Prologue -

Sealegs

130 KM South of Kirigakure

0555

The sun had been up for about an hour and a half now, finally bringing some semblance of warmth back to his small frame. Naruto had spent the past eight hours huddled under his combat grade cloak, just the top of his blond head exposed the salty sea air that seeped deep into his senses. He was used to the ocean further north, much less salt, much less shinobi.

The young man looked to his left, shifting on the cold wet stone floor as he did, his team leader and occasional teacher sat slouched against his own piece of the tiny islet they'd been assigned to. Somehow completely dry, the older man looked over and smiled under his mask, his lone visible eye creasing with a curiosity that beckoned the blond to speak his mind.

" I thought about what you said earlier." Naruto said, looking away from his teacher as he spoke. The smooth, sea-swept stones in front of him suddenly become very interesting.

"And?" The man drawled in his usual horribly laid back manner.

" You were wrong"

" That's a first" His smile never faded

"Was bound to happen sooner or later Captain" naruto shrugged in response

"Yeah, but still I was hoping you'd at least hit puberty before you started your rebellious phase"

"It's not rebellious to say you're wrong"

"It is when I'm always right"

"Can you take me seriously for once"

"How can I when you're so adorable, my cute pint-sized shinobi is finally ready for the talk it seems"

Naruto sighed, it was always like this, how Kakashi remained so jovial this close to action was truly unnerving. It showed just how far he had to go, deep down he was a nervous wreck. He had hoped talking through his worries would help but Kakashi's ass hole behavior had put that idea to bed.

Kakashi chuckled next to him. " what's in your mind kid?"

" Like I said, you were wrong"

"Yeah, you mentioned that" Kakashi began to put on his light grey cloak, prompting the blond to do the same. "Care to elaborate".

"You said I was ready" Naruto clipped his cloak around his neck "I'm not ready"

"I wish you would have told me that earlier, you know before I dragged you halfway across the ocean and embedded you into my highly competent, elite ANBU squad for a mission of the utmost importance." Kakashi was mocking him " Well what're we gonna do" he shrugged.

"This isn't a joke captain, what if I make a mistake…I could get someone killed or worse cause us to fail the mission" he was becoming agitated , the doubts in the back of his mind had grown and grown in the hours it took them to reach their destination. Now he felt like he would explode if he didn't get them off his chest.

"Interesting" was all Kakashi said as he stood to his full height. His Silver gravity-defying hair shone brightly against the sun.

Naruto waited for more of a response, he was trying to calm himself, it was unsightly of him to be this emotional in the field.

"You don't seem very confident," Kakashi said finally.

"What was your first clue"

Kakashi looked over at him before he began speaking " To be honest its not about confidence. It's about trust. Trust in your teachers, trust in your training, trust in your team, and most importantly, trust in your self."

Kakashi's words had an effect on Naruto, the older man was right. He had been trained for this, trained by some of the best in the business. It would be an insult to his godparents, an insult to Kakashi who had taken him under his wing to not put his faith in that training when it mattered.

Sensing the young boy was at ease in his thoughts, Kakashi brought him back to the present.

"Now, brief me on the current mission status "Operator Uzumaki" " there was levity in his voice but Naruto knew what was expected of him.

Naruto drew up straight and cleared his throat before responding " ANBU squad 001 designated "Ro" with the assistance of asset Uzumaki Naruto codenamed" the blond sighed before continuing " "Gaki" will rendezvous with a third party asset designated "Lantern" at 0630 to retrieve precious cargo." There was a paced clip to the blond's speech. He wanted to sound professional, efficient.

"Good" Kakashi responded "try and avoid the info dump next time. Only what's needed will do".

"Noted" was Naruto's response

"Tell me, what do you see?" Kakashi asked pointedly as he looked over the smooth waist-high rock that he had been sitting against moments ago.

Naruto was a tad shorter, the same rock reached just below his chin. He wasn't embarrassed to go on his tiptoes to get a better view of his surroundings. Things looked completely different with the sun up, they had arrived at the rendezvous point in the early hours with stars high in the sky and the moon their only real source of light. He could barely see through the murky night but now with the sun up and not a cloud in the sky he could see for miles. They had chosen a small crop of tiny islets to mask their presence and give them a semblance of cover during the night, they were barely above see level but they did their jobs. The constant spray of foamy, salty seawater kept them soaked through but that was a minor issue compared to what was to come.

