The Nine
Chapter 2
The lowest rank of the ninja was Genin, they were newly graduates; mostly unskilled compared to higher ranks. Then came Chuunin. They were able to lead teams on missions, albeit small ones, and they show a higher level of leadership skills and tactical prowess. After that, it was Jounin. Highly skilled and deadly, they were considered military captains and were able to take on teams of Genin to train or lead on missions.
One Jounin was currently cursing the responsibility of having Genin under their wing. That Jounin was Yamanaka Ino.
The day started fine. Head to the Hokage's office, pick up a simple C-Rank mission and then head out with her team. It wasn't meant to be a hard mission; just head to the border, pick up a document and then report back to the Hokage.
Upon arrival to the border, Ino and her team received the document just as planned. However, on the return trip they were attacked by five ninja. From Ino's observation, the ninja showed the skill level of a Chuunin. They were no headbands but it was obvious they had received ninja training. Ino narrowed her eyes, someone must've trained them. She filed the information away in her mind.
So now Ino was desperately fending off the ninja trying to protect her team. They were, after all, useless against Chuunin. Especially since one of the Genins had been knocked out straight away and another was injured.
Ino cursed her luck, they weren't even her Genin! She just got called in as a substitute Jounin sensei while their actual sensei recovered from an A-rank mission. She grit her teeth and tightened her stance in front of the Genin, she was definitely going to have a nice long soak after this mission.
The battle had been going on for about 30 minutes from what Ino could guess. She'd managed to take out one of the Chuunin so far but it was getting difficult since they were aiming for her one weakness; the Genin.
Catching movement out of the corner of her eye, she reacted fast. Dodging the right hook from the left, she bent down and twisted delivering a devastating uppercut to the unlucky Chuunin's chin. Not finished, she withdrew a kunai from her pouch and thrust it into his chest. Enraged by another comrade's death, one of the Chuunin tried to catch her off guard from behind while the last two waited for an opening to strike down the weakened Genin.
Ino, expecting another attack, was already bent down readying for a jump as the Chuunin began to come in for the kill. Back flipping over his head as his kunai was thrust harmlessly into thin air; she grabbed his head with both hands and jerked forcefully. The distinct snapping sound was a clear enough sign the job was done.
As the two bodies fell to the floor one after the other, the conscious Genin were shocked and stunned at the speed at which they were disposed of. There was obviously a clear line between Chuunin and Jounin.
Ino took a deep breath and steadied her heart rate as she waited for the last two Chuunin to strike. She may have been slacking in her training recently, but there was no way she would let a group of Chuunin get the better of her. Especially ones that aimed for her weak Genin rather than fight her head on.
She saw one move his feet slightly and prepared herself. Suddenly, the left Chuunin charged straight at her with two kunai drawn and a battle cry.
'Bold move,' she thought. Drawing her wakizashi, she prepared to guard.
The Chuunin clashed with her wakizashi with one kunai and tried to slash her stomach with the other kunai. Before he had the chance to complete the swing Ino let go of the wakizashi with her left hand, keeping a firm hold with her right, and punched him straight in the face. He stumbled back dazed and Ino prepared to finish him off but was stopped by a kunai impaling the man.
Ino froze, shocked, and stared at the last Chuunin.
"What the hell?" She asked, confused at the traitorous act. Why would he kill his own teammate? Surely even rogues had companionship and honour?
The Chuunin merely smirked at her reaction and crossed his arms. That's when Ino heard a slight sizzling sound. She looked down at the kunai impaled in the, now deceased, Chuunin and caught sight of an explosive note.
"Shit!" She pushed chakra into her legs and jumped back. Fire and debris filled the area as the explosion rocked the earth. She was still blown back into a tree by the blast; if she was any closer she would've been dead.
Ino opened her eyes with a groan and tried to make out images through blurred vision. Shaking her head, she felt around for her sword and realised it was lost in the blast.
Cursing, she stumbled to her feet. When her vision was cleared she looked around the clearing for her Genin team.
Noticing them behind a group of trees with their unconscious teammate she sighed in relief, at least they're not completely stupid. However her relief was short-lived as she remembered the final Chuunin.
