It was two days before the Xiaolin warriors would return home. During the remainder of their time here they divided it between training hard and having fun with their new friends. Everyone had improved greatly in the month of training. The monks had nearly mastered the basics of the taijustu they had been taught. The ninja had also nearly perfected the fighting style and using chi instantantly. It just went to show how much hard work and strong will went.
The kids had currently cleared out a couple D rank missions. It wasn't boring once you add a little fun into mix. Between the music, Shen Gong Wu, and competition they had completed over a dozen missions in record time. Currently they were all seated in the park looking over some of the monks' old high school texts. They had spent a lot time training themselves physically and emotionally so now was the time to train them intellectually.
"As you can see this health book has all the information you could want on the human body. It shows chapters about different systems, healthy diet and exercise, even the damages drugs cause. I passed this class with a B! I'm sure that you could use it for your hospital studies right?" Omi asked anxiously as he showed her the textbook. It was barely used with photos and full colored illustration with lots of extra info.
"Hmm we don't have the same drugs here, but I think this could come in handy if I do encounter someone in withdrawal. Thanks Omi! I can't wait to get started on the activity book that came with it. Should tell me exactly how much nutrition I'm getting."
"Why do we have to do this again? I thought you were going to teach us something fun!" Konohamaru whined. He and his friends were sitting at a picnic table working on their calligraphy.
"Shut up Konohamaru or we'll have to start all over again!" Moegi growled.
"Penmanship is very important in life. If we can't write our characters clearly who is going to understand us?" Udon added.
"Correct Udon. In my country we started learning how to use calligraphy when I was your age. You don't know how many times good handwriting has saved my life. Now show me your names. Hmm. Udon, Moegi, both of you did an excellent job. Sorry Konohamaru you need to be neater. Try again," Kimiko instructed. She grinned happy to be sharing her knowledge.
Clay was quizzing Choji on Foods. That class was all about different food groups, proper preparation, cooking/baking and storing food. "So what's its called when you add nutrition that had been previously removed?"
"That would be enrichment!"
"Good work partner. What it is called when you add nutrients the food naturally lacks?"
"Fortification! Wow I never knew food could be so much fun."
Raimundo and Naruto were sitting a tree with Naruto hanging upside down. He hated school! He really didn't see why he had to learn anything now that he graduated, but Raimundo reminded him how the more knowledge you gained the better leader you were. So now they were reviewing the governments systems of the world. "Okay if you get this one you can sit up. You ready?"
"As ready as I'm ever going to be! Just ask the question already!"
"Explain what is a democratic republic and list one country that follows this pattern. You have thirty seconds starting now!"
"Um a democratic republic is also known as a Representive Democratic is a democracy where the power of the people is divided up into three groups. The groups are known as Legislative, which makes the laws, Executives, that okays it and Judicial, which enforces it. The country that best represents this government is the United States of America. Done!" Naruto panted. That was a hard question.
"Impressive you remembered everything. Sit up and take a break you deserve it."
Jack and Tenten were on the seesaw practicing her Foreign Language skills. He would shout out a word in Japanese and she would give him an accurate translation in both English and Spanish.
(I can't speak any other languages so if it's in bold assume it's in another language.)
"Hotaru!"
"Firefly! Firefly!" Tenten shouted back. She grinned at getting it right. Shifting the scabbard containing her new broadswords she got ready for the next word. She was very determined to do well.
Lee and Jermaine were leaning against the slide. Jermaine was giving Lee a lesson in physical science. Heat transfer, atoms, and laws of physics. "See if you understand the principles of how your moves work dawg you can create better techniques man. Yo right?"
"Yosh you are right Jermaine-kun! My Spirits of Youth are burning quite brightly thanks to your lessons!"
Dagwood and Shino were relaxing and talking about different types of Speeches. Dagwood felt that a clan heir should know how to speak to his clan and at meeting. It would also help him be more sociable. "So you see an informative speech should inform someone of the facts without sounding like an order."
"Logical. I think I understand the basics of what you're showing me. I shall attempt to use it next time at a clan meeting."
Both Hyaguus and their counterparts were on the steps deep in lessons. Lu and Neji were going over the basics of Algebra and were already moving onto collage level math. Hinata and Crystal continued to work on English skills like reading books, grammar, and citing sources. Hinata really had a knack for this.