He peered out onto the horizon, the sea was a brilliant shade of blue, writhing and moving around them. In the distance though, all was still, the singing gulls hung above the calmer water, shouting to the world their presence. There was a vast emptiness in all directions, only three other islets to their right, each providing similar cover to the rest of squad Ro.

"Our flanks are secure, no enemies to our front or rear, operators are in prime positions, area of operation is stable with no malicious variables to be accounted for"

" Malicious variables" Kakashi repeated " I haven't heard that since my Operator screening" the fabric of Kakashi's black face mask crinkled slightly as he smiled underneath it. His lone visible eye focused on his young charge "You're doing well Naruto, trust your training and the confidence will come. Now ready up, its time to begin."

The small blond nodded before reaching for his utility belt and un-clipping the pure white ceramic composite mask that hung from it. His heart rate had spiked a little with anticipation but the cool feel of the mask perfectly fitting on to his face brought a level of reassurance. He consciously ran through an equipment check of is standard grade ANBU gear. Black sandals, check. Grey shin guards, Check. Grey arm guards, Check. MK4 ANBU grade grey sleeveless flak jacket checked and doubled checked. He wore all of this over a standard black jumpsuit much like the tall man next to him. The only real differences in their gear being Kakashi had his trusty white fang blade attached to his back, and the weapon pouch strapped to his right leg was smaller than the one looped around Naruto's left leg. The blond also had a belt full "goodies" that he had stocked up at great personal expense. Expense to his godfather anyway. Technically he wasn't supposed to engage in any combat on this mission, he was to observe and support if needed, so he had filled his pockets with projectiles, should the need arise for a ranged intervention.

He looked over at Kakashi awaiting a signal. He knew Kakashi's ANBU mask provided him with enhanced vision alongside a host of other benefits his simple loanee didn't offer. It didn't even have any of the cool markings that Konoha used to designate their operatives. Kakashi or "Dog" as he was to be called on missions breathed evenly before reaching for the red swirling tattoo on his shoulder, no doubt to relay some form of information to the other Operatives hidden around them. Naruto didn't have such a tattoo, so he waited for his verbal order from his captain.

"Visual, target confirmed. Stage two of Operation "Plunder" is a go".

Naruto's heart raced as they both leaped over the rocks that had shielded them all night and made a line towards the ship that had appeared on the horizon. It was still too far away for Naruto to recognize it as anything more than a dot in the distance but they closed on it quickly. To their right and left they were joined by the rest of team Ro, the Hokage's personal squad. Men and women who had proven themselves during the keening years after the third shinobi war. They had more experience between them than entire ANBU divisions in other villages.

The eight of them quickly fell into formation, an arrow with operative Panda-4, who Naruto suspected was a Hyuuga taking point using his dojutsu to peer for miles ahead.

"thirteen confirmed contacts, eight adults, five children." Panda spoke quickly with a soft feminine voice "at least two adult and one child shinobi, the rest have civilian levels of chakra."

"There should only be one shinobi on that ship." Kakashi said to the group " be ready for anything" he continued

Naruto was on the left flank next to Crow, the young man glanced at him briefly, a flash of red behind his mask drew Naruto's gaze. It was no secret who was behind the mask with the red and blue lines that swirled into the visage of an angry crow. Naruto felt small when their eyes locked for that instant. Itachi Uchiha was a legend among young shinobi. Well on his way to his S-Rank, a genius of the highest order in a village that seemingly bred one after the other, Itachi though, was a generational talent. He was the peak of what a young ninja should aspire to be and he terrified Naruto. When he had heard they would be working together he was excited but now they were about to carry out the mission Naruto was concerned with embarrassing himself in front of one of his idols. Focus on your training, he thought back to Kakashi's advice and took a steadying breath. Itachi nodded quickly and then looked on ahead to the vessel that was quickly coming into view.

