Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 19: Rings and Travels

Everyone who participated in the incident in Gaara's office was present—with the exception of Lilith, of course. Temari remained in Suna—taking care of the children. Kankuro stood by his brother's side.

They all agreed that the Akatsuki rings should be sealed and hidden away. Jocelyn was all for destroying the rings until nothing but dust remained. Kiba and Kakashi agreed with her, but when they tried, the rings refused to so much as crack. So here they were, in Tsunade's office, staring at the four Akatsuki rings.

"I thought you recovered five," Tsunade commented.

"Deidara and Sasori were sent to get the ring Orochimaru had," Sakura explained.

"Apparently they failed," Naruto added.

"So we just have to decide where to hide these rings," Sasuke concluded.

Everyone stared at the box containing the rings until Kina spoke.

"It's too bad we can't use the rings' power," she said. "We could protect our villages better if we could harness our demons' energy more efficiently."

"Don't even think about that, coz," Jocelyn warned. "Remember what happened to Middle Earth? Those rings are bad news—no two ways about it. They need to be separated and sealed away."

"Middle Earth?" Kiba asked in confusion.

"Never mind," the two girls said.

"Four teams then," Gaara suggested. "With one of the demon vessels acting as guard for the other members of the team."

"We'll need to put them in places where most shinobi can't get them. We also have to make sure that common people won't stumble upon them," Neji said.

"As deep underground as possible," Kakashi added. "Perhaps with a natural barrier surrounding it."

Tsunade snapped her fingers and pointed to several places on the map she had hanging behind her.

"These locations are ideal," she said.

Kakashi nodded and took out four glass boxes. Jocelyn stared and wondered where the man got them. He placed each ring in a box and he, Tsunade, Gaara, and Kankuro placed seals on each box. When they nodded to each other, Gaara took control of the meeting.

"Kinabuhi, you will take Kankuro and Shikamaru with you to the closest target. After that, I want you to go back to Suna—"

"But—"

"Lilith will be missing you," Gaara explained. Kina couldn't argue with that and leaned against the wall. "Naruto, take your old teammates to the southwest target."

"Alright!" Naruto pumped his fist. "I get to see nee-chan again!" The others—most of whom didn't know who the blonde was talking about—shrugged and looked back at Gaara for more orders.

"Jocelyn will take Shino and Kiba—"

"YES!"

"—to the eastern target," Gaara continued, ignoring the girl's joyful shout. "Jocelyn, please stop grinning like that. It's disturbing."

Jocelyn wiped the grin off of her face. When Gaara said something was disturbing, then it was really disturbing. But she let a small giggle escaper her lips anyway.

My bishies, she chanted in her head. My lovely, lovely bishies.

"Kakashi, Neji, and I will head for the northeast target. Once the rings are dealt with, head back here. Except for Kinabuhi's team. Shikamaru will return here after he picks up Temari."

"This is an S-class mission for everyone," Tsunade declared. "Those of you who have demons inside them—don't touch the rings. Everyone else, good luck and head out!"

"Are we all walking?" Jocelyn asked as everyone filed out of the room.

"Yes," Naruto answered. "We try not to use the portals too much. The Akastuki mission was the only reason we used them in the first place. They don't drain chakra, but the pulse from them affects plant life. I just found that out three days ago, so I have to fix it. Today was an emergency, but no more using them until I can tweak the jutsu a bit."

"It's not that far anyway," Kiba said, studying his map. "Just two days and besides, we've been there before." The others started down the stairs to get their packs and supplies. Sasuke used a teleportation jutsu to go ahead to the main gate, since he didn't want to be seen by the villagers just yet.

"Alright," Jocelyn said. "At least I'll get to walk around and see the sun again. But it's awfully bright out today."

"Where did they keep you?" Shikamaru asked. It wasn't really bright outside. In fact, it was somewhat cloudy.

"In the caves," she answered. She ignored the looks she was getting and turned to Kakashi. "I've been meaning to ask you something."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow and put away his orange book. "Yes?"

"How do you keep the forehead protector from sliding down?" she asked, tugging her own up. "I want to keep my damaged eye covered and I don't like eye patches."