"Shouldn't be surprised that a Hyugga genius can do the hell that's math," Lu muttered.
"It's not that hard once you understand the basics. To be honest it's a little challenging at times."
"Whoa you really understand how to cite a book. I'm impressed. I still have to have my guide book with me to do it."
"It's simple memorization. I could teach you."
Stacey was with Kiba and Akamura sitting next to the sandbox. She was showing him the different art periods and styles. She was hoping to get Kiba interested into art so he could paint for a girl one day. "So you see how the repetition of the same object gradually changing can form something complex correct?"
Akamura barked in agreement, but Kiba still looked confused. "I just don't think I'm going to get M.C. Mercer. You have something simpler I could start out with? Maybe those ink scratches you showed me yesterday. I think I can get that," Kiba admitted. He took a special pen and paper and scratched an ink outline version of Akamura. "Not bad huh?"
Auara and Ino were going over Drama books. She was explaining all about character, story, and language. Auara was showing the difference between the Greek play "Medina" and Shakespeare "The Taming of the Shrew."
"As you can see Medina is told in a twenty four hour time line. The chorus represents the gods or the intense emotions. In the Taming of the shrew you have more the two acts. You have movement and scene changes with expressive language. You understand?"
"Yeah each is a different cultures way of sharing a story, but the message still has to come across. I think I like drama!"
Callie and Shikamaru were having a heartfelt discussion about Sociology. Callie would quiz him on the different theories and ask him to give her an example found in his world. His best example was when he mentioned group togetherness and used his team as an example.
"You truly are a genius Shikamaru. You would have aced high school and any collage of your choice if you grew up in our world."
"Thanks Callie. Your not as troublesome as I once thought."
"Hello kiddies how's the tutoring session going?" Dojo asked as he slithered into the park. He looked well and wasn't panicking now that he was away from Master Fung. That night with the animals and summons did him some good.
"What's up Dojo? Does Master Fung have a job for us to do?" Auara asked as she closed the Drama book.
"Nah, he's still busy helping the Hokage with her paperwork. Why can't any of your leaders handle the workload? A white collar person could finish that stuff up in two hours instead of a day."
"A white-collar person doesn't have to sort through both military and civilian paperwork at the same time Dojo," Stacey pointed out.
"So you decided to descend from the high tower and mingle with us common folks. What a pleasure," Crystal joked.
"Alright cut the shenanigans! I can leave you know! I just wanted to see how my favorite people were doing. But if you want to make fun of little old Dojo go right ahead!" Dojo huffed annoyed with them.
"Hey there's no reason to get upset Dojo. If you want to hang with us go right ahead. All were doing right now is training them in the intellectual arts. Not that some of these dobes can actually learn," Lu smirked.
Any kind of retort from Xiaolin warrior or shinobe was cut short. Dojo started twitching uncontrollably and bouncing all over the place. None of them had time to dodge out of the way as he knocked both Raimundo and Naruto out of the tree, caused Omi to smack heads with Sakura, forced Shikamaru on top of Callie, and lastly caused Jack and Tenten to fall off the seesaw.
"What in the world is wrong with you Dojo?!" Dagwood shouted as he shoved Shino out of the way of incoming Dojo. He glared at the little dragon that was still scratching and bouncing all while shouting in ancient Chinese dialect. "Did you eat some bad sushi or something?"
"It appears your temple dragon is having an allergic reaction to something. Do you know what his allergens are?" Shino questioned. His little allies had already informed him that it wasn't rouge insects causing the dragon's fit.
"He's not allergic to anything! Hinata can you see anything wrong with him?" Crystal asked.
"Byakugan! An intense energy is running throughout his body. I see something white stirring throughout his system."
"I see it as well. The energy is increasing exponentially. Whatever it is affecting his body physically," Neji, added. He was confused by what he was seeing. It wasn't chakra and it wasn't chi either. It seemed to be something else entirely.
"Whatever it is we have to do something before he explodes. Hey what are you doing?" Kiba demanded as Stacey started digging through his coat pockets. Akamura barked at her, but she ignored him as she fished out a tall white bottle.
