Chapter 15
Underneath the Underneath
The site was still swarming with ANBU and medical Ninja as Kakashi and his small elite team began their work. Bodies were being carefully placed into body bags, several medical specialists and specially trained Military Police were tiptoeing through the area to look for any clues as to the identity of the attacker and several ANBU agents stood guard in the surrounding trees on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary.
Kakashi continued to watch the scene, spotting an Inuzuka and his dog in Military Police uniform as the animal sniffed for any scents. Since the revolt the Uchiha clan had relinquished a lot of their control in the Military Police. Uchiha Shisui still held the top position but the Uchiha had changed their recruitment policy and extended an invitation to other clans.
There were now Inuzuka, Yamanaka, Hyuga and Nara working in the police force as well as a higher number of civilian background Ninja. Yet another surprise Uchiha Shisui had thrown at the village. Well the young man was becoming something of a master at surprises.
First he introduced a charter which stated that Uchiha could marry outside the clan, then he changed the recruitment of the Military Police and now there were talks that he was confiding with other Uchiha officials about allowing their merchants to trade outside of the walls of their compound. There was even talk of him demolishing the clan compounds defensive walls.
Kakashi shook his head, forcing the thoughts to the back of his mind. He had a mission to accomplish. Hana was already moving through the perimeter with her three canine companions, senses on high alert for anything which would have been missed. Haru was already on one of the tree tops, Byakugan eyes activated and checking the surrounding ground. Even Kakashi had unveiled his Sharingan eye to look around.
He was searching through a set of weeds covered in dried blood before he felt a shadow on his back. He turned, fixing both his natural and burrowed eyes on Uchiha Mitoko as she came to a rest. Her gaze lingered on Obito's Sharingan before trailing off to some unseen thing in the forest.
"I think it would be best if you checked the spot of Itsuki's death. He might have left a clue as to the identity of the killer."
Kakashi nodded before rising to his feet and walking across the field to the forest beyond. He walked until he came across the tree, nodding to the few Military Police and Medics still canvassing the area. The body had been removed and placed in a bag a few hours ago, but the blood dried against the bark was still there for all to see.
The Copynin looked over the entire tree with his Sharingan eye, from the bark to the branches to the leaves themselves, yet he found next to nothing on the plant. He searched furtner, lengthening his gaze to the surrounding ground and woodland, yet there was nothing that his eye could see. Whoever had attacked this squad had covered his tracks meticulously.
"There's nothing here." Kakashi spoke up as he rose from his crouch and covered his Sharingan eye. "Whoever did this was clearly not an amateur. Any potential evidence has been removed from the scene."
Mikoto frowned, but nodded her head. "What do you suggest?"
"Assemble a few Hyuga and Uchiha to further canvass the area, the entire area." Kakashi replied as he walked a few steps towards the clearing and stopped. "See if they could find anything we missed. Other than that it looks like we're going to be doing a spot of travelling. The question is should we go to the site on the border first or the site in the capital?"
"You're asking me?"
"Yes."
The Uchiha frowned. Both sites were in opposite directions from Konoha. "I say the border site first, and if nothing turns up there then check the city."
"Alright," Kakashi agreed. "Let's get to it."
"Tree climbing?"
"Correct," Yugito said, standing in front of the three Genin cell, arms folded under her considerable bust and eyes scanning the confused expressions of the three, well two, Sasuke looked as bored as ever. "Tree climbing is a basic essential of Shinobi skills, if you don't know these techniques then you're no better than an untrained civilian on a battlefield. From what I understand the three of you have been sufficiently taught on how to channel chakra, right?"
At their nods she continued. "Good, then this will be a lot easier. In order to perform this exercise you will need to concentrate your chakra to the soles of your feet, too little and your feet won't stick, too much and you will be put down hard. That means that you need to get the amount of chakra precise if you are to do this exercise, any questions?"
Sakura timidly raised her hand, "Can you show us how it's done?"
Yugito looked at the girl for a moment before nodding her head, "That's not a problem Sakura, but watch closely."
She walked serenely up to the nearest thick trunked tree, placed her hands together in a basic chakra concentration seal, concentrated her chakra to the soles of her feet and placed her right foot against the trunk. She couldn't help but smile when she saw Sakura and Kiba's mouths drop open when she simply walked up the trunk and hung upside down on the thickest, strongest branch, arms folded and carefree smile in place. Even Sasuke looked impressed, if slightly.
"Right, now that the example is out of the way I'll leave you too it," she stated, fishing through her weapons pouch and throwing three kunai to their feet. "Use those kunai to mark your progress, for beginners I'd say it would be best to get a running start."
She released her hold, falling the twenty feet with ease born of years of practise and landed in a crouch on the ground, looking up in time to see that the three students had already chosen a tree each and were preparing to begin.
