Drifting

by AlphaDelta1001

Naruto is many things; troublesome, wild, unpredictable, adventurous, untamable, unique. But there's a benefit to being wild and unpredictable; no one has the faintest idea what you're going to do next. NarutoHarem

11. Land of Waves Arc - Storm Clouds

NARUTO

Drifting

Storm Clouds

Two days later…

"Shithead! SHITHEAD! Where are you?" Tayuya called out as she searched the village streets up and down for her missing roommate. Too bad the name she was using to call out for him was earning her some very odd and disapproving stares from the villagers surrounding her, which quickly had her change her approach. "Damn it! Naruto! NARUTO! Oi! Where the hell are you, you idiot!"

A couple days earlier, on the afternoon she retired from her latest assignment with her teammates, the red head had waited patiently for her training companion and crush to return home. After hours of sitting around and watching television well into the night, Tayuya's immediate thought on the blonde's continued absence was that he was probably out on another long evening hanging out in Konoha's surrounding forests. Since she knew the jinchuriki well enough and knew what his habits were like, she figured he would be out for another all-nighter playing with his forest friends and decided to wait for him until morning.

However, when morning came and Tayuya found her room empty with no trace of Naruto to speak of, she started to worry. On that first day, she was patient about his lack of appearance and continued to wait for him to show up, deciding to occupy her time with training and hanging out with her teammates to put her mind at ease. It was when she got back and found their apartment still devoid of life she decided to finally go look for him.

Immediately on the following morning, Tayuya found herself traversing the village streets of Konohagakure for the missing jinchuriki. She started out at the places where she knew the boy hung out most: Ichiraku, the Hokage Monument, the dango store, the weapons shop, the hot springs and wherever else he visited in his off time when not training. When she searched the places, asked around and came out with nothing, she then turned to the next subject of question on her list in his many friends, classmates and teachers.

It took some doing, but since a couple of the teams were out on missions today, it made her job a little bit easier since she had fewer faces to approach to make her inquiries. She found Kiba and Akamaru and asked if they'd seen him. The Inuzuka said he didn't, but said he would keep a nose out for him, and so she moved on without any trouble. Tayuya then tried Iruka, but the man also said he hadn't seen him and asked if everything was okay with them. The red head thanked him for his concern and said that nothing bad had gone on between them, and that he'd just up and disappeared.

She also went to ask the other team instructors she was able to find if they knew of his whereabouts, but they couldn't give her anything, not even Anko and that woman knew everything for some weird reason. Creepy.

Deciding to go to a more reliable source, Tayuya approached Naruto's teammates Sakura and Sasuke, both of whom were still on extended break thanks to them learning that Kakashi had been sent on a mission. While the former said she'd only been hanging out with Ino and the Uchiha over the past couple of days, the latter was a bit more of a dick about his answer. He merely shrugged and walked off, leaving Tayuya with her douche-bag response for the day before continuing on unimpeded.

Coaching to a stop in the middle of the main highway, Tayuya scratched her head and looked around the surrounding street for a moment, wondering where her friend could have possibly gone. It was while she was surveying the area she then spotted a couple of familiar faces on the side of the road. Smiling when she recognized Shikamaru and Choji, the red head marched over to them and waved in greeting when she got the boys' attentions. "Hey guys!"

"Oh, hey, Tayuya," Choji chirped, while the Nara sitting beside him on the same bench yawn-nodded lazily. "What's up?"

"Have you two seen shithead anywhere?"

"By shithead, I'm assuming you mean Naruto, right?" Shikamaru asked for clarification, picking his ear while looking up at the frazzled red head.

"Yeah, Naruto. He didn't come home a couple of days ago, so I figured he was sleeping out in the forest or on the training fields again. But when he didn't show up the next day I got worried," Tayuya said, looking between the two with notable concern on her face. Since it was rare for them to say the girl express such appearances, the two males became more attentive towards the issue currently plaguing her and sat up. "You guys haven't seen him, have you?"

Thinking for a moment, with Choji looking towards him inquisitively, Shikamaru scratched his team and murmured to himself before looking up in realization and turning back to the kunoichi. "The last we saw him was two days ago. He was moving like hell across the rooftops towards the transport and services district."

"Moving like hell?"

"Yeah. We saw he was chasing something small and red across the village, but they were moving so fast we couldn't see what it was," Shikamaru replied while rubbing the back of his head. "He just dropped down onto the road right in front of us before taking off a split second later. I had no idea a human could move like that."

"Chasing something?" Tayuya murmured, rubbing her thin over the details the boy was able to give him before blinking in remembrance. "He must have been chasing after Swift." The swallow she and Naruto knew. They would always run into her every so often whenever she wanted to play and trained with her. Out of all the animals they met and knew around the village, the jinchuriki knew that bird the most and would always chase after her whenever he wanted to do some cardio and speed testing.

So, he'd been chasing Swift on the day he disappeared? And towards the transportation district?

…

…

Shit… maybe he…

"Thanks, guys!" Tayuya exclaimed, nodding and waving to the two Genin before leaping towards the rooftops in a blur.

Before Shikamaru and Choji could ask what was happening or offer anymore words of concern, the red head was already well out of sight. Staring after her for a few seconds in silence, the Akimichi then turned to his less motivated companion to see his eyes become droopy again and nodded after the retreating kunoichi. "What do you think that's all about?"

"Don't know," Shikamaru exclaimed, yawning again before resting his head back. "Whatever it is… it must be real troublesome…"

Yep. As long as he did one good service for the day, then that was all he needed to sleep soundly tonight.

He figured he could skip the many hours of daylight they still had left to go and went right to the sleeping soundly part.

XXX

Meanwhile…

Many miles elsewhere…

For any traveler worth his salt, to move across country to the borders of the Land of Fire from Konohagakure in any direction along the main highways without stopping, the journey was at least a three day march, give or take depending on how fast you wanted to go and where. To get to the countries to the north and west took a bit more time then to get to the nations to the east or south because there was a lot more traffic, heavy terrain and roads needed to be negotiated. This pretty much meant that no journey to any other village or town in the regions north-west of the hidden leaf was the same and that the conditions of the path were in a constant state of change.

The south was a lot tamer and had smoother stretches of highway, meaning that missions to the areas in that general direction were relatively easy going. Not much went on down here, save for a handful of skirmishes between mercenaries and the occasional roadside robbery, but knowing this didn't bother the straw-hat wearing transporter one bit as he directed his horse on down the dirt road for the Land of Waves.

Not much happened upon leaving Konoha; just a quiet trek down into the lowlands and to the coast, where he was able to spend a night at an ocean-side inn before checking in with the ferrymen. Because he had traveled down here on a horse that had carried all of the weight for him, it meant he had not only moved faster than an ordinary person would on foot but his journey had also been less perilous.

His island destination was located directly south of the Land of Fire, divided by a wide channel an estimated kilometer away from the mainland. To this day the only way to get to the island nation from the mainland was by boat, but thanks to a series of extenuating circumstances, transportation to the small nation had suddenly become a lot more difficult for the everyday villager and fisherman.

This was probably due to Gato International taking control of all shipping and transport in the region. Because they owned the stretch of ocean and waters surrounding the island, you needed to pay a steep bill to operate in the area. There was basically a tax on everything boat and fishing related, which meant even buying a ticket or hiring a ferry to cruise across to either side was expensive. Lord only knew how much this has impacted the economy and quality of living over on the community, whose primary source of income came from fishing and trade.

While the wily transporter making the delivery for Gato International expressed some concerns over the situation, he was only one man. Not only that, but he was a man who had a job to do and could only worry about so much in his life in a world more turbulent then most. Upon gathering up his gear and making sure his wagon was in one piece, doing a stock check from the entrance and not noticing anything out of place, the very next morning he met with the ferry captain who had been organized to take him across the channel down on the dock and saddled up for the ride. After a quick hop-skip across the channel to the island, he then took his loyal steed and charge down Wave's wharf, the last leg of his journey, before finally arriving at his destination.

