Team Ten ran down the road, covering ground at a pace that only ninja could maintain for any length of time. Naruto was glad of the physical training the team had undergone, as he was sure that Shikamaru and Ino would have been left in the dust long ago. As it stood now, they were breathing hard and the blonde was sure that the group would have to stop and rest soon. It didn't bother him all that much, since they'd already covered a day and a half's travel in half a day's run.
Asuma held up a hand and the quartet slowed to a walk. He pointed over at a nice shady grove and the genin gratefully slipped into the cool darkness of the copse of trees and slumped to the ground. The jounin just chuckled and collected everyone's water bottle to refill at a nearby stream.
"My feet feel like they're going to fall off," Ino complained as she pulled off her sandals and massaged the aforementioned appendages.
"Meh, don't exaggerate," Shikamaru groused. "Just make sure to channel chakra into them as you run. That way you'll avoid having blisters. Besides, it's your fault anyway for picking those sandals for fashion rather than practicality."
"How was I supposed to know that we'd spend entire days running at full tilt," Ino shot back defensively.
"You're a ninja, it comes with the territory," Shikamaru retorted blandly. "Although you probably would have dropped out from exhaustion hours ago if it hadn't been for Asuma-sensei's training."
"Like you were any better, Mr. Troublesome," Ino continued. Naruto just leaned back against the tree he sat against and let the sweat cool on his body. The height of summer was an unpleasant time to be running full speed like they had been, but the necessity of it was hard to ignore. Team Seven was in a precarious position and there were no other teams in a position to render them assistance. While Naruto held no fondness for Uchiha Sasuke and the youthful crush he'd had on Haruno Sakura had long since died a grisly death, Inuzuka Kiba was someone that the blonde considered a friend.
"You two should save your energy," Naruto said with a wry smile. "I'm pretty sure that Asuma-sensei isn't going to let us stop for the night until it's dark out, which means several more hours of running." Ino groaned, but Shikamaru got that far off look in his eyes that meant he was thinking something over.
"Hmm, if Asuma-sensei runs us til dark that should put us near the shore," the lazy boy mused. "I wonder how we're going to get across without attracting too much attention…"
"Either Asuma-sensei or I can take care of that," Naruto answered immediately. "I know that jounin are able to travel across the water fairly easily, and I can use my shunpo to cross it without having to worry about the water as long as I can see the other side. If the channel is too far, then it might get tricky to chain them without falling in, but I'm pretty sure I can get at least one person across."
Ino turned green as she remembered the single time she'd been carried along when Naruto used his speed technique. She'd gotten violently ill, saying that she would never do so again. "In that case, you'll take Shikamaru," Ino insisted. "If you ever do that to me again without doing it to save my life, I swear I'll murder you in your sleep."
Naruto laughed as Asuma returned and handed them all their refilled water bottles and said, "All right, breaks over. We've got a lot of ground to cover before we stop for the night."
The crossing took place at night and Naruto was proven right as Asuma carried Ino across the channel and the blonde boy took a firm grip on Shikamaru and used shunpo to go as far as he could see across the channel from the highest point possible. While he'd gotten better at chaining the ability, there was still a delay that caused him to drop at least a few inches and dropping into the water would prevent him from using it again. It took three steps to cross the channel and Naruto actually landed several yards into the woods along the shore. Asuma had chosen to cross a fair distance away from the main port town of Wave where the bridge was actually going up.
"Now we just need to find where this Tazuna lives at," Asuma said as he and Ino came through the brush to join the two boys. "We'll camp here and check the town in the morning."
The three genin drew straws to determine the watch order and then bedded down for an uneventful night. Morning dawned bright and cheery, although the genin of Team Ten were still tired and sore from their long trip. It had only taken them a full day to cross the length of Hi no Kuni and their bodies were showing it. They gathered their gear and followed Asuma into the village and were appalled at what they saw. Poverty was rampant here and people begged for food openly on the street, while shops were nearly empty of merchandise. It took two hours before they could find someone willing to tell them where Tazuna lived, as many people were suspicious of them and their interest in the native bridge builder.