Looking back into the, now clearing, smoke of the explosion she made out a silhouette behind it. Gritting her teeth she readied herself for a final assault, it was time to take this pest out.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" One clone appeared at her side and she nodded at it. It charged into the smoke with a kunai drawn. She watched as the silhouette engaged the clone. She smirked, silly Chuunin.
Sprinting to the edge of the clearing, she jumped into a nearby tree to observe the fight. He did seem more skilled than his teammates, perhaps low Jounin. He must've been the leader of their little band of rebels. Nodding to herself, she jumped down from the tree and stealthily made her way towards the battle. He was so engrossed into the fight with her clone he couldn't even sense her being this close.
Pausing, she waited for the signal from her clone. The chuunin made a swipe at the Ino clone with a kunai and missed; the clone then grabbed both of his arms and held him in place. It was time.
Pumping chakra into her legs she jumped high into the air and began to form seals.
'Gotta thank Naruto for teaching me this one later.' She thought as she finished the last seal and positioned her right hand over her mouth preparing for the jutsu.
"Katon:Goukakyuu noJutsu!" She blew the huge fireball to the ground below, enveloping both her clone and the final Chuunin.
Landing in a crouch, she straightened up and let out a high sigh. As Shikamaru would say, that was troublesome. She probably could've killed him in hand to hand combat, but she wanted it over quickly. It was slightly extravagant just to take out a Chuunin, but it got the job done.
She observed the burning grave of the last Chuunin for a few seconds to see if there were any more surprises. Satisfied he was dead; she turned to walk back to her Genin team. Stopping suddenly, she remembered her lost wakizashi.
Ino looked in the direction she was catapulted from the explosion. It must've landed somewhere around there.
Examining her surroundings, she caught a glint coming from behind a few trees. She advanced onwards towards the glint, pushing tree branches from her path. Emerging in a small alcove she surveyed the area for her lost sword. Glancing upwards, she eyed the glint shining off the morning sun once more. That must be her sword.
Channeling chakra into her feet, she stepped onto the large tree that housed her sword. She proceeded vertically up the barked surface. Half way up, she spied her wakizashi imbedded into the tree's surface. Gripping the hilt tightly, she pulled with great force releasing her weapon from its timber prison. She examined her blade closely and glanced at the deep hole it left in the surface of the tree. Sighing in relief, she sheathed it once more. There was no damage to her wakizashi thankfully. She jumped from the old tree, back into the clearing from where she came.
Stepping behind the group of trees acting as the Genin's hiding spot, she addressed them, "Come on, Konoha is still a few hours away. I'll carry him." She finished, gesturing at the unconscious boy.
They nodded in agreement, still stunned from the experience. Sighing heavily, she picked up the conscious boy and put him on her shoulders. With one final glance at the smouldering ground, she led her team out of the forested area in the direction of Konoha.
Three long hours later, Ino and her team finally arrived at the Gates of Konoha. The unconscious boy woke up two hours in, so he was walking now. Stopping inside the entrance, she turned and looked at the three young ninja, "You three head home and rest, I'll report to the Hokage with the document."
The three Genin bowed and thanked her for protecting them. Ino nodded, and then made her way to the Hokage Tower.
Walking through the bustling streets of Konoha was a definite change in comparison to the calm forests outside of it. At least she didn't have to worry about getting ambushed here. Stretching her aching muscles, she remembered her long overdue bath that she promised herself. A trip to the bathhouse was in order after her report. Looking at her dirtied skin and clothing, she knew she needed it too.
After twenty minutes of casual walking, the Hokage Tower was eventually in sight. Ino knew she could've gotten there in minutes; she just couldn't be bothered to run along the rooftops using chakra right now. A leisurely stroll every now and then does some good instead of sprinting everywhere.
Walking up to the double doors, she nodded at the Chuunin guards stationed outside and they ushered her in. Stepping through into the small lobby she noticed that it wasn't busy today. That meant there wouldn't be other ninja queuing up to report to the Hokage, which meant she'd get it done faster. This all meant she would be able to get her much needed bath a lot sooner!
She smiled in triumph as she made her way up the winding stairs to the Hokage's office. Oh how she wanted that nice, hot bath. She could just imagine the steam rising from the hot water, caressing her soft bare skin. Ino smiled dreamily, she couldn't wait.
Without realising that she was lost in a day dream of relaxing in the hot spring, she walked into the door of the Hokage's office.