The main harbor on the island, while not as impressive as the waterfront he'd set off from, was made up of a couple of warehouses and buildings, with a series of fishing boats and small ferries parked around the jetties. Most of the transports in the area were disused or rundown, all of them being watched over by groups of rather intimidating men bearing weapons. This sight alone was enough to tell the weary traveler just how much of the island had become enveloped in the Gato banner.

The looks he received from the mean looking guards standing around the port worried him. But due to the fact that he'd come here under 'legal' circumstances and the fact that he'd been invited meant that he was safe from being lynched by any of the hired guns possibly looking for trouble. Thanks to this he arrived at his desired location safely, and parked his horse and carriage at the very back of the warehouse in the off-loading bay.

"You Kenta?" the warehouse boss waiting up on the walkway asks upon seeing the traveler hop off of his wagon.

"Yes, sir."

Nodding, the man in the suit waved his clipboard down at him before slipping it under his arm, "I'll have two of my boys come down and help you unload the stuff. When they're done, we'll talk about our next shipment."

"Right."

Upon seeing the official walk off, Kenta then proceeded to tie his horse down. As he tended to Bessy, he failed to notice the back of his wagon open up and a dazed, blonde haired teen stick his body out. Groaning lowly and gripping the side of his head, the youngster leapt down from the carriage and walked out of the loading bay, looking up just as his bird companion also came out of the wagon and landed on his shoulder. The fire-breasted swallow chirped brightly while she sat on the stumbling boy, only to have him groan and shush her.

"Not so loud Swift-chan. My head's killing me." It must have been from that fifty kilo set of wrenches that fell on him earlier.

Staggering out of view of the docking bay, Naruto just missed the sight of the transporter Kenta coming around to check on his goods. Unlashing the canvas strings and pulling the entrance open completely, he hopped in to make sure all of his crates were in good condition. After which he then looked up and recoiled a little in surprise when he notice the sheet above him had come loose.

"Huh? Since when was that open?" Shrugging when he figured it just undid itself on the rough road, he sealed it shut.

Once he'd made good tracks out of the warehouse, Naruto turned back around to face the facility and frowned. "Damn it, next time I won't jump so far so fast. That was way too heavy foot- HEY! Wait a second!" Freezing on the spot, the boy looked over the grungy old warehouse he'd just left before looking around the area surrounding him. "This isn't… WHAT THE HELL?!"

Recovering, Naruto dashed away from the buildings on the dockside and scrabbled up the nearby hill. Arriving at the top, he turned to face the whole dock, Swift buzzing around him and waiting patiently for him to get the full picture of his current situation. After taking in the whole area, the jinchuriki finally spoke in a voice clearly reflecting his bewilderment.

"Where the hell am I?! This isn't Konoha! Where…" His eyes widened in realization at what must have happened and he slapped himself in the forehead. "For the love of… AGAIN?! This happened to me again?!" He then turned to see the swallow hovering next to him land on his shoulder. "What are the odds of this shit happening to me twice?!"

Swift shrugged and chirped.

"I get knocked out and wind up in the back of a carriage that takes me to another part of the fucking continent hundreds of miles away from my village, where I end up stuck until I figure out a way back home. Is it too much to ask to at least be conscious while making one of these trips?" Naruto asked to the bird, breathing a sigh before glancing back out onto the port and the ocean he could see beyond it. Hearing the sounds of clutter in the warehouses below with the sound of coastal waves filling in the background, the young Genin relaxed a little and massaged his scalp to check if he was still in good condition. Feeling no cuts or splinters, Naruto returned to a normal standing position and slipped his hands into his pockets. "Well… at least I get to visit the sea for the first time. That's a plus."

Swift chirped merrily from his shoulder, getting him to look back down at her strangely.

"Two days this time? Man. When I get knocked out, I get knocked out." The bird whistled at him, which had a frown appear on his face. "We're on an island? Heh. That's new." He glanced out over the line of the sea. "Never been on an island before. So I'm guessing that's the mainland over there on the other side." Pointing out towards the distant landmass he could see on the horizon to the north got another chirp from Swift and brought a smile to his face. "Hey. As long as we're here, may as well have a look around."

Dashing down the hill and onto the beach, Naruto began the not too complicated task of following it, all in an effort to find out as much about this island as he possibly could. While it would have made more sense for him to return to the port to ask around for 'directions', something told the blonde haired wanderer that if he was to return to the very same place where he was unknowingly transported to, he wasn't going to be getting a very pleasant reception. As far as he was concerned, he was a stowaway and a trespasser. Normally he wouldn't have had a problem with this, but the last time this happened to him it happened in a country on the outskirts, far away from any borders.

This being an island and that being a port, he was technically right on top of the border, which was potentially a bad thing.

He didn't exactly know where this island was or knew anything about it. For all intents and purposes, it could be privately owned or attached to a much larger landmass. Either way, if he was going to be interrogating someone for information, it was going to be under more comfortable circumstances and preferably with someone who wouldn't try to kill him if he gave away too much information.

Thank Kami he left his headband back home. Being a Genin from a hidden village, particularly from one of the most well known in the world, didn't grant him that many privileges as a member of their forces, and being a shinobi in general didn't exactly give him as many freedoms as he would get as an ordinary civilian. Without the plate and brand around his neck, he was presented with one of a few opportunities to stretch his legs and cut loose.

This stroll along the beach would have to be one of them.

Having never been to a coast or beach before, Naruto took the rare chance given to him to kick off his sandals and jacket, and dive on into the calm blue to have some fun. Running around in the shallows for a while, catching some fish swimming close to shore and exploring the small reefs in the area, while also collecting some shells as souvenirs, he then exited the water and continued on walking to dry himself off. Once he had all his clothes back on and had toasted himself under the beating warm sun, he proceeded with exploring the island beneath its many precipices. His path eventually led him to a stretch of sand where, upon reaching what he assumed to be its center, he could no longer see the main continent on the horizon, as it was now on the other side.

"How big is this island, exactly?" Naruto asked himself, looking up the cliffs and hills into the forests he could see above. "I don't want to be here for too long. I just want to check it out and go back home. Tayuya-chan and the others must be worried sick about me." He then looked across at Swift sitting on his shoulder. "Your friends must be missing you as well."

The bird whistled brightly and ruffled her feathers.

"And your mate too. Yes. Of course. How can I forget?" Before he could gain any traction into a follow-up topic, Naruto suddenly coached to a stop when he spotted an odd structure sitting at the end of the beach.

Putting a hand over his eyes to shield himself from the sun and scrutinizing the object in the distance, Naruto blinked when he saw that it was a small shack with a dock stretching out from its porch over the water. There wasn't a boat or a raft of any kind tied to it; it was just a miniscule building with a jetty and no outstanding qualities about it.

Wandering what something like that was doing all the way out there and why it had some smoke coming from the top of it, the blonde haired wanderer and his companion decided to go take a closer look. The jinchuriki closed in on the shack for the next minute or so, finding that as he drew nearer the shack appeared more dilapidated then he originally thought it was. Whoever built it all the way out here didn't focus much on taking care of its exterior, being exposed to the sea air all this time. Maybe it was just a shack that was meant for storage or something.

Nevertheless, the smoke coming from its chimney indicated signs of life, which meant it served a different purpose.

Hoping that there was someone there who could give him an idea of where he was, seeing as that he was safely out of the way of anyone possessing any kind of authority or force to implement any kind of laws regarding his presence in the area, Naruto stepped onto the shack's porch without worry or hesitation.

