A/N: Welcome to another chapter of Hidden Sunray! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, fav'ed or alerted this story! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!
Hidden Sunray
Chapter 4
The leaves on the large trees rustled gently, basking the entire area in a peaceful atmosphere. The chuunin guard stationed at the border gave a lazy yawn and lazily swept his eyes over the land. He did it more out of duty than any suspicion: ever since Konoha and Ame had formed an alliance, there had been little to no trouble at the border post positioned between the two villages.
The chuunin guard finished his survey of the land before he lazily leaned against one of the support pillars of the guardhouse, his hand nervously twitching towards his pouch. He had received a book from one of his friends as a gift and he was just itching to continue reading it. It was a book that had only been recently released, but it already received much attention: Icha Icha Paradise.
The chuunin looked nervously around him before he slipped his hand into the pouch, his fingers gingerly folding over the orange book resting innocently in his pouch. A smile slipped onto his face as he slowly pulled the book out of the pouch, eager to continue reading it.
"What are you doing?" He dropped the book in reflex when a voice suddenly sounded behind him. He froze where he stood and slowly turned around, almost afraid to see who it was. He lifted his eyes and met the scowling gaze of his captain.
He quickly snapped his heels together. "Nothing, sir!" he exclaimed respectfully. His captain turned slightly red with anger at his words.
"That's exactly the problem! You're supposed to be watching the area!" the captain yelled angrily. The chuunin straightened even more at the angry tone in the captain's voice.
"Of course, sir. I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again, sir," he apologized profusely. His apology seemed to be accepted by the captain who merely grumbled and walked away.
Another chuunin sidled up to the guard. "What a jerk," the newcomer said and jerked his thumb in the captain's position. "What's his problem anyway? It's not like something's going to happen," he continued scornfully.
The first chuunin gazed after the captain. "He's probably just stressed," he replied absently. "I've heard some kind of important people from Amegakure are coming to the border post. Maybe he's just stressed they will be displeased with his work?" he speculated.
The other chuunin snorted. "Why would anybody important visit this godforsaken post? It's not like anything ever happens here," he said with his voice full of contempt.
The first chuunin opened his mouth to reply, but before a word escaped his mouth he suddenly rubbed his eyes and peered into the distance. The other chuunin also immediately came to attention and stared into the same direction.
The second chuunin whistled. "Well I'll be. Is that really who it seems to be?" he asked with a hint of awe in his voice. The first chuunin stared dumbstruck at the two figures entering the small compound of the guard post.
"It looks like that," he replied with awe. Entering the compound was two of the most important people from Amegakure: Nagato and Konan, two of the leader from the village's most trusted friends, as well as his former teammates.
The two chuunin leaned slightly over the railing, curiously watching the scene playing out below them. The captain walked over to the two S-level nin and respectfully greeted them, his entire attitude indicating his desire to please them.
"Welcome to the border post, Konan-sama and Nagato-sama. It is an honour to meet you. I am Hito Jiro, the commander of this post. May I ask what brings you here?" the captain asked the newcomers. Konan looked at her teammate for a second before she turned to the captain.
"We are here on a mission. Do not worry; we will not bother you for long. We're just waiting for the rest of our party to arrive," she replied to the captain's question. The captain bowed slightly at her words and tried to strike another conversation with her, but she dutifully ignored him.
The second of the two chuunin observing the scene below them leaned slightly closer to the first one. "What an ass. He's about ready to drop down and lick their shoes clean," he whispered softly to the first one.
"Don't talk like that: if he hears you, you're gonna be in a lot of trouble," the first one warned the second one. "Although I am inclined to agree with you." The second chuunin merely grumbled at his words before he turned away and returned to his post.
The first chuunin turned his gaze back to the land he was supposed to be watching and dutifully swept his gaze across the land again. He tried to keep his boredom at bay, not wishing to appear inattentive while the two S-level nin from the village were present.
Time passed slowly and the chuunin felt his boredom grow more prominent with each hour that passed, but a sudden low whistle from his companion (who was stationed just to the opposite of him) drew his attention.
"Would you look at that," the second chuunin breathed in an awestruck voice. The first chuunin turned around and joined his companion at the railing, looking towards the spot his companion was looking at. He squinted his eyes slightly, trying to determine what impressed his companion so much.
