Chapter Four – Out Fishing
"Our first and biggest problem," Natsuki began after giving each of her new charges a good, level look, "is the Hyuuga girl. Her Byakugan can see at a 360 degree angle, with just a small blind spot that would be hard to exploit. She can also see everything in a thirty-five metre radius once the Byakugan is activated, not much of a feat for a child her age, though still a big enough problem that we just can't readily ignore. Her teammate is also an Inuzuka, which means that we'll have to hide our scents well if we don't want him to catch wind of us. As such, I have created a workaround in terms of tailing them. Shino will tag them with his little friends, ensuring that we will always know their location. Ino, on the other hand, will use this."
"A scroll?" Ino asked, staring at the huge scroll which was leaning on one of the trees a few feet away. "What am I going to use that scroll for?"
"It's a Summoning Scroll," Natsuki said and kicked it open, showing an array of signatures across the scroll. "Particularly, a scroll used to summon falcons. Normally, such scrolls are privy only to the Hunter division, but seeing as the three of you seem slated to become ANBU in a couple of years, I saw no harm in procuring this scroll and allowing you to sign it."
"I still don't understand how a Summoning scroll will be of use to me," Ino answered weakly, retracting a little for fear that she might have angered her sensei.
"You are quite adept with using the Shintenshin no Jutsu, yes?" At the nod of the young blonde's head, Natsuki continued, "Then you can use that jutsu to ride with the falcon's mind and see what it sees. In that way, you can watch Team 8, thus overcoming the thirty-five metre gap. After all, if we are to follow after them, we'll have to make sure that we are always more than thirty-five metres away from them at any given time, even when she hasn't activated her Byakugan. When something happens to them, however, you must alert us immediately. Remain with them to aid them if need be, but do not make direct contact with them unless instructed to do so." She showed them some throat microphones that were standard issues for all shinobi. "We will be using this to communicate over the long distance, though we'll use this sparingly. They may be useful but they won't last for a long journey. We'll keep them around our throats but turned off until we receive some kind of sign via our Signal Devices. That's the only time we'll use them."
"How about me? If I am to ride with a falcon's mind, how can you communicate with me?" Ino inquired.
"We've thought of a good workaround for that as well," Natsuki spoke matter-of-factly.
Shizuru, who had been listening all this time, added, "Why don't you try that Summoning Contract? I'm sure you'll understand what Natsuki means once you've seen it for yourself."
Ino nodded, though she still looked uncertain of what to do. She bit her thumb and wrote her name quickly on the scroll before closing it and looking up at Natsuki for more instruction.
"The hand seals are boar, dog, bird, monkey and ram. A blood sacrifice is needed in order to complete this technique," Natsuki said concisely, as if quoting from a textbook.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" There was a huge puff of smoke that covered Ino for a moment. When the smoke dispersed, they saw a medium-sized falcon, about a foot and a half tall, on top of Ino's shoulder, its wings spread as it tried to balance itself. Its underbelly was white, with brown flecks while the rest of its body was a warm, gray-brown colour. Its huge black eyes stared at Ino curiously. A couple of feet away, Shino stiffened and looked rather uncomfortable at the sight of the falcon.
"Worry not, brother," the falcon spoke in an effeminate voice, turning her attention to Shino, "I will not harm your companions."
"Shirohane is a Prairie falcon," Natsuki explained. "She prefers small mammals and other birds, so you needn't worry."
"I thank you for the reassurance," Shino spoke dryly and adjusted his spectacles.
"Hello," Ino murmured shyly and grimaced at the feel of Shirohane's claws against her skin. Sensing her master's discomfort, Shirohane flew to a nearby branch and preened herself.
"Hullo, Mistress," the falcon greeted her rather amicably. "You've a talent for summoning it seems. Often, it takes one or two tries before your kind is able to summon us, especially you young 'uns."
"That in part has to do with the extensive training they've been doing in the last few weeks," Shizuru said with just a tiny hint of pride in her voice. "As well as natural ability of course."
"Of course," Natsuki echoed wryly and pointed at the metal ring around Shirohane's leg. "As you can see, she also carries a Signal Device and a sizable amount of chakra, dependent on how much chakra you put into the initial summoning. If need be, you can signal one of us, if there is any trouble. However, since falcons are incapable of turning a throat mic on, you will have to tell us what's wrong via the Signal Device. Since we have a couple of hours before Team 8 departs, I can teach you three a few simple codes to use in conjunction with the Signal Device."