Tazuna's house was located outside the village and it took a little while to get there. Asuma knocked on the door and a startled young woman opened the door and looked them over cautiously.
"Who are you," the young woman asked. "I should warn you that we have ninja staying here if you're here after my father."
"Please relax, ma'am," Asuma said reassuringly. "We're looking for a team of ninja from Konoha, our comrades. They were supposed to escort Tazuna-san back here from Konoha and protect him while the bridge was built. A tall, thin jounin named Kakashi should be the team leader and he can vouch fro us if you don't believe me."
"I'm not sure," the woman said hesitantly, before her eyes lit up as she spotted someone behind them. "Oh, Sakura-chan, these people claim that they know you."
"Ino-buta," asked a familiar voice as Naruto and his teammates turned to see a dirty and sweaty Haruno Sakura standing on the path that lead into the forest. "What are you doing here?"
"Hokage-sama sent us here to save your butts, Forehead girl," Ino snarked as both Naruto and Shikamaru gave her withering stares.
"Actually, Sakura-kun," Asuma said, interrupting another angry retort from the pink haired kunoichi, "we were sent as a support team. Hokage-sama decided that a single genin team wasn't sufficient for this mission after your encounter with the Onikyoudai."
"Thank god," Sakura said in relief. "Those two were only the beginning. We had to fight an A-Ranked nukenin named Momoichi Zabuza before we got here and the fight left Kakashi-sensei completely drained."
"Damn, it's worse than I thought," Asuma cursed. He looked over at the young woman in the doorway and at Sakura and continued, "Could the two of you show my team a room while I go find Kakashi? This might be more than even our combined teams can handle." The woman nodded and Sakura led the newly arrived trio inside to show them to an empty room while Asuma ran off into the forest.
"So, how soon after we left did you leave," Sakura asked as the other genin unpacked their bedrolls. "It had to have been a while ago…"
"Actually, we left yesterday morning," Shikamaru said blandly as he dropped down on his bedroll. "We had to run at full speed all day to get here."
"But how," Sakura asked in astonishment. "There's no way you could keep up that kind of pace. Naruto maybe, since he always had more stamina, but you and Ino were never big on the physical side…"
"Let's just say that we had our physical conditioning deficiencies pointed out rather bluntly," Shikamaru drawled as he stared up at the ceiling. "Asuma-sensei has spent most of our training time since graduation on building Ino and me up to a workable level."
"It's been hell," Ino admitted, "but at least I don't have to diet to keep my figure anymore. Ooh, it's been good to be able to eat again. There're days when I feel like I could match Chouji in an eating contest."
Sakura just stared at the pair of them in disbelief before turning to Naruto, taking in the black garments. "And you, what happened to that orange eyesore you always wore," she asked, trying to reestablish herself on more familiar ground.
"Hey," Naruto protested, "orange is an awesome color! It's just that this is more practical for missions and less likely to get me killed. I'm still wearing some orange though!" He pointed to the dark orange sash he wore around his waist and up across his chest to hold his sword in place. "By the way, where's the bastard and Kiba? I'd have thought you'd have been attached to the Uchiha's hip by now."
"Don't talk about Sasuke-kun like that," Ino and Sakura yelled in a terrifying unison that made both Naruto and Shikamaru wince. "Besides," Sakura continued, "Sasuke-kun's busy training right now. Kakashi-sensei showed us a new chakra control exercise on how to climb trees without using your hands and he and Kiba are still trying to master it."
"Oh, that exercise," Naruto said, slapping his fist down into his hand. "Asuma-sensei taught us that one a while ago. Wow, you guys are only learning to do that now? What the hell has your jounin-sensei been doing since you graduated?"
Sakura's eyes lit up in anger as she began to deliver an impassioned lecture in excruciating detail on Hatake Kakashi's faults and his general lack of worth as a human being, making all three genin sigh in resignation as they realized she wouldn't be stopping any time soon.
Asuma followed the trail into the woods and was soon able to hear the sounds of two boys training and the encouraging yips of a dog. He moved through the trees to the sound and came out in a clearing where the Uchiha and Inuzuka boy were trying to climb trees without using their hands. It was probably embarrassing for the village's idol, Uchiha Sasuke, that the Inuzuka boy was much further up the tree and progressing at a steady pace. He spotted Kakashi sitting off to one side, a pair of crutches on the ground and his Icha Icha in hand as he read and kept an eye on the two boys.
A subtle flare of his chakra made the other jounin pop his nose out of his book to look over at the disturbance. The Copy Ninja's visible eye widened in surprise as he snapped his book closed and returned it to one of the pockets of his vest. Asuma walked into the clearing with a casualness that belayed his concern.
"Yo, Kakashi," Asuma said nonchalantly as he crossed over to the rock the silver haired ninja sat on and lowered himself as well.
"Asuma," Kakashi acknowledged. "What are you doing here?"
"Hokage-sama decided you need some backup," Asuma said plainly, noticing the other jounin's wince. "When ANBU retrieved the Onikyoudai, he upped the threat level on the mission and sent me and my team to help out."
"If he's that worried, I'm surprised he sent another team of genin," Kakashi said in a slightly strange tone.
"My genin are good," Asuma said proudly. "They even beat Gai's team in a fair fight, but that's not the reason we came. Honestly, Hokage-sama would have preferred to send a team of chuunin, but they're all tied up in missions or in prepping for the Chuunin Exam that's being held this summer. The Council has pressed the old man hard on this one, since it will be the first one we've held in several years."
"Hmm," Kakashi said noncommittally. "That's not the best news. We've got an A-Rank nukenin and another shinobi that I can't identify the power level of. He showed up dressed as a Kirigakure oinin and claimed the body after taking Zabuza out with senbon."
"Senbon are hardly weapons that an oinin would use," Asuma said darkly.
"I know," Kakashi admitted, "but I'd been using my Sharingan the whole fight and I was about to pass out from chakra exhaustion. When I woke up I realized that the oinin must have been an ally of Zabuza's and the hits were disabling but not lethal."
"Well, we've got two jounin and six genin now," Asuma said cheerfully, taking a cigarette out of his pocket and sticking it in his mouth before lighting it with a quick flame from his lighter. "I've pushed my team hard since they graduated and they'd responded well, so I think they should be able to handle themselves decently."
"If they managed to beat Gai's team, I'm sure they will," Kakashi said as his eye curved up in a smile. "Who do you have? I wasn't really paying attention at the assignment meeting."
"Notice my lack of surprise," Asuma deadpanned, his eye twitching a little as Kakashi just shrugged. "I've the Nara boy, the Yamanaka girl and Uzumaki."
"An interesting mix," Kakashi mused. "I'm surprised they didn't give you the Akimichi instead."
"I was originally supposed to get him," Asuma admitted. "For some reason, Hokage-sama mixed the teams just before they were assigned. I was a little leery at first at how well Uzumaki would be able to work with the other two, but he's proven himself a good and adaptable fighter and he's motivated the other two into improving themselves. Ino and Shikamaru have nearly doubled their stamina and chakra reserves since they graduated. They'll never be a powerhouse like Naruto, but they'll be more than just infiltration and intelligence specialists now."
"What about Uzumaki," Kakashi asked. "There wasn't much on him from the Academy and all that I heard there was bad. All he did was sleep in class and prank the teachers."
"It turns out that the teachers were being less than fair to him," Asuma said. "Iruka tried, but Naruto wound up learning everything he's got from another source…"
"The Kyuubi," Kakashi whispered, glancing at his students to make sure they hadn't overheard.
"Actually, no," Asuma laughed. "I've been assured that we'll never have to really worry about that problem again. Something about a secondary seal that completely prevents any access to its chakra that what the seal filters automatically. Naruto's training is a bit of a secret that I'm not at liberty to share, but he's damn good with that blade and he'd been working with Gai's student, the girl that wants to be a weapons master, almost every day to improve. He has some impressive jutsu abilities, but they're unlike anything I've ever seen and he's got a speed technique that's a lot like the shunshin, except that it's workable for a fight."
"I'm suddenly feeling more confident," Kakashi said dryly, pulling his book back out of its pocket and twitching it open with a flip. "We can discuss a rotation for training and guarding the bridge tonight. I think these two are going to keep me up late anyway."
Naruto, there is a familiar presence here, Tenken said, startling the blonde out of his sleep.
"Wha…What are you talking about," Naruto asked muzzily as he picked up the blade and left the room where Shikamaru and Ino were sleeping like logs.
I believe another zanpaktou may be sealed in this land, but I am not sure which one or where it would be, Tenken replied. It sleeps, but there is a faint pulse of power that resonates with my own.
"Well, if we move around the island, do you think you can pin down an area to look in," Naruto asked, wiping the sleep from his eyes.
Perhaps, Tenken answered. It would be a prudent thing to try, since the weapon would be invaluable if it will bond like we have.
"I don't think we'd be able to find another jinchuuriki that easily," Naruto said dryly as he crept downstairs, pausing at the door to put his sandals on.
One does not have to be a jinchuuriki to bond to a zanpaktou, Tenken replied. All it takes is a compatibility between the spirit and the host. Our union was not determined solely by Komamura's presence within you.
"Hmm, so maybe Tenten could bond with this one," Naruto asked hopefully as he slipped out the door and into the night air.
She would not be a bad candidate and would make an exceptional ally, Tenken said approvingly. We will know more, though, when we find the zanpaktou and can introduce them.
Naruto nodded to himself and took off at a run around the perimeter of the island that was the main land mass of Nami no Kuni. He used shunpo to cover large amounts of ground between stops to release pulses of reiatsu to see if Tenken could detect a resonance. They'd traveled most of the way around the island before Tenken detected a resonance.
There, Tenken said suddenly. The small island to the south absorbed my reiatsu.
Naruto nodded to himself and shunpoed across the intervening water to land on the small island. "Where do you think it will be," he asked.
Look for a small building or a cave, Tenken advised. It's unlikely to have been left in the open, despite its abandonment by its wielder.
The blonde moved through the underbrush on the island, noting that it was unusually thick. "Kinda seems like no one's come here in a long time," he mused as he pushed his way through several branches. "I wonder why no one from Nami has been over to this island? It's actually closer than most of the others in the area."
Likely there are stories meant to deter visitors, Tenken replied. Tales of the monstrous bijuu that the zanpaktou wielder became or even just ghost stories of people dying horribly.
"Wait, what's that," Naruto asked, spotting a manmade wooden wall out of the corner of his eye. He reached out and pulled clinging vines free to reveal a small wooden shrine sitting in the middle of the foliage. He wrenched open the small doors on the front after a brief struggle, since the wood had warped from being in the damp air for so long.
Inside was a rotting leather cloth with a sword showing through the holes. Naruto pulled the sword free of the cloth with a sense of accomplishment. "So whose is it?"
I'm not sure, Tenken replied. The spirit in the zanpaktou is still asleep and there are no distinctive features in the sealed state. We will just have to wait until it wakes.
"Damn, I hate waiting," Naruto frowned. "But since I'm up, I might as well get some extra training in. Let's head back though and stash this in my bags so no one else can come across it."
Agreed, Tenken said. You still have a lot of work to do before you can even claim to have mastered even the basic kidou that you can use.
"Damn, but you're a slave driver," Naruto complained as he shunpoed back to the main island.