"Jermaine, Lee pin him to the ground and pour this over him! It should stop the itching and we can learn what's got him such a fit!" Stacey shouted tossing the bottle to her boyfriend.
"You heard the chic hommie. Pin that nutcase to the ground yo."
"Sure thing homeboy!" Lee replied. Timing his movements just right he managed to snag Dojo and pin him to the ground. Jermaine quickly dumped the contents of the bottle over Dojo who stopped twitching and sighed in relief.
"Thanks guys I needed that. Flea powder really does wonders on the scales."
Naruto started laughing his head off upon hearing that. "Flea powder? I can't believe you carry flea powder on you Kiba! Do you spend so much time around dogs that you get fleas too?"
"Shut up Naruto! We have a problem remember?" Sakura told him after she bonked him on the head.
"Dojo what's the problem? Why were you acting like that?" Raimundo questioned.
"Because believe it or not kiddies I just sense a 9.7 Shen Gong Wu go active here in this world!" Dojo replied leaving everyone stunned. A Shen Gong Wu here and active in the ninja world? It didn't seem possible, but if it was true they needed to see the Hokage and fast!
Ten minutes later everyone was assembled in Lady Tsunade's office. She was sitting down behind her desk with Shizune and Fung on either side of her. Leaning against the right wall were the Jonin instructors and on the left side were Chakra and Chase. The kids were sitting down in the middle curtsey of Jack's nanobots. Dojo was on the desk with all eyes on him.
"Dojo are you absolutely sure that your sensing a Shen Gong Wu in this world?"
"I'm positive Fungy poo. Nothing else could make me twitch so much. Well maybe if I had indigestion, but I'm pretty sure this isn't it."
"How is it even possible that one of your Shen Gong Wu is hidden in our world? I thought you and your Master Dashi hid them all in your world?" Kurenai questioned.
"Master Dashi was a great Master, but it wasn't beneath him to be sneaky. After all he never even told us about the gateways that once linked the worlds together. Nor did he mention that he sent Guan into the future to protect our gateway from being active. All we knew for certain is he created a Wu that performed the same function and hid in another world knowing that a group of Dragons would find a way to get it one day," Chase remarked dryly.
"There are scrolls back home that speak of all the world Dashi would take a mini vacation to. I can't tell you the number of times he would disappear for a weekend carrying enough supplies to last a month. He never would talk about where he went when he came home. It's entirely possible he visited your world fifteen hundred years ago and left a Shen Gong Wu here," Chakra added.
"This is all fascinating, but I need more information before I make any type of decision. Dojo-san what can you tell me about a Shen Gong Wu when its deactivate and what happens when it goes active?"
"In it's deactivated state a small amount of chi energy remains inside the object. This amount protects and hides the Wu from the world around it. The remaining energy spreads out around the world keeping a supernatural balance between good and evil."
"Those little trinkets have the ability to keep balance? That's hard to believe," Asuma muttered. Kurenai glared at him and he became silent.
"When activated the power rushes back into it at full force. It becomes focused and allows it to perform its task. Even if someone didn't know the exact words to activate it could still cause bleed off damage to anyone holding it."
"Do you know what the Wu is and where its hidden?" Shizune asked.
"I may have Dashi's essences inside of me, but I don't have his memories. I can't tell you where it is I can only track it. As for what the Wu is if someone brought the Scroll of Shen Gong with us that would help us a great deal."
Everyone looked up at Master Fung who shook his head. He didn't think he needed to bring it with them. Suddenly Auara coughed and pulled out a large scroll from her pocket. She passed up front stating that the last world they went to had hidden Shen Gong Wu why shouldn't this one?
They unfurled the scroll and were amazed by what happened next. A holographic image shot up and started playing a little movie with subtitles. Omi read the caption out loud seeing as how it was written in Chinese.
"Oh this Wu is most glorious and inspired by your world! The Hitai-ate of Taijustu. This Shen Gong Wu allows the user to know and perform any taijustu their opponents knows."
"Yosh! A Wu with the ability to bring the flames of youth alive to any wearer is a great Wu. I wouldn't mind trying that thing on myself. Perhaps I could beat you in a contest more easily huh Kakashi?"
"Did you say something?"