"I have a better idea, Sensei," Naruto interrupted, looking at them thoughtfully. "Though it might be a good idea to teach us how to use our Signal Devices more, I have something in mind that will make communicating with Ino easier."
"Well?" Natsuki said, once it was obvious that Naruto wouldn't say anything further without prompting. "What's this idea of yours?"
"Another Summon," Naruto said. "We can have two falcons follow after Team 8. When Ino needs to tell us something, she'll ask for the other Summon to dispel itself. Then we'd know about it."
"If Ino uses another Summon, it presents us with two problems. First of all, even with her improved chakra capacity, it would still be taxing for her to Summon two falcons at once. Not only that, but we would need her to Summon the falcon in order for us to communicate with it." Shino pointed out. "Perhaps it would be better if the other falcon flies back to us in order to warn us. Unless of course, Natsuki-sensei is willing to Summon the other falcon. With the use of the Signal Devices, we would know when she has dispelled the other Summon."
The blonde boy scratched his cheek and laughed uncertainly. "I suppose I wasn't too clear about what I said and I apologize for that. What I meant was, I would do the Summoning, and have one of my Espers change form into a falcon in order to stay inconspicuous. Once my Summon is dispelled, it would immediately return to me, and I can communicate with it easily through my Mind Link with it."
"That's great and all, but how about afterwards?" Ino countered. "How can I communicate with you then?"
"Shino can have Shirohane bugged with one of his allies so he knows where you are at all times and he can direct my Summon to you once more. Since I have a bigger chakra capacity than you, I can easily Summon another Esper. In fact, what I'll be doing won't even be a full Summoning," Naruto explained. "Watch." He formed the seals for a Fuuton Bunshin and didn't even blink an eye when a clone of himself appeared right beside him. "My bloodline is unique in that I can put an Esper into one of my clones. Also, because clones are made of chakra, and not as solid as real things, they are far easier to mould into another form. Unlike the Henge no Jutsu, which is one of the most basic genjutsus we have, the transformation is real. Valefor, transform into a falcon please," Naruto commanded.
His clone nodded and formed an obscure hand seal that not even Natsuki nor Shizuru recognized. "Shinsei Henge no Jutsu!" A falcon appeared in his place.
"I can communicate with Oujo-sama, and relay any information to Naruto, if she so pleases," the other falcon spoke, preening its light-coloured feathers. Shirohane eyed him curiously, but did not seem at all bothered by him, which was strange for a normally territorial animal. Perhaps it was because she was a Summon Beast.
"Well, if you can do all that, why can't I just use Shintenshin no Jutsu on your Esper?" Ino asked, after recovering from the initial shock of having Naruto reveal so many of his clan secrets to them so easily. Normally, shinobi were more secretive about their jutsus, which is why not many knew about Naruto's bloodline in the first place, only his closest friends. But to tell us about his jutsus... Ino mused. Perhaps this means he sees us as close friends too? That would be a nice thought, she admitted to herself.
"Unfortunately, my chakra has a rather unique effect on other people, considering my chakra is often attuned to a certain element, as you all know," Naruto spoke unhappily. "I do not want to risk hurting you. Besides, having your own Summons means that you won't have to rely on me all the time, yeah?"
"I suppose," Ino said, frowning slightly.
"Are you not pleased that you were able to Summon me, Mistress?" Shirohane inquired softly.
"It's not that, Shirohane," Ino spoke reassuringly. "I'm just overwhelmed by the sudden responsibility. Sorry if I had you worried there."
"Problem solved, I suppose," Natsuki grumbled wryly.
"Well, dear, you can still teach them some Signal codes," Shizuru reminded her. "I'm sure it will make for an interesting exercise, especially considering the fact that Signal codes require a lot of chakra control in order to be done properly."
"Right!" Natsuki grinned evilly. "And as an extra incentive, we should devise some sort of punishment every time they fail to provide the proper Signal codes."
Uh-oh, Naruto thought as he saw the glint in Natsuki's eyes. We're in trouble now.
Hinata was filled with nervous energy. She hadn't expected to be given a C-rank mission so early in her Genin career, especially not after Kurenai's little speech about the importance of slogging through D-rank missions and building up character. Still, the Hokage seemed genuinely impressed with their work ethic and had decided to reward them with a C-rank mission, albeit a slightly boring one, as Kiba put it. Escorting bridge builders was not really that exciting, but it beat pulling weeds and chasing after demon cats any day.
He doesn't see it that way though, Hinata thought ruefully. But at least he's more up to it than Shikamaru-kun is.
