Morning had come and gone at the small campsite; an awkward silence hung in the air as completely as the low-lying clouds did. Kiba was glad to see Akamaru again, but he was surprised to discover that the Ninken had lain next to Karui last bight. Although knowing supplies may become tight, Kiba allowed himself and Akamaru double rations in order to recoup their lost strength from the day before. Using the last piece of the dry wood on the small fire, Kiba knelt next to Karui and decided to break the silence.

"I don't suppose you have a map of the area?" he began with the question most pressing on his mind.

She took a moment to answer him; when she did it was with a poise that fit her well.

"No, I lost practically everything out of my pack to the river except for my tea set and my scroll kit."

"And your huge katana." Kiba added.

"Chokuto." Karui corrected.

Kiba closed his eyelids to hide the fact he was rolling his eyes. This girl, woman rather, was getting on his nerves.

"Okay, no map then." Kiba began again, "So what do you know about this area then? This is your country after all."

"The mountain passes to the south where I found you I'm familiar with sure; but we're in the northern river valley, this place is a maze even with a map. Now let's be honest with each other Kiba, it's not the fact that we're lost that most concerns us."

"Yeah," Kiba said apprehensively, "it's the clouds."

"I've tried molding chakra all morning. Every time I think I have it right my body grows numb and I lose concentration."

"Yesterday after I first grabbed you I tried walking on the river, a cloud bank rolled along the water's surface and I lost control. Have you heard of anything like this before?"

"Not with clouds. I've heard of certain poisons that can interrupt chakra; but those effects are only temporary, not persistent like this."

Looking around at the haze that only gave visibility out to six meters made Kiba uneasy, claustrophobic even.

"There's something strange about all this." Kiba began, standing up and motioning to the surrounding clouds and the canyon walls barely visible. "Yesterday right after the earthquakes started I saw rock explode and out of the bore came clouds. Almost like there's something unnatural at work. Like a doton user maybe."

"It'd take someone almost at the level of a Kage to produce an earthquake like that. And then why target an out of the way village?"

"I'm not the expert on the Lightning country, now am I?"

"Are you getting huffy with me?"

Akamaru barked which made Kiba conscious of the fact his face was getting hot for no reason.

"I think we should straighten out our priorities Kiba." Karui said candidly. "I was sent on a simple little mission to bring back a lost Konoha shinobi, namely you. Going off course and jumping to conclusions are two things I do not intend to do. We should follow the river until we arrive at a point where we can reestablish our position. From there I intend to escort you until you are reunited with your team, which will let me get back to mine all the quicker."

'My first mission as an Anbu, and I wind up being someone else's escort mission, brilliant Kiba.' Trying not to think too much on it didn't help Kiba's attitude.

"Well? Any ideas you wish to add?" Karui radiated confidence in herself, which gave Kiba the impression that anything he suggested would be shot down.

"No, the sooner we get started the sooner we can part company."

"Quite."

Everything was already packed, which made leaving as simple a matter as starting off. Kiba remembered seeing the high canyon walls which looked several hundred meters high, now all that was visible was the base of the rock which he often ran his right hand along. The narrow river bank seemed to be a sign of a strong river, few point bars like the one they had slept on were allowed to accumulate because the water would wash all the sand and rock deposits away.

After an hour of traveling Kiba grew restless. Whether it was the endless wisps of clouds which stifled his sense of smell or the reticence of his companions, he needed to lighten the mood.

"Look, I don't know how much time we're eventually going to be spending together, but I don't like this tension. I'm guilty of coming off strong sometimes, I'd like to apologize."

Karui didn't slow her pace nor turn to acknowledge him. A slight frown turned Kiba's lips after a few minutes, annoyed more at himself for expecting an answer. The rocks underfoot suddenly seemed rather slippery and Kiba stumbled forward. Karui turned from her position ahead of him and caught him from falling. Their faces were so close he could feel her warmth. As they righted themselves, she said with downcast eyes,

"You saved my life back there Kiba, you don't owe me an apology." She paused for a moment before turning, "We should be careful from here on out. The river sounds like it's getting louder ahead."

Sure enough, the river's speed was picking up. The noise kept building until the point of crescendo was found, a rather impressive waterfall. Kiba's grappling hook and line was only ten meters of rope, useless against the fifty meter descent they faced. After a few minutes of scanning the area by the canyon wall Karui found a carved trail leading down. The winding staircase turned back and forth at least twenty times on the path leading to the bottom. Talking further was pointless as the din of the falls would drown out any speech.

Reaching the base rewarded them with an impressive sight. The late afternoon sun finally penetrated the clouds, a strong breeze suddenly arose which drove the clouds to the other side of the valley. The blue lake was clear and reflected the mountains on the other side as a rippled mirror. Kiba took note of the evergreen forest which shimmered as the wind caused each needle to shake off the dew which had collected on it.

They walked further away from the waterfall towards the lake. Akamaru barked when he saw a fish jump out of the water. On Kiba's other side, Karui had her hands together in a seal. After a moment she stepped forward onto the surface of the lake, walking perfectly upon the water.

"Losing the ability to control our chakra doesn't seem to last for long after the clouds disperse. That's a good sign at least." Karui said, seeming very relieved as she walked back to shore.

"Now that we're out of those canyons, do you have a better idea of our location?" Kiba asked.

"I'm not certain which, but I think this is one of the pearl lakes. A series of round lakes connected by a small river, named so because they look like a string of blue pearls. The river we just came from branches out and empties into at least three of them so I'm not sure which lake we are next to."

Kiba's ears picked up as he turned towards the forest. He sniffed twice and allowed his eyes to adjust.

"Someone is coming this way. He's unwashed, smells of gunpowder," his eyes finally saw the figure approaching through the trees and focused upon the man's forehead protector, "and his Cloud insignia has a horizontal line slashed across it."

Kiba grabbed Karui and jumped behind cover as the bombs began flying.