Walking around the beachside structure, the jinchuriki was able to see for himself that the ocean breezes and winds had really racked the place. The wood creaked, the surface was edgy and brittle, and any patchwork was at best middling. Though he had no complaints or any judgments on the person who owned it, Naruto just couldn't help but take note of these little details. He was still curious as to what or who was inside this building, since he could now sense a life form behind its walls. It also appeared to be aware of his presence, because as he moved around to its entrance he could sense the figure moving inside.

Sniffing the air, Naruto blinked when he picked up something odd… something he proceeded to investigate further as he stopped at the ocean-facing entrance. His bird friend twitched and ruffled her feathers in a show of curiosity, as she too picked up on the trace signs of something peculiar hanging in the air.

Naruto rapped on the door gently, leaning in to listen and ascertain that whoever was inside heard him loud and clear. "Hello. Is anyone there?" He knew someone was in there, he just felt like asking in order to give the impression that he wasn't aware they were.

Unless he got a response soon, he would continue to do so.

Remaining silent and still for a few seconds, the jinchuriki tried again. He rapped against the door lightly and waited quietly.

Again and again he tried, with the exact same interval of pause between each attempt. He tried five times in total until he picked up on the distinct sound of footsteps behind the door and pulled back a tad. He frowned when he received no words for his efforts and went in for a different approach. "Okay, I know there's someone living here. Please. I just want to ask you a few questions."

"Go away," the voice of a girl suddenly shot back. "Leave me alone."

Naruto smiled at finally eliciting a response from the owner, looking back at the door with his knuckles still held up. "I've come here on good terms."

"I don't care. Go away."

"I'm just here to talk. I swear," Naruto insisted, not wanting to leave without first seeing the person living here for himself and having his questions answered. Judging from the size of the island he had managed to gauge thus far, he didn't know how long it would be till he met another person, especially this far out here. Not to mention he was curious about the owner of this small shack and why she was going through so much trouble to hide from him.

Maybe some more information regarding his situation would help her some?

"Look. I just arrived on this island and I don't really know where I am. I was hoping somebody around here could help me, but I didn't want to go to the port or the town because I figured I might get in trouble if I did." While no stranger to trouble, after being an official ninja for more than a month, he'd learned one or two things about procedure. It was a good thing that he did because he was being way more cautious now then when he was when he was still in the academy. He'd taught himself to consider his situation before acting recklessly. Evolution at its finest. "Could you help me out, please?"

He didn't receive a reply for another minute after that. Stepping back a little, Naruto looked the door over, his heightened sixth sense telling him that the girl behind the door was watching him from a place he couldn't see her; through a crack or a crevice.

Not too long afterwards, he heard the sound of locks clicking yonder barrier, moments before the rickety door crept open. Looking towards the gap, Naruto saw a girl his age and height peering out at him.

On first glance the boy could see she was quite timid, had long purple hair tied into two pigtails, was wearing a blue tunic tied at the waist, shorts, and was covered in bandages. His initial thoughts upon seeing her was that she was hurt, but after a few moments of examining her through the small space and getting a feel for her aura, Naruto realized that she wasn't sick or injured at all. In fact, she appeared perfectly normal.

Anyone with that much gauze wrapped around them would have been bedridden, but not her.

Naruto smiled pleasantly in greeting, "Hey there."

In response, the girl frowned suspiciously at him, a direct opposite to her previously timorous outlook. "You're… not here to pick on me… or throw stuff at me?"

The blonde recoiled, "What? Why would I want to do that?"

"Everybody else does," the girl muttered back, her eyes searching him for something foul and underhanded. "How do I know that you won't?"

"Because I won't. Picking on people… that's horrible," Naruto replied, looking slightly offended. Granted he did technically throw stuff at people back at his village… well… all of the villagers to be exact, it was all good-natured fun and a means for them to recognize his existence. Plus the villagers had been real jerks to him ever since he was little, so in a way they had it coming. What he really meant by his words was that he wouldn't throw shit at anyone without a damn good reason to do so. This then brought him around to another topic of interest that had him raise an eyebrow at the weary teen, "Why do people pick on you?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business," the purple haired girl snapped before glaring even harder at him. "You said you wanted to ask me some questions about where you are, right? Well ask them and go."

Perplexed, Naruto looked around momentarily and gestured towards the door with a friendly glimmer, "May I come in?"

"No," the girl replied.

"Why not?"

"Because I said so," the teenager replied, her glare easing up a little, "If that's all the questions you have to ask me, good day." She then slammed the door in his face.

On her side, the purple haired recluse breathed a sigh of relief, waiting for a moment to see if the stranger she had just dismissed would try to speak again or shout at her in outrage. The latter was a response she was most expecting from the action she just took, and one she was already well prepared to put up with.

However, when a minute ticked by and nothing but silence prevailed, the girl then snapped all the locks on her door shut, and pushed off of the entrance to return to her living room to finish preparing lunch around the fire. After moving down the hall, she slid her main room door open to continue with arrangements, only to receive the shock of her life when she saw the boy from outside sitting on one of the cushions beaming across at her, his bird companion astride his shoulder.

"Hello!"

The surprise had her stumble backwards, "W-What? How did you get in here?"

"The window," Naruto replied brightly, pointing towards said make-shift entrance, which was still open and letting the cool sea air in. "A breeze must have closed your front door before you could let me in and got stuck. I got worried when you didn't open it after a minute, so I decided to let myself in."

The resident scowled at her intruder, "It was locked and bolted."

"Oh. Was it?" Naruto asked coyly and giving a light-hearted giggle, "I guess I've been breaking into places for so many years I didn't notice." Laughing off her glare and the awkwardness of the situation he had placed himself in, the blonde gradually came down from his ecstatic exclamations to address her politely. "Since I'm here now, may I have something to drink, please? I haven't had anything for two days. I'm famished."

Frowning deeply at the boy for some time, the girl reluctantly went off to get some refreshments. While she was doing so she couldn't help but wonder who in the world this weird kid was and where the heck he'd come from, not to mention how he was able to unlock five latches, three pads, and two tubular locks, all of which were positioned on the inside, from the outside so speedily in less than a minute. That just wasn't physically possible.

Was he a magician or something?

Deciding not to dwell on it too much and make her own safety top priority, the girl returned to her guest with a teapot and two cups on a tray, where she found the blonde haired stranger making use of her chopping board to cut up the ingredients to the lunch she had been preparing before being interrupted. By this time, Naruto had handily diced up the meat, garlic, herbs, divided the salts, and poured in the oyster sauce with water, which was already starting to boil under the fire he'd set, and was now in the process of chopping the vegetables.

The girl stood in the living room's second entrance in silence and watched the jinchuriki as he worked in adding the spices.

Once the first lots were in, Naruto stuck the wooden spoon with the contents and stirred to make sure the meat and sauces didn't burn. Upon sensing his host standing on the edge of the plain, the blonde beamed brightly while continuing to watch his handiwork. "I used to make stuff like this at home all the time when I was younger. A quick recipe like this is no problem. Plus it's perfect to have when you don't have anything else planned for the next couple of days."

The girl frowned. "It's bad manners to break into someone's home and start cooking."

"Oh you don't mind, do you?" Naruto asked sheepishly, pointing down at the pot that was steaming while looking up at the girl.

Smelling the air and picking up the aroma of a delicious meal on the way, the teenager breathed out in resignation, "Not really, since you're already half finished." She was pretty hungry after all.

"Cool," Naruto chirped, continuing on with his task as if this were his own home and he wasn't intruding on someone's personal space. He was just meddlesome in that way. It was part of his charm.

After throwing in the rest of the ingredients to let it boil for the next half an hour, Naruto then directed his attention to the now present owner of the shack. Sitting across from one another, the blonde helped himself to the tea the girl kindly provided and basked in the silence. As much as he appreciated the girl not making an effort to kick him out, figuring that she wasn't the type to act out violently and didn't find his presence that big of a threat, much to his relief, he tried to make the atmosphere as sociably acceptable as possible. He did this through setting a comfortable distance between them, smiling pleasantly, establishing eye contact, and making sure that the aura he was giving off was warm and welcoming.

