Author's notes:
Again, I would like to thank those wonderful people who reviewed this story of mine. Domo arigato gozaimasu, thank you very much!
You cannot imagine how happy I am to see your continuing interest in this story of mine, Sam AKA RedFoxDemon! I do try to pay attention to details, and I am glad that you liked it; I fear it may result in this story dragging a little at times, but hopefully nobody will mind that.
YuKiKuRo, extra thanks to you for reviewing both first and second chapters of this story of mine; I really appreciate your feedback, and hope that you'll like this chapter as much as you like the previous two!
Aslan'sWhiteWitch, Hitaru, thank you for liking and reviewing this story of mine! I am not answering your questions about pairing… :P …But I hope you won't be disappointed! And Aslan'sWhiteWitch, the answer to your second question will come in this chapter.
J-M, Shiraga Obachan, you too receive thanks for liking and reviewing this story of mine! I am trying the best I can with spelling and grammar (although English isn't my native language), as well as with writing as fast as I can (although it usually takes me a month, if not more, to write a chapter; sadly, I have other things to do in addition to fanfiction writing).
Chapter ThreeA B-Rank Mission or an A-Rank Trap! Team Kakashi's in Trouble!
Naruto was panting slightly as he approached Hokage's tower. The summons some ninja he didn't know delivered were simple: "Hokage-sama wishes to see you in her office. ASAP."
One didn't have to think hard to guess that it wasn't cup of tea he was invited to, and no matter how rebellious Naruto could be at the times, he didn't feel like keeping Tsunade-baachan waiting. Especially considering that she could easily exclude him from whatever mission she had in mind for him.
So, Naruto delayed only for long enough to check on Perverted Hermit, but to Naruto's surprise he wasn't on his usual spot.
"Perhaps he was summoned too? But then, why didn't he tell me? And anyway, didn't he quit being a ninja? Nah, he probably just chased off after some girl."
Naruto was snapped out of his thoughts as he saw two familiar figures approaching the Hokage's tower from the opposite side. Immediately getting his second wind, Naruto rushed forward to meet the two; though he would never admit it aloud, he missed his former sensei and even his friend-rival, and was very happy to find that he would be on the same team with them again.
Kakashi raised his hand in acknowledgement at Naruto's approach, while Sasuke, as usually, seemed to barely notice him; months of training in the wilderness obviously didn't improve the Uchiha survivor's people skills.
They exchanged brief greetings before continuing up the tower where Hokage's office was located; obviously all three of them were of the same mind about not keeping the beautiful Hokage waiting.
Finally, after a lengthy climb up the stairs they stood in her office, before the beautiful Tsunade, the Fifth Fire Shadow herself. Tsunade was looked through some papers when they arrived, but as soon as they entered her office she raised her eyes to look at them.
"I know, all of this will come as a surprise," Tsunade's voice was forcedly calm, though Kakashi noticed considerable worry behind her forced calmness, "That Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Three, was attacked and taken captive by sound-nin."
"Whaaat!" It was Naruto, of course, who interrupted her; Kakashi and Sasuke took the news far more stoically.
"Yes, one of Konoha's ninja, Yamanaka Ino, managed to observe the capture, staying hidden herself, and thus was able to report it, along with captors' affiliation."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the mentioning of a familiar name; he vaguely remembered Ino being one of those annoying girls who used to kept throwing themselves onto him at every opportunity, and had her written off as 'good-for-nothing ninja-wannabe'… A category where most female ninja rightfully belonged, as far as Sasuke was concerned.
"Fortunately, Yamanaka Ino also learned where Jiraiya will be held for the time being, as well as that his captors were worried that we might send you, Hatake Kakashi, after them. They weren't worried, actually, they thought it was too slim a possibility to be worth worrying about. Well, we shall prove them wrong."
"I see." If Kakashi was surprised about his ever increasing fame, he didn't show it. "So you want me to go there with my Genin team?"
"Well, we'd normally send you along with three Jonin, but… Well, Konoha is still very shorthanded when it comes to high-ranked ninja. I am confident in your team's ability to complete this mission."