Kiba threw caution to the wind and made a run for his tree. The Inuzuka made it two steps before falling on his back, emitting a weak squawk of pain before cursing colourfully. Sasuke watched his teammate impassively for a moment before concentrating his chakra and running for his tree. He did better, if only slightly, making it up a full four steps, slashing his kunai across the bark and performing a backward somersault as he fell, landing in a crouch and looking up with a slight scowl.
Yugito had put so much attention on the males that she didn't notice the female of the team until she called down to her two teammates. Sakura was sitting on a midlevel branch of her tree, spindly legs dangling and triumphant smile in place. The blonde smiled as she rose and walked over, noticing both of the males scowl at their pink haired teammate.
"Very good Sakura." she applauded, "Though with your chakra control I'm not surprised that you'd get it on your first couple of tries."
"Hai, sensei." She chirped before looking over in Sasuke's direction. Yugito frowned as she turned her head, noticing the Uchiha turning his head away from her, as if he were annoyed that she had beaten him. The substitute sensei didn't miss the downtrodden look the female of the group took on either, definitely something that needed to be fixed.
"Alright," she called as she clapped her hands together, regaining her other two pupils attention. "The two of you keep on going, don't stop until either you make it to Sakura's height or I tell you to stop. Sakura, can I have a moment please?"
The two boys quickly grumbled an affirmative and got back to work, sizing up the huge tree trunks like opponents in a spar. Yugito watched them for a few moments before turning around and walking to the side of the clearing, well aware of Sakura following her with a slightly confused look. The blonde continued until they were past the first line of hedges, and promptly sat down.
"I have a question for you, Sakura." She began, catching the Kunoichi of the group's attention.
"Yes sensei?"
"Why did you decide to become a Shinobi? What were your reasons?" Yugito gave her a level look, watching every movement for a sign of her thoughts. "If it is what I think it is then I will tell you to stop now."
She looked confused.
"The life of a Shinobi is not like those shows on television, nor would it be considered easy. There are a lot of things in our line of work which we will have to do. Things that may go against your morals or sense of right and wrong." The Jōnin held her eyes for a moment, and it was her temporary student who broke contact. "What were your reasons for becoming a Shinobi? Was it for a boy that you like?"
The girl seemed outraged for a moment, a biting remark on the tip of her tongue, but the moment her emerald eyes challenged the older, wiser, and unbreakable chocolate brown gaze of her teacher they changed. Finally, after several moments of starring she conceded and dumbly nodded her head. Yugito sighed softly to herself.
"I should have known." The blonde opened her eyes again and gave the pink haired girl a withering look. "The life of a Shinobi is not some childhood dream Sakura. It is a profession of soldiers and assassins. We will be called upon during a time of war or even a time of peace to maim and kill our enemies. Very few Shinobi live into old age. Are you willing to put your life on the line for a simple childhood crush?"
"Sasuke's more than a-"
Yugito raised a hand, effectively silencing her. "Don't talk to me like I have had no experience in such things. I have had a few childhood crushes of my own, mainly Shinobi, and do you know what became of them?"
She didn't answer.
"Nothing," she replied with a sad smile. "The first boy I had a crush on died on some battlefield in a far off country before I could tell him, and he was the only one since then. Love and the lives of Shinobi rarely mix well, most of the time your partner or you will die young. That is a certain thing in our line of work. Now I will ask you again. Why did you decide to become a Shinobi?"
Sakura looked at her for a long moment, mouth working and then breaking from time to time as she tried to come up with a good excuse in wanting to throw herself into this line of work. Yugito did not speak, did not move. She simply waited for her temporary student to answer her. After several minutes, punctuating from time to time by Kiba's loud swearing as he failed yet another attempt, Sakura sighed and looked down at the ground, embarrassed.
"Sasuke is the only reason, sensei."
"That's not good enough." Yugito replied softly, and she noticed the girl flinch as if she had been smacked. She thought for a moment. "I tell you what Sakura. I'm going to give you an assignment."
The girl looked up at her as Yugito raised a single finger.
"One month, by then you will have done several D-rank missions and maybe even a C-rank under Kakashi. Give me a real reason why you want to become Shinobi within that time frame." Yugito smiled softly. "I'm not going to kick you out of the program Sakura, but if you can't give me a good reason then I will recommend that you quit. I won't force you, but I will recommend it to you."
"Yes sensei."
"I'm not being cruel Sakura, even if you believe I am." Yugito said when she saw the traces of anger in her eyes. It was there, simmering, like a child being told she can't watch her favourite show, only magnified tenfold. "I just want you to make your own choice, without something silly like 'I'm doing it for a boy' clouding your judgement. You're young, you have talent and you have potential. Don't waste it, don't die on some easily forgotten turf of land if you have something else you wish to do. Do you understand?"