Naruto had no hostile intentions here. None at all.

"So. What's your name?"

"Isaribi," the girl replied in a monotone voice, expression remaining empty and devoid of emotion.

Naruto grinned, "It's nice to meet you, Isaribi." He looked around her quaint little home. It was much better on the inside then it was on the outside, but he made this note as more of an observation than passing judgment. "I like your place."

"Thanks."

"You own it?"

"Yes. I built it myself," Isaribi replied in a low voice, not bothering to look the boy in the eyes as he gazed across at her. "Recently I've had to move away from my old home in Umi no Kuni (Land of the Sea) to here due to my work."

"Really?" Naruto tilted his head, "What do you do for work?"

"I'm a deep sea diver," Isaribi stated, furrowing her brow. "Also a fisherman. The catches I bring in and the people I do work for every once in a while really like what I do for them."

"I see. No wonder your home is built by the beach. You can go to work anytime you want to," Naruto said brightly.

Isaribi nodded. "Whenever the weather is good and the tides are high, I can pick and choose when I want to go to work. But… there are other times when I have to meet certain dates and deadlines… so I do have set work every now and again."

"Not today?"

"No," Isaribi shook her head. "Today I've got some time off to rest."

Understanding things so far, Naruto moved back to stirring the food. While he was doing so, the swallow perched on his shoulder hopped over to Isaribi from his arm to the floor and onto her lap. The girl looked down at the bird curiously as she chirped and tilted her head this way and that, looking her over from head to toe. The purple haired teenager raised a hand and reached out to the swallow gently, unable to resist its approach.

Much to her surprise, Swift did not leap or skit away from her when she gently petted it on the head. After rubbing her finger against the animal's chest in a friendly manner and retracting ever so slightly, the bird waited for a moment before flapping back to her partner and onto his shoulder, followed by his head. The bird sung a sweet tune while Isaribi gave the bird her smallest of smiles.

When silence etched on for the next fifteen minutes, Naruto panned back to the girl from the lunch stewing over the fire and looked her in the eyes. When she saw his gaze lock with hers, she averted her attention downwards to avoid his piercing blues.

"Swift-chan really likes you," Naruto exclaimed, nodding up to the bird on top of his head.

"Does she?"

"She doesn't normally trust strangers. She always keeps her distance from others because people tend to be unpredictable with animals, but she has no problems with getting close to you," Naruto said, looking at the girl thoughtfully while she remained facing away. "You're a kind person… Swift-chan can sense that."

"What would she know? She's just a bird," Isaribi replied darkly, brow furrowing. "But I guess it makes sense… seeing as that I'm not normal. Just a sick person who was spirited away and feared by everyone…"

A little bit caught off guard by the girl's sudden response, Naruto momentarily looked her over again before frowning. Looking around the house, remembering how isolated he saw it was when he was outside, how beat up it was and how far he'd already walked to get here, a very familiar feeling suddenly came to him. After hearing the girl say what she did in such a harsh whisper, Naruto finally started to understand why this lovely looking person was acting this way.

This was one of these times why he was thankful for asking so many questions and trying to learn as much as he could about everyone around him.

After several minutes of silence that seemingly went by in hours, the blonde continued on boldly, "Is that why you live all on your own, all the way out here?"

Isaribi visibly stiffened at this and shut her eyes. "So what if it is?"

Naruto frowned, "I'm only asking because I just want to understand." He leaned forward a little more. "Swift-chan can feel that you're a good person, so can I… but what I don't know is why you say people are so mean to you." His expressions as well as his eyes conveyed his feelings on the matter. "Maybe I can help."

The girl's frown grew as she turned away more. "Why do you care? To you I'm really just some freak living alone in a shack away from everybody else." She shut her eyes tightly and her body stiffened. "You'll never be able to understand what I've been through."

Hearing this had Naruto clench his fists tightly. Breathing out, the jinchuriki stood up and unzipped his jacket. When the purple haired girl heard him move, she cut towards him suspiciously, only to see him lift his shirt and show her his stomach. At first baffled by his actions, Isaribi then drew back when she saw a series of black marks appear around his naval, a sight he was able to produce when he started to mold chakra. The spiral pattern in the center surrounded by a formula of unidentifiable signs made themselves known to all those in the room and had Isaribi staring in stunned silence.

"I-Is that…?"

"A seal," Naruto finished, getting a nod from the teen. "If you know what this is then you probably know what it's for… or you have an idea of what it's for anyway." He lowered his shirt back over and plopped down on the ground once again, his bird companion hopping from his head to his shoulder to perch. "Kakashi-sensei told me that seals can serve a number of different functions, mostly hiding stuff inside of objects. You can seal all kinds of things using fuinjutsu, like paper, boxes, crates, animals, people, whole ships…" He then grinned wryly when he reached the end, "Even a demon the size of a mountain."

Isaribi's eyes widened and she sat up, now staring at the boy a little more cautiously as he rubbed his stomach. When she backed up a little and found herself now a bit more fearful in his presence, she then stopped when she realized where exactly her current route of response was taking her and gasped. Reaching a hand up, she pressed it against her face where the bandages were, rubbing them gently before panning to face the blonde again.

"You're a… jinchuriki…?" She'd heard about them before. They were a group of people in the shinobi nations who used their bodies as containers for enormous entities of chakra called biju. Whether it was by their choice or not, basically after taking a tailed beast into their body and becoming its prison, that person would hold onto it for the rest of their life until the day they died, and a new caretaker had to be found.

Because a jinchuriki's body basically served as a vessel for something that possessed immense amounts of power sometimes beyond comprehension, the person serving as the demon's host became something of an object, a creature meant to be feared, and an individual who wasn't ordinary. They became something that was unpredictable… something dangerous.

Having a massive demon capable of myriad levels of destruction living in the same vicinity as normal humans made people fear them and keep their distance. Simply put, most of the people that became jinchuriki became outcasts in their homes.

After seeing Naruto nod to her question in confirmation, Isaribi slowly but surely started to look towards him with a more open mind.

"Yep. A genuine, flesh and bones jinchuriki." The blonde giggled sheepishly and rubbed his head, "It's fine though. Having to lug around a massive pile of orange fur wherever I had to go wasn't all bad. Sure everyone stayed away from me, but I just ignored them and filled my time up with other stuff to distract me." He shrugged thoughtfully. "Cooking is always good."

Isaribi pulled on one of her pigtails nervously before looking back up at her intruder, her eyes reflecting much more emotion than before. You could say that she'd been moved by Naruto's opening up to her, which in turn started to jimmy open her own lock.

Beaming, Naruto edged forward again. "You and I aren't so different," the jinchuriki stated assuredly. "I'm somebody that the people in my village ignored and hated. Some of the kids picked on me, threw stuff at me, and beat me up for being different, and others chased me away. The adults too. I hated it at first and wanted to do something about all of their glaring and sneering, but I realized hating other people in that way wouldn't have solved anything. It would have proven that I really was some kind of monster and would have made things a lot worse for me."

"Th-Then… what did you do?" Isaribi asked, leaning towards him expectantly.

Naruto grinned brightly and raised a fist. "I bit my teeth and pushed through the storm." The girl looked a little confused at his confident response, which earned her a flash from his cocky smile. "I went out and did stuff; had fun, made people acknowledge me, and just spent my time being an all-around royal pain in the butt. Doing all that stuff made most of the villagers forget that I was a jinchuriki and made them view me as a troublemaker instead. I kicked the shit out of all the older kids that bullied me and claimed all of their territory, I trained a lot to distract myself," He chuckled and rubbed Swift on the head with the knuckle of his finger, "And I made friends." The bird chirped happily at his gesture.