As he listened to conversation, Naruto couldn't help feeling that something was missing. And only now, at the second mentioning of Kakashi's team, it finally struck him.
"Wait a second! But what about Sakura-chan? Isn't she going to come with us?"
"Mm, you didn't know?" Kakashi's lone eye widened slightly in surprise as he looked at his former student.
"Huh? Know what?"
"Sakura serves as Konoha's ambassador in Sunagakure for almost a year now."
It was Sasuke who answered Naruto's question. Though his face remained emotionless as ever, he couldn't help sharing his teacher's surprise.
"Even I bothered to ask what has happened with our former teammate."
Naruto, on his part, was thinking along the similar lines.
"Why didn't anyone tell me something like that before! I may have never asked, but still… Grrr, even Sasuke-teme knew…"
"Anyway," It fall on Tsunade's shoulders to cut their conversation short; time was of the essence. "If you would like to have temporary teammate to replace Haruno Sakura, Nara Shikamaru volunteered to accompany you on this mission. He will be a worthy addition to your team."
"We don't need anyone else."
Tsunade looked at Sasuke in slight surprise. Was he arrogant enough to think that Nara Shikamaru, a Chunin would only hinder them, or was it something else? But the Uchiha survivor was a difficult, nearly impossible person to read, and Tsunade instantly decided that it wasn't worth the trouble, especially now, time was of the essence.
Tsunade looked at Kakashi and then at Naruto, and when neither said anything, nodded her head in acknowledgement.
"So be it. Here is the map with location Jiraiya's captors' camp marked upon it…" Tsunade handed a scroll to Kakashi, "…And here is brief information about the enemies you might encounter, based upon Yamanaka Ino's observations…" Tsunade handed him another scroll, "I want you to take this mission with uttermost seriousness. According to Yamanaka Ino's information, a few enemies were going to leave for other missions, thus weakening guard around Jiraiya, but all together they were still strong enough to overpower one of the Legendary Three in the first place, and none of them is to be taken lightly. This mission is ranked as B-rank mission, but it may turn out to be an A-rank one. So, if you reconsider refusing Nara Shikamaru's assistance…"
"Yay, a B-rank mission!" Tsunade never got to finish, as a certain ninja in orange jumpsuit already rushed towards the door.
Kakashi looked at her apologetically.
"Don't worry, Hokage-sama," He said, "We will do our best."
Tsunade bowed and dismissed the remaining two ninja, and once they left the office, returned to her thoughts. Despite everything, despite the fact that Kakashi was probably Konoha's very best ninja, she couldn't help feeling that something was missing from the picture. Something important.
"I am just worrying about him," Tsunade admitted to herself, "Though there is nothing to worry about. The enemies themselves let it slip that Kakashi was a danger to them; he will perform the mission perfectly and return back with Jiraiya. But then, why do I feel as though I am missing something important?"
"How do you like that, wise guy?"
Shikamaru stared at the Shogi board lazily as grinning Ino took one of his pieces out. He didn't bother to reply, instead closing his eyes and forming a trademark circle with his hands, no doubt evoking some frustration in his beautiful opponent.
Now, after three days of rest, Ino nearly completely recovered from her major Chakra depletion, but she still felt a little too tired to resume her everyday activities normally.
"No wonder, considering what she has done," Shikamaru thought gloomy.
Ino may have done Konoha a valuable service, but it didn't mean that he approved of what she has done. Shikamaru still couldn't forget when they found her, nearly passed out from exhaustion. And her father, Yamanaka Inoichi nearly had heart attack when he was told what his beloved daughter has done; technically, only a Jonin was supposed to be able to keep Mind Body Switch Technique active for as long as Ino did and live to tell the tale.
But all these worrying weren't totally unrewarding to Shikamaru. He was pleasantly surprised at how genuinely happy Ino was when he offered to spend time with her, even though board games probably weren't her idea of fun activity, no matter how good she was at them.
"Many would be quick to write Ino off as just a beautiful airhead," Shikamaru mused, "But in reality she is much more then that. She may be prone to rash actions, but she can be very smart when she wants to."