Five figures were running across the land, seemingly headed straight to the guard post. From their attire, the chuunin could discern that they were from Konoha. The chuunin continued to stare at the small party approaching them, but he took a step backwards when he finally recognized the leader of the party: it was none other than Konohagakure no Sato's Yondaime Hokage, also known as Konoha's Yellow Flash.
The chuunin gave a low whistle underneath his breath. If his suspicions were correct and the party was headed towards the guard post, then something BIG was going on.
His companion leaned closer to him again. "Do you think the party Konan-sama was talking about are them?" his companion asked him curiously. He continued to stare at the approaching party for a few seconds before he shrugged.
"Maybe, maybe not. It's got nothing to do with us," he responded to his companion's question. His companion stared slightly incredulously at him.
"Aren't you curious about it? Even just a bit?" he asked him incredulous. The first chuunin lifted his shoulders slightly in a small shrug.
"Of course I am curious, but it's none of my business. I'd rather it stay that way too: a party consisting of some of the strongest people from both Ame and Konoha means nothing but trouble. Something is going on somewhere and from the way that party is moving, I'm willing to bet that they are not coming here for a diplomatic mission," he replied bluntly. A slight pout formed on the second chuunin's face, but he turned his face away before the first one could be sure of it.
They continued to stare at the approaching party until the party finally reached the compound. Konan and Nagato were standing at the entrance, patiently waiting for the party to reach them. The two chuunin watched as the party finally arrived and were greeted by the two shinobi from Ame. A few words were exchanged between them until they finally disappeared into the compound.
The first chuunin continued to stare thoughtfully after them. The party had consisted not only out of the Yondaime Hokage, but also out of the Bloody Hanabero, the Copy nin Kakashi, the Slug Princess (all of whom were in the Bingo Book) and another person the chuunin did not know. However, it merely confirmed his suspicions: something was happening somewhere that meant nothing but trouble.
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Minato and his companions walked through the border compound, respectfully following Konan and Nagato to a more private place. Minato was somewhat surprised at their presences: he knew that Yahiko told him that he'd send assistance, but he had never thought that it would be Yahiko's teammates.
They reached a room after a few seconds and entered it. Konan activated a few seals around the room and indicated towards the Konoha nin to take a seat, doing the same herself.
"This room is completely secure: it is guarded by security and silence seals. We have often found need to discuss important matters at the border posts, so Yahiko had decided to rig secure rooms in all of the border posts," the blue-haired beauty from Ame explained to the Konoha nin.
Minato nodded in approval and leaned slightly back in his chair. It made sense to have a secure room in a border post: surprisingly many important matters were often discussed at one.
"We have heard of your mission from Yahiko; we are the assistance he sent," Nagato solemnly started the discussion.
Minato nodded at the Rinnegan bearer. "I suspected that once I saw you. However, I must say I'm surprised: I did not expect him to send the two of you," he told Nagato.
"We are in your debt from the time when you assisted us with taking over the village. You sent us assistance in the form of some of your most trusted shinobi: it would be an insult of us not to respond in the same manner," Konan interrupted them. Nagato nodded in agreement with her words before he continued.
"I understand your surprise, but it is as Konan said. Also, Yahiko had been aware of that place for some time, but he did not know the details. We had been busy reorganising the village ever since the takeover, so we did not have the time to investigate yet. However, now that you have alerted us of this matter, we cannot leave it alone anymore. That is also the reason the two of us were chosen to assist in this mission," Nagato explained to the Hokage.
Konan's eyes softened slightly as she looked at Kushina and Minato. "What he's trying to say is: you can rescue your son without worrying about anything else. We will take care of the nitty gritty details of the rest of the people in there," she told the two parents with a slight smile. Kushina's eyes softened and a small but grateful smile slipped onto her face.
"Thank you," she murmured softly to the blue-haired woman. Konan inclined her head slightly towards the redhead.
"It is the least we can do," she responded to the Bloody Hanabero before she turned her attention to Minato again. "We have already taken care of all the necessary preparations required for this mission; we are ready to depart at any time," she told him neutrally. He inclined his head towards her.
"Then please, let us not delay here. I would rather my son get out of there as soon as possible," he told the Ame pair, who both nodded at his words.