Sakura sniffled, wiping away unshed tears from her eyes before setting them upon her with a new determination, one where her eyes burned like molten emerald. "Yes sensei."
"Good," Yugito smirked. "That's a fire I like to see. Now back to your tree-climbing, and don't come to me before your time limit is up. Think long and hard about it and remember it won't just be your answer I'm looking for, but a will or fire behind it as well."
Internally she groaned. If old man Hokage-sama overheard her saying that he would undoubtedly think he was rubbing off on her, probably greet her with a knowing smirk of victory while he was at it.
Can't have that, right?
Ino sighed in frustration as the sun dipped over the hills for the sixth time since they had started their trek. Itachi had called for them to halt and set up camp barely a half hour ago, and they were only just finishing up as the daylight began to fade. The sleeping bags were laid out, the fire was going and the lookout roster had been reviewed for the night.
Now they were eating around the fire, regaining their strength in preparation for their arrival to the small village. According to Itachi-sensei they would be arriving tomorrow morning at noon, but first they needed to meet with someone who was going to guide them there. She wasn't sure how they were going to know, but sensei didn't seem to be bothered. Then again sensei never seemed to be bothered.
He always carried himself with an air of confidence and skill, just like Sasuke did. He was always so cool and in control, just like Sasuke, and he was so mysterious. She sighed dreamily at the thought before shaking her head. He was also a good teacher, though most of his lessons to date were recaps of the academy curriculum as well as exercise and Taijutsu sessions.
"Naruto has the first watch." Itachi said as he finished off another ration bar. "Everyone get something to eat then go to sleep. We have a long day tomorrow."
The three of them nodded and immediately fished inside their backpacks for the scrolls containing their rations. Ino didn't really care for the rations bars, considering they tasted like wet cardboard. Honestly how could Itachi-sensei eat nothing but them without driving himself insane? They were certainly driving her insane, and Ino couldn't wait until they reached the village if for no other reasons than a hot meal and an actual bed to sleep in, maybe a bath as well.
She looked over at her other teammates and scowled. Shino had already finished his meal and was having a conversation with his Kikaichū as usual. Naruto on the other hand had just finished up boiling another carton of instant ramen. Really did he have anything else? It was all he ate. That wasn't the worst part though. He didn't have any manners at all, perfectly content to shovelling the broth and noodles into his mouth like a compactor.
Finally he noticed her glowering expression, and wiping a trickle of broth from his mouth gave her a similar glare. "Oi, what are you looking at?"
"You," she snapped. "Do you honestly eat anything else but ramen? It's probably why your growth is so stunted."
He glared at Ino, only for it to be matched by her own, before promptly ignoring her and returning his attention to his ramen. The dismissal just seemed to make her sudden bad mood even worse. Ino was tired and bored out of her mind, and those all came together to make a snappy and easily annoyed Yamanaka with an extremely short fuse.
She ate her ration bar quickly and excused herself for the night, unzipping and slipping into her sleeping bag, watching as the flames of the campfire flickered in the moonlight. A few minutes later both Shino and Itachi also excused themselves, leaving the annoying blond with the first watch.
Ino glared at him as he marched over to a slab of stone and sat on it, looking out over the hill that they had decided to camp on. She settled down, closed her eyes and tried to find that perfect moment where sleep would claim her. Really what did she care if he had the table manners of a ravenous monkey. It wasn't her problem.
Three hours passed.
Naruto yawned loudly before glancing down at his watch, watching as the seconds ticked by almost torturously slowly. His night shift was almost over. Soon he would be relieved by Shino and go to sleep. By Kami he really craved it at the moment considering they had been marched from dawn to dusk, plus the fact that with each passing day both he and Ino seemed to want to rip each other's heads off.
He didn't know what her problem with him was, every so often he would say something or come up with some game to pass the time only for her to vote against it and come up with something else. The two spent most of their time arguing and bickering, and he had a feeling it was beginning to annoy both their sensei and their other teammate, though both were good at hiding it.
A tap on the shoulder startled him from his train of thought, and he looked up to see Shino looking back down at him. The Aburame helped him to his feet before taking his place on the slab of rock. "I am here to relieve you."
"Thanks, I am relieved." Naruto replied before turning and stretching with a yawn. He was getting sleepier with each passing moment and all he wanted to do was crawl in his sleeping bag and go to sleep, but before that duty called.
He walked into the trees and relieved himself before moving back to the campsite, by then he was so tired that he didn't notice Shino and was just barely aware of the dying fire. He walked over to the nearest sleeping bag, befuddled mind thinking it was his own and crawled inside it. Naruto frowned at the tight fit, but was otherwise too tired to care. He was barely aware of how warm the sleeping bag was before he fell asleep, wrapping his arms around said warmth as he nodded off.