"Excuse me for interrupting your bickering, but there is more. There is a warning label attached. It warns against excessive use of the Shen Gong Wu. It could cause brain and muscle damage if used to often," Omi added.
"This is serious. The Shen Gong Wu poses an imminent threat to all of us in this world. You're going to have to retrieve it, but I'm loathed to let you go by yourselves to retrieve it. It's to dangerous and with your reluctance/inability to kill. Besides wherever that Wu is you could end up causing an international incident that could cause retaliation against the Hidden Leaf Village. I guess I'll have to split up the groups. One for a retrieval mission and the other to put up our new defense system."
"Defense system? Lady Hokage what new defense system? Why weren't we briefed about it?"
"Because I was about to call you all in about it right when this Wu business hit Kurenai. As you know Master Fung and I had previous contact before the Xiaolin warriors arrived. One of their offers for being allowed to come here and train was a new defense system to protect the village from danger. It based on their Chi bubble and the Hyugga Kaiten."
"Just because the monks and I use chi based attacks doesn't mean we are strangers to chakra. There are several cultures and beliefs about the subject in our world. In fact there are certain gemstones that are used to enhance and channel the chakra through ones body,"
"Since their arrival nearly four weeks ago we have been working tirelessly to find the right gems. After polishing and cutting them we were prepared for the next phase of the plan," Shizune added.
"The Chakra Sphere works by utilizing elemental chakra merged together to form a protective sphere all around the village both over and under. By strategically placing twelve gems in precise locations and aligning them with one another we can assure they'll work together. After they are charged with elemental chakra all someone has to do is activate the central crystal to turn on the system. The stored chakra will be amplified and focused sending the energy up into the air where the thirteenth crystal will merge them together. Theoretically the sphere could stay up for weeks especially if it can draw on the natural sources of the elements to recharge. As an added bonus it can distain enemies from allies based on chakra. If it detects negative chakra inside it will instantly capture the threat. I need you to put up the system, charge it, and set up defense around the crystals to prevent tampering."
"Yes Lady Hokage!"
"So baachan how are you going to decide who sets up the system and who goes on the mission?" Naruto asked.
"Stop calling me that brat! As for that I think I let Master Fung's student decide on that. Raimundo, I'm told you are the senior Shoku dragon leader. What do you suggest?"
Raimundo closed his eyes and thought hard. If he picked the wrong people someone was going to die. He needed to recall everything he learned about this world and make a choice. Finally he opened his eyes and spoke.
"I suggest an equal balance between ninja and Xiaolin as well as male and female. We need a mix of skill, abilities and size no matter where we end up. I think four each should do it. Also we need a rep from each group. I'm the leader so I'll go for the natural elements. Since its to dangerous for Jermaine and Dagwood out there with their powers and Lu needs to stay here and lead we'll take Crystal from the complimentary elements. We don't know if they'll be enough metal for Jack and I'm sure Stacey doesn't want to accidentally blow anyone up. Couple to the fact its daytime severally weakening Callie's abilities, Auara will come with us for the combined/metaphysical elements. Master Fung has to stay here and help with the system and Chase knows all about fortifying a stronghold so Chakra should also come. Plus her skills as an assassin should come in handy."
"Very good Raimundo. I also believe you should wear your battle armor instead of your robes out there. It would also be prudent to carry your weapons with your Wu guards attached. I also authorize full use of the Soul Pendent in life or death situations. Now whose our ninja assistance?" Chakra asked.
"I'll give you Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru. Each of them has certain skills that will help you in your search. Also due to the danger from the Wu and the assistance we'll need setting up the system I'm giving you also Kakashi. Find the Shen Gong Wu and get back here as fast as you can. I want you to do everything possible to avoid a diplomatic incident understood? The rest of you will start setting up the system. I want it up and running by the time they get back. Is that understood?"
"Hai!"
A few minutes later the Wu hunters were assembled outside the gates. The Dragons were wearing their battle armor. It was blue with a white shirt collar, gold cuffs and black gloves, with a red sash and yellow tassels. On their chest was a picture of their element and their faces were completely covered except for their eyes. The girls also had bows attached, an indigo one for Crystal and pink one for Auara.