Isaribi stared in awe at the boy as he referenced the little creature beside him, before pulling back a little when his focus fell onto her again.

"Soon… I wasn't alone anymore," Naruto exclaimed. "You just need to find friends who understand you and don't mind you for being you." He dipped his head firmly and pointed at himself. "That's what I believe anyway."

After listening to what he had to say, Isaribi remained silent for a good, long time. When a few minutes passed and the food in the center of the home continued to bubble, Isaribi breathed in deeply and reached up to grab the bandages around her face. From that point, Naruto watched as she proceeded to undo the gauze covering her, moving it away neatly before allowing most of it to fall away. When it did, the jinchuriki and Swift saw exactly what she was hiding underneath all those bandages.

She wasn't sick, injured, scarred or diseased at all. In fact, it was completely different to what Naruto had been expecting. The girl was covered in what looked like scales. Her face held the telltale pigmentations of brittle skin that did not belong to a human, yet was grafted into her like she was born with it. It looked more fishlike than anything else and certainly sat out of place of the rest of her flesh. But despite this, Naruto didn't move away or recoil.

Truthfully, he was more curious than ever about what he was seeing and edged even closer, only for Isaribi to shrink away from him and try to hide, despite having shown him her condition.

"This is what I really am," Isaribi replied in a quiet voice, placing a hand over her cheek where flecks of fishlike features could be seen. "Years ago I was taken away by these shinobi to an underground lab where I was experimented on. They gave me the ability to transform into a creature that could breathe underwater as well as on land, and swim faster than any other fish alive. But even though I was able to transform and take the beast's form… I couldn't turn completely back into a human… and as a result I have these marks whenever I return to normal."

Naruto blinked in shock, "Th-They experimented on you?"

Isaribi nodded, "Those people I said that I work for… they're the same people who did this to me." She rubbed the area around her cheek and neck, with her eyes shimmering in despair. "They said that if I continued working for them, they would turn me back… fix me, make me completely integrated. Until then I live like this, but even though I've moved away from the villages I grew up around for most of my life, I'm afraid to live anywhere near other people because they would still view me as someone sick and diseased… someone who can't ever be normal." Feeling a tear drop down from her eye, she reached up and brushed it away, sniffing as her hopelessness and distress started to spill over.

She couldn't remember the last time she cried. She'd always been able to hold it together and push through the abuse and loneliness in her life. Maybe it was because of the boy sitting next to her and giving her the first real company she'd experienced in a long time that she was reacting like this.

It was strange.

After a minute or so of wiping away tears and telling her own story to the stranger, the girl then realized what she had done and started to tremble.

Worrying that Naruto might scowl her and find her appearance disgusting like everybody else, Isaribi turned away and prepared for the onslaught to come. However, instead of hearing cries of outrage or the feeling of being struck down, she suddenly felt her face taken by a gentle hand and pulled back around. Surprised at the contact, Isaribi looked up to see Naruto still gazing at her curiously. When she saw his eyes glance over her and then meet her fearful ones, she then saw his steadfast gaze bring about a smile and his body shimmy even closer.

The bird on his shoulder remained still as he brushed a thumb over the girl's cheek and wiped away another tear.

"I don't see why people should be afraid of you," Naruto said softly, seeing Isaribi stare back in bewilderment. "You look perfectly normal to me."

Heart racing from shock, the teen raised her hands and laced her fingers together. When Naruto pulled away, she caught a full shot of his grinning visage before watching him sit back and take a comfortable spot alongside her. He wasn't distant or showed any signs of fear. He sat right next to her like a close friend in class, a person wanting companionship.

"If I didn't accept people for who they were and judged them based solely on appearances, I'd be a real prick," Naruto said proudly. "You'd have to tie me to a stake and smack some sense into me if I did."

Hearing this brought a twinge of a smile to Isaribi's face. "Really? You'd let them do that?"

"Yeah," Naruto exclaimed with a grin, "Maybe I'm just weird that way. I don't know. But… what I do know is that treating people like they are monsters and judging them before even getting a chance to know them is bad. Stuff like that can really hurt people and make them hate the world, and that's not something I want to do to others." He beamed sincerely in her direction. "I'm not a monster… and neither are you."

Giggling a little, Isaribi stared warmly at the boy. Now that she could see he had no intent on harming her, even when presented the opportunity, she felt that she could trust him now. "What's your name?"

Enthralled at finally being asked for his name, meaning that Isaribi had finally started wanting to make a connection, the blonde saluted with his trademark appearance, "Naruto Uzumaki: part-time explorer, hammock salesman and full-time misfit!"

The mood between the two strangers became a little more pleasant once introductions had been made. For the next hour after that Naruto and Isaribi sat together, shared small talk and watched the stew cook atop the fire. Eventually the pot was ready for consuming and so they each poured themselves a bowl. Having not eaten anything for the past couple of days due to unexpected unconsciousness and delivery to another country, it was clear the jinchuriki was the most starved of the two. The owner of the shack marveled at how much he could actually eat when he began inhaling food like he was drinking water.

Eventually lunchtime came to an end and the pair ended that period sitting alongside one another, sharing tea and talking some more. Naruto wanted to know more about what Isaribi did for diving, like the stuff she caught, the places she explored, any caves or tunnels she'd found, corals and more. He did the best he could to dodge any and all questions about the people who gave her amphibious capabilities, since he wanted to keep the conversation enjoyable, which he did, much to the host's delight. They really appreciated each other's company for however long they spent in that shack.

Once all the tea was done and their stomachs were full, Naruto felt it was finally time to hit the road again. Now a lot more open and hospitable towards her guest, despite the whole breaking into her home thing, Isaribi led the lost jinchuriki out onto the beach and inland. They had to traverse some of the sands before they came to an appropriate hill to climb into the island, in which the purple haired girl spearheaded the hike forward.

Along the way up through the forest, the pair continued to chat.

"So… where is this place anyway?" Naruto asked curiously, finally tracking back to the topic which had led him to his current predicament. His initial intentions had been to find out what country he was in, but with the sudden change in circumstances which required his charming personality to assist him in resolving a noticeable plight, he'd unintentionally gone off on an extremely profound and enjoyable spiritual side-quest. Now that he'd been able to earn the trust of a person who shared a past similar to himself, securing another good win for him, he could finally get his compass back on track. "The temperature in the air is continuously fluctuating and the smells of salt and pine are very different to what I'm used to. Plus I arrived here unconscious in the back of a carrier wagon and I wasn't able to ask anyone back at port about where I'm at."

Isaribi smiled at him, "You're currently in Nami no Kuni (Land of Waves). It's an island located south of Hi no Kuni (Land of Fire), not too far from the mainland."

"Hmm, I figured it was somewhere south," Naruto murmured, looking up thoughtfully while his companion Swift ruffled her feathers on his shoulder. "Wave country, huh?"

"You really have quite a sharp sense of smell," Isaribi said, getting the boy's attention again. "The Land of Waves is known everywhere for its sudden temperature changes and unpredictable weather. Its thick mists are one of the nation's many natural defenses next to its coastlines and oceans. Even I find it difficult to navigate when a fog settles over the water."

"That's pretty cool." Though a bit inconvenient as well. The people must have gotten used to their skies suddenly switching from clear to soupy on a day to day basis.

"Aside from its weather, the island is also famous for the many rivers that run through it and its mangroves. The fauna and flora here are all unique, nothing like what you would find on the mainland," Isaribi also informed helpfully, pointing through the forest beside them towards a patch of strange looking trees. They were sitting high up on their roots, indicating that they were the mangroves she was talking about. "It's very peaceful here too."

"Does this country have any shinobi or hidden villages?"