"Then let us go," Konan responded and deactivated the seals of the room. "Do not let us linger here unnecessarily." The others all got up and left the room as well, patiently waiting for Konan to deactivate the last of the security seals before the entire party set off towards the missing-nin base.
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The wind blew coldly, rustling the bare branches of the trees. Spring had broken out a while ago, but judging from the still-leafless trees in the area, it had not been a gentle winter in this area this year. Birds sat huddled against each other against the cold; their feathers slightly puffed up to accommodate for the cold.
A dark figure stood underneath the trees, quietly clenching and unclenching his fingers, trying to keep feeling in his fingers. He kept his attention fixed to the building below him, watching the place for any changes. His eyes never left the place for more than a second before he regarded it again.
His attention was drawn away from the building when an almost inaudible voice sounded from the earpiece of his wireless communicator.
"Panther, return to the rendezvous point. The Hokage has arrived and is waiting for your report," Bear's voice sounded through the earpiece. Panther relayed a quick affirmative through the communicator before he turned away from his viewpoint, slinking as stealthily into the dark forest as his namesake.
At different sides of the forest, two more persons received similar orders. Wolf withdrew into the shadows and set off toward the meeting point, his attention firmly fixed on his surroundings. Cat lingered a minute longer, keeping her attention on the scene playing out below her, before she too turned towards the predetermined meeting point.
Minato stood next to Bear, seemingly waiting patiently for the rest of the ANBU team to arrive. He was almost beside himself with impatience, but he showed no outward appearance of it. Kushina had no such restrictions and was standing beside Tsunade, impatiently tapping her foot and gazing every now and then into the forest. The rest of the party merely waited patiently, although Tsunade also had a hint of impatience in her bearing.
Minato felt a familiar presence approach them and swiftly looked into the direction of the approaching figure. The figure landed softly in front of him after a few minutes, respectfully going down on one knee in front of his Hokage.
"At ease, Panther," Minato murmured softly. Panther inclined his head where he knelt and smoothly came to his feet, joining his Hokage and ANBU captain in waiting. They waited another few minutes until the two missing ANBU members also arrived, both landing softly and respectfully going down on one knee in front of their Hokage for a second before they straightened and silently turned to their captain at the Hokage's permission.
Bear glanced at the Yondaime, mutely asking for permission to address his team. Minato nodded, giving Bear the go-ahead for addressing his team.
"Report," Bear softly ordered his team. The three ANBU looked at each other for a small instant before Panther took a step forward.
"At the western side of the building, nothing unusual happened. The guards change shifts four times a day: three hours after sunset, three hours after midnight, three hours after sunrise and three hours after midday. The time when the guards are the least attentive is during sunset and midday. It appears the guards from the shift between midday and sunset do not get along with each other, so they refuse to enter the patrol area of each other. There are six guards at a time: two guarding the entrance to the building and four patrolling the area. The four patrolling only enters the sight of the two guarding the entrance during shift changes," Panther delivered his report in a neutral voice, but Minato could hear a faint note of contempt for the guards in his voice.
Minato frowned slightly at the report. "They are the least attentive during midday and sunset? Wouldn't the guards between midnight and sunrise be less attentive?" he asked the ANBU.
Panther shook his head. "No, Hokage-sama, they are the most attentive during that time: it's almost as if they expect to be attacked during that time," Panther explained.
"It makes sense: many guards expect that nothing would happen in broad daylight. There have been a lot of guards who have made that mistake," Kakashi interrupted, relaying his experiences as a former ANBU captain. Minato nodded in acknowledgement and indicated towards the rest of the ANBU to deliver their report. Wolf inclined his head and stepped forward, ready to relay his report.
"Security had been raised at the eastern side of the building: one of the prisoners from the building tried to escape. The guards have been increased and are more attentive. Other than the escape attempt, nothing happened. The shift changes are the same as the western side, but the guards all get along, so they are constantly keeping the others in sight," Wolf levelly reported his findings.
"The southern side is currently teeming with activity: a corpse had recently been taken out of the building. The guards have been increased and are all very attentively focusing on the area: I think it must have something to do with the amount of people passing through that entrance," Cat softly delivered her report. Minato looked at each of them before he addressed the entire party again.