It was a two decked ship of the line with three massive sails that jutted into the sky high above the surface of the sea which it glided through with lazy ease. As the squad of shinobi grew closer they quickly split into two groups. Dog led Naruto, Panda-4, and Crow to the deck of the ship and the other group of ANBU took up a square formation around the vessel.

The skeleton crew that helmed the vessel didn't see them coming. Without a sound the four highly trained shinobi landed on deck and began their operation in earnest. Naruto reached for a spool of thin metal wire from his pouch as he veered towards the starboard of the ship, there were two deckhands immediately in front of him, he pounced at them and with practiced ease split into two versions of himself. The original came up behind the closest target and drove his knee into the back of the man's leg causing him to fall onto his knees before bringing the flats of his palms into a slap on the man's ears disorientating him before wrapping the wire around both his wrists and pulling it tight.

The young blond looked over at his clone that had accomplished a similar task. A glance over his shoulder showed that Kakashi and Crow had also achieved their goals. All six contacts on this deck had been neutralized. Not a moment later the door to the captain's quarters flew open drawing Naruto's attention. Another man stepped out of the room, he wore a plain white long sleeve kimono shirt that reached down to his knees and blue pants. Over his Kimono, he had a green haori with white wave patterns stitched into the expensive-looking silk.

The man's sharp green eyes raked over the three shinobi before he exhaled deeply and ran a shaky hand through his long straight brown hair. He checked the watch on his left wrist.

"To the second" he said. astonishment behind his words. "They said you were efficient but I had my doubts. We don't expect much from shinobi where I'm from. You didn't have to be so mean to my men, as I mentioned to your contact they're part of all this.

"Toru Owaka" Kakashi said coolly behind his Dog-faced mask.

Hearing his name Toru looked over to the white-haired shinobi.

"You were supposed to be the only shinobi on this vessel. Explain" The cyclops said evenly

Toru swallowed visibly. "We've had a complication" the man replied, his eyes sharpened "The Mizukage's forces repelled our latest attempt to secure a foothold on the main island. The shinobi below deck was injured in the fight, we're taking him and is apprentice to safety"

Kakashi considered for a moment " You met with our contact after you set sail, why did you withhold that information?"

Toru broke eye contact and began to stutter.

Kakashi sighed and mentioned to Crow. "He's hiding something, tear it from his mind if you have to".

"yes, captain" Was Crow's response. Toru made the mistake of looking in Crow's direction, as soon as he did his body went limp. A minute went by then Crow looked over to Kakashi.

What a terrifying genjutsu user Naruto thought. To be able to break an experienced shinobi in a matter of moments.

" Toru has been naïve" Underneath his hooded cloak Crow's body language grew tense as he spoke. " The shinobi below deck is Zabuza Mamochi. He failed an attempt at the Mizukage's life, there's reason to believe a team of Kiri ANBU is in close pursuit"

Naruto knew Crow had dropped his genjutsu when Toru stiffened. He looked around a few times then repeated the last thing he said having no idea he was under genjustsu not seconds earlier. Itachi Uchiha was truly a terrifying proposition.

"Zabuza Momochi" Kakashi stated "bring him upstairs"

Toru immediately grew flustered, his left hand began to clench and unclench showing his nerves.

"there must be a leak in my cell, I suppose there's no use lying to Konoha's premier ANBU team." he slid a shaky hand through his hair, regaining some composure as he did " He's one of us you know, he sacrificed everything for the cause and deserves as much help as the rest of us." He glared over at Naruto. "But you don't care about that do you, this was never about the leaf's nobility, or helping those that this bloody war has terrified for the past year"

He was growing irate. Naruto reached for a Kunai in his cloak, Toru was a Chunin once upon a time, it wouldn't hurt to be cautious.

"Konoha wants what Konoha wants, you greedy war profiteers are no better Yagura and his hunters, obsessed with bloodlines" Toru was clearly suffering from this war. His left eye twitched, his hands spammed and his pupils were unfocussed. It became worse as is spoke.