Ino had been having a nice dream, a good dream, a brilliant dream. She had been in that moment of bliss that could only come from a really out of this world dream. She was lying in her bed in her room, a warm body pressing against her back, arms wrapped tightly around her waist and hot breath wafting across her neck. The one behind her was definitely Sasuke, of that she had no doubt.
She sighed happily as his hold around her waist tightened, and a head pressed against the crux of her slender neck. Ino released a slight groan, then a giggle when she felt something hard press against her butt. This dream was very realistic.
So caught up in her dream she was that she didn't notice the very un-Sasuke like smell which slowly reached her nostrils. She sniffed the air, taking in the undeniable aroma of Ramen and then she heard a mumble, which wasn't in Sasuke's voice. For one it was too deep, too gravelly.
She opened her eyes, hearing the songs of crickets and the flickering light of a slowly dying camp fire. This was obviously not her room. The memories and information slowly filtered into her befuddled mind and she immediately calmed down. They were on their first C-rank mission, how could she forget?
It took her a few moments to realise that the hard feeling of a warm body pressed against hers hadn't vanished with her return to the real world, and suddenly her mind went into a temporary state of confusion, then surprise, then a slightest hint of fear. Another sleepy mumble assaulted her ears, and another waft of ramen tinged breath fell upon her neck.
Slowly Ino turned in her sleeping bag, and came face to face with the intruder, and immediately her fear and confusion slowly gave way to a searing, embarrassed rage. Naruto's sleeping face starred back at her, slowly walking up as if he felt the death glare she was throwing his way. He blinked a few times before looking straight at her. It took him a couple of moments to realise how thoroughly screwed he was.
The fact that his eyes were as wide as saucers and his tanned skin seemed to become deathly pale completely escaped the young Yamanaka, as well as the possibility that there might have been a completely innocent explanation for why he was in her sleeping bag using her as a dual pillow and body warmer. All her mind registered was that he was in her sleeping bag, apparently feeling her up in his sleep and that was definitely not a kunai pressed against her stomach.
What he said next was just the spark needed to ignite the inferno. "What are you doing in my sleeping bag?"
Her glare could have melted steel, and every fibre of Naruto's being was screaming roughly the same thing. The male in him was telling him to run for the hills and never look back. The Ninja in him was furiously shouting at him to abort the mission, and in the very back of his mind the child in him was silently urging him to cry for his mommy.
"Uzumaki Naruto," her voice was so soft and venomous that he knew he would be lucky to see the rising sun. When Ino was like this he knew he was in for the beating of his life. "You are a dead man."
Naruto was barely able to stifle an almost girlish scream before she ripped off the sleeping bag and began throwing him around the camp like a rag doll coupled as a punching bag. Ino was a tornado, screaming pervert and threatening to both neuter and dissect him if he ever even looked at her funny ever again.
The commotion made Shino's head snap in the direction to the camp and watch the beat down with a mixture of awe and fear, not that he would show it. Itachi-sensei made no real movement, other than to open his eyes, peek in the general direction of the massacre, shrug and fall back to his state of light sleep.
After a few minutes a heavily panting Ino, fuming and spent stomped back to her sleeping bag, leaving a black and blue and slightly unconscious Naruto in her wake. She looked up at Shino with an icy glare and ground out. "What?"
The Aburame was smart enough to get the message as he averted his eyes and looked across the landscape from his place on the ridge.
"Alright, welcome back team seven," Iruka greeted from his place. As usual the Sandaime Hokage sat in the centre of the table, with Iruka on his left and another Chūnin she didn't know on his right. "Today we have a few D-rank missions for you. Let's see there's dog-walking, pest control at the academy, construction work for the new shopping centre-"
"Ah, come on," all looked up to see Kiba growl and flail his hands in the air. "Not more D-rank missions, I'm sick and tired of them. Can't we get something better like a- YEEAAWW!"
Sakura decked Kiba on the top of the head, Yugito moving swiftly to get the Inuzuka's little white puppy out of the firing line before his owner was levelled. Akamaru looked down as Kiba massaged the top of his head, before turning and giving Yugito a friendly lick to the cheek. She had been holding him a little too close to her chest she realised.
"Why do you have to be such a loud obnoxious idiot?" Sakura yelled, giving the Inuzuka a death glare which was returned with as much vehemence.
"Shut up Pinkie," Kiba growled back, ignoring her sudden glare. "I'm getting tired of weeding lawns and delivering supplies. We're not handymen, we're god damned Ninja!"
"Hn," the noise obviously came from the Uchiha of the group. Sasuke looked as calm and uncaring as he always did. "I can't believe I'm actually going to say this but... I agree with Kiba."
"Oh wow," Sakura gushed, ignoring the groan from both her sensei and her fellow teammate. "Sasuke you're so right!"
