Word of you and your skills will get out eventually and when it does you'll have essentially painted a giant X on your back. When this mission is over we'll need to concentrate your training on counter assassination."

"I… that's a little disheartening." Quinn finishes lamely, trying very hard not let that little bit of information overwhelm her.

"To say the least, on the plus side, I've got your back and there's not a shinobi here who won't lay down their life for you."

"That doesn't necessarily make me feel any better… I don't want anyone to die for me, ever." I'm not worth it, Quinn thinks to herself quietly.

Yugao gives her a sad smile, as she leads her back over to their team, "No, I guess it wouldn't."

"Hey, you doing okay, you look a little tired?" Hana asks.

Quinn nods her head, "I'm fine, just a bit of a headache. If I could just rest for a few minutes I'll be ready to go." Quinn says, addressing that last part to Hizashi.

"Of course."

"Here," Hana says, handing her a little blue tablet, "This should help you feel better and help get rid of that headache."

"What is it?" Quinn asks, though she pops the little tablet without a second thought, immediately her headache begins to lessen and she feels more energized.

"Low yield chakra pill of my own making, my specialty is veterinary, but I'm still a fully qualified medic-nin and I like to dabble in various remedies. Most ninja's bodies aren't accustomed to even a standard chakra pill, let alone some of the more specialized and modified ones, unless you're like the Inuzuka clan or the Akimichi clan and have trained your body to handle it, most chakra pills will overwhelm a person with energy and their own chakra will tear them apart from all the excess energy. That little blue tablet is one that I designed that is safe for the general populous."

"Thanks." Quinn says, intrigued by all of this. Anytime she learned something new about chakra, especially when it wasn't directed towards killing someone, it always fascinated her.

"Hey, boy." Quinn says softly, when one of the Haimaru Brothers, nuzzles up beside her, placing his head under hand for her to pet. She scratches behind his ear and he pants happily, his tail wagging in delight at the attention.

"That's San, the youngest of the brothers. Don't let his size fool you, he's really just a big puppy, but he's also brave and loyal, and he's going to be your partner for the rest of this mission." Hana says with a grin, as the other two dogs take a spot on each side of their master.

"Oh… um, that's…"

"I think that's a good idea." Hizashi says.

"And I concur." Yugao adds, glad Hizashi and Hana were on the same page as her.

"It's just that… I'm still learning to reign myself in when working with a group, I just… if we get into a fight I don't want him to get caught in the crossfire… my fire jutsu are…"

"Don't worry about him, he's smart and nimble, and besides that, he and the brothers are trained to avoid friendly fire, as long as you don't actively try to roast my dog he'll be fine."

Quinn sighs, sensing no matter how she protested this was going to happen. It was both a relief that they were all trying to look out for her and a little galling that they thought she couldn't handle herself. However she settles for taking it in the good spirit that it was meant and she kneels down in front of San, "Well boy, it seems you're stuck with me for now. I hope that's okay."

San gives a happy little yip before he begins to lick her face.

"Alright, alright," Quinn laughs, pushing him back, "I'll take that as a yes."

"See, a big puppy." Hana laughs, "Now San, you know what you need to do right boy, look out for each other, okay?"

San gives a low woof of acknowledgement.

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xXx-Scene Break-xXx

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Quinn and the rest of the platoon had cleared the tree line nearly an hour ago and had been running ever since. During the last war between Konoha and Kumo, the three nations that acted as a buffer between the two giants had been all but destroyed and so as part of the treaty ending the war, the Lands of Marshes and Fields had been annexed by Konoha and the Land of Groves had been annexed by Lightning. A neutral zone only going ten miles deep but spanning the boarders from Tempest Bay to the North and the Mist Sea to the south and east, was all that separated Fire and Lightning, making them the only two of the big five to not have other nations to act as a buffer between them.

The neutral zone was heavily guarded by both sides, and no one crossed the neutral zone without great personal risk. Because of Konoha's victory in the war, the main fortification of the area, Castle East, which used to be the capital of the Land of Fields and where the first of the peace treaties had been signed, was theirs to command. It was also the closest fortification, on either side, to the neutral zone, meaning that in terms of defense and offense, Konoha could act and react the quickest. Unfortunately, even after the war, Kumo was still the largest of the hidden villages and still held the numbers advantage.

The platoon picks up speed and as they make it over this last hill Castle East slowly comes into view. Quinn was amazed by the size of it, it was in the afternoon and the sun was high in the sky and so she got a good look at the dark grey and black castle that dominated the landscape. It was the lone land mark of the area, behind her was the thick forests of the land of fire, ahead of her a great plains, with mountains and trees far off in the distance.