Their lazy teammate wasn't at all that eager with the notion of work, and hard work at that. Their first few days together, Shikamaru only worked to reach the bare minimum requirement, and without much enthusiasm. Kurenai was quite determined to push them into becoming stronger shinobi though, and was deliberately harder with Shikamaru than with his other teammates. Now, the young genius stood with an alert air about him, his slouch gone, as well as the perpetually irritated look on his face. He still moaned on about how troublesome everything was, but he did so in private, when it was just the three of them training.
"Hey-a, Kiba," a most familiar voice interrupted her thoughts. "Are you going somewhere today?"
She looked up, met Naruto's gaze for half a second, and suddenly found the ground very interesting.
"We're doing a C-rank mission," announced Kiba, his chest swelling with pride. Shikamaru smirked slightly but said nothing.
"That's cool," Naruto answered brightly. "You guys totally deserve that C-rank mission! From what I heard, you guys have been working real hard with those D-rank missions lately. We only do one or two a day, and you guys do at least five. I'm glad all of your hard work has finally paid off." Naruto paused when he heard the sound of others approaching. "Have fun with your mission and good luck! I have to leave now. More training, you know? See you in a couple of days."
Hinata gave Naruto a tiny wave and let her shoulders relax when the boy was finally gone. It was so nice of him to wish us luck, she mused, feeling her pulse quicken. She slapped her cheeks and adjusted the straps on her backpack. No, she couldn't let herself be distracted now.
"Are you ready?" Kurenai asked. Tazuna, the bridge builder, was trailing after her, a disgruntled expression on his face.
"As ever," Shikamaru answered back. He would have probably rolled his eyes too, Hinata knew, if it weren't for the fact that Kurenai had a full-view of his face, and a more obvious show of sarcasm would just spell trouble for her teammate. To Hinata, he said, "I'll take rear if you take front. Remember, Byakugan every half hour. Kiba, stay close to our client."
Hinata nodded briefly and walked to the front, aware of the others' eyes on her. She gulped and closed her eyes. Whispering the word, "Byakugan," to herself, she activated her bloodline and scanned the area warily. There were a few people milling around near Konoha's front gates, but none of them had hostile chakra signatures. She paused slightly in her inspection and felt a shiver run through her spine as she watched Naruto conversing lightly with his teammates from afar. She let the jutsu go before she was completely distracted and gave the hand signal 'all clear' to the rest of her companions. Uncertainly, she took the first step outside the huge gates of Konoha. The next step after that was easier.
She consciously unwound her tense shoulder muscles and clasped her hands behind her back. Kiba, who was besides their client, had started talking to Tazuna about the Wave Country, his easy manner allowing their client to relax. Kiba had always been the most vocal member in Team 8, and could talk to anyone without batting an eyelid. Rank or prestige did not matter to the young boy. He was loud and brash, but easy-going and cheerful too. If Tazuna did not seem bothered with his forwardness, he would happily talk on about a variety of topics until told otherwise. It seemed that nobody minded though; after all, it helped pass the time and kept everyone from being completely bored.
Not that we should be bored, Hinata reprimanded mentally to herself. We should be alert at all times. To strengthen her resolve, she used the Byakugan again and squinted, surveying the ground around them. No one was around, except for some birds in the trees as well as other various animals scuttling about. She bit her lip and let the jutsu go after a few seconds. There was no point in using the Byakugan on a prolonged basis. Sure, it would strengthen their security, but it would leave Hinata depleted of chakra. She would not be of much use in a fight then.
Her thoughts, eventually, led back to Naruto's smiling face and his crouched figure, waving goodbye at them just a few hours before. He was the nicest boy she had ever met. Though he didn't need to, he took it upon himself to sit around their classroom and interact with different people on a daily basis. His closest friends were unhappy about it at first, reasoning that he never spends enough time with them, but he said that he wanted to be friends with everyone, and they should use that opportunity to do the same. He was very open to others, and always thought about their progress. Even those who only seemed to like him because of his intellect were given equal respect. It seemed like nothing could faze the boy, and he was just illogically nice to everyone.
Hinata especially liked those days when he sat beside her. He was always asking questions that made Hinata feel useful and even served as a review for later on. He also shared some of his lunch with her. It was not the most exquisite cuisine the young heiress had tasted, but the fact that she was in his company, eating food he had made thoughtfully for her, was enough to make the food seem heavenly. Of course, he did the same for Kiba and Chouji, but that was where the list ends; this was one of the few things he did only for the three of them. Once, she asked him why that was the case, and he explained that it was because he was indebted to the three of them. It seemed that he still remembered a time when they would feed him because he didn't have enough money to feed himself. Now, he could fend for himself, but he had a long memory.