Yugito folded her arms under her bust and sighed. This little problem was not a surprise. It had been festering for quite a while. She had seen Kiba getting more and more frustrated as time went on. During the three day long training sojourn he had been more than happy, and had been in the same mindset during the first two days of missions.
It was during the last two days of the week that she started to notice the loudest of the trio slowly begin to get more agitated, and although he was good at hiding it Sasuke looked like he was getting a little uneasy with the D-ranks as well. The only one of the three who didn't seem to mind was the female of the group, who actually seemed to be content with doing the village's mundane tasks.
The Sandaime Hokage frowned at the display, to which Yugito could only give him a shrug of apology before his attention became completely focused on her. "Yugito, is your team ready for such a mission."
She softly scratched her cheek, looking a little uncomfortable. "It's not whether I think they're ready or not. I feel that Kakashi should be the one to take them on their first C-rank."
"Ah come on sensei," Kiba cried a little too dramatically. "We're completely ready for this, and you've taught us more in the past week than Kakashi-sensei has taught us in a fortnight."
"I agree with the dope," Sasuke added, ignoring Kiba's insulted outburst. "We're more than ready."
"Yeah, that's right." Sakura added.
Yugito looked at the three of them before sighing. "I suppose Kakashi wouldn't mind if I took them out on their first C-rank, they are as ready as they'll ever be."
"Then it's settled," the Sandaime spoke up with a little amused smile, which caused the blonde Nibi Jinchūriki to frown slightly. Had he been planning this? "Iruka, I believe if Yugito-san say's they are ready then they are ready."
Iruka looked less than convinced, but he opened the infamous drawer and pulled out a folder with a C prominently displayed anyway. "Okay, this should do it. The mission is simple enough, escort a bridge builder to his home in the Land of Waves and guard him while he finishes building the bridge between Wave and Fire. Protection level is said to be against petty thieves and bandits."
The Hokage looked it over, nodded and held it out for Yugito to take. The Azure Cat walked across the room, plucked the file from the kindly old man's hand and started to read. All the while the Sandaime continued to discuss the mission with the rest of the team. "The man who requested this is waiting in the lobby. Send him in please!"
There was a moment of silence before said man entered the room. He was in his middle years, late forties to early fifties with a scruffy beard and hair which had turned white with age,. His skin was tanned with a broad physique between muscle and fat. He wore a pretty simple attire of a dark green vest, khaki pants, sandals and a small straw hat over his head. A sake bottle was held in his hand, and he looked a little drunk as he half stumbled into the room.
Yugito's opinion of this man took a nose dive when she saw the liquor bottle, sure she liked the occasional drink, but she didn't like drunks. Team seven's opinion of him didn't seem to be that high either, but they remained wisely quiet as the tipsy old man looked them over and scoffed. "What is this? I ask for Ninja and I get a couple of kids."
The blonde Jinchūriki frowned at him, as did the Hokage. "I assure you Tazuna-san that these Ninja are more than capable for the mission you assigned to us, and Yugito-san here is one of the finest Shinobi in our arsenal."
The old bridge builder looked right at her, and Yugito looked straight back without flinching. She had faced down murderers, rapists and Nukenin. A little old man was nothing. Finally he shrugged and turned around.
"Whatever," he said with a slight hiccup. "My life is in the hands of a bunch of kids and someone who would probably make a good trophy wife."
Yugito gnashed her teeth, before looking at the Hokage, who smiled weakly back at her. "Try not to kill the client."
"I make no promises." She replied, sighing before looking over her team. Kiba looked a step away from trying to kill the old man, with Sakura holding him back. Sasuke looked as disinterested as ever, something she had come to expect in the youngest member of the former Uchiha Clan Heads family.
"Get ready to go and meet at the west gate in one hour. Bring adequate supplies for an extended mission, a month's worth at most. Step to it."
They were out the door in the blink of an eye, followed by a grumbling client a few moments later. Yugito was the last to leave, but was stopped by the old man's voice, "Yugito-san, just a moment."
She turned, nodding her head and waiting for the door to close, keen senses already fully aware of the sound proofing seals activating. Iruka and the other Chūnin noticed this as well, but choose not to say anything as the old man took a quick puff of his pipe before looking her in the eye.
"I'm upgrading his request to a B-rank mission."
She eyed him for a moment, "May I ask why, Hokage-sama."
"Tazuna-san hails from the Land of Waves," Sarutobi replied. "You are aware of what is happening in that country."
"Yes sir," the blonde replied. "The Gato Corporation has bought out all trade and shipping. There are rumours that he's attempting to starve the population into submission and killing anyone who even speaks out against him."
"Indeed, which is why I'm upgrading this assignment," The Hokage nodded his head.