Kakashi cut him off before he continued. "this isn't a diplomatic mission" The ANBU interjected, "Terms have been agreed and they will be kept." Kakashi grew forceful "bring him upstairs"

Toru sighed

"As long as you uphold your end of the bargain this should be a smooth transition" Crow added obviously trying to move things along.

Toru began to tap the floor with his foot, first three times then he paused, then four times followed by two quick taps.

There was an immediate rustle of motion below deck. Naruto observed all of this, the atmosphere was tense, they had a mission to complete and time was of the essence, knowing that they could be a Kiri hunter squad on their tail wasn't helping his nerves. He felt tense like there was an unseen weight on his chest. The fact that one of the Seven Swords of the mist was just casually downstairs was a scary thought. He had the utmost faith in Kakashi and his squad but there was always to be a healthy paranoia in the back of every good shinobi's mind. Or so he had been taught.

The sound of footsteps on the ship's wooden stairs snapped him back to reality, a moment later a head of dark spiky hair poked above deck. It was followed by sharp black beady eyes and a face covered in white fabric wrapped around the head of one of the most dangerous shinobi in the elemental nations. Zabuza Mamochi was a genuine talent from the harsh academies of Kirigakrue, academies made to churn out the most ruthless and efficient killers. At the age of nine Zabuza had graduated by killing the rest of his class in cold blood. For his efforts he was apprenticed to Kiir's most elite fighting force, the Seven Swordsmen, each carrying a unique and powerful blade. It was said that Mamochi carried the Kubikiribōchō, a sword that could regenerate by absorbing the metal in its victim's blood. Gruesome stuff.

Zabuza slowly made his way up the stairs, languishing every step, the blood-stained medical tape that covered his torso told Naruto a tale of how said battle with the Mizukage went. It wasn't just a loss for the man in front of him, he had almost died. As was the result of facing off against a Kage, the gap between S-Ranks and the rest of the shinobi world was unfathomable.

Zabuza eyed them all with sharp calculating eyes. He was a lanky man, not what the blond expected, tall with long arms and long legs but his shoulders held a distinct mass to them. He was used to carrying something heavy. His left shoulder was a little rounder and his left arm was just a tad bigger than his right. Naruto surmised that he carried his giant beheading sword on his left shoulder and lifted it with his left hand.

The legendary sword didn't make an appearance with the man unfortunately or fortunately depending on one's perspective. In its stead a small girl trailed behind the man, she had black hair and black eyes. Her two long bangs framed a delicate face and soft eyes. She wore what amounted to rags and clung to Zabuza's side. She was around his age, there was no resemblance but she could have been Zabuza's daughter and as such a useful hostage if need be.

Kakashi didn't seem phased by the appearance of the A-Rank shinobi. " Zabuza Momochi, you will stand down while we complete our operation. Any interference will be met with lethal force"

"Relax leaf nin. I've got my own arrangement with Toru. This is none of my business" was Zabuza's reply. A bit causal for Naruto's tastes but as long as he complied this would be over sooner rather than later.

There was hushed whispering from below deck, it was the children.

"you can come up now" Toru yelled

The whispers immediately silenced.

"I said get your butts up here now!" Toru yelled a faux irritation in his voice

There was a rush of little steps as a bunch of children ran up the stairs, four in total, a mix of boys and girls all around his age. They looked terrified, raggy clothes and dirty hair defined their skinny frames. There was an odor that filled his senses the moment the came on deck. These children had truly seen the worst of the shinobi world.

"Gaki you're up." Kakashi said. Crow moved slightly to stand between Zabuza and the children, intentionally blocking his access to Naruto.

"yes, captain" was Naruto's reply. It was time to carry out his mission. He had been attached to Kakahsi's squad for a very specific reason, this was a rare two birds with one stone situation. One that Konoha was keen to make the most of.

"I'm Operative Gaki" Naruto introduced himself to the children. He hated that name.

"Seriously?" Zabuza questioned out loud, a strained chuckle behind the word.

Naruto ignored him, he had rehearsed this "Knowingly or unknowingly one of you has been marked with a very dangerous seal" he spoke evenly trying not to scare the children but he had to make sure they understood the gravity of the situation. "This seal is a weapon of mass destruction and will kill you. It's my mission to remove that seal, none of you will be harmed. You will stand still and let me complete my mission. Is that understood?"

