Chapter 6: Rendezvous

AN: Revised as of 2/20/10.

After their rough morning, Naruto and Sakura hurriedly ate breakfast together downstairs in the in while Sai and Kakashi prepared to leave. They were all still dressed in civilian clothes like the day before. Naruto and Sakura ate silently, taking comfort in the mere fact that the other was there with them. There could be no turning back now, they'd cast the die and taken their chances. What happened now was largely out of their hands. All they could do is try their very hardest, and pray to Kami-san that everything went according to plan.

The nightmare of the night before still plagued Naruto. He tried desperately to tuck it away in the back of his mind, and forget that it even happened, but it was no use. He just ate silently, occasionally glancing up to Sakura, as if to reassure himself that she was still there.

Finally, Sakura broke the silence. She gently cupped his cheek with her hand, whispering, "Don't worry, Naruto-kun. So long as we have each other, everything will be alright. We'll make it through this one, just like every time before."

Naruto took comfort in her confidence. He hugged her close, whispering "I love you" into her ear. Her voice sounded as sweet as honey in his ear as she whispered back "I love you too."

On the other side of the Inn, Kakashi nodded, his suspicions confirmed. There certainly would have been better times for this epiphany, given the gravity of this mission, but perhaps this was for the best in the end. In truth, Kakashi felt happy for Naruto, now that all his years of devotion and struggle had finally been vindicated. Unfortunately, the joy came with pangs of heartache. All the dreams that could never be came flooded forth, the proverbial damn burst. "Obito…Rin," he murmured almost noiselessly, "we never had enough time together…"

Kakashi was sent on a trip down memory lane, to a time he did not like to visit but always seemed compelled to wind up at. The Third Shinobi World War was a time he wished he could forget. Within a few short years, everyone he had ever cared for in his life was cruelly ripped from this mortal plane. First he lost his father. His father, Konoha's "White Fang" committed seppuku in shame for a failed mission; shame for his unbreakable devotion to his brothers-in-arms.

Next he lost his best friend Obito. Obito gave his life to save Kakashi, proving to him that ninja who abandon their comrades are the worst scum imaginable. And then Rin, dear sweet Rin. She also made the ultimate sacrifice to save his life, leaving him alone. Last went Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage and Kakashi's mentor and friend.

For the next twelve years, Kakashi wandered the road of life alone, until that fateful day when he took on his first Genin team. Naruto and Sakura were the first friends he'd had in many years. Kakashi promised to himself right then that he'd make sure they knew how much they meant to him once the mission was over. Sai as well; he'd make sure Sai knew just how important he was.

\Kakashi stood up, and slung his backpack over his shoulder. Sai quickly followed suite, and prepared to continue this journey. "Naruto, Sakura," he called, "let's move out."

They nodded in agreement and gathered up all of their gear. The team quietly made its exit from the inn, and continued down the road to their destination. By mid day they'd be in the city. After a quick stop at a safe house, they'd rendezvous with the spy at dusk. If all went well, they'd rendezvous with Team Gai and Team Ten and begin the next leg of the operation immediately. They travelled at a slightly brisker pace than the day before, to ensure that they made the trip in good time.

Sakura found herself lost in thought again while on the long and winding road. The beautiful countryside and lush broad leaf trees reminded her of home, and all the hours spent on the training ground. One memory in particular came to mind. She'd never forget 'til the day she died the time that Naruto took it upon himself to teach her how to use the Rasengan technique. All because she made some off-handed remark during their sparring exercise that she'd like to learn the Rasengan technique someday…

Two years earlier…

"Ready or not, here I come!" Sakura shouted. She charged across Team Seven's old training ground, straight towards Naruto. Naruto quickly created half a dozen shadow clones to run interference, and began forming the Rasengan in his right hand.

"Child's play!" she thought, and then punched the ground with all of her might. The very earth seemed to be shaken from its foundations as half a dozen fissures split through the ground towards the mass of Naruto clones. They were soon gobbled up heaving slabs of earth forced up by Sakura's miniature earthquake, clearing a path straight for Naruto. She leapt over the shattered ground, and darted straight for Naruto.

Rather than flee and regroup like she'd expected him to do, Naruto stood his ground and prepared for the onslaught. "It's you're funeral!" she cried as she moved to within striking range. She concentrated all the chakra she could muster into right jab aimed straight at Naruto's chest. Naruto quickly moved the spinning ball of chakra in his hand up to block the punch.

The impact of Sakura's chakra enhanced punch with Naruto's Rasengan was just short of bone shattering. Sakura's arm instantly went numb from the impact. Naruto's wrist fractured as the ball of chakra contorted into a strange oblong shape before dissipating. But the punch didn't connect, and that was what he was hoping for.

Sakura shouted, "Damn it, timeout!" as she began to furiously shake her right arm, hoping to get some feeling back in her arm. Naruto cradled his broken right wrist, and smiled sheepishly back at Sakura.

"Well, I'm glad that plan worked out," he cried rather nonchalantly.

Sakura turned to him, dumbfounded. "You mean you weren't sure that it was going to work out?"