Finally the village came into sight, surrounded by a wooden palisade of thick spiked timber, tops of the largest structures just peeking over the top. Flat land in turn surrounded the walled settlement, broken by the odd rolling hill. To the west they saw the large form of mountains, maybe a mile from the closest tree line. The land had been converted to farmland, with the odd small house dotted here and there.
They passed by one such house, only to see that it was nothing more than a wreck. The wood which consisted of the walls was charred and blackened. The roof had caved in several places and the windows were wrecks of twisted frames and jagged glass.
Ino frowned as she surveyed the wreckage. Naruto and Shino did likewise, but Itachi studied it with a calculating gaze. It appeared that whatever was happening was worse than they were led to believe. The village was nestled on top of a hill, surrounded by a wooden palisade fortification which looked like it would be nothing more than a slight annoyance to a trained Shinobi. There were a couple of guard towers, but other than that nothing.
As they got closer to the outer walls Naruto spotted a stranger standing at the side of the road, almost as if he was waiting for them. The man wore a wide brimmed straw hat, a simple brownish kimono and a pair of simple black travelling sandals. Under the hat he saw an aging face of wrinkled skin and wispy white hair barely visible, but his chocolate eyes were sharp and alert.
They walked until they were within ten feet of the man, who stepped forward and bowed lowly. "Welcome to the village of Kusatsu. My name is Fushou Takahashi, and I have been asked to be your guide."
Itachi nodded in response, "we will need to meet with the village leader immediately."
"Yes, of course." The man replied before looking over each child. All three kids no longer held themselves with excitement and bravado, but instead they were nervous. It was clearly visible in their posture. Itachi didn't blame them. He could feel something ominous resounding from this place. "Please follow me."
The middle aged man turned on his heel and walked towards the village. Wordlessly Team Eight followed, and after a few moments their sensei spoke. "It appears that the situation has become worse than reported."
The old man gave no outward sign of replying at first, but he sighed. "It has. The attacks have been coming with more frequency. The attackers have managed to kidnap an additional seven people since the request was sent. The mines and timber camps have been abandoned and all of the residences outside of the walls have been evacuated."
Itachi nodded his head. "Is there any confirmation on the identity of the attackers?"
The man who identified himself as Fushou shook his head. "No, but I'm not privy to all of the information."
They stopped a few meters from the large wooden gates, which towered over them by at least three meters. Itachi could make out the figures of a few armed men on the rampart above, civilian militia most likely, two of whom seemed to be carrying halberds at least a meter taller than they were.
"Open the gates. The Konohanin are here!" Fushou made a gesture and the great gates were opened with a loud creak. He walked across the threshold without a word, and just as silently the four man team followed.
The interior of the village was made up of mostly wooden structures, houses and stalls lined the main street, but the streets made the village look like a ghost town, there was no human movement or presences other than the men on the walls. The Uchiha looked up in time to see at least ten men wearing simple civilian clothes, mainly tunics and pants, standing on the battlements with an assortment of weapons, some carried halberds, others had swords and knives strapped to their waists and even others carried projectile weapons like bows and crossbows.
As they walked along the main street of the small mining village they finally noticed life, people were watching them pass by from the windows of the surrounding houses, mostly tired looking women holding scared children. It was difficult to look at. The fear in their eyes showed just how desperate these people were, not something brought about by a simple group of bandits.
Itachi began to get a sinking feeling. His students had sobered with the mood, looking around the almost eerily abandoned streets nervously. Even Naruto appeared to completely catch on to the situation.
"Alright you three, spread out and start gathering some information from the locals." Itachi told them while keeping an eye on their guide. "Gather as much information from the townspeople as you can, understood?"
The three of them nodded their heads.
"Good," the Jonin nodded his head before looking at Shino. "Tell your Kikaichū to activate their tracking. If anything happens to them let me know."
"Yes sensei."
"Very good, move out."
They vanished in a trio of blurs, jumping across the rooftops in different directions.
The puddle of rainwater was usually not suspicious. Any civilian would have dismissed it as unimportant almost immediately. But considering it was in the middle of the road, under a boiling sun with no real rainfall for weeks it suddenly became very suspicious, especially to a Shinobi.
Yutito eyed it as she walked past, knowing that as newly promoted Genin her young team wouldn't have noticed it, nor did the half intoxicated bridge builder they were currently escorting. Tazuna was busy arguing with Kiba over something childish and trivial, Sakura was groaning at the two and Sasuke was simply walking along, looking uninterested by everything.
She made it three additional steps before their ambushers burst into action, a spiked chain looping around the form of the elite Jōnin, and Yugito made it look like they had her. If these attackers were worth their salt then they would notice the shattered pieces of wood instead of body parts. The blonde reappeared in the forest, immediately jumping up to a sturdy tree branch to survey the action.