"Well the trick is…"

00000000000000000

"Is this the place?" Kankuro asked Shikamaru. Kina's team stood at the edge of a small, rocky, island in the center of an active volcano. The puppet master turned to stare at the imposing edifice of Konoha's Maximum Security Prison. "And if it is, is it safe to hide the ring here?"

Shikamaru nodded. "Most of the inmates are former shinobi, true," he said. "But they're watched ruthlessly. Here's as good a place as any."

"Not like many of them will go swimming in a pool of lava for the ring," Kina smirked.

Kankuro took the ring box out of his pocket and glanced at his companions. Shikamaru's plan was for Kankuro to use his chakra strings and bury the sealed container into the molten lava that surrounded the prison. Kina's job was to monitor the location of the ring and make sure that it was buried as deep as possible. Shikamaru stood by; ready to bind Kina if anything went wrong and her demon chose to go after the cursed stone.

"Let's do this," Kina clapped her hands together and her brothers-in-law nodded in agreement.

00000000000000000

"Isaribi-neechan!"

Naruto waved at the brunette woman standing on the dock from his position on the small boat Sasuke rented for the trip. Sakura looked at the girl in speculation. The blonde never gave a full explanation to her or Sasuke on how and why he was friends with someone from the small and remote Ocean Country. In fact, Naruto turned out to be unusually silent on the matter. All he said was that she would help them get rid of the Akatsuki ring with no questions asked.

When the boat reached the dock, Naruto jumped off the deck and expertly tied the ropes to anchor the ship. Sasuke raised his eyebrows at Sakura. Apparently, the blonde was familiar enough with the action to look like one of the fishermen that came to greet them. The two jumped off of the ship and joined their teammate—who was hugging the brunette and talking her ear off.

"These are my teammates, nee-chan," he said, gesturing to Sakura and Sasuke. "The one who look like he just drank brine is Sasuke-teme and the one with the pink hair is Sakura-chan."

Isaribi held out her hand and giggled. "It's so nice to finally meet you, guys," she said softly. "Naruto's told me so much about you whenever he visits that I feel as if I know you myself."

Something about her reminded Sasuke of both Naruto and Hinata, but the raven-haired heir couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was.

"Visits?" Sakura asked, still curious.

"Eh-heh," Naruto grinned and scratched the back of his head. "I come here at least once a year when Tsunade-baachan gives me my mandatory vacations. Nee-chan always puts me up when I come over."

"He acted as my father the day I got married and walked me down the aisle," Isaribi added, looking fondly at the blue-eyed man. "He even threatened Toya in front of everyone before he let him take my hand."

"He had to know that if he messes up, he'll answer to me," Naruto frowned and cracked his knuckles. He looked over at a tall fisherman with dark red hair and kind eyes, and then he walked up to him and slapped the fisherman on the back. "And have you messed up yet, Toya-niisan?"

The fisherman laughed and slapped Naruto on his back, causing the blonde to stagger on the dock. "Not yet, Naruto-kun. Not yet."

Isaribi noticed the looks of relief on the faces of her friend's teammates, but for the most part ignored it. She had a question for her honorary "father" and she wanted the answer before he stepped foot off of the dock.

"So, Naruto," she said, casually looking at her fingernails. "Did you make a move on Hinata yet? Ino's last letter said that you were taking your sweet time about things."

"Move?" Sasuke asked.

"Ino?" Sakura jumped on the mention of her friends' name. "What does Ino have to do with this?"

Naruto laughed nervously and sent a small glare at Isaribi. "Well—"

"You know Hinata, I assume?" Isaribi asked the two shinobi. When they nodded, she continued, all the while ignoring Naruto's blabbering. "Well, our little kitsune here has had the hots for her for the past six years. Ever since some sort of Summer Festival apparently, but he could never find the guts to actually ask the girl out on a date. He keeps telling me that he'll ask her out when he gets back to Konoha, but he never does. At least, that's what Ino tells me. And when he comes back, he still hasn't gone out with the girl."

"They went out a couple of weeks ago," Sasuke informed the woman. He glanced at Naruto and noticed that his face was extremely red. "Ever since the Summer Festival six years ago, huh? You sure are slow, dobe."