"No," Isaribi shook her head. "Because it's such a small nation and has so many natural defenses, it doesn't need a shinobi village. However, it does hire shinobi from other countries should they require them."

"I see," Naruto nodded in understanding, glancing over at the girl with a warm look. "I'm assuming that's because this is an island a lot of ships pull through here?"

"Yes. Of course. But uhh…" Isaribi tilted her head down nervously, "Things around here haven't been going so good recently."

"Huh? How come?"

"Ever since some rich guy came strolling into here and bought out all the contracts from the local businesses, he's seized control of all shipping and trade in and out of the country," Isaribi informed sadly, looking back at the blonde as they continued on walking. "This island is highly depended on its trade and fishing, so it was really prosperous at one time. But now… all of the profits made by the islanders go straight to the head boss and his henchmen, and as a result the country is slowly dying."

"That's horrible," Naruto murmured, expression showing his shock and distaste at what he was hearing.

Strange. Though this whole situation seemed completely new to him and had apparently been going on for quite some time, he swore he'd heard of something very much like this before.

But where?

"Who's the bastard doing this?"

"Well… the people I work for moved from the Land of Sea over to this place to take advantage of the shipping routes the man had setup in the area. Whenever any of the company's boats pass through, we attack them and raid them for everything they're worth, mostly to fund the research the people in charge of me do in their underground laboratory on this island."

"Seriously?" Naruto recoiled.

Damn it, not only did he have this monopolizing fat cat to deal with, Isaribi was also working for a rotten bunch herself. Though he could understand she was only doing this because they'd promised they would fix her condition and make her normal again, he still felt that he needed to pay whoever had her on this leash a bit of a visit.

But only after he'd dealt with this island's main problem first; they were next on his list. Priorities you know. It was what the jinchuriki decided right then and there that he was going to take down every single bastard in this area in the order that they had been stacked for him.

"What's this business tycoon's name?"

"Everyone across the country knows him as Gato; one of the richest and most powerful shipping magnates in the world," Isaribi replied grimly, only to pause when she realized Naruto had stopped dead in his tracks. The girl looked back at him, surprised when she saw the stunned look on his face. "N-Naruto? What's wrong?"

"D-Did you say… Gato?" Naruto asked, his swallow friend chirping in shock.

"Yes. Have you met him before?"

The jinchuriki's expression tightened into the hardest of scowls Isaribi had seen on him yet, after which he then hissed dangerously, "Oh yeah." His fists clenched hard enough that it almost looked like he was about to draw blood, but thankfully he didn't go that far. "Two years ago I got into a training accident and wound up getting transported to the Land of the Great River, many miles away from my village. I found out that a man named Gato had built an enormous dam there, and was using his control over all the power and water stations in the region to hold the entire country hostage. Everyone living there was forced to pay him tons of money just to survive and if they didn't, Gato either chased them away or killed them." His brow furrowed at the stories he was told there and the reality of the world he'd faced. "So… now he's here?"

Looking at the expression on his face, Isaribi held her hands together tightly out of both concern and fear for how Naruto was taking this whole thing. "Gato has control over the entire island's ferrying system. That means he has direct power over what comes in and out of this island, including the people. Because there's no other way out of this place, the villagers living here are trapped unless they can make the money to pay for a flight off. But because Gato also owns all of the fishing industries, they have no way of making any money."

"It's exactly like back in Great River," Naruto stated, biting his teeth together hard and glancing at the teen. "So I have no way out of Wave until somebody takes care of Gato, right?"

"Right."

"Well then. I guess it's time for me to go have a little talk with old ferret-face," the jinchuriki stated, cracking his knuckles one after the other. Holding out his hand Swift responded immediately by jumping off of his shoulder and onto his finger. When the swallow turned to look up at him, the boy reached into his pocket and fumbled about for a moment before ripping off a piece of scroll. Pulling it out, he then bit into the tip of his finger and scribbled something with his own blood onto it. He then rolled it up and handed it to the bird, "Take this to Tayuya-chan for me. I don't think we'll be sticking with each other on this adventure, Swift-chan."

The bird chirped and nodded affirmatively, before taking the paper in foot and flying off.

Both the jinchuriki and Isaribi watched the bird disappear over the treetops, before the latter glanced back at the blonde curiously. "What did you give to her?"

"A message for my friends," Naruto stated. "I just want to let them know that I'm okay and won't be back in the village for a few days."

"Is that alright?" Isaribi asked.

The blonde stuck out his chest, "Of course. This happens to me all the time. I'm sure Tayuya-chan will understand. Now." Slamming his fist into an open palm, Naruto directed his attention towards the girl in bandages. "Where can I find this asshole's hiding place so I can give him a piece of my mind."

Stunned at his willingness to go confront the head honcho behind this country's current strife, the girl then pointed in the direction she knew where the boss was. "His mansion is up hill not too far from here." Isaribi then stepped towards the blonde. "But his place is crawling with guards and mercenaries. You won't be able to get anywhere near him."

Naruto scoffed and grinned confidently, "I've broken into tons of heavily guarded places before. I'm sure I'll be fine." Seeing the still concerned expression on the teen's face across from him, the jinchuriki approached her with a warm look and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about me, Isaribi-chan. I'm used to this kind of stuff. Besides… I have unfinished business with the bastard. I know how the guy works and what kind of company he keeps around him, so I'll be fine."

Isaribi placed a hand over his hand, "But… you're not afraid?"

"Not at all," Naruto shook his head, stepping away. "If I was, then do you think I would be here right now?" Saluting, the boy turned heel and prepared to head off. However, before he could set himself into a run, he stopped and gazed back at the purple haired teen warmly, where he met her stunned look head on. "If you ever need any help Isaribi-chan, don't be afraid to come find me, okay." When he received a nod from said girl, the jinchuriki gave another smile and took off; kicking up dust at the speed he left with.

Isaribi watched the blonde disappear into the trees, standing in place for a few moments before giving a small smile. "Be careful, Naruto."

With that said and done, she then kicked absently at the ground and started back for the beach. She did so silently, every so often looking back and wondering with hope that the kind boy she had just met would really be alright…

OOO

Some minutes later…

It took several minutes of hard running before Naruto finally arrived at his destination. Being a lot further out and more guarded than he originally thought the blonde made sure to duck behind the bushes to take a better look at the massive summer home that was Gato's estate here on the island.

Sitting just a hair's breadth away from the beach, the building was of castle like design with a gorgeous paint job, arches, balconies, walkways, tiled roofs with slopes, statues and a massive wall surrounding the entire property. It could have easily been mistaken for a temple or a royal fortress from a distance, which spoke wonders about how much work the boss had put into it. It also reflected how inflated the bastard's ego was, which ticked the jinchuriki off quite a bit.

The one other clue Naruto got that told him that this was Gato's main place of business was that there were types of guards marching around outside. They weren't the kind dressed in uniform or suits. They all looked like the scrubs you pulled off of the streets to harass people for money, common thugs and farmers looking for a quick buck. In any case, neither one of the dozens he was able to count looked like the socially acceptable type nor appeared friendly in any way with the large weapons they were strutting over their shoulders.

There were swaths of them patrolling the grounds and castle. Through his eagle like eyes and his senses in the ground, Naruto was able to scout out every individual sentry moving within the vicinity. To get a better view, he leapt into the trees and got a little closer, making sure to stay as invisible as possible, something he had no problems with.

After a while and seeing a break in the patrols, the jinchuriki stealthily hurdled over the wall and onto the property. Ignoring the garden and keeping to the shadows, Naruto flew up onto the second story and swiftly crawled his way across the tiles. Sticking to a dead spot, he found himself a vent and jimmied it open, deciding to make his way through the building through use of its ducts than its hallways.