With exception of his father, Nara Shikaku, nobody Shikamaru knew, not even his teacher, Sarutobi Asuma, could beat him in board games, but among people he knew, Ino was the one to come closest to doing so.
Shikamaru suddenly realized that his thoughts were drifting off the game he was playing, and that his impatient opponent was no doubt waiting for his next move, and he forced his mind to refocus on the game.
Recalling the pieces' positions, Shikamaru confirmed what he already knew: no matter how smart she was, Ino was hopelessly falling into his trap. So as not to irritate his opponent farther, Shikamaru opened his eyes and made his move. Afterwards, he half-closed his eyes and lazily watched Ino as she contemplated her next move.
Ino wasn't half bad when it came to strategy, but Shikamaru was still able to see through hers and made it seem like he was falling for it. And so, while Ino played under assumption that she finally beating him, Shikamaru made her move her pieces where he wanted them, while carefully maneuvering his into position for check and mate. Actually, for a moment he considered allowing her to win this match, but only for a moment; a real man couldn't afford to lose to a woman.
Still something kept worrying him, something unrelated to the game they were playing, well, related to it, actually, but in a strange way. For some reason, her felt a stab of worry each time he thought about how he made Ino think she was winning and move her pieces where he wanted them.
Shikamaru's eyes closed as his mind drifted away from the game once again; this time it was the ongoing mission to rescue Jiraiya, on the Legendary Three that came to his mind for some reason. Shikamaru was neither disappointed nor surprised when he was informed that newly re-formed Team Kakashi politely declined his assistance as a temporary member, though he DID think that his techniques would prove to be a very effective support for Naruto and Sasuke's close combat skills. Still, both of Hatake Kakashi's prize students were widely regarded as the best Genin of their generation, and Shikamaru had little doubt that they will perform well enough even without his assistance. Unless…
"It's your move, wise guy!"
…Ino's cheerful voice interrupted his thoughts. One glance at the board and Ino's grinning face told him that she didn't realized what he was up to, and even if she would, it was too late now. For some reason, this thought troubled Shikamaru.
"How troublesome," Shikamaru thought, "Why the heck am I so worried about this mission? Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke will perform well enough, after all, the enemies themselves… Hmm, wait a second. It was so convenient that they mentioned the exact information that will help us to find and rescue Jiraiya. If we assume…"
Shikamaru frowned, as he looked up from the board at his teammate.
"Of course, there is no known way to discern that a person is a subjected to Mind Body Switch Technique, but someone who knows the subject well enough might be able to notice the difference in his behaviour. And if we assume that the enemies realized that one of them was possessed in such a manner… The pieces fit. Both Jiraiya and Kakashi are among Konoha's best ninja; Jiraiya must have been the primary target all along, but luring Kakashi into a trap would have been a nice bonus for them."
Shikamaru looked at the board again.
"The game will be over in nine moves at the most. Even once Ino realize what is going on, it will be too late. Just like… How troublesome."
"Hay, what…" Ino began as Shikamaru jumped from the table uncharacteristically fast.
But the rest of mocking comment about him, a wise guy losing for once, get stuck in Ino's throat as soon as she saw a look of genuine worry upon his face.
"What's wrong, Shika-chan?" Ino asked instead, in much more gentle tone then she usually used with her lazy teammate.
"Must go to see Hokage-sama… Quickly… How troublesome…"
Was all Shikamaru mumbled as he dashed out of the room, leaving his dumbfounded teammate behind. Ino could only stare after him and think that now she saw everything.
"WHAT!"
"How troublesome… Why all blond women have to be so loud?" Shikamaru thought as he looked at the woman the elders chose to be their Godaime Hokage.
"The pieces fit," Shikamaru explained, suppressing the sigh, "Not only Ino seemed to completely avoid enemies' suspicion, but they also explained their plans and weaknesses in much greater detail then it would have been necessary or reasonable. Too much for sheer luck. The only reasonable explanation would be…"
"…That they realized what was going on and used Ino to misinform us!" Tsunade finished for him. "Then they designed the trap for Kakashi! And to make it worse, they will know who they are going to face, while Kakashi will know next to nothing about them!"