"Well, no. But I had to find out." He gingerly let go of his wrist, and nervously scratched the back of his head.

Feeling started to slowly return to Sakura's arm in the form of the tingly sensation of a thousand needles embedded all over her skin. "Well, it's better to find out here where medical attention is available then on a far off battlefield I guess. You'd better let me look at that arm, I think you broke something."

He nodded in silent agreement. She motioned for him to sit, and he silently obeyed. She knelt beside him, and carefully examined this right arm for a minute. "Looks like you fractured your wrist, Naruto," she noted, not caring if he listened or not. A warm green glow emanated from her palm. She directed her chakra into his arm, carefully mending the bones in his wrist, and healing the deep bruising near the fracture. A few minutes of focused attention later, and she declared, "Good as new!"

Naruto cautiously balled up his right hand into a fist a couple times before beaming back at Sakura. "Thanks a lot, Sakura-chan!" he cried.

"No problem, Naruto." Her arm still tingling, she shook her right hand a couple more times, muttering, "Damn, that Rasengan is pain in the ass to deal with. I'd like to learn it someday, if I could ever find the time."

Naruto looked at her pensively for a moment, and then declared, "Hey, I could teach you!"

"Are you sure? I mean, I don't want to take up all of your time and all—"

He cut her off, saying "It'll be no problem, Sakura-chan. No problem at all."

Unfortunately, it had been a problem. That entire summer was spent almost entirely filled with days of Naruto trying to teach her the principles behind the Rasengan. Finally, when she was about ready to give up, she completed a perfectly formed Rasengan with one hand, thanks to her excellent chakra control and medical ninjutsu.

Still, Sakura looked on the summer with a considerable amount of fondness. That was when the bond of friendship between Naruto and her really deepened and strengthened. For the first time in his life, Naruto opened up a little to someone, and didn't keep everything bottled up inside. She felt special for him to confide in her. She too opened up to him, laying out all of her fears and angst before him. The intimacy of their shared feelings gave them both the strength to carry on.

Before she knew it, it was already late afternoon, and the smell of the salty ocean air hung in the breeze. They had arrived, and a bit ahead of schedule to boot. The city itself snuggled itself close to a deep natural harbor. Its large population was crammed behind tall, thick city walls, living in meandering back alleys and crowded apartments. As they entered the city, the smell of fish, fresh or otherwise, was everywhere.

The team quickly checked in at the safe house, which was disguised as an out of the way flower shop near the edge of the city's commercial district. They quickly dropped off their excess gear, and hid some of their ninja equipment under the banal exterior of their civilian clothes. A letter had been left for them, right at the place it was supposed to be, hidden in plain site on the desk. Kakashi quickly opened the envelope and removed a single blank sheet of paper from within. "Sakura," he whispered, "break out the cipher kit."

She nodded in agreement, and rummaged through her backpack for a moment before pulling out a non-descript booklet. Kakashi released the seal on the blank paper, and suddenly kanji runes started to form. Kakashi and Sakura quickly began the tedious process of deciphering the jumbled mess of kanji on the page. The cipher that the mole had chosen to use was incredibly complex, and it took a whole hour to decipher the letter. When they were finished, Kakashi passed the letter to Sai and Naruto, motioning for them to read it silently. The letter was simple:

The crimson fires blaze under starry skies. You shall be the quiet guest. Meet me over All-Under Heaven.

After reading the letter, Naruto exclaimed, "It's a riddle! Why couldn't he be more clear?"

Kakashi shrugged as he snatched the letter from Naruto's hands. Kakashi muttered, "Well, he's trying keep his head attached to his shoulders. I can't really blame him for not wanting to take any chances." He casually fished a lighter out of his pocket and flicked it on. He touched the orange flame to the bottom corner of the letter, making sure that it caught. After flicking the lighter closed, he held the paper for a few moments before dropping it in an empty waste basket. "The riddle is fairly clear anyway. We're supposed to meet him in the red light district just after nightfall on the roof of the All-Under-Heaven brothel."

Naruto looked at him stunned for a moment, and then asked, "Just how did you figure that out?"

"This is they tell us to do our homework and pay attention in school, Naruto," Sakura scolded. "But now that you mention the answer, it all makes sense, Kakashi-sempai. The phrase 'Crimson fires under starry skies' suggests the red light district at night. The next line urges us to be cautious, but also confirms the first line. Yukatta can mean both a literal 'quiet guest' or a figurative 'redlight district'. And I seem to remember a building named 'All-Under Heaven' from when we were studying the layout of this city."

"Excellent work, Sakura," praised Kakashi, "we've got about an hour before nightfall, and I suggest we stop at the ramen shack on the corner of this block and eat something while we have the chance. We might not get another."

Naruto nodded eagerly, and Sai imitated him, if for nothing but for the laughs. They quickly secured their packs, and headed to the ramen shack for a quick dinner. The ramen wasn't quite as good as Ichiraku's, but it was good enough as far as Naruto was concerned. As they left the shop, the sun began to slip below the horizon, signaling that the time for matters of life and death was at hand.