There was silence. These children were scared to their core. He couldn't blame them, clan children or not, no kekkei Genkai could prepare an eight-year for looming figure of an ANBU. Their masks had a way of breaking people long before the action even began.

"Do you understand?" He asked again

"The hell's with this kid" Toru stepped in and addressed the kids directly "The pint-sized murder weapon here is going to check you for a bad tick, will you guys be good for old uncle Toru and hold still while he does it?"

"Okay" one of the girls chimed in before the others offered their consent

Good, this would be much easier this way.

He made his approach, slowly and deliberately he stepped towards the closest kid. "form a line..please" He tried polite and they responded quickly.

The seal in question would usually be in one of two places. Along the shoulder blade or in the center of the back, it needed access to a large cluster of tenketsu that wouldn't normally come under stress from ninjutsu.

He began his checks and moved as quickly as possible.

In his peripheral, he saw Kakashi reach into his own cloak and produce a small sealing scroll and then toss it to Toru. The man weighed it in his hands, a ridiculous gesture.

"I take it its all here, just like last time?" Kakashi didn't answer

"Is this what its come to Toru?" Zabuza asked the man directly " For all your revolutionary bullshit about changing things and protecting the future this is what you've sunk to."

Toru looked him dead in the eye and said "yes" he pocketed the scroll in his haori before continuing "This is the cost of revolution"

"Selling kids to the highest bidder?" he seemed genuinely disturbed "tell me leaf nin, how much is a kekkei Genkai on the market these days?"

His response came from Toru " don't play the hypocrite boy. How many have you killed, how many young lives did you snuff out before your demons caught up with you? None of us are angels, we play the cards dealt to us, without these deals your ass would be in a ditch somewhere back in least this way these kids get to live a life away from this carnage".

"Die for the rebellion or die for Konoha. Not much of a difference" Zabuza responded.

"You're a relic" Touru said to the younger man "The system that broke you down and built you up into a demon must be erased. You as a product of that oppressions will never truly understand what peace could look like for us, you look around and all you see is suffering. Your eyes cannot see anything else and your mind cannot grasp a serene life"

Zabuza scoffed " you've lived too long old man. We're shinobi, there's no serenity for a weapon. Life is suffering, its only peace is in death"

"How poetic" Toru quipped.

"Something's wrong here" Naruto interjected. "I've checked all of them, there's no sign of the seal"

"This is dragging on, you're becoming a liability Toru" Kakashi said " Your agents assured us it would be here"

"Look I'm just the transport, I'm told what I need o know. And all I needed to know was that someone on this ship had the seal"

"Check the crew" Kakashi demanded of Naruto. But before the blond could move to comply…

"Contact!" Panda shouted "twelve shinobi coming in fast from the east another six from the west. We're gonna be surrounded"

Panda could see for miles which meant little when accounting for the average speed of a shinobi but it was time enough to formulate a plan.

"Panda, Gaki, Cat secure precious cargo, wait for an opening then rendezvous at point 147. Everyone else on me, formation Charlie Four." Kakashi was ever-efficient with his orders.

"yes, captain!" team Ro replied in unison

Naruto quickly created five additional shadow clones, the clone that had secured the deckhand next to him removed the wire from the man's wrist and drew close to the original. Panda and Cat each grabbed two scrawny children and made their way to the edge of the boat. Kakashi and Crow had joined their allies on the Starboard and Port sides of the ship respectively.

It wasn't long before a thick, oppressive mist began to roll in from all sides. Naruto shivered as the mist seemed to bring a stark cold to the air, his fingers clenched, subconsciously he wanted to release a wind jutsu to blow the thick mist away but he knew deep down that would only be a waste of chakra.

"On me Gaki" Cat was calm as she spoke. Her long purple hair swayed in the wind, the slight glitter of senbon reminded Naruto of exactly the kind of Kunoichi he was dealing with. She was equipped with a nonstandard ANBU sword, it was longer than the average Tanto, a longer handle and wider blade made it obviously a two-handed weapon. If Naruto's hunch was correct, her skills with a sword would come in very handy.