"Shit!" She cursed, rubbing her head and flushing in embarrassment. Looking around the small corridor, she sighed in relief as no one was around to see.
Suddenly, a voice came from the other side of the door, "Enter!"
Ino opened the door and was greeted by an open office with large windows and a small desk at the back in the middle. There was also a small bookshelf on the right hand side. She made her way to the front of the desk and stood at attention.
"Yamanaka Ino reporting, Hokage-sama." She announced, showing all the respect a Hokage deserves. Ino respected Tsunade, she was the first female Hokage and could throw one hell of a punch.
Tsunade smiled at the young woman, "You don't need to act so formal around me Ino, you did study under me for two years." She looked up at Ino and leaned back in her chair, abandoning whatever report she was reading.
Ino flushed, "I know Tsunade-sama, I guess old habits just die hard."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, "Well I wish some people would develop those kinds of habits," She giggled, thinking of a certain blonde haired ninja in their ranks. "Anyway, report. Do you have the document?"
Ino reached into her pouch and pulled out a scroll, handing it to Tsunade, "Mission success. However we were ambushed by five rogue ninja around rank Chuunin. They were dealt with. My team sustained injuries, but they're okay. They weren't much help either way."
Tsunade nodded, "I see. Good job with dealing with the rogues. I'll have a team look into the possibility of a rebel faction within Fire Country. Also, the Genin team's sensei is full health again so you won't have the responsibility anymore." She placed the scroll into her drawer and smiled at Ino once more, "Dismissed."
Ino bowed and left the room quietly. As she made her way down the spiralling stairs she smiled to herself. No more Genin team and she can finally go have her bath!
Leaving the Hokage Tower, she took off down the street leading to the Konoha Hot Springs. After a few minutes of walking it came into sight and Ino started to get excited.
'Finally! Bath time!' She thought excitedly.
Stepping into the entrance the warm air of the hot springs hit her head on and she embraced it with open arms. Making her way into the changing rooms, she picked up a towel and then undressed herself.
The hot springs were empty today except for one person. Ino couldn't see who it was because of the amount of steam so she just ignored them and stepped into the hot water.
"Aaahh." She moaned in relaxation. After a mission gone astray like the last one, nothing was better than a nice hot bath a hot spring.
"Ino?"
Said girl jumped in surprise and faced the silhouette which was beginning to morph into a person. "Hinata?" She asked, surprised that the Hyuuga would use the public bathhouse rather than the clan ones, "What brings you here?"
The Hyuuga girl giggled, "Well isn't it obvious? To relax in the hot spring of course!" Hinata came fully into view and sat down next to Ino. The young woman had finally gotten rid of that stutter she had, although she still blushed when talking to Naruto sometimes.
"Yeah, stupid question I guess." Ino admitted, "I've just got back from a mission myself, was a pain. Had to take out some Chuunin-level ninja and the three Genin I was put in command of were useless."
Hinata nodded in understanding, "I've had missions like that before. All you want to do by the end is come home and relax in here for hours." Hinata submerged her body in the relaxing water up to her neck as she finished.
Ino copied her action, "Tell me about it. Anyway, how come you're using the public hot springs and not the Hyuuga clan's?" She asked, looking at her once more.
Hinata looked at the sky and spoke, "Well it's just nice to get out once and while to have a bath that isn't monitored by nervous clan officials." She glanced at Ino, "They seem to think I'm going to get kidnapped. I'm 20 years old and a Jounin, I think I could handle a kidnapper by now."
Ino laughed out right, "Jeez, they're really uptight over there aren't they? I'm surprised they let you leave the place."
Hinata sat upright once more, "Well I'm the clan head's daughter so I can pretty much do what I want to an extent, so it's not too bad I guess. Anyway, enough about me, have you seen Sakura recently? I haven't seen her in months now. I miss our lunches together."
"I haven't either," Ino explained, "She's been made the head medic at the hospital by Tsunade-sama so she has a lot on her plate at the moment. I think the positions only temporary though until Tsunade-sama appoints a permanent one." She looked up at the sky, noticing the sun beginning to set, "When she's finished with her duties at the hospital, we'll all go out and catch up okay?"
Hinata closed her eyes and relaxed once more, "Yeah definitely, we could ask for leave from Hokage-sama and take a vacation."