"Is everyone ready to go?" Chakra asked. In addition to her Star of Fate she had opted for several kunai and shrunken. Strapped to her back were twin katana blades that had once belonged to Lao Shi. Technically they were Omi's now, but he was too small for them!
"Yeah this is going to be fun! I can't wait to find that Shen Gong Wu and use it!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Tch. this is way to troublesome. Let's get this over with."
"E..excuse me Chakra-sama, but how are we going to search for the Wu when we don't know where it is?" Hinata asked timidly.
"I was wondering that myself. We need to cover a lot of ground and fast. Any suggestions?" Kakashi asked.
"Why do you think Dojo's with us? We're flying curtsey of Dragon Airlines," Crystal informed. The group watched Dojo spun around growing until he was sixty feet long.
"Alright hop aboard and hold on tightly. Try not to tickle the scales and if you need to throw up please do it over the side. Alright here we go!" Dojo said as he rose into the air. He circled over the village a few times letting the ninjas get use to the feeling.
"Whoa I can see my apartment from here!" Naruto shouted pointing. The view was incredible from up here! Everyone looked like tiny insects!
"It is amazing isn't it?" Raimundo told him.
"O..oh my we're pretty high up. I hope we don't fall," Hinata whispered.
"It's okay to be scared Hinata. Just hold on to something tightly. I suggest your boyfriend's jacket," Crystal whispered back.
"Enjoying the flight Shikamaru? Do you need anything?" Auara asked as they flew through the air.
"I'm fine I'm fine!" Shikamaru informed her. It was actually a pretty cool experience riding a dragon.
"Looks like the kids are doing okay. I was worried they wouldn't like air travel. So how are you doing? Oh not good," Chakra said to herself. In front of her Kakashi was starting to look green around the gills.
It didn't make any sense! He didn't get seasick, the Sharingan eye didn't bother him so much anymore, and he was a highly trained ninja. How could he possibly get airsick? He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned as saw Chakra handing him some medication. He read the label and laughed. It was anti nausea medication. He eye smiled her and graciously took it calming his stomach. It was going to be a long trip.
Meanwhile back at the village everyone was getting into the full swing of things. Master Fung and Lady Tsunade had already mapped out the best location and cut/polished the gemstones. Now it was up to everyone to put them in position, check to see if they were aligned while charging them, and putting up protection.
Sakura and Omi had reached their destination. They were near a small lake. Quickly they found a small crevice near the shore to put the crystal in. It started flashing indicating it was aligned. Now they needed to charge it and put up some protection.
"A few more minutes of channeling my chakra and your chi and this baby will be fully charged! I'll use my skills to place a genjustu over the area. That will prevent anyone from tampering with it," Sakura stated as they charged it. She noticed the sad look on Omi's face. "Hey what's wrong Omi?"
"I'm worried for the safety of my mother. This is a dangerous world and what if something happens to her? Or worse what if someone takes advantage of her while I'm not there!"
"Relax Omi you have nothing to worry about. You have some of the best genin with her along with your friends. Not to mention Kakashi-sensei the Copy Cat Ninja. He's one of the greatest shinobe of all time! He'll protect your mom from danger."
"That's exactly who I'm worried about! My mom and him went on that date last week and she's been acting strangely ever since! What if he tries to woo her into staying in your world forever?"
Sakura looked at him like he was crazy. She tried to keep a straight face, but ended up laughing her head off. "Kakashi-sensei in love? Oh that's funny no it's hilarious! Omi, Kakashi-sensei is the laziest, non-punctual, least romantic person I know! Your mother would never stay with him so don't worry!"
"You sure?" he asked as the crystal finished charging. Sakura quickly placed a genjustu around the area anchoring it to some of the crystals chakra. She smiled and nodded at the little monk assuring him everything was fine.
Near the hot springs the Konohamaru Corps were busy. They had just finished putting the crystal into position and aligning it with the others. Now Kimiko and Konohamaru were busy charging it while Moegi and Udon finished putting together the protection.
"You sure this is going to work Boss Lady? I still don't get how a bunch of stupid gems can keep the village safe," Konohamaru said.
"I've seen it work back home so don't you worry Konohamaru. All you have to do is make sure this thing is fully charged. After that the heat from hot springs will renew its power. Moegi, Udon have you two finished assembling the black box yet?"
