AN: I do not own original Naruto characters and jutsu. They belong to the main man, Masashi Kishimoto. But, Saphiro Kimza and other created characters and jutsu do belong to me. Please enjoy my fic and review after reading.
Naruto: Kimza Chronicles:
Chapter 15: The Canyon Village Mission:
A few days had passed since the "Victory Over Orochimaru" celebration; and the village had mostly calmed down from the excitement. Naruto, Tagaranon, Neji, Lee (leader of Team 24), the 2 other leaders of Teams 23 and 25, and the elder council were looking over the Ezekiel incident. Naruto knew that Ezekiel had enough power to destroy the village. He wanted to assign the Jonin of the village a mission to the Canyon Village. But since most of the Jonin were on a mission to find the whereabouts of the Akatsuki, Naruto had to make another decision.
"Are you sure you want to do this Naruto?" Tagaranon asked, "I'm sure there's another option."
"There isn't" Naruto said with a hint of regret in his voice.
"Why can't Tagaranon, Lee, and I go?" Neji asked rather concerned, "I'm sure we can defeat Ezekiel if we work together."
"Yes," Lee included, "This decision you're making is rather foolish Naruto."
"This is the only way," said one elder, "If all of the Jonin were free from the search for the Akatsuki, we would've made another decision. Besides, you 5 are all in that mission. Plus the ANBU Black Ops are searching for Yanche Uzuba. So they aren't available either."
"I'm sure that if 3 of you can defeat Ezekiel Kimza," said another elder, "These 15 can get the mission done. I'm sure that one of the participants will want to know the truth. Am I right Lord Hokage?"
Naruto nodded, "Yes," he said, "I'm sure he does."
Saphiro and Kaede were in the backyard of Saphiro's house. They were both lying in the shade of the giant cherry tree that covered most of the backyard. They were both sound asleep. Kaede laid between Saphiro legs, her head on his chest. Saphiro rested his body on the trunk of the tree. He unconsciously had one of his hands rub Kaede's long, soft, and smooth light brown hair. They both slept most of the morning away. And they were content where they where.
Tagaranon soon appeared in the backyard. He then silently laughed at the scene before him. He slowly walked to Saphiro and kneeled to look at him. He then stepped back and dug into one of pockets.
Let's see if he was keeping his training up, he thought as he pulled out a cardboard shuriken. He threw the 'shuriken' at Saphiro.
Saphiro's eyes snapped open, going from sleep mode to full-alert mode in less than a second. He dodged the play shuriken and stared off into its thrower's direction. He rubbed his eyes to adjust them to the sudden light. When he saw Tagaranon, he smiled lightly.
"What's up Tagaranon-sensei," he said, making his smile grow into a full-teethed grin.
"Nothing much," Tagaranon answered. He looked at Kaede sleeping and smiled again, "How's your life knowing you have a soul mate."
Saphiro put his hand behind his head and chuckled. He then moved softly so that he wouldn't disturb Kaede. Then he continued to speak, "It's good," he said, "Beating Genzo was nothing compared to the love I have for this girl."
"Listen," Tagaranon explained, "You two need to get to the gate of the village now. There's a mission waiting for you, Kaede, and Art."
Saphiro eyes flickered with anticipation, "Gotcha!" he said. He then gently shook Kaede, "Wake up. We have a mission."
Kaede's eyes slowly opened as she awoke. She looked up at Saphiro and smiled lightly, "Hello Saphiro," she giggled softly. She turned her attention to Tagaranon, "Hello Tagaranon-sensei."
"Hello Kaede," said Tagaranon, "I need for you and Saphiro to go to the gate of the village. Art is already there."
"Yes sensei," both Saphiro and Kaede said in unison. They stood up and brush their bodies off.
Tagaranon nodded and used a teleportation jutsu to go to the gate. Saphiro stared at Tagaranon's ability and grinned at Kaede.
"You wanna see how it is inside of a vortex?" he asked.
Kaede stepped back from Saphiro. She didn't what to expect. She once heard from him that a non-Kimza Clan member could be damaged from being inside of a vortex. She also heard from Tagaranon that a vortex could deplete chakra to absolute zero. But, she didn't want to hurt her loved one's feelings so she nodded.
"Sweet!" Saphiro shouted, "Watch out because here it comes!"
I'm going to be watching out all right, Kaede said in her mind.
Saphiro made the required hand signs and shouted, "Ninja Art: Vortex Jutsu!" He then created a vortex right in front of them. He grabbed Kaede by the waist and held on to her tightly.
Kaede looked at Saphiro and tilted her head slightly, "Why are you doing this?" she asked concerned.
"If I hold on to you," Saphiro explained, "my chakra will protect you from whatever the vortex will try to do to you.
Kaede nodded, indicating that she understood.
Saphiro grinned, "You ready?"
Kaede nodded and then held on to Saphiro for what seemed like dear life.