"Toru, gather your men. We won't be able to provide assistance during combat"

"I understand" The older man sighed as he spoke. Even the face of imminent danger he remained somewhat composed. No doubt his training kicking in to level out the previous signs of stress he was showing. "I'm not a priority but it's important I get our payday back to Kiri" he clenched the scroll in his hand. "To stations men! we don't want to be here when it starts" the men around them quickly scurried around the ship, unfurling sails and manning a myriad of posts." Toru looked at Cat "You might wanna disembark, these seals are tricky stuff"

Cat nodded before turning to Naruto "stick close to me and you'll do fine" She made an appreciated attempt to calm the young boy's nerves.

In one movement Naruto, his clones, Cat, and Panda made their way to Kakashi at the Starboard at the ship. The young children held by the ANBU agents were surprisingly docile, Naruto immediately suspected they were under Genjutsu. It made sense really, the last thing you'd want in a combat situation was a squirming, panicked child throwing you off balance.

Team Ro readied themselves, Naruto had expected further orders from Kakashi but it made sense that he had either sent them through the secretive tattoo on their shoulders or this team was so in sync that they already knew their roles. Naruto's clones subconsciously drew around him, Kunai at the ready. His muscles were tense and his heartbeat was like a drum in his chest, each beat seemed to rattle through him, deafening him as it filled his senses. There was a pressure on him that he'd never felt before, he visibly jumped when the ship behind him began to lurch away causing a ripple effect that shook him from his thoughts. A surge in chakra aboard the vessel brought his attention to a green barrier that slowly began to crawl along the ship, starting at the top of the birds nest and descending until it fully engulfed the large vessel.

It began to pick up speed away from the shinobi, heading in a direction that was obviously away from the advancing enemy. Naruto had no doubt they would see some combat, but maybe their shields would hold, he hoped they did anyway.

His mission was objectively a failure, he had been tasked with finding that seal and destroying it, by any means necessary. Maybe the seal was never aboard the ship or maybe it was on one of the crew that was sailing away into the mist behind him. He should have been quicker, more decisive. He had wasted too much time. The Order had given him a simple task and Jiraiya had convinced the Hokage to give him a chance at legitimacy. A chance that just slipped by. This could've have been a big win for him and his people.

He steadied himself, no need to fill his head with irrelevant thoughts, now was the time for focus. He griped the Kunai in his left hand tightly. The enemy should have attacked by now, maybe they were waiting for Toru's ship to get far enough away to be a viable target.

As if sensing his thoughts Panda spoke up "The enemy have slowed their approach. They seem to be communicating amongst themselves"

"Strange" Rat spoke for the first time that morning "Maybe they weren't expecting to run into shinobi. Technically these are international waters" He was a lithe man who stood about a head taller than Cat with a mop of thin black hair that fell lazily against the front of his mask. Unlike the other mask though his has sharp slitted eye slots that made his visage all the more menacing.

"Zabuza would be listed as missing-nin in their bingo books by now" The shorter man to the left of Kakashi spoke up, Boar-3 he was called. "His presence on that ship means that anything and anyone on or near it when the Hunter nin's approach fall under their jurisdiction"

"If they had any intention of invoking international law, they would have sent an emissary by now" Rat chimed in "It's not standard practice to begin a potentially peaceful engagement with the hidden mist technique" He was referring to the dense mist that still hung over the area.

"Maybe that's how they do it in a war-torn hell hole like kiri" Cat added

"They don't know who we are yet" Panda spoke "Maybe introductions are warranted" He paused "Speak of the devil. Captain, one of them is making an approach" Pointed in a random direction

"Hold this position and be ready" Kakashi replied calmly before walking off in the direction that Panda-4 had pointed.

"In case you're wondering kid" Panda-4 spoke looking at the young blond in the blank mask next to him "It's not standard procedure for the highly experienced ANBU captain to just wander off into what's almost definitely a trap"

"Yeah, the captains just cool that way though" Cat sounded younger than he had ever heard her sound before when she said. He had never seen anyone on Squad Ro besides Kakashi without their mask. He had assumed she was similar in age to Kakashi, he would reassess that after the mission.