Immediately she recognised the two attackers as the infamous Demon Brothers, Nukenin from Kiri who had been involved in her sons kidnap attempt four years ago. Yugito grinned slightly despite the situation. She had been looking forward to getting back at them. Her team appeared to get over their shock quickly and efficiently, though they seemed horrified by her apparent demise.
Kiba stood petrified in place as one of the brothers came right at him, kunai imbedded chains flailing. Luckily Sasuke's response was the opposite, jumping high with a chakra propelled leap and delivering a perfect kick straight to the side of the assailants face. The Uchiha landed lightly, looked at his teammate and murmured something.
The Inuzuka growled angrily, before spinning around, throwing three kunai at the rising Nukenin. All three were deflected, but they did their purpose of forcing him back. They were so focused on the one that they didn't notice the other pass by them, aiming straight for the bridge builder. Sakura rushed over to a suddenly very rigid, very shocked Tazuna, kunai in hand as she stood between him and one of the brothers.
It was then that Yugito struck, moving with blurring speed to intercept the advancing former Kirinin, ducking a subconscious swipe before delivering an uppercut to his chin, so strong it sent him flying through the air and landing hard on the ground. She was on him before he knew it, straddling him with her knees, hand coated with lightning already slamming into his chest.
"Raiton: Muhi."
The electrical strike did its job, coursing through his veins and shorting out nerve endings. He was barely able to utter a strained cry before he went limp from both the sudden shock and paralysis of the Jutsu. She jumped to her feet, spun around and blurred across the distance between herself and the last brother, ducking under a swipe of his claws dancing around him and delivering a powerful uppercut to his chin when he spun around to meet her, sending him into the air and hitting the ground hard.
The moment she entered the fray the fight had lasted five seconds, and her swiftness was not lost on her surrogate Genin team, who all looked either slightly impressed or awe inspired. In the case of the bridge builder his awed expression became nervous very quickly. Yugito made swift work of binding the two brothers and calling Konoha for a Shinobi team to bring them in. Once that was done she spun on the senior bridge builder, eyeing him accusingly.
"Now then Tazuna-san, it appears you've been hiding something from us." She began coolly. "You see these two are known to us as the Demon Brothers, former Ninja of Kiri who went AWOL four years ago. At first I would have considered they would be after me, considering we have a bit of a history, but when I saw them target you specifically I had to change my mind."
The old man was really bad at schooling his expressions, even a baby could make out how guilty he looked, like a child with his hand caught in the cookie jar. "The mission you asked for was a C-class, simple escort and protection from thieves or bandits. If you are being targeted by Ninja that brings the threat level up to B, meaning that a team of more experienced Shinobi would be required. I'm guessing you knew they were targeting you, yet you refused to warn us."
"I-"
"I'm not finished," she retorted angrily. "I don't like being lied too, but this is worse than that. You put not just me in danger but my students as well. Do you realise what such misinformation could lead to? One of them could have been seriously hurt, or even killed because you were too cheap to pay-"
"It's not like that!" Tazuna cut in at last, flinching slightly at the blonde's glare but not backing down. Yugito eyed him coldly for a moment. "The land I come from is in the grips of poverty, we could not afford more than a C-rank mission."
"I'm aware of what's going on in the Land of Waves, and I sympathise." Yugito countered. "However that does not change the fact that you lied to us, and in our business an untrustworthy client can lead to death. It is fortunate that we saw this coming."
"Just hold on a-" Tazuna began before his brain caught up to her flow of information. "What?"
"Hokage-sama foresaw that this might happen, which is why he has seen fit to add on an additional Shinobi to the group." Yugito replied, folding her arms and sighing before raising her voice. "And she should have helped us!"
"Oh come on." There was a small explosion of white smoke which made both the bridge builder and the three Genin jump, though Yugito just sighed and massaged her temple. "You wanted me to help you against that circus act?"
"It would have been nice, instead of scaring the hell out of my students." Yugito countered.
"You did that, not me."
The smoke finally cleared to show their backup, one of only a handful of people within her new home which Yugito would trust with her life. Anko Mitarashi stood in her usual attire, long tan trenchcoat, short skirt showing fishnet stockings and an armoured mesh shirt which seemed a little too form fitting for the blondes liking. In her mouth was a half finished dango stick, which she was chewing away. The expressions of her team were comical, Sakura looked a little affronted, especially by the newcomers choice of dress, Kiba was drooling and nearly comatose, Sasuke was stealing a peek though he still looked non-interested. She was starting to worry a little about that kid. If the bridge builders mouth could elasticise Yugito would think it would have hit the dusty ground by now.
"The mission has been upgraded to B-rank, just so you know." Anko stated sweetly as she walked by him, giving him a pat on the back as she went. "But don't worry too much. We won't be asking for all the money at once."
Yugito smirked before turning to her awestruck team, "Right you three, basic formation and keep your eyes peeled for anymore trouble."
"Yes sensei."