"Okay! Here we go!" Saphiro then picked Kaede up bridal style and ran into the vortex. When Kaede opened up her eyes, she was amazed with what she saw. She saw that using the Vortex Jutsu for transportation was kind of like flying! She saw everything through what seemed like clear-blue tube. Every now and then, Kaede would think that she and Saphiro would've run into something. But, the tube was nimble and very quick to react. Saphiro and Kaede rushed through Konoha at nearly the speed of sound. Then, they were expelled through another vortex at the gate of the village.
Kaede still held on Saphiro, but a little more gently. She smiled and kissed him, "That was fun!" she exclaimed happily.
"I knew you would like it," Saphiro beamed. He then looked around. He saw that every shinobi from Teams 23, 24, and 26 were here. What kind of mission were they all going on? Where was their mission destination?
"Hey dawgs!" Art shouted from a distance. He then ran to Saphiro and Kaede and smiled, "What's hangin'?" Art seemed different than he usually did. Sure, he still wore the same attire. But he was different. Now, he wore a du-rag with the Uzuba Clan emblem on his head. He also had some facial hair on his chin. He wore brown contact lenses. Finally, instead of his moderately large afro, he had cornrows. Plus, his voice changed a little. It was deeper.
"Wow Art," Saphiro said strangely amazed, "You are totally different! You are like a new man!"
"Sure am Kimmy," Art answered.
Saphiro opened his mouth to say the usual 'don't call me Kimmy' statement. But then he found it useless. That was nickname from Art. Art would say it as long as he lived. So he just smiled and nodded.
"I guess we have the same Kimza," Genzo said as he, Rosetta, and Oro walked to Saphiro, Kaede, and Art. He grinned his usual grin and inspected Saphiro. He then frowned, "Try to stay out of my way." He snickered.
"Stay out of my way!" Saphiro snapped.
Genzo laughed at Saphiro's outburst, "You really think I'll let you fail our mission. We are the best squad in Konoha! Even though you guys are second best; you failed your first mission! That means you're a worse team than we are. Try not to be an obstacle."
"Oh yeah!?" Saphiro snarled, "Who says we're on the same mission!?"
"I do," Naruto said as he walked towards the small group with his wife, Sakura, Neji, Tagaranon, Lee, the other team leaders, and 2 other ninja, "You 12 are assigned on an S-ranked mission to go the Village Hidden Within The Canyon."
"I thought that the Canyon Village was a wreck," said a shinobi from Team 23.
"It is," Tagaranon explained, "You are to go there and collect some files on Renji and Ezekiel Kimza. This is one of the most important missions you will ever be on."
Ezekiel, Saphiro growled internally.
Sakura continued where Tagaranon left off, "Take these with you," she said giving a large pack to the largest member of the group, a member of Team 24, "These are medical supplies you can use if you get injured during the mission. If any member of the team is seriously hurt, come back home ASAP!"
Neji was next to speak, "We will not be able to accompany you during this mission. Instead, these two are proctors that will lead you to the Canyon Village," he explained, "They will also help you fight any enemy that comes in your path. Watch out for Plateau ninja."
"But," Naruto warned, "Especially watch out for Ezekiel Kimza. If you confront him, do not stay to fight. Escape if you can. He is a very powerful shinobi. And I'm sure he can kill 12 of you. Even the proctors. So, stay away from Ezekiel. If you want to know how he looks like, ask Saphiro. He is Ezekiel's nephew."
The group of Chunin swarmed around Saphiro. They started asking questions like, 'Is Ezekiel really that powerful?' and, 'Is his jutsu just like yours?' They were soon silenced by the sound of Naruto coughing to cease the commotion.
"Since this is an outranked mission for a group like you," Naruto continued, "Any one of you 12 who gives us the best data will be promoted to a Jonin."
Saphiro was soon jolted with a bolt of determination. He knew he wanted to become the first Jonin of Teams 22 through 26. He stared at Naruto with a stare that could tell he was ready for this very important mission. He then stared at Genzo, Rosetta, and Oro. He knew that they were a force to fear. If he wasn't careful, he and Genzo could get into Round 3. (Ever since the fight 4 years earlier, he and Genzo didn't really have a 3rd real round) Saphiro just closed his eyes to meditate.
The gate leading out of the village slowly opened to the outside world. As soon that happened, the 4 teams got into their formations and got ready to sprint. Saphiro stared at Kaede and Art; who were on either side of him. He knew if something went wrong, his friends could pay for it. Plus, what if Ezekiel escaped from the Sealing Vortex? He could attack and kill the entire group. He then smiled with relief. Kaede and Art were able to take care of themselves. Plus, Ezekiel could still be trapped within the Sealing Vortex. He got into running position as Naruto got ready to speak.
"Be careful out there!" Naruto shouted as the group of shinobi quickly ran past him. Within a few seconds, the group was out of sight.
"I really hope this decision was the right one Naruto," Tagaranon said, fairly worried.