The unnamed ship had begun to pick up speed, soon it would too far away for them to have any hope of assisting in combat, not that that was part of the plan anyway. Still, something felt off. Maybe it was that little girl, her eyes stuck with Naruto. There was an emptiness about them, he had never seen anything like it.

With the ship clearing away, their rear flank was now only exposed to the other half of Squad Ro that had predictably gathered around Crow. The four of them move closer as the team took on a diamond formation with Naruto, Cat and Panda-4 standing in the middle of it. Protected on all sides.

"Captain's made contact" Panda remarked. More for Naruto's sake he blond figured. The man cursed a few seconds later the man cursed sharply and in a flurry a dozen things happened all at once.

The mist around them instantly grew thicker, Naruto could barely make out the ANBU next to him.

In the distance a roaring dragon made completely of water rose from the sea at crashed into the boat behind them, sending violent waves rushing through the ocean below them. A clash of metal resounded ahead of them as Kakashi engaged the enemy leader. In that moment four fang shaped bullets of water crashed into their position. Naruto barely had time to react but was relieved to see a dome of water had been erected around them by Rat who was kneeling with his hand engulfed in the churning water below their feet.

"Contact below us, closing fast" Panda shouted

A defensive position on the ocean against Kiri hunters wouldn't hold for long, Naruto knew this but his training told him to wait for an opportunity and that's what he did.

An instant later Rat dropped his water technique as a figure burst from beneath ocean just under him. He was ready though, blade in hand as he whirled around, narrowly escaping the business end of a squat tanto before lashing out at the last second. His assailant was quick enough to parry the attack but had been thrown off balance by the speed at which they had to block. There was a hiss in the air and three Kunai embedded themselves in the Kiri hunter's left leg a fourth was seemingly headed for his throat but two other Kiri ANBU had trailed in their wake, bursting from the ocean less than a second after. One of which as able to parry the deadly projectiles before it killed their comrade. Three others erupted behind Naruto taking the young blond by surprise before he could even react, and just as before Crow let loose a deadly accurate barrage of kunai that stalled them before they could take action.

Team Ro didn't afford their assailants time to make any progress, as justsu after justsu rocketed against the ship in the background, Kakashi's squad went about their business. They were still surrounded so naruto had to trust them and wait for his chance to make an escape. But what he saw in the following seconds was the epitome of what any special force shinobi should aspire towards.

Rat engaged the enemy closest to him in a brutal display of Kenjutsu, the man was sharp and thorough with his movement. Every stroke of his blade intended to kill with as little fuss as possible. The Kiri hunter was already off-balance and in the air when the fight began and had no purchase to really give his defense weight. He went skidding across the water as Rat gave a limited pursuit, not wanting break formation but also wanting to press his advantage. As he moved away Boar moved in, he was blindingly quick. His speed took the two enemies in front of him seemingly by surprise, he was the only member of the elite team not to carry a blade. He did, however, wear a pair of gloves with small but sharp pieces of metal covering the knuckles. Obviously a taijutsu expert. In a whirl of motion, he delivered a devastating kick to a Kiri ninja that appeared to be a woman. Naruto heard the wind leave her body as Boar's giant leg collided with her midsection. She went careening across the water as Boar turned to her partner. She feared marginally better, managing to evade the man before venturing too close to Cat who took the opportunity fling a hand full of senbon at her vital points. The woman managed to deflect the offending needles with a kunai but at that moment she had taken her eyes of Boar, with a roar he brought his heel down on her head with force enough to rocket the poor woman down into the murky depths below. Naruto heard her neck snap. It was not a pleasant sound.

Ahead of him, Rat had pressed his target into a meek defensive shell. The man held his blade up against the Konoha shinobi's relentless attack but was bleeding profusely from a jagged cut across his chest.

"Please, wait" he began to say before Rat relieved him of his head. He quickly began to backtrack into formation.

The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as a lightening technique filled the air with burning ozone behind him. So focussed was he on the Boar and Rat that he missed Crow dispatching the other three enemy shinobi. The water below his feet was a dark red as the last Kiri shinobi was caught directly in the chest by a crackling blade of lightning that emanated from the end of Crow's short blade. That fight had lasted less than ten seconds.