The small convoy began its trek once again, except this time everyone was on high alert for any additional ambush. The Genin and the Bridge Builder were all jumpy, eyes darting left and right, ready to jump at their own shadows if need be. They continued on in silence before Anko leaned in and spoke, voice serious.
"I'm guessing you knew those two?"
"Yeah, and I've got a hunch I know who their leader is."
"You seem happy." Anko smirked.
"I've been waiting to kick that bastard's ass for a long time." Yugito replied with a grin which would rival a Cheshire cat.
Anko grinned savagely, "You sound like a certain little brat I know."
"Shut up."
Of Parents and Teachers
Part II
Mizuka could only stare at the single sheet of paper which presented him with his new orders before slowly raising his head to look upon the grim features of the Hokage with a mixture of fear and trepidation. He knew he was in trouble the moment an ANBU had come to his door in the middle of the night and almost dragged him to the tower.
The paper was a simple form of transfer, signed by the head of the academy as well as the Hokage himself. It designated that his status as a teacher was to be dissolved pending investigations into certain allegations made against him, first on the list being the falsification of documents and the tampering of student exam papers.
"I take it you understand the gravity of your situation, Mizuki?" the Hokage said between puffs of smoke as he lit his signature smoking pipe. "Our Shinobi Academy is considered one of the best in the Elemental nations, and any allegations made against its teaching staff are taken very, very seriously."
The Hokage and he were not alone in the room, the head master of the Academy had been awakened and was standing fully clothed, the now retired Jōnin standing tall and proud with his arms folded across his chest and his face set in a frown of disapproval. Then there were the ANBU sitting in the rafters above, their presence was invisible but they were there.
"Of course, Hokage-sama," Mizuki was immensely pleased that his voice remained calm, the complete opposite of what he was feeling at the moment. "But may I ask who has made these allegations against me, and is there any evidence?"
"You may ask, but the identities of the accusers will remain anonymous due to standard protocols, know however that the parent of the child is of Jōnin rank and has taken offence to what he, or she has referred to as a blatant tampering of the child in questions examination paper." The old man put out the flame in his pipe, set it to the side, opened the top drawer of his desk and fished out a few examination papers. "As to evidence the Jōnin in question infiltrated the academy and presented me with these files from your desk. If they are genuine then the evidence against you will be absolute."
The old man masked his words well, but Mizuki knew exactly who he was talking about. That Kumo bitch and the demon brat, why else would the Hokage himself get directly involved with such a trivial matter. It was no secret that he cared for the spawn, almost like a grandparent.
But that was mute now. The soon to be former lecturer knew that he had dispatched a small unit of ANBU to comb through his office and classroom. All of the evidence they would need to incriminate him would be right there, not just what concerned the demon brat, but information on other activities as well.
In layman terms Mizuki was screwed.
"You will lose your place as an Academy instructor Mizuki," Sarutobi said gravely. "And if you are very unlucky you will lose your life. We have already searched through your office and have found some very worrying information. Even now a unit of investigation ANBU are searching through your apartment for further information."
Yes, Mizuki was completely and totally screwed.
"You were correct, it seems." The Hokage stated. "So we will allow Naruto to retake the examination in a week's time, and if he passes then he will continue on with the rest of his year. Is that acceptable?"
Yugito beamed happily, "Very acceptable, thank you Hokage-sama."
"Just leave it to the investigators next time, Yugito-san." The old man warned. "If you had simply come to me with this worry then I would have sent the ANBU to his office regardless."
"It was a spur of the moment decision, Hokage-sama." She bowed her head in respect. "But I see where you are coming from. I will be more retraining in the future."
"Excellent, and while you are here I would also like to say thank you."
She looked at him quizzically, "For what, if I may ask?"
"It appears that Mizuki was a double agent working for a foreign power, though we do not know which village he was spying for yet." The old man fished into his drawer for his pipe and matches. "He was in the process of attempting to ascertain several sensitive materials on the village, including secret Jutsu and tactical information. It was good that you brought this to me."
"Oh," she replied. "Well your welcome."
Author's Note 1: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, sadly lol, I make no profit from publishing this story.
Author's Note 2: Well my final year of university is officially... well almost over. I got a 2:2 overall in all of my modules, if you are unfamiliar with that score then that would be the equivalent of a C in GCSE or an average. I just need to do one little resit of an exam and the diploma will be mine, and I get an excuse to wear that weird hat and robes even if it will be in December.
Author's Note 3: Hope you guys like how I'm revamping the Land of Waves arc for my own ends, and if you don't well... tough ;) Oh yeah, and the whole Naruto-Ino moment is a salute of respect to a certain fanfic writer which I hold in high esteem, Geor-sama. I just took his idea and made it my own. If he is reading then I will take this chance to ask; WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO UPDATE ELEVEN!