Glad that he didn't have to elaborate on the subject farther, Shikamaru even took the trouble to nod in agreement.
"Alright, if that's all, you can go now." Tsunade said, already partially lost in her thoughts.
She barely noticed Shikamaru excusing himself and leaving the office as she frantically search her mind for some way to reach or at least contact Kakashi and his team now, three days after his departure, but finding none.
"Shizune!" She finally called, and her faithful friend and assistant almost immediately materialized beside her, as she always did.
"Is there any way we can contact Hatake Kakashi or send a team to catch up with Team Kakashi before they reach their destination?" Tsunade asked after she hastily filled Shizune into the situation.
But the answer was the one Tsunade expected and dreaded to hear: "I am sorry, Tsunade-sama, there is no way we can do that."
"Kuso!" Tsunade slammed her fist upon the table hard, just short of breaking it, "There MUST be something we can do! If we do nothing… Wait! Even if there is nothing we can do, what if there is someone else who can?"
"Shizune, Sunagakure is famous for their fast response teams, aren't they?" Tsunade asked, though she already knew the answer, after all, she fought against Sunagakure's ninja in the Third Ninja War.
Shizune nodded in agreement, and seeing Tsunade's face brightening made her even more regretful of what she felt she had to add.
"But, Tsunade-sama, Sunagakure is not the kind of ally we can rely on! They allied with us because they saw our strength, but should we show as much as a hint of weakness…"
Shizune trailed off, but Tsunade was of a different mind regarding this.
"Then what are allies for if not to help each other in the time of need! I don't want to even discuss this! Contact our ambassador in Sunagakure at once!"
"Alright, let's see your best."
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
The older ninja nodded in approval as two more clones of his temporary student materialized beside her.
"Technically, she could have created more clones with this technique, but with her remaining Chakra splitting equally among Shadow Clones, doing so would make each individual clone too weak to fight for prolonged period of time. No, two is the best number for her, though even so, using this technique is all-or-nothing move for her. Her stamina still leaves a lot to be desired, but at least she is aware her limitations."
"Very well, let's begin." He said, looking at his student, the three of them, actually.
She didn't need to be asked twice and immediately came to motion along with her clones, swiftly moving to surround him. He didn't move instead calmly waiting for all three clones to come into striking range before executing his technique…
"Sabaku Senpuu Batsu!"
Everything happened so fast that most spectators wouldn't see anything but burst of motion, but as older ninja got back to his feet, the momentary clash was still vivid in his mind. One of the clones swiftly stepped in the path of his first blow, blocking it with B-rank Shield of Wind, while the second grappled him to stop the attack and the third thrown a punch that sent him flying for good thirty feet before he struck the ground hard.
"The girl has gotten really strong and she is not shy use her strength." The older ninja thought as he got back to his feet; though as a Jonin, Baki was used to pain and injury, even he was no longer able to recover from Sakura's blows as quickly as he used to.
On her part, Sakura wasn't in hurry to press the attack; instead she stopped few feet away from him with her clones beside her and a slight smile upon her face. Baki responded to it with a frown, not because of her cheekiness, but because giving a superior opponent time to recover was a fatal mistake, the one that would get you killed in a real fight.
"She seems to have gotten bolder too."
Normally he wouldn't have viewed it as a bad thing, especially considering how timid she was when he first saw her. But there was line one shouldn't cross; after all he saw one too many good ninja fall prey to their own overconfidence.
If he created Shadow Clones of his own, the older ninja could have beaten his student with relative ease, but it was not his goal today. Today he was going to give her a sporting chance, at the same time putting her stamina to a test; no matter how good she was with the clones, he knew that executing and maintaining this technique was a great strain to her, and each additional technique she will have to perform will only add to it.
"Kaze no Yaiba!"