"Almost done! Just have to install your game into it," Moegi called out.
"There done, here it is. Now all we do is put it around the crystal and finished. Now if anyone wants to access it they'll have to get past your Goo Zombies Doom game. Without the override code they'll be forced to play for hours just to get access to the crystal. Smart idea," Udon said.
"Thanks guys. I better call Clay and see how he's doing."
In a rocky training field Clay and Choji were just finishing charging the crystal. They made sure the crystal was well hidden from view. "Okay partner just a few more minutes and this little doggie will be ready to work."
"Yeah, and then we can use our lassoes to set up the biggest trap ever! Barbecue chips?"
"Don't mind if I do. Hmm this stuff is better then my Aunt Lucy's custard pie! Okay the charging is done. You ready to set up the traps for those no good varmints?"
"Let's get started," Choji said using his family's jutsu to carve up some rocks and debris. Next the two gathered and set up a trip wire traps. If anyone came after the crystal they be crushed or pummeled to death. "I think we're done. Hope Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei aren't having a hard time with the wind crystal."
In an open windy meadow both sensies' were busy. Finding a safe location to place a crystal was very difficult. There was almost no cover anywhere. "This stinks. How are we suppose to ensure that no one tampers this thing if we can't find any protection for it?" Asuma asked, smoking away while he fingered the crystal.
"Quit complaining we've had tougher missions then this. Ah here we go in these tall grasses. It will be hard to spot and get to. Okay place it right here and make sure it's aligned. Okay start charging it and I'll get to work on the genjustu," Kurenai said already flashing through the hand signs.
"Those dragons better be right about this. I still can't believe how much they've changed our shinobe since arriving here. I'm going to miss them when they go. Especially Chase he's a lot of fun to hang around and is a pretty decent poker player."
"I shall miss Chakra. She's a great warrior and wonderful conversationalist. Its not often I find a female friend whose willing to learn from me. I'm sure Gai and Kakashi will miss them as well. Finished. Let's go check in with the Hokage."
Near a scrap yard both Jack and Tenten were hard at work. Using her new broadswords Ink and Blade she sliced open an old container and fitted the crystal inside. Then she and Jack started charging it up.
"You're getting pretty handy with those swords. I bet your sensei is really proud of you," Jack commented.
"He is. According to him I've finally embraced my Springtime of Youth. He's never seen anyone blend metal and chakra together like I have," Tenten replied. It was true. She had taken Chakra's advice to heart and mixed her own sweat, blood, and chakra together when she forged the metal for her swords. By channeling a certain amount of chakra between the blades she could reconstitute the molecular structure transforming the weapons into something else entirely. "I also think Neji was impressed. We went to a weapons expo the other day and he commented that I had superior craftsmanship."
"Well I guess that's as close a romantic compliment as your going to get. I'm glad we were able to help you further your goal. Okay set up those spring-loaded kunai and shrunken and I'll leave a few of my nanobots around. Any unauthorized access and it will spring into action."
"I hope the others aren't having any trouble. I know Lee's going to have a tough time charging his crystal with his problem."
Currently Lee and Jermaine were on top of the Hokage Mountain positioning the crystal. It was the highest point in the village meaning the gravity increased greatly here. The boys had set up some dummy like robots for protection. Now Jermaine was trying to coach Lee into charging his crystal.
"Come on my white brother you can do this! Anyone who can make it down center court without being blocked can handle this. Just focus what little chakra you can summon and put it into this gemstone okay?" Jermaine said.
"Yosh I'm trying Jermaine! But I'm worried that I won't put enough into it. This is part of defense system to protect the whole village. What if my handicap endangers everyone?"
"Lee if you can open those crazy Celestial Gates then you can do this! Come on wheres that undying youth that you proclaimed to Sakura? You going to go tell that girl you gave up without trying? Focus home boy and I mean now!" Jermaine snapped at him. Instantly any hesitation on Lee's part disappeared and both boys fully charged the crystal.
Near the Forest of Death both Shino and Dagwood were busy. It had taken a little while to position the crystal so that it aligned with the others. Now they were taking turns charging the crystal while the other set up protection. At the moment Shino was charging while Dagwood set up protection.