Ino closed her eyes also and got into a more comfortable position, "Mmhmm. Plan." She mumbled, completely relaxed. It wasn't long before she began to doze off and enter a blissful state of sleep.
For what seemed like seconds later to Ino, she was awakened by Hinata shaking her. "Ino, you've been asleep for an hour, you should get out now."
Ino shook her head, waking herself up. She then got out of the hot spring and wrapped her towel around herself. Looking up, she noticed Hinata was fully dressed, "An hour? Jeez, I must've been more tired than I thought."
"Maybe you should head home and get some rest, I've got to head back to the clan house anyway so we should walk together." Hinata suggested, walking out of the hot spring area.
Ino walked into the changing room and got dressed back into her usual attire. Afterwards she met with Hinata outside the entrance. Although she was a bit drowsy from falling asleep, she did feel rejuvenated from the hot bath. Hinata smiled at her and began walking.
Not long later, the two kunoichi's bid their farewells and departed each other's company.
Ino walked down the backstreet leading to her apartment, stretching as she walked. That nap did her some good that was for sure.
A few minutes later she began walking up the steps to her apartment. She couldn't believe that taking out five Chuunin made her this tired; she really needed to start training again. She touched the earring she received from Asuma.
'Asuma-sensei would be ashamed of us; we've become so lax in our training routine since the last war.' She thought ashamedly, glancing off into the sun setting in the distance as she reached her floor.
Unlocking her door, she stepped into her apartment and made her way to her living room. She moved out of the Flower shop last year, although she still visited her parents often.
Sitting down on her sofa, she vowed to herself she would take her training more seriously from now on. She wouldn't disappoint her sensei, even in the grave. With a look of determination, she decided to think of a goal that she would aim for. Everyone needed a goal after all. Crossing her legs, she closed her eyes in thought. What could her goal be? She was already a Jounin. What else was there?
She opened her eyes and scanned her living room for any ideas. Her eyes landed on a book in her bookshelf, it was named "The History of ANBU". She remembered reading that book years ago. It didn't contain a lot of information due to the secrecy of the ANBU, but it did give information on how it was formed back in the days of the First and Second Hokage. They were known to be the best of the best and only a select few pass even the qualifying exams.
Ino smirked to herself; she knew what she was going to do. To her knowledge, none of the other rookies were ANBU. Well, to be honest she doubted she'd even know if they were. Only the Hokage knew the identities of the ANBU members. But still, she was going to become one. The best of the best, the Hokage's personal agents of doom. She giggled slightly to herself.
Nodding triumphantly, she looked outside her window and realised how late it was. She hadn't even eaten yet so she decided to cook a quick meal, consisting of cup ramen, and then headed to bed for an early start tomorrow.
Just as she was getting into bed, a voice halted her head hitting the pillow, "Excuse me, Yamanaka-san?"
If Ino had claws, she'd most likely have stuck to the ceiling of the room because of how high she jumped. She looked around with wide eyes frantically for the source of the voice, eventually landing on a white ANBU mask within the shadows of her room.
"Y-yes?" She asked, still shaken from the sudden appearance, "Can I help you?"
The ANBU coughed slightly and stepped into the light cascading through the window from the moon, revealing a dark cloak with a hood around a white hawk mask. "The Hokage has summoned you, along with two other individuals, to her office immediately."
Ino tilted her head at the ANBU questioningly, "What for? It's pretty late."
"I'm afraid I cannot disclose that information. However, you will need full combat gear. Make haste, Yamanaka-san," The ANBU bowed respectfully, and vanished before Ino had a chance to question him further. She cursed; she wanted to ask about the qualifying exams for ANBU!
Shaking her head and sighing, she began to rummage through her things to piece together her ninja gear and put it back on.
'The ANBU said full combat gear, so that means I'll need my Jounin uniform. But my supplies are pretty low in the pockets. I'll have to re-supply at the nearest opportunity.' Ino pondered to herself as she equipped herself for, what seemed like, an important meeting with the Hokage.
A few minutes later, Ino was stood outside her front door fully clad in her Jounin uniform. Her wakizashi was strapped to the bottom of her back, easily accessible by her right hand. It had been quite a while since she had worn her Jounin uniform. Locking her door, she took to the empty streets of Konoha.
Channelling chakra into her legs, she took off in a sprint towards the Hokage Tower. Within minutes she came skidding to a stop outside the front doors.