As soon as the words were spoken, Baki felt a beam of violently swirling wind appearing in his right hand: Blade of Wind. Though originally it was an assassination technique, deemed unfit for open combat because of immense difficulty of keeping it under control for a prolonged period of time, it was Baki who proved this belief wrong by being the first, and until recently the only person to effectively use it in open combat. And since no normal means and few techniques could stop Blade of Wind, it was effective indeed.
Sakura didn't keep him waiting, and each of her clones instantly manifested her own Blade of Wind, preparing to attack. Baki was surprised at the speed Sakura mastered some of his best techniques, though perhaps he shouldn't have been: her control was nearly perfect from the very start, and after all, control what they were mostly about.
Suddenly two of Sakura's clones burst into motion, charging at him from two sides. Baki side-stepped both attacked and then lunged at one of the clones, but she blocked his Blade of Wing with that of her, while the other clone lunged at him again, forcing him to take another step sidewards… Right into path of the third clone's strike.
Yet in the last moment her lightning-fast attack slowed, allowing Baki to jump away from attack's path a mere moment before it would hit him. Feeling the coming attack rather then seeing it, Baki managed to bring his own B-rank Shield of Wind before the attack hit; and while it wasn't powerful enough to stop Blade of Wind, it slowed Sakura's attack enough for Baki to dodge the attack that would otherwise hit.
Sakura and her clones didn't hesitate to follow him, but Baki was ready for them…
"Kage Shuriken no Jutsu!"
With a single lightning-fast motion, Baki threw two large shuriken at Sakura, the second initially hidden within the shadow of the first, though it quickly separated to strike at the different clone…
"Kaze no Tate!" (Shield of Wind)
And as he expected, both clones effortlessly deflected the shuriken with their C-rank Shields of Wind. But the seemingly ineffective attack actually had its intended effect: to take additional toll on Sakura's clones.
The next moment the foremost clone was upon Baki, but he parried her attack with ease and suddenly charged past her, almost surprising Sakura's other clone. Yet Sakura's reaction was excellent, the clone quickly stepped backwards, avoiding his Blade of Wind, while the other two clones moved forward, trying to surround him. But the clones' movements were getting slower; though their match lasted for less then a minute, maintaining two Shadow Clones and keeping three Blades of Wind under control was beginning to take its toll on her. And for a ninja, any weakness was death.
With lightning speed Baki danced past Sakura's clones, avoiding two slashes of their Blades of Wind, and spun another Desert Whirlwind Attack: a flurry of blows in all direction. And this time Sakura was not fast enough to block or dodge it…
To her credit, Sakura didn't lose consciousness, not even for a short while, like she did when he first used this technique on her, and in but a few seconds she was back on her feet, though with both her clones gone, needless to say. Yet it was clear to everyone who watched that this match was over: Sakura was already at the point of exhaustion, while Baki didn't even break into sweat.
"You did very well today," Baki complemented his student as he watched her catching her breath, "But not well enough for you to get overconfident. It would not have made much of difference this time, but the other time and with other opponent, the odds you are giving him may make difference between life and death. And finally, don't forget that while your skills are excellent, your stamina still leaves a lot to be desired. You may be able to defeat most Genin and even some Chunin, but until you learn to tap into more chakra, should you face a Jonin in real battle, your fate will be… Death."
Before Sakura could think of a reply, there was a sound of wings, and a falcon dived downwards. Despite the tiredness, Sakura instantly noticed a piece of paper tied to the bird's leg and outstretched her arm, allowing the bird to land on her wrist.
Sakura couldn't help feeling a stab of uneasiness as she took the message from the bird's leg; it wasn't time for the regular monthly messages she received, which basically told her to carry on. With uneasy feeling refusing to leave her, Sakura unfolded the message and began to read…
Preview of the next chapter:
This is Haruno Sakura! Oh no, Sasuke-kun, Naruto and Kakashi-sensei fell into sound-nin's trap, and they are hopelessly outclassed even as they attempt to fight for their lives! We have to help them, but how?.. We are authorized to use Sunagakure's secret weapon, the Windgliders? But can we truly get there in time on them?.. Coming next, "The Wind That Blows Across the Great Distance" I am going to fight too!