Even for a single story, the place was massive. Crawling through the enclosed spaces and every so often coming across a grated exit, Naruto was given a self-tour of the establishment. On this level, there was a bathroom, toilet, living rooms, offices, storage rooms, and a couple of bedrooms, some of them reserved specifically for the common folk working under Gato. Then there was obviously the guest rooms for the unmentionables Naruto suspected the boss to have around every now and again.

Searching for a little longer, avoiding the long drops and climbs to other levels on his route, Naruto finally stumbled upon the very place he was looking for.

Finding a massive office with a huge balcony looking out over the ocean, the blonde quietly made his way through the ducts that wrapped around the chamber and began his reconnaissance. Unlike the other rooms, this office was massive, with bookshelves, filing cabinets, portraits and all sorts of other high-class stuff littering the space. It was a very posh place, and one that wasn't afraid to show off its glamour. With the number of vents this section of the floor had, it gave the hunting Naruto several different angles of the room, all of which were advantageous.

The jinchuriki scrambled around it, taking his time in getting a feel for the environment, before finding a good position on the right side of the desk facing the double-doors that was the main entryway into the office.

What's more, not only did the boy see how rich and full the chamber actually was, it wasn't empty either.

The big man himself was there.

"Would you care to repeat that for me?" the shrill voice of the impudent figure sitting behind the office's workspace rang out, his sunglasses covered eyes glaring a hole into the two right-hand minions standing before him at attention. "I don't think I heard you correctly. Did you say that that fat old bat, the bridge builder… is GONE?!"

Zori, the shorter of the two meatheads and wearing the familiar jacket and beanie, gulped deeply as he stood under the fury of his employer. "I-It's exactly what we said, boss."

"The old codger got away. We don't know how and we don't know when, but word around town says he managed to get out," the tattoo covered brute with the eye-patch standing beside Zori spoke up in continuum. "It must have been after we sent our men onto the bridge the other day to bully the workers into giving up on the project."

"The bridge builder stood up to the boys we sent and they backed down. We were going to send in more today to rough him up, but the men working there had set up a barricade and we couldn't get through," Zori added while folding his arms. "Though the villagers don't have guts like the chief, they're certainly stubborn and know how to follow orders. It was after that we heard the old man disappeared."

"Damn it!" Gato swore, slamming his fist onto the desk in frustration, causing a loud bang and rattle to ring out as he dislodged the pens from his holder. "As if I didn't have enough shit on my plate to deal with already! If the high-collar snobs I'm trying to negotiate with across the sea weren't a big enough problem, I also have that damn bridge being built across the channel and the old man in charge of it fighting against me. Shit!" Sitting back down the mogul fumed. "And now, to top it all off, he's gone. He probably ran off to find help."

"You think so?" Waraji asked.

"I know so," Gato continued, balling his fists tightly and making a gesture like he wanted to strangle something to vent his anger out on. "Grrr, if only that bastard missing nin Zabuza Momochi did what I told him to and snuffed the old guy out in his sleep, then I wouldn't be having such a big headache! What's more, he can't even catch that fucking sea creature or whatever it is attacking my boats and stealing my shipments!"

"Not to mention the guy's abandoned his old hideout, so now we don't even know where he is so we can only communicate with him on his own terms and play by his rules."

Gato grunted indignantly. "I guess you get what you paid for. I wanted to hire a strong shinobi who was not only off the registry but could take care of all of my problems and follow orders. But instead, I get someone who is useless, rebellious and can't even follow simple instructions… damaged goods." A dark smirk then crossed Gato's face, "And you know how much I hate damaged goods…"

Zori grinned at the vibe he got from those words, but then looked off to the side when he remembered some other important details regarding their asset. "As useless as he is, Zabuza is still a sharp fucker. After your last visit to his place, he must have figured you would get pissed off and would call in the hunter ninjas from Kirigakure to dispose of him."

"Feh. I wouldn't be stupid enough to hire hidden village shinobi to get rid of that man. Oh no," Gato replied, sitting back in his seat with a smirk. "If I did hire registered ninja to do the job, even hunter ninja, not only would the mission be expensive as hell since I'm paying for multiple parties and service charges, but the village leaders, rival corporations as well as the daimyo from the continent would become aware of my dealings here and start taking actions against me." All village shinobi had to report to someone after all, and Gato knew more than anybody else that when a report was made to someone, word basically spread. And when word spread, more trouble was to follow. That was how it worked. "No… I have more discreet means of dealing with someone like Zabuza."

"What do you have in mind, boss?"

Naruto, smirking at hearing the talk between the three and their business with some shinobi named Zabuza they were having trouble with as well as what he suspected to be Isaribi's doing, pulled a knife from his pouch and prepared to undo the vents. After hearing all he needed to hear, the jinchuriki decided that now was as good a time as any to get to work on fixing things up on this island.

However, before the blonde could move for the first screw, he stopped in mid-reach when he suddenly picked up the distinct aura of something disgusting, dangerous and powerful approaching the office.

Freezing in shock, with eyes widening and sweat appearing on his face, Naruto silently pulled back and instantly cut towards the double doors he could see through the slits.

"No way? What kind of person would have a presence like that?" Naruto thought, only to blink in disbelief when he sensed something else. "Wait… two people?"

Whoever the hell they were, they were getting closer.

"It's not what I have in mind, Waraji," Gato exclaimed, leaning back in his seat. "It's who I have in mind. Hiring official ninja would only bring me more trouble than I can handle, but… if I was to go off the books and hired somebody with a big name and a good reputation, as well as somebody who would not draw attention to my work here; I can get rid of all of my woes in a single swipe." He snapped his fingers, but then dropped it back onto his desk with a sour look on his face. "Problem is though… I got into contact with these people a few days ago. They're sure taking their sweet time getting here."

Just as Zori and Waraji glanced at each other and began questioning exactly who it was their boss could have hired the handle to the office's door suddenly shifted down before the entrance itself was pushed open. Both doors slamming against the wall had all three people in the room including their eaves-dropper look towards the hall.

When they did, the three people in the chamber froze when they saw two figures standing in the frame.

Both of them stood at around the same height above Waraji, wearing black cloaks with high collars and red cloud patterns on them. While on first glance the two intruders were dressed identical to one another, they both differed slightly due to several unique characteristics. The one standing on their right appeared unremarkable. He wore a grey hood and dark mask completely covering his face, with only his strangely colored green and red eyes showing. The other individual on their left looked slightly different. He had his collar popped open, showing off the upper parts of his chest with a necklace with a weird symbol hanging from it, and was carrying a large red scythe with three blades on it. He also had silver, slicked back hair, purple eyes and a pretty normal yet irate looking face.

The thing was though that had Naruto raise an eyebrow at was not only were the two intruders wearing headbands from Takigakure and Yugakure respectively, but the village symbols that represented each of them were slashed out. That was something the jinchuriki had never seen before.

"Who the heck are these guys?" Naruto wondered, taking in their individual appearances. They sure dressed funny if anything else. But despite what he could make of them, the aura he could feel being emitted off of their bodies was almost choking him. He was pretty sure that they were also having the same effect on the other three men in the room. Another thing that he was pretty certain of was that these were the people Gato was talking about; the new hired guns, or so he said. The jinchuriki tensed a little at the rapidly developing situation. "Maybe I should attack them… take them by surprise…"

"Don't even think about it, kid," the voice of the Kyuubi suddenly spoke up, startling Naruto from his state of readiness. "Just sit back and keep quiet. Don't do anything that will let them know you're here!"

"Why?"

"I may be stuck inside of you behind this damn gate, but I can still feel the killer intent these two are giving off. Stay the fuck away from them."

Hearing how worried the Kyuubi was sounding struck a chord with Naruto. If his nine tailed companion was actually speaking up and telling him not to engage someone in battle then it meant one of two things. One; the Kyuubi was doing it to keep him from getting into trouble because he cared or two; because the fox could genuinely feel how powerful these guys were and was telling the kid not to cross their path because they would kill him.