Reaching out to grab the door handles, a voice stopped her advance. "Yo! Ino!" She knew that voice well; it belonged to one Inuzuka Kiba.
She turned to greet him, also clad in his Jounin attire, and waved friendly, "Kiba! Long time no see!"
Kiba stopped in front of her and grinned wolfishly, "Too long! It's been what, a month? Where's everyone been lately?" He finished, putting his hand on Akamaru's head.
Ino eyed the giant dog warily and answered him, "Everyone's got different responsibilities I guess, but there isn't really much danger anymore either due to the peace between the countries at the moment."
"Troublesome."
Ino and Kiba paused in their conversation and looked at the new arrival. Ino smiled at the lazy ninja, "Hello to you too, Shikamaru." She joked, noticing he too was wearing his Jounin uniform.
Shikamaru reached the two other ninja and nodded at them fondly, "How've you both been? It's been a while, hasn't it?"
Kiba nodded, "Too long man! We should go out somewhere soon, catch up." Shikamaru nodded in agreement to the offer.
Ino took this opportunity to break up the reunion, "Well we better head in now guys, we know how Hokage-sama gets if someone's late."
Both young men shuddered at the thought.
The ninja trio made their way up the spiralling stairs of the Hokage Tower, discussing why the Hokage would summon them at this hour.
At the door to the Hokage's office, they could hear voices from within. Ino raised her hand and knocked on the wooden door.
A muffled voice spoke was again and then Tsunade's voice boomed through the old wooden door, "Enter!"
Ino opened the door, revealing Tsunade stood behind her desk and Sakura stood nearby. She smirked to herself, this would be interesting.
Ino strode confidently forward and stood at attention in front of the Hokage. Kiba and Shikamaru to her left and right respectively.
The blonde kunoichi smirked once more while facing Sakura, "Hello Sakura, miss me?"
Sakura shook off her dumbfounded expression and replied, "Ino, you're on my team?"
Ino raised a slender eyebrow, "Team? We don't even know why we're here. We only got told we needed our combat gear." She finished, gesturing to her Jounin uniform.
Shikamaru nodded, "Same with me, I was napping and an ANBU kicked me awake. It was troublesome."
Kiba scratched the back of his head, "I was outside the walls of Konoha practicing some techniques with Akamaru and an ANBU came up to us," Akamaru howled in response.
Sakura nodded in understanding and Tsunade decided to interrupt, "Okay, cut the chatter. You've got a mission." All three ninja stood at attention once more, Sakura joined them at the front and stood next to Kiba, "It's a high priority mission. To the three that don't know, Naruto's gone missing. All we know is that it has something to do with the Jinchuuriki and an unknown third party, all of this from a note that Sakura found. Your mission is to find out any information about the third party and Naruto's whereabouts. You're going in blind. Understood?"
The four ninja nodded and Tsunade continued, "We have no idea as to where he's gone, so for now you have to rely on Kiba and Akamaru."
Kiba smiled confidently, "I won't let you down Hokage-sama."
Tsunade placed her hands behind her back, "I hope not. Bring our boy home. Dismissed."
The team of four bowed respectfully and departed via the office door. Outside, Ino confronted Sakura, "Sakura, Naruto's missing? For how long?"
Sakura glanced at her as they walked to the front gates of Konoha, "I don't know, I went to visit him earlier and he was gone along with his sword. All I found was his headband in the bathroom sink and that note."
Ino didn't have a response for once; she just pondered the information quietly. Why would Naruto leave? What about his friends? Maybe he was kidnapped? Yeah that was it, he would never just leave! Risk his dream of becoming Hokage to become a missing-nin? Ha! Yeah right.
Suddenly Sakura turned and faced the group, "This is my place, I need to go in and get my uniform on. Wait here, 'kay?" Before anyone could respond, she was inside her house. She lived in a humble house, near the main market. Studying under the Hokage definitely had its perks. Most ninja lived in apartments or clan houses.
Undressing from her hospital clothes, she opened her wardrobe and pulled out her Jounin uniform. Memories flashed through her mind as she stared at the high quality fabrics. The last war, the front lines, fighting side by side with her friends and comrades, defeating enemy after enemy, and healing just as many injured. She closed her eyes, remembering the final battle.