I just wish he did that because he liked—well, because of other reasons, Hinata thought bitterly. She sighed audibly and almost jumped when she felt Kurenai's hand on her shoulder. "Se-sensei?"
"Tired already, Hinata?" Her sensei asked.
"N-no, Sensei. I'm sorry," Hinata stuttered, blushing a crimson red. "I was just thinking about things."
"Care to talk to me about them?" When she saw Hinata shake her head, she added, "Well, just as long as you don't fall too deep into your thoughts. It wouldn't do to let your teammates down by being distracted."
"Hai!" Hinata answered forcefully and faced ahead once more. "How much longer until we reach Wave country?" She asked after a moment's pause and hoped that she didn't sound too whiny.
"I believe we will reach Wave Country in three days' time at the pace we're making," Kurenai answered kindly, and smiled down at Hinata. "The hardest thing about escort missions, Hinata, is the waiting. Sometimes, nothing happens at all. Sometimes, the pace itself can be unbearably slow as well. There's nothing we can do. We cannot choose the circumstances of the mission. We can only do our best and hope that it ends as a success with no one hurt. I know the younger shinobis are always itching for a fight, but that's only because they're still blinded with the glory of fighting. Soon enough, I'm sure the three of you will be more than happy to have missions like this, where nothing bad happens."
"Do you feel relieved, Sensei?" Hinata asked shyly. "That nothing bad has happened so far?"
"If that means my students are safe, than I am," admitted Kurenai. They heard Shikamaru whistle an old song about soldiers marching to war and tensed. Kurenai disappeared in a blur of dust and leaves while Hinata ran towards Tazuna, her Byakugan already activated. I suppose we'll be safe another day, Hinata thought and frowned.
The leaves rustled from above and produced a cloaked man wearing a mask over his mouth. He landed in between Hinata and Tazuna, and with a grunt, sent his other half flying over Tazuna's head to land behind him. Fortunately, Kiba and Shikamaru were already standing near Tazuna, and had managed to intercept the long shuriken chain that threatened to behead Tazuna just a few moments ago. With the two enemy shinobi locked in a stalemate, Hinata took this opportunity to hit the man's tenketsu points in the back, rendering some of his chakra coils useless.
There was a sound of something snapping. Hinata saw that they had released the chain in favour of individual fighting, and jumped back to avoid the metal claw attached to the man's arm. She watched him warily, knowing that even without chakra, he was still a danger to everyone. It was at that moment that Kurenai had stepped in to help them, using an illusion to keep one of their opponents at bay. Of course, she had decided to incapacitate the one who was already suffering from the sealed tenketsu points as he would have a harder time fighting the illusion without access to his chakra. The other was quickly subdued by Kiba and Shikamaru, with Kiba dealing the damage while Shikamaru kept their enemy from moving with his Kage jutsu.
Hinata blinked and straightened from her fighting stance. She was surprised and a little happy to note that they had done so well for their first time fighting outside Konoha's walls, though she couldn't help but feel as if the whole fight was a bit anti-climactic. She frowned and bit her lip, her eyes unfocused. If she were to look at this from a perspective that her Outo-sama encouraged, she would have been disappointed. These opponents were weak and fighting them had not helped her at all in becoming a better shinobi. On the other hand, she was thankful for how quick the fight had ended, for the very reason that Kurenai did not mind the monotony in a mission.
She turned her head to stare at the two Mist nin warily. They had not answered any of Kurenai's probing questions. Kiba, who was always the most impatient of them, snarled threats in a low, rumbling voice. Besides him, Akamaru barked. Probably making similar threats.
After a few more minutes of fruitless questioning, Kurenai sighed in defeat and signalled for them to walk onwards to their destination. Hinata wondered why that was. Shikamaru, it seemed, was wondering the same thing. "Kurenai-sensei, is it really alright for us to leave those two tied to a tree? Considering they're Chuunin-level shinobi, I have no doubt that they will escape sooner or later."
"Interrogating them is not within our mission parameters. Though learning more from them would be beneficial to Tazuna-san's overall safety, keeping him here while we try to break those two would only endanger him more. We could bring those two along, but if more rogue shinobi attacked us, they would only prove to be a handicap, especially if they escape from their bonds. Not only that, but we only have enough rations to feed ourselves. I suppose we could forego feeding them, but I personally don't advocate such inhumane actions." She took a breath's pause, before continuing. "Besides, they've already been taken care of."