Naruto figured it was more around the latter.

If that were the case, then the jinchuriki decided to do what the fox told him and backed down.

"Why the hell did you drag me all the way down here with you?" the man with silver hair spoke up in annoyance, turning his glare onto his masked partner. "This is just another one of your fucking money lording jobs. It's just a waste of my time."

"Shut up, Hidan," the masked man shot back, not taking his eyes off of the three men in the room. "As far as I'm concerned, your entire life is wasteful." Ignoring the profound swearing from his teammate, the intimidating figure entered the room in stride, followed closely by the foul-mouthed weapon user. As they approached the desk, both Waraji and Zori broke apart and gave them some room… plenty of room. "Gato I presume."

"Y-Yes," Gato gulped, adjusting the glasses over his eyes and glaring back at the pair that stopped in front of his desk. "I'm guessing you're Akatsuki?"

"Right," the masked newcomer nodded, throwing his hardest of stares at the short man behind the desk. The amount of ki the guy was emitting had the magnate trembling in his seat with a feeling that he was about to be snuffed out at any second. "Kakuzu… and that's all you're getting for introductions. Now what was so important that you had to contact our group and ask for us to come down here? I'm a busy man and I don't like to be kept waiting."

Truth was he came down here as fast as he could because he heard that it was Gato that was requesting their group's services.

Gato, as in, billion dollar business owner. Billion dollar business owner meant big checks for small jobs. Small jobs meant easy money.

That's all the information the man identified as Kakuzu needed to high-tail it from the Kumo region to get all the way down here. He could practically hear money ringing in his ears with every step that he took towards Wave.

Adjusting his specs, Gato fixed the tall assassin with as firm a stare as he could muster before getting straight down to business. He was fully aware of who he was dealing with now and could feel the man's aura blasting him in the face. He had to be careful with what he said next. "I called you two here because I have a few problems I would like for you to solve for me and I'm willing to pay you both handsomely should you succeed."

Kakuzu's eyebrow arched upwards, "You have my undivided attention."

Gato wiped his brow with a handkerchief before continuing. God this guy's voice was scary. "First and foremost, my ships are being attacked along their primary route out of the island by a 'sea monster' that I suspect is living somewhere in the general area. I want you to find out where its den is and kill it."

"Go on," Kakuzu stated, glare tightening. He was expecting more to this, since he figured the man wouldn't lead off with his biggest problem.

"Secondly, the bridge being built across the channel. The man in charge of its construction has apparently fled the island, but his family is still living here in their cozy little home on the outskirts beside the village's main lake. He has a daughter and a grandson. I want you to bring one of them to me so I can use them as a bargaining chip to scare the man out of building his bridge," Gato stated with a sly smirk. "I only need one of them."

"And?" Kakuzu asked, waiting for the last and final part of the contract the man was currently writing up with them.

"The man I originally hired to do these jobs is ducking me and refusing to follow my instructions. He's proving to be a real pain in the ass if I'm honest, so I want him gone, but I know he won't leave quietly," Gato said while lacing his fingers together on the desk in front of him. "You should know him. He's a Jonin formally of Kirigakure, Zabuza Momochi; also known as the Demon of the Hidden Mist. I want you to find him and his partners, and get rid of them."

Kakuzu paused on the info regarding the rogue ninja.

Zabuza Momochi? If he remembered correctly that was Kisame's old partner, wasn't it? He'd heard stories that all members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were ridiculously strong, especially that particular one and his blue-skinned partner, who was currently shacking up with their lot. Though the masked bounty hunter was confident in his abilities to kill the man, no questions asked, there was still one bit of information he was missing.

It was also the most important bit as far as the assignments went.

"That's all well and good. Of course, my partner and I will be more than happy to solve these little problems of yours," Kakuzu began, elbowing his teammate in the stomach to stop him from making some smartass comment or words against his decision before stepping forward. "But… you seem to have dodged a rather significant detail regarding all of these jobs." He stopped just inches from the desk, close enough to have Gato lean back and nearly slide under it from how the man towered over him. "How much will you be willing to pay to have these missions completed? And be warned, your first offer may decide whether or not I take both you and your little bodyguards apart, piece by piece, and play jenga with all three of you until I'm satisfied."

The three men stiffened at his words. Neither one of them could say they'd sweated this much before in their lives, because they hadn't. They also couldn't help but stand ramrod straight wherever they were or sit as stiff as a board from what the man threatened them with.

Gato really, really, REALLY needed to be careful with what he had to say to him next.

Clearing his throat, the magnate sat back up to a more professional position and composed himself for the big number.

"I will pay you double the amount that Zabuza is worth, plus fifteen percent. You can take his body and cash it in at the nearest bounty station to collect what's on his head afterwards," Gato informed quickly, hoping this would suffice.

Kakuzu swore all five of his hearts skipped a beat at that offer and stood still for a good long minute, leaving the three men in momentary suspense. No matter how he tried to angle it, there was no denying that that was a lot of money. Zabuza's bounty was high enough on its own but double, plus a percentage, AND he could cash in on the corpse after the kill? Fuck, it was like Christmas had come early.

Hidan smirked when he saw the effect his partner had over those present in the room, wanting so badly to say something but not wanting to ruin the moment of watching the commoners standing under his shadow piss themselves for just being stared at by his teammate.

After the appropriate pause was given, Kakuzu nodded, "Done." He then turned heel and moved out, strolling past his coworker who watched him leave with hands on his hips.

"So… what? Are we going to play jan-ken-fucking-po to decide which one of us goes on which assignment?" Hidan asked his partner, stopping him in his tracks. The silver haired man walked up to stand beside him and focused his glare on the side of his face, "Help me out here, Kakuzu. I'm still new to this whole partnering-up business. A little more information or even a pamphlet would be much appreciated."

"I've already decided on what jobs each of us will get," Kakuzu replied, glaring back over at his partner and in a voice loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. "I'll go hunt Zabuza and his gang. Since you're still new and just got off of probation, I'll give you the easy task. You can go get the bridge builder's family and bring them here. Remember… we only need one alive."

Hidan huffed and stuck his nose away, "What fun is there in offing some widowed mother or her brat of a son?"

"I figured you'd be thrilled," Kakuzu replied, expression unchanging. "It's your hobby, isn't it? To slaughter people and offer them up as sacrifices to your imaginary friend?"

"I call blasphemy, you old money-grubbing heathen," Hidan pointed at the masked bounty hunter with a deep frown in play. "What I do is a spiritual agreement between myself and Lord Jashin. To put it to you simply: no. I'm not thrilled. Why do you get the fun part and I'm left to deal with the children?" His partner got to hunt down a powerful nuke-nin and he was stuck 'babysitting' some bridge builder's family. That was grunt work.

He demanded justice.

"I'm throwing you a bone here. Be grateful that I'm at least giving you something to do and not telling you to follow me around, which I know you hate," Kakuzu stated, turning to glare ahead of him again. "After I've taken care of Zabuza and you've brought in the hostage, we'll go hunt down the sea monster."

Hidan sighed and rubbed the back of his head in exasperation. It was after a moment of thinking about it he then halfheartedly settled on his chore and smirked widely, "Fine. I'll go get the woman and kill the brat, and offer him up as another 'glorious' sacrifice to Lord Jashin." He licked his lips excitedly. "I think I'll actually enjoy cutting into the kid and watching him squirm. It should at least satisfy me for the next day or so."

"Whatever," Kakuzu replied, glancing back to glare at the three men standing behind them. He focused his attention on the magnate, who was the one who gave them their new assignments, "I'll be back for my money in a couple of days, Gato. You'd better have it ready when I return; otherwise it's open-heart surgery for everyone." He then left alongside his partner, who continued to show displeasure at the lack of fun his next mission was promising him.