Shaking the thoughts from her head, she began to put on the uniform. These memories were for another time. She had to find Naruto!
Looking at herself in the full-length mirror she had in her room, she observed her Jounin uniform. Most of the rookies had some sort of personal addition to their Jounin uniform. Sakura's was a small pink sash around her waist. Ino had her wakizashi, Shikamaru had Asuma's trench knives and the collar of Kiba's Jounin jacket was fur-lined.
Zipping up her jacket and tying her long hair into a low ponytail, she made her way down her stairs and out of the front door. Her teammates were waiting patiently outside.
"Sorry for the wait, I didn't really want to go out on a mission in my hospital clothes," Sakura admitted, smirking slightly.
Kiba laughed, "I don't think any enemy ninja would've taken you seriously."
Sakura shrugged, "Probably not, but I'd still punch them to the next country." She finished with a slight glare in Kiba's direction. He promptly stopped laughing.
They continued on their way to the main gate, checking their supplies as they moved. Sakura realised she had low supplies, along with Ino and Shikamaru. The only one to actually have full supplies was Kiba, when questioned he answered, "Well I just like to be prepared is all." No one argued with that logic. Sakura decided that they'd stop at the next town and re-supply as all of the stores were shut in Konoha at that time.
Arriving at the Gates of Konoha, she addressed her team once more, "Ok guys, it's been a while since we've all worked together." Sakura began.
"18 months, to be exact." Shikamaru interrupted.
Sakura coughed, and continued, "Yes, thank you for that input. Anyway, I'll be team leader for this mission. At the next town we'll be resupplying and find out any information on Naruto. Kiba, can you find his scent?" She finished, looking at Kiba.
Kiba crouched down and closed his eyes, sniffing at the air. 30 seconds later, he opened his eyes, "I've got it, he headed east. That would take us to Otafuku Gai."
Sakura smiled, "Good job Kiba. Okay, let's head out! Kiba take point."
The four ninja vanished into the trees, heading east. Sakura jumped from tree to tree, behind Kiba, lost in thought.
Why would Naruto just leave? What do the Jinchuuriki have to do with this? There were just too many questions that needed answers. She narrowed her eyes; she was going to get those answers.
Looking at each of her teammates she wondered what they were thinking. Kiba was in front with Akamaru, he seemed pretty intent on the mission as he sniffed the air every now and then. Shikamaru was just behind her, she glanced at him but he didn't even notice her looking. He must've been lost in thought or day dreaming, knowing him. Lastly was Ino, she looked pretty tired. From her knowledge she knew that Ino had just gotten back from a mission so it was understandable.
Landing on a large branch, she glanced at the sunrise in the distance. So much had happened that she forgot to sleep. Continuing onwards, she decided that they would rest at the next town as well as re-supply. She picked up her pace and the others followed, with a groan from Ino.
Hours later, they arrived at the entrance to Otafuku Gai, "We'll rest and re-supply here," Sakura glanced back at her team and they nodded.
Walking down the quiet streets, they looked for a ninja equipment store. It was very early but shops were starting to open so it was the perfect time to make purchases before it got too busy.
Spotting a small ninja equipment store that was just opening, Sakura led her team over. The old man who, assumedly, was the owner was putting out a large floor sign.
Sakura smiled pleasantly and addressed the elderly man, "Hello, are you just opening?"
The old man jumped in surprise and turned to face the group of ninjas, "O-oh, you made me jump missy. Why, yes I am just opening. Come in, come in." He turned back around and walked into his shop.
Kiba stifled a laugh and dodged a swipe to the back of the head, courtesy of Ino, "Kiba! Shh." She scolded. Sakura and Shikamaru shook their heads and the group followed the old man into the shop.
Inside, the shop was pretty normal. It had shelves containing ninja tools and a few weapons, and a few racks with longer weapons. Sakura walked up to the man, now stood behind the counter, and asked, "Do you sell explosive tags, soldier pills and ration bars?"
The old man thought for a second and nodded, pointing towards the shelves to the left of the entrance, "The area over there has all that kinda stuff, missy. Help yourself."
Sakura smiled and thanked him. Walking over to the shelves he pointed at, she noticed that he was pretty well stocked for such a small shop. Sakura, Ino and Shikamaru helped themselves to explosive tags, shuriken, soldier pills, ration bars, smoke bombs and kunai. They then took their new equipment to the counter to pay.