"From this information, I think it would be best if we entered the building from the western side during sunset, which is," Minato took a quick glance at the sun, "about one hour from now. Seeing that Bear also reported activity from the northern side, I believe it would be safe to assume the western side to be the least guarded," he told his companions.
"It could be a trap," Kakashi pointed out. "If a place is heavily guarded with one seemingly vulnerable side, that side is usually a trap," he continued.
"That is normally the case, yes, but the guards from this place do not believe they would be attacked from the outside. The true reason for their presence is keeping people inside, not preventing outsiders to enter," Panther disagreed with the former ANBU captain. "I have been observing the western side for the past three days and I have yet to see any sign of a trap," he continued.
"I agree with Panther: the guards here are not very interested in keeping people out," Bear agreed with Panther. Kakashi stared thoughtfully at Bear for a few seconds before he inclined his head in acceptance.
"So are we all agreed we'll enter from the western side?" Minato asked his party. They all nodded at his suggestion, agreeing with him. Nagato cleared his throat, drawing Minato's attention.
"We will move on our own: we need to gather more information regarding the people imprisoned in this place," Nagato said, referring to himself and Konan. Minato nodded in acceptance and turned his attention back to the rest of his party. He looked at each one in turn for any sign of hesitation before he continued.
"Bear and his team will sneak into the building and find the areas that would be best to avoid. They will also lessen some of the resistance from the inside," Minato discussed the plan before he looked at Bear, mutely asking for confirmation. Bear nodded his head in acknowledgement of the order. "Fifteen minutes after that, I will eliminate the guards at the entrance and we'll all enter. We will break up into two groups: one group will be myself and Kakashi and the other group will be the three of you," Minato said and indicated towards Kushina, Tsunade and Hizashi. "We will then split up and search the building. Whenever one of the teams has found the target, that team will contact the others through these communicators," he said and handed every person a wireless communicator. "The frequency is 94.0 Hz. Once we have found the target, the teams will merge again and we'll escape the building. We will try to exit the building on the way with the least resistance. Is everybody clear on the plan?" he asked and waited for everyone's confirmation.
"Where should we meet up again when the target has been located?" Kakashi asked.
"We will meet up at the location of the target. If it should happen that it is not possible, then the teams will move towards the exit of the building and try to meet up with the others on the way out. Should problems arise that prevents the teams from escaping together, the teams will escape separately and we will all meet here again," Minato decided, "by this time tomorrow at the latest. Are there any questions?"
The entire party shook their heads. "Then get ready. The mission will commence in 45 minutes," he declared. Everybody nodded in acknowledgement and a quiet flurry of activity surrounded the party as everyone made sure they were completely prepared. Minato watched as the party settled down beneath the trees, patiently (or impatiently, in the case of Kushina and Tsunade) waiting for the time to pass. Konan and Nagato stood slightly to the side, quietly discussing their own plan for entering the building. Kakashi lazily leaned back against a tree, softly discussing something with the ANBU team. Hizashi was talking respectfully to Tsunade, but Minato could not determine what they were discussing.
A presence softly settled down beside Minato, wordlessly occupying the space next to him. He glanced towards the presence, a small smile slipping onto his face when he recognized the crimson locks of his wife. Her entire body was tense, as if she was ready to jump up at the slightest sign to rush off towards the building. Minato could see that she wanted to start with the mission immediately, but instead she just leaned her head against his shoulder. He gently placed his arm around her shoulders, wordlessly holding her.
They were so close to seeing their son again; to hold him, to feel him in their arms again, to comfort him. Every second that passed felt like a lifetime and Minato felt like he couldn't wait anymore. Every second that passed was a second his son was forced to stay longer in that place, but it was also a second he was closer to seeing his son.
Kushina impatiently tapped her fingers against each other in her lap, also waiting for the time to pass. From her bearing, Minato could sense that the same thoughts he was experiencing were most likely flitting through her mind as well. Her fingers suddenly stopped tapping and her body tensed slightly as she stared sightlessly at her fingers. Minato looked at her with concern in his eyes.
"What's wrong?" he asked her concernedly. She continued to look at her fingers for a second before she looked up at him with a hint of fear in her eyes. She looked at him for a few seconds before she softly bit her lip and turned her eyes to her lap again.