"Taken care of? Tazuna asked, appalled. "You haven't killed them while we weren't looking, have you?"
"Oh gods, no," Kurenai replied. "I just meant that someone's already gone there to retrieve them—several someones, in fact, who are probably better at interrogating than I am."
"Several...? How are you so sure about this, Sensei?" Kiba demanded.
Kurenai smiled slightly but refused to answer.
"They're on to us, Natsuki-sensei," Ino said frantically and watched as their current Jounin-sensei erect the tent they would be sharing for the night, calm as ever. "I'm sure of it!"
"Well, seeing as specialized Jounins are considered the very best that Konoha has to offer—sans the ANBU of course, but no one is entirely too sure how powerful the ANBU are—I wouldn't put it past their sensei to have noticed us already by now." Natsuki remarked offhandedly and set the last of the poles in place.
"But aren't you a Hunter-nin and part of the ANBU?" Ino asked. Natsuki gave her a look that very much said, 'So what?' "Surely you're capable of hiding yourself from their sensei!"
"Oh, I am." Knowing that Ino wouldn't stop staring at her if she didn't explain her answer better, Natsuki added, "But you aren't."
"What does that mean? Are you saying that we're incapable of hiding from them?"
"I'm saying that your current abilities can never be good enough to hide from a veteran. Especially one who's probably twice as old as you are," Natsuki replied, the smug tone evident in her voice.
"Then what was the whole point of having us trail after them without revealing our presence?" Ino continued her barrage of questions, clearly dissatisfied. Naruto and Shino, who had already finished with their tent, watched them silently. There was no need to interrupt Ino, especially when they wanted to know the answer to her questions as well.
"It was merely an exercise in hiding your presence, though I do admit that there are other benefits as well."
"Like what?"
"You've proven that you are capable of hiding from other genin, which already makes you ahead of them in the long run. Sure, you managed by restricting your movements and using an overly complex communication system rather than mere talent alone, but let's face it: talent's not going to help you once the playing field's been levelled. You can see this as a lesson in creativity as well." Natsuki paused to consider her next words. "There's also the fact that because you've managed to hide your presence so well, their sensei will assume that whoever's tailing them is at least the level of an average Chuunin.
"Now here's where it gets interesting. The reason why my Jounin counterpart noticed us was because she noticed the strong, fluctuating chakra coming from Shirohane, a sure way of recognizing a Beast Summon as birds normally don't have Shirohane's chakra capacity. Now that I've switched Shirohane with my own Summon, one with a lesser chakra capacity, I doubt she believes that they're still being followed. In fact, she probably thought that our role in all of this was merely to capture those two rogue shinobi after they were done with them. Your coming back here is evidence enough of that, from her perspective anyway."
"Or she could be thinking that the ones following her are rogues as well, and the only reason they stopped was because they had to ensure that their comrades are safe," Ino offered.
"An unlikely scenario, considering she spotted Shirohane. Since she participated in the Third Great Shinobi World War, then she should be familiar with Konoha's best messenger birds." Natsuki rebutted.
"If that's the case, then wouldn't she recognize your falcon too? Also, how are we going to trail after them tomorrow?" Naruto asked mildly.
"By sending them a message in advance that we're going to be trailing after them tomorrow," Natsuki answered simply. "As for your first question, it depends on whether or not she notices my falcon first. As I've mentioned, without the chakra capacity she probably wouldn't notice my falcon at all. When you're not looking for something—"
"You don't see it. Even if it's right in front of you," Naruto finished, remembering that line all too well from an Academy lecture. He frowned, his eyebrows knitting in confusion. "If we tell them we're tailing them, then doesn't that defeat the purpose of us trying to hide our presence in the first place?" he asked.
"No, because now they're aware that their mission is a lot more dangerous than it seems which would then justify sending backup. After all, when one has just been attacked by two rogue shinobi, one has to question the value of the person one is trying to protect."
"Then why not just tell them upfront that they're in danger before they even left the village?" Ino spoke up before Naruto could say anything.
Natsuki looked upwards and sighed. "Because then they would be wondering why the Hokage still sent them in the first place, knowing that they might face higher classes of missing-nin."
"So they're bait?" There was a sudden silence. Two heads turned to gape at Naruto who looked angry for once. "You just let them go through that gate, knowing damn well that all they'll ever be is bait?"