"Okay I've planted some of my hybrid plants. I've checked t make sure they won't cause any problems to the existing plant or wild life. Anyone who comes near here without proper protection is going to end up with a nasty rash and stink as bad as skunk. How's the charging coming along?"
"I'm finished we can switch. I'll alert the local insects to keep watch. By leaving some of my insects here I can keep an eye on the crystal from a distance," Shino stated. He had just finished deploying his insects when he turned towards the Dragon of Wood and spoke. "Dagwood, I would like to thank you for forcing me to be more social. I needed to expand my hive of friends."
"No problem Shino-kun. I'm glad that we became friends. Never thought I meet a guy who loves insects as much as I do."
Not to far away Lu and Neji had found a place to put their crystal. Using Neji's Byakugan they were able to spot lightning strikes hidden by time. They had just finished charging their crystal so now they needed to set up protection for the crystal. Easier said then done.
"So Neji-sama any suggestions? I mean if I wanted to protect something of value to me I would use DNA locks. Would that work here?"
"I don't know maybe. Let's just incase this crystal and you do your thing. I'll try to put a small Kaiten around it," Neji replied. He was pleased that Lu was starting to respect him. He was also starting to enjoy dirt boarding much to his dismay. Soon they were finished and headed back.
Shizune was counting to ten and trying not to lose her cool no pun intend. After discovering an ice cave she and Gai were assigned to position it and put up protection. They were lucky that Hinata and Crystal had charged it before they left. The problem was Gai wasn't helping as much as she liked. "For the last time Gai I need you place the crystal right side up!"
"Don't worry Shizune I can handle it! It's to bad we have to use your poisons as protection for this mighty little crystal. It seems most unyouthful to poisons. We should face our opponents honorably," Gai said as he placed the crystal in an icy cove.
"While that maybe true for the most part my poisons are a necessary evil. If enemies of the Leaf come searching for the crystal they're going to be wishing they had the antidote. Come we should get back to Lady Tsunade."
Not to far away Kiba, Akamura, and Stacey were installing the flair crystal over a hidden pocket of magma. The energy produced from the ever changing and flowing molten rock would be enough to power the crystal for a good long time.
"That's good Akamura! A few more pit traps and some exploding shrapnel tags and this place will be secured," Stacey commented as she finished charging the crystal. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out a small statue of Shiva and placed it next to crystal. "Oh great and powerful Lord Shiva. I pray to you to protect and defend this crystal. Use your awesome power to ensure the safety of my friends home."
"Yeah Kami could you make sure these exploding tags work if they're ever need," Kiba said out loud as he finally finished laying his traps. After what happened last month paper bomb traps were easy work. "I think we're done."
"Yes, we are. Come on you two let's get back to the Hokage's office. I want to check the progress of the others."
"Arf arf!"
Ino was nearly done with her crystal. Auara had charged it partway before she left and had told her where to hide it. By selecting the place where the sunrise first touched Kohana she knew the crystal renew its power easily. Also the sunlight played tricks on the eyes. "A few more tangle vines and sleeping flowers and add a touch of my hair and done! Oh yeah this is so easy!"
Callie had just finished installing and charging the final crystal. The location was the darkest place in Kohana at midnight. It was the perfect place to set up the crystal. "Glad that lazy Nara remembered to charge the crystal before he left. Now I just need to finish setting up the booby traps and done!"
In the Hokage's office Master Fung was helping Lady Tsunade assemble the central mechanism. It was comprised of twelve crystal shards of a piece of silver in the shape of a leaf. The pendent was then attached to a gold chain to be worn by the Hokage. "All those years being a medic and Sannin and our future rest on a little piece of jewelry. Somehow I'm not in awe as I should be."
"Big things come in small packages Tsunade-chan. The power residing in that pendent is enough to protect your entire village from harm. You must guard it closely and the responsibility of it on to your successor. It's similar to the way the Xiaowei Dragon Star has been passed from master to master," Fung told her gently. Smiling he slipped the necklace on her and smiled at her. "You look lovely my dear."
"Thank you Anthony-kun. I wish we could have a real alliance instead of this friendship. Oh well back to business. We'll have to test the security system before our friends get back. I just hope they don't run into to much trouble out there," Tsunade stated as she looked out her window. She prayed everything would be okay.