"That ANBU – Cat, I think – said that a corpse had recently been taken out of the building. What if...?" she asked fearfully, but her voice drifted off into silence before she could finish her question, almost as if she could not say the words. Minato tightened his arm around her shoulders, wordlessly pulling her closer to him.
"It's not. Cat would have told us if it had been him. I'm sure he'll be fine," he wordlessly assured her, but her words had installed a sense of fear in him. What if they were too late? What if they could not safe him in time? What if...? So many questions flitted through his mind, installing a sense of doubt in him, but he forced himself to ignore the questions. It would do nobody good if he faltered now. His son was in there and he would stop at nothing to get that little bundle of theirs back.
Kushina accepted his assurances and leaned against him for a few minutes before she broke the silence again.
"Do you think...he still remembers us?" she asked insecurely. "I mean, it's been five years and he had been so very young back then..." Her voice drifted into silence again at the thought. Minato didn't reply: he didn't know how to reply. It was quite possible that their son didn't remember them.
"It doesn't matter: we still remember him. Even if he doesn't remember us, it wouldn't matter. We'll be together again and he'll finally have the life he was supposed to have back. If he doesn't remember us, then we'll just have to make new memories with him," he finally replied after a small while. Kushina leaned against him in silence for a few seconds before a slight smile slipped onto her face and she murmured her agreement.
They sat in silence for another while, just enjoying each other's company. Minato glanced at the sky, trying to determine how much time was left: still about 30 minutes. He heard Kushina sigh beside him and he turned his attention back to her. She was staring into the distance with a wistful look on her face.
"What are you thinking of?" he softly asked her. One corner of her mouth lifted slightly in response to his question.
"It's been five years; it means he's ten now. Old enough for the Academy, if he still wishes to go. He always wanted to go to the Academy and become a ninja," she replied to his question, the wistful expression still on her face. "I guess I'm just thinking of...how things could have been; how things will turn out from now on. I'm wondering how he turned out to be," she said with a sad tone in her voice. Minato tightened his arm around her shoulders again, trying to comfort her. The same thoughts had flitted numerous times through his mind, but he tried not to pay attention to it.
"No matter how he turns out to be, we'll still love him," he murmured softly. She softly hummed her agreement and snuggled deeper into his embrace.
"No matter what happens, I'll still love him. I'll always love him," she murmured. Minato leaned his head against the top of hers, just revelling in her presence. They sat in silence for the rest of the time, each one of them busy with their own thoughts.
Minato kissed the top of her head after about half an hour passed and gently separated her from him, smoothly standing up from his position on the ground. He gave her a small smile at her questioning look.
"I need to talk with Bear. It's almost time to start the mission, so you should prepare yourself as well," he explained. A focused look slipped onto her face and she stood up as well.
"Right," she agreed and gave him a quick hug before she walked over to Tsunade and Hizashi. Minato looked after her for a second with a smile on his face before he walked towards Kakashi and the ANBU team.
"Are you ready?" he asked Bear and the rest of the ANBU team. The ANBU team merely nodded at their Hokage's words. A soft beep from Bear's watch signalled that the time to commence the mission had finally arrived. The entire party tensed and looked at Minato, waiting for his orders.
"Then go. Good luck," the Yondaime ordered the ANBU team. They all saluted respectfully and quickly departed, disappearing into the shadows of the trees. Minato turned his attention back to the rest of the party, who were all standing tensely around him, waiting for orders. He looked at each one of them in turn; making sure everyone is ready for the mission.
"We'll move out when we receive word from Bear," he told the party. They all waited tensely, listening attentively to their wireless communicators. The fifteen minutes that passed before Bear contacted them felt like the longest fifteen minutes of Minato's life. The moment Bear contacted them Minato felt the excitement rise in him. There had been no problems in entering the building from the ANBU team's side, so they were safe to move out.
A small smirk slipped onto Minato's face as he mentioned the rest of the party to move out. The time for action had finally arrived and this time, he would not fail his son.
_~...end of chapter...~_
A/N: I know this chapter is kind of a filler chapter, but it's still necessary. I also know that the way I handled the guards of the building is probably a bit unrealistic, but I don't have a lot of knowledge in that area, so that's the way I wanted it ^_^
Please remember to review! Even if it's not an incredibly exciting chapter, your inputs are still needed!