"'All they'll ever be?'" Natsuki asked mockingly. "Naruto, if bait is all they'll ever be, the Hokage wouldn't have sent you with me. In fact, he would have probably sent a team of ANBU in your place. Do you know how bloody hard it is to keep 'bait' alive? We're not sending them on a fucking suicide mission here. I assure you, there are plenty of ways to finish this mission successfully without having to resort to such idiotic means.
"I know you're merely concerned about your teammates' safety, but acting like they can't take care of themselves will get you nowhere. They're not children to be coddled, Naruto. They're shinobi like you and me. At least acknowledge that and don't underestimate them.
"You know, I pity the man who will take the mantle of Hokage someday, because, to be honest? He'll have the hardest decisions to make. When it comes to handing out missions, do you think our Sandaime just chooses whatever he fancies and gives them to you? Every mission is given a lot of thought. Considering that you're still genin-level in most aspects, D-class missions will be the bulk of your work load. However, he is also aware of the fact that you need to grow and, in order for that to happen, you will have to do a variety of missions that just might be dangerous. If he doesn't, then he's denying you the best education there is out there: experience.
"So yes, the Sandaime might be endangering the lives of your friends by giving them this assignment, but don't you know? The path of a shinobi is always dangerous. The only reason he sent us here, is because the last time he sent a genin team on a C-class escort mission that took more than three days to finish, everyone ended up dying."
"Degarashi Port Incident," whispered Naruto. He looked away from Natsuki's sharp gaze, as if remembering something from long ago.
"Exactly," Natsuki spoke softly as she too remembered that particular botch-up. "So next time, take a while to stop and think about why the Sandaime did what he did, and see things from his perspective. Do you really think he's going to let his youngest batch of genin become bait? No, I don't think so." She paused for a while so that her words could properly sink in. "Consider this a lesson in what it means to be the Hokage."
"Sensei, are we bringing those two with us?" Shino finally asked, breaking the silence, and nodded at the two brothers who were currently unconscious thanks to a powerful sleep jutsu that Natsuki had applied to them. "I feel that their presence will be a detriment to our mission."
"Good thinking," their sensei said approvingly and grinned. "I would have addressed the issue earlier, but as you can see, I got a bit sidetracked."
She turned her attention towards Naruto who seemed apologetic enough for his earlier outburst. "Think you can have four of your clones bring these two back to Konoha? Normally, I'd have them questioned, but I only know a few Interrogation techniques, most of which might compromise our location as it requires physically hurting them. Besides, Shizuru might want to teach you herself, and that would mean going over the basics." She paused and mumbled to herself, "I'd probably make a mess of the job teaching them how to interrogate anyway." To Naruto, she continued, "It shouldn't take a while if they're running back at full-speed. Try to keep a low-profile though. If they do have allies, it's a possibility that they'll try to retrieve our captives. I don't want your clones to take their allies on, you understand?"
Naruto nodded. Already, two Fuuton Bunshin were picking up their captives, while the other two had disappeared to do some scouting.
When he turned around, he found Ino pressing a wooden bowl filled with beef stew against his hands. They were lukewarm, having come from a huge thermos, because they weren't allowed to make a fire for cooking. Briefly, Naruto wondered if heat dissipated even when the food was stored inside a scroll, but those thoughts were pushed at the back of his mind to be pondered another time as he sat down besides Shino to eat. Natsuki passed them a chunk of bread each and settled in front of them. "Better eat quickly because we won't be making a fire tonight." She advised them and bit into her own piece of bread. She seemed to consider something for a moment before saying, "Just because it feels as if we're being sent here as backup doesn't mean that it's our only job. The fact that Shizuru's unit has taken an interest in the Land of Waves means that there's more to this mission than just a power-hungry man looking to drain a nation of their wealth. Keep your eyes and ears open. Don't trust a single source, unless their words have been validated by others."
"You're beginning to sound like Shizuru," Ino observed lightly.
Natsuki made a face. "I hang around that woman too much and this is what happens. Well, damn. Before you know it, I'll be saying 'ara, ara' soon enough and drinking tea like it's fucking water."
A/N: As a refresher, Degarashi Port Incident was mentioned in the first chapter of the Butterfly Effect, where his old landlord had been responsible for the death of a genin team.
I was originally planning for Zabuza to show up at the end of this chapter but realized that I needed a more concrete timeline. That meant he would appear at the second or third day, because they should have some considerable distance between them and Konoha by the time he attacks. Also, from looking at a Naruto map, I don't think one can travel to the Land of Waves in only a day. Not with a civilian to escort.
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