The old man smiled warmly, "You young'uns sure have picked up a lot of things, we don't get many ninja around here. The last time was a young man around your age just yesterday."
All four ninja snapped their heads at the old man; Ino was the first to speak, "Young man? Did he have blonde hair and whisker marks on his cheeks?" She asked impatiently.
The old man, suddenly nervous at the change in demeanour of the young woman, stuttered a response, "W-why yes, he did missy" Ino leaned forward onto the counter.
"Did he say where he was going?" Sakura asked softly, stopping Ino from further scaring the man to death. Ino removed her hands from the counter and muttered an apology to the old man.
The man visibly relaxed, although glancing fearfully at the blonde haired woman, and gave a reply, "He didn't say much about where he was going. Just that he needed some supplies to help some friends, missy."
Sakura smiled, "I see, thank you." Sakura and the others paid for their goods and bid the old man farewell, leaving him to his work.
Further down the street, Shikamaru spoke, "So, he came by to get some supplies to help some friends. From our current knowledge I'd gather that those 'friends' would be the other Jinchuuriki." Shikamaru stroked his chin in thought and continued, "Furthermore, if he came here yesterday then he must've rested here and moved on just as we are. I hypothesise that we are about one day behind him. Also, he's travelling east which would take him towards Hot Spring Country, Whirlpool Country, Wave Country or Water Country. But knowing Naruto, he could surprise us and go south towards Tea Country when he reaches the coast. That is unlikely though since he'll probably want to get out of Fire Country as soon as possible and going to Tea Country would keep him inside our borders for twice as long."
Sakura and Ino raised an eyebrow at his thorough analysis, he hadn't said much since they left Konoha. Kiba voiced their thoughts, "That's deep man. You sure know you're geography. I wondered why you were so quiet!"
Shikamaru shrugged, "Well it was too troublesome to talk so I just thought about the mission and analysed the variables."
Sakura sighed, "Only you would find talking too troublesome, Shikamaru."
Ino laughed, "I think the only thing you don't find troublesome is sleeping!" The whole group, except Shikamaru, shared a laugh at that.
Kiba put his arm roughly around Shikarmaru's neck, "You had me worried there buddy, I thought you had bad gas or something!" Akamaru voiced his agreement with a bark.
Sakura, ignoring Kiba's comment, gave the group instruction, "Okay, we've re-supplied so I think we deserve some rest." She looked around their current position and saw a humble-looking hotel at the side of the road. Pointing, she continued, "We'll rest there for a few hours and then get back on the road. If he's only a day ahead we shouldn't lose the trail."
The rest of the group nodded and headed towards the small hotel.
Inside, they each paid for separate rooms. They all showered and got into bed, preparing themselves for a long day of travel.
Sakura was led in her bed, lost in thought.
'Okay, so what have we found out so far? We know he came through here, re-supplying just like us. What was he preparing for though?' She rolled over onto her side and closed her eyes, 'Is he preparing for some big fight or something?'
Scrunching her eyes she continued her train of thought, 'Who were 4 and 5 taken by? There's just too much we don't know. Hopefully we'll get a better idea as to what's going on tomorrow. For now, we need rest.'
At that thought, she entered a state of relaxation and soon entered the blissful realm of sleep.
Unknowingly to her, she and her comrades were being watched by a single figure on a nearby rooftop. The lone figure lifted a black gloved hand to an earpiece and spoke through his white mask.
"Chameleon to command, targets are currently resting in a hotel, do I assassinate targets?" He asked in a monotone voice. There was a pause. "Understood, will continue to tail targets and wait for true target to reveal himself."
There was another pause. The figure replied once more in monotone, "I understand, thank you sir. Chameleon out."
'Chameleon' removed his black-clad hand from his earpiece and continued to observe the sleeping forms of the Konoha-nin through the windows. He was picked specially for this mission; he was the best when it came to stealth missions. He placed his hand on the blunt-ended tantō he carried upon his back. The day would come when he would strike.Removing his hand from the tantō he looked down at the streets below. People were beginning to file into the streets now. Looking around, he decided he would wait for his targets in a more stealthy position. With a final glance at his targets, a strong wind blew and he was gone without a trace. He would not fail his master.