Naruto didn't speak. In fact, he couldn't. Perhaps Tagaranon was right. Ezekiel was a powerful Jonin. If he could destroy an entire village in hours, he could kill 14 shinobi in at least 3 minutes! The only thing he could do was hope that the group would be okay and wait for their return.
Saphiro, Kaede, and Art jumped through the forests of Konoha on their way to the Land of Sky; home of the Village Hidden Within The Canyon. He knew that this mission wasn't one to play around on. A simple courier mission he had days ago ended with a brush with death! He just had to hope that he was ready to take on any challenge that was presented before him.
As the group of ninja traveled through the forest, the proctors stopped and signaled for the others to stop.
"What's going on?" asked a shinobi from Team 24, "Are we under attack!?"
"No," said one of the proctors, "We are going to make formations. Since there are 2 of us and 12 of you, we are going to split the group. Teams 22 and 26 will go with me. And Teams 23 and 24 will go with Masato. We will travel at least 1 mile from one another. If any one of the groups are attacked, the other group will come to help. Now, get going. We will stay behind."
"Right!" agreed Masato, "Let's go!" Soon, Masato, and Teams 23 and 24 were out of sight. The other proctor turned to Saphiro, Kaede, Art, Genzo, Rosetta, and Oro.
"I am Noboru," said the proctor, "Now that we are acquainted, we can head for the Canyon Village."
"Right!" the group agreed. They soon headed off with Noboru to the Canyon Village.
Great, Saphiro thought, Squad 26 is with us. Well, I'm sure Genzo won't get in my way. He chuckled at his thoughts.
"What's so funny, Saphiro?" Kaede asked.
"Yeah," Art agreed, "We want to laugh too, Kimmy."
"It's nothing," Saphiro denied, "Nothing at all."
2 hours had passed and the group wasn't even one-thirtieth of their way there. The Land of Sky was on the other side of the ninja world. The nation was isolated by a great canyon almost 40 miles wide. The trip was going to take at least half a week. As the group continued their journey, Noboru decided that they would make camp at nightfall.
As the group soon reached the end of the Land of Fire, Noboru heard something. He signaled for the group to stop.
"Someone's here," Noboru warned. He listened to the sounds. They soon vanished. He continued to speak, "We are going into the Land of Steel, home of the notorious Plateau Village. This is the only way to get to the Land of Sky. If we come near their village, the Plateau ninja will stop at nothing to kill us. So be on your toes."
"Hey guys," Art whispered.
"What's up?" Saphiro answered.
"Remember Yatzu? He was from the Plateau Village. I remember he was the first real foe we ever fought."
Saphiro remembered Yatzu well and clear. If it wasn't for his brave actions, Tagaranon would've gotten killed by Yatzu. He knew that the ninja of the Plateau Village had the Infinity Pill on their side, so they couldn't take them head on.
After a while, the group was a fair distance from the Plateau Village. Saphiro thought it was okay to let their guard down. All of a sudden, a group of kunai rushed towards the small band of ninja!
"Move!" Noboru shouted, jumping out of the way. The 2 teams dodged the kunai as well. Noboru looked up and growled fiercely, "It's a Plateau ninja," he said.
Saphiro, Kaede, Art, Genzo, Rosetta, and Oro looked up towards a giant tree. They saw that a man was standing on a limb. He wore the usual Plateau Village attire: A gray vest with an iron mesh T-shirt, green ninja's pants, ninja's sandals, and a forehead protector with the Plateau Village emblem, two zigzags and an arrow between them. But this ninja was familiar. He had brownish-grey hair. Saphiro, Kaede, and Art knew exactly who it was….
"Yatzu," Saphiro growled.
"So you know this guy?" Noboru asked.
"Yes," Kaede answered, "We thought our sensei killed him 4 years ago."
"I guess that everyone could be wrong at times," said Genzo.
"Well, well, well," Yatzu laughed, "If it isn't my friends from 4 years ago. Tagaranon Nakado's students. You 3 have grown. And look! You have tag-alongs. You really think that I was going to lie on the ground and die!? No chance! I had my Infinity Pill's effects still effective. I just suffered a simple coma. Now, I'm going to make sure I win! This time I'm going to finish you pests off once and for all!"
"Oh yeah!?" Art jeered, "You and what army!?"
Yatzu laughed at Art, "This one," he snickered, "Behind me." Then at least 50 Plateau ninja surrounded the group. Yatzu laughed and jumped in front of Saphiro.
"I'm going to take you out this time Yatzu," Saphiro growled.
"We'll see about that," Yatzu chortled, "I'm going to kill you first."
It was 51 to 7. The odds were against the Leaf ninja. Could they take on Yatzu and his army? Or would their journey to the Plateau Village end in the Land of Steel. Plus, what new jutsu did Yatzu learn during his absence. All your questions will be answered on Chapter 16 of Kimza Chronicles! See you around!