The castle was currently surrounded by various soldiers and samurai from the land of Lightning, Quinn had informed Shikaku of their presence, but in a ninja fight they were for the most part irrelevant, but the numbers still made Quinn nervous. Their report said that war hadn't started yet, but in Quinn's opinion it had already begun and the castle was under siege. No real fighting had occurred yet it seemed, but if they weren't at war yet, they were certainly doing a good imitation of it.

She and her team pull into a tight formation as other teams got into position around them, her team following behind her father's team as the rest of the platoon created a barrier for them. It was a simple matter to duck and weave between and through the enemy soldiers, and the few enemy ninja who were in a position to rush them were quickly repelled, though Quinn was quick to note not killed, as their forces made it to the castle. Thanks to Quinn's information they were able to quickly and efficiently punch through the weakest part of the enemy line.

The gate wasn't lowered, instead, they molded chakra to their feet and leapt onto and ran up the wall. She could sense the fear and surprise of the castle's inhabitants spike for a moment, thinking they were finally being attacked, but that is quickly replaced by relief when the defenders realize that they're friendly. In a matter of moments they're within the castle walls and making their way towards the main tower.

Once on the other side of the walls the castle lost some of its grandeur. Everything seemed old and run down and was also currently abandoned. Before the last war it was probably a very busy castle town full of life, but now it was just a shell of its former self. The main tower rose high above everything and was where the strongest concentration of shinobi were, though the wall was being manned and patrolled by various ninja in addition to the soldiers and samurai stationed here.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Hizashi says to her. "We think of the leaf village as all there is to Konoha, but Konoha is more than one single village, it's a concept, an idea that permeates through the Land of Fire. We are the village hidden in the leaves, surrounded by forest. Konoha is more than just our village, it's everywhere that those who are dedicated to the will of fire find themselves. Even here, on the outskirts of hell its self, you can find the branches of Konoha extend and protect those who seek shelter under it."

"What Hizashi means is, pretty badass castle, isn't it?" Hana laughs.

Hizashi chuckles, "Isn't that what I said?"

Badass isn't the word Quinn would use, sad, more likely. It was certainly an impressive building but it was all so lifeless up close that it just made Quinn feel sad. Still she gives nod of her head, because once upon a time, badass, was probably a really apt description.

"I hate to stall even longer, but our best bet of getting out of here and searching for our target is under the cover of darkness. We'll stick around her until the early morning, three or four and then head out. The watch that the enemy have set will be at their most tired, if we're careful slipping past them shouldn't be an issue." Hizashi says quietly as they continue to follow the platoon towards the main castle.

"We should find out if there are any secret tunnels leading out, since we're trying to avoid the enemy something like that would be really convenient, and since this is an old castle, very likely." Yugao says.

"Agreed. Let's settle in, learn what we can about the situation here, and then rest. Everyone needs to be at their best when we leave." Hizashi says.

Quinn glances ahead of her at her father, "Hizashi, if it's okay with you, I would like to make myself useful to Lord Nara and my father while I'm still here."

"Of course, they'll probably request your presence anyway, but make sure you don't strain yourself. Helping them is fine, but the situation here isn't our mission. Finding Nami Yamata is, make sure you're in a condition to do so."

"I will." Quinn says with a nod of her head.

As they continue to make their way towards the tower Quinn senses and then sees a couple of samurai as well as a female chūnin with black hair and blue eyes, about fifteen or sixteen years old, making their way from the tower towards them.

"Lord Nara, Lord Yamanaka, Lord Akimichi." The chūnin greets them with a bow. "We're here to escort you, you don't know how glad we are you're here, we weren't sure who or what to expect when Ebira was sent or even if he got through. I'm Yuko Nakano, aid and sister to Takeko Nakano, the jōnin commander of East Castle, she will be glad to see you, as you can see the situation out there has grown dire."

"Lead the way." Shikaku says, "We have information that should prove useful."

Shikaku then turns to face Hizashi's team, "Hizashi, if you and your team would accompany us, we can find out what we can on where you should begin your search."

"Of course Lord Nara." Hizashi agrees.

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xXx- -xXx

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Author's Note: So things are getting a little more intense, and the anonymity that was helping to protect Quinn/Rin is starting to disappear. Making a name for yourself in the shinobi world is a double-edged sword. For example, nobody wants to fight Jiraiya of the Sannin, except those people who want to make a name for themselves killing Jiraiya. A reputation can be a great shield until it isn't, and as Quinn/Rin's legend grows, others in the world will become more aware of her for good and ill.