Naruto released a breath he didn't know he was holding when Kakashi bounded back into the formation, his heirloom blade, the White fang, was slick with blood.

"They weren't very interested in diplomacy." Kakashi remarked

"We figured" Crow replied

" Ten enemy shinobi remaining." Panda said "Their chakra capacities suggest that they're Jonin"

"So they let the Chunin sacrifice themselves to what, test us?" Boar asked

" We're still surrounded but given their angle of approach I suggest we make our escape to the south-west or south-east " Panda offered to Cat

"Noted" she replied

"Gaki" Kakashi drew his attention "I'm trusting you to see the mission through. You're apart of my team now and my team looks out for each other, don't we Ro?"

"Yes captain" they responded as one

The distinct sound of lightning tearing across a barrier technique reminded the young blond that Toru was still trying escape, they had only made it short distance away under the constant bombardment of high-level Jutsu. He absently wondered where they procured such a potent seal array, Kiri was notorious for their shoddy seal work. Konoha intelligence's official fact book stated that you had a 12.5% chance of losing a finger whenever you detonated a domestically produced Kiri explosive tag.

A second later and Panda gave the signal that the enemy shinobi were close enough for Ro to carve out an opening for Cat to lead Naruto and Panda to an escape.

Team Ro sprung into action against the remaining hunters.

In a clash of high-level techniques Naruto's comrades went on the offensive. He set his eyes firmly on Cat, waiting for any indication that it was time to make their escape. His clones surrounded him in a defensive formation, ready to intercept any would-be assailant.

Cat gave the signal. A short nod to the blond and an instant later they dashed through a gap that Crow made in the enemy line. Panda took point, his Byakugan offering him near 360-degree vision for miles on end. Both Panda and Cat had a pair of refugees held firmly under their arms, all four children slept serenely through the chaos that had consumed the world around them.

"Gaki, on your six!" Panda shouted over the din of battle behind them

Naruto was brought sharply back to reality when a clone that covered his rear popped out of existence, its memories flashed through his mind in an instant. He turned quickly throwing the kunai in his hands at the enemy that had dispelled his clone, as he turned two of his other clones raced through hand signs. When they finished, the two kunai that Naruto had thrown became two hundred. A rain of metal covered a wide arc behind the fleeing shinobi, an arc wide enough to give any pursuer pause. Naruto kept on his guard, his chakra coiled and ready to unleash all he had at a moment's notice.

It was a few seconds at what was full speed for Naruto that they finally exited the massive smog of dense mist that covered an area well over four miles. That should have made him happy but before he could compute hat it meant a deafening crack filled the air all about them. It sounded like a giant piece of thick glass shattering in the distance, not a moment later a wave of pressure followed, knocking the blond off balance and dispelling his remaining clones.

"Don't stop!" ordered Cat. She kept a brutal pace running atop the blue ocean. Naruto's chakra was significant for is age, most jonin would be envious, but even he wondered how long they could keep this up.

"Point 147 approximately 8 kilometers ahead" Panda added "Two enemies at our seven o'clock" he paused "giving chase to Zabuza and the other child. They'll intercept him soon.

All three of them knew what that meant, the missing-nin was in no shape for a fight, especially not one where he was outnumbered. Kirigakure's operational doctrine was the elimination of deserters with extreme prejudice, it unsettled him deeply to think that the young girl would be butchered in a matter of moments. She was not much older than him.

It was then that it happened, Naruto was by no means a sensor but even he could sense the oppressive wave of chakra that was released when the forbidden sealing technique: Fury of Heaven and Earth was unleashed. A white light engulfed the horizon behind them. In an instant a boom of energy carried them off their feet and sent everything around them careening into abstract shades of color, his vision failed him due to the concussive forces that thrashed at them.

He couldn't tell up from down, he felt blisteringly hot water against his skin and screamed out in pain, his mask cracked and allowed salty water into his lungs. The young blond lost consciousness as the world filled with a violent murky black.

To be continued...