"Hey!"

"Why don't we discuss this inside, hmm?" Sakura asked. "We need to get the mission done as soon as possible. Now, Isaribi-chan, how do you know Ino?" Sakura linked arms with Isaribi and led the group to the shore.

"Well, I met Naruto first. He was here on a mission and Ino was part of his team at the time…"

00000000000000000

Neji and Kakashi stood in front of a large group of trees. Only these trees were strange. Instead of wood, the trunks seemed to be made of bone. The entire field was filled with similar trees. They shot up from the sandy ground like bamboo shoots and looked like the dead limbs of a petrified forest. Gaara stood closer to the real trees of the forest behind him, his arms crossed in front of his chest and an unreadable look in his eyes.

"This is the place," the Kazekage declared emotionlessly. The trip was shorter than the last time he came to this place. But then again, the last time he was here, he was rushing all the way from Suna to aid the Konoha genin in retrieving their comrade. Emotion and time must have blurred his sense of time. Gaara looked over the forest of bones and ruthlessly repressed a shudder.

If Kimimaro had held out fifteen seconds longer, Gaara would've died that day.

Kakashi summoned Pakkun and ordered the dog to place the ringbox with the Akatsuki ring in the center of the strange strand of bone trees. Neji followed the dog's progress with his Byakuugan and nodded when Pakkun was safely away from the object. Gaara held out his hands and concentrated.

When his chakra touched the ringbox, Shukaku murmured inside his head, but otherwise remained calm.

"Gokusamaiso." (Prison Sand Burial)

Neji watched, and Kakashi heard, the sand beneath the ringbox move and bury the item quickly and efficiently. When the Hyuuga could no longer "see" the box he turned to Gaara and nodded.

"It's now two hundred meters underground," Gaara said. "Even if someone were to cut down Kimimaro's Field, they would have a hard time finding it."

The white-eyed man blinked and gave the signal to head back to Konoha. Gaara followed and Kakashi trailed behind after he thanked Pakkun for his help. The jounin looked at his "teammates" and sighed. Pakkun's parting words remained in his mind.

"Talkative bunch," the pug smirked at his summoner. "Have fun on the way back home and don't spill too many secrets."

Smartass dog.

00000000000000000

"That was interesting."

"Shut up, Sakura."

Sakura stared at her teammates and suppressed a giggle. The two men in her life she loved more than anything turned to her with identical frowns. She went back to the mission scroll she was writing for Tsunade and inhaled the fresh scent of the ocean. They finished their mission and, after a large breakfast courtesy of Isaribi and her husband, were now sailing back to the continent and home to Konoha.

"Are you sure you can't heal these wounds?" Naruto asked.

"Nope," Sakura answered. "My specific field is emergency care and triage on abdominal wounds. Don't worry, those are just superficial and will heal on their own."

"So you're saying that it's a waste of chakra to heal us," Sasuke translated. "Because I know you can. You just won't."

"Bingo!"

"At least no one will find the ring," Naruto said. "Even if someone dove down to the bottom of the reef…"

"And survived the currents," Sasuke continued. "And found that specific coral formation—"

"And got past those irate lobsters," Sakura interrupted without looking up from the scroll.

Naruto and Sasuke both growled at their teammate and Sakura burst out laughing. Isaribi, Sasuke, and Naruto took care of the ring while Sakura stayed above the water in their boat, ready to administer first aid if it was needed. They found the perfect hiding spot for the Akastuki ring, complete with natural guardians to protect it.

Naruto stopped growling first and began to laugh. The blonde was always good at finding laughter in the escapades he goes through. Sasuke tried to hold on to his usual stoic self, but the past six years he spent with Kina and her family in Suna mellowed the Uchiha out tremendously. His husky laughter joined in and soon the sound of gulls was drowned out by the people on the small boat. The trio drifted off into silence while Naruto expertly sailed their way back home.

A/N:

I am ssssoooo sorry about the late update. My life isn't going so well right now and I've been separated from any kind of decent computer for the past two weeks…

The next chapter will be up sooner than this one (I hope) and I'll be back at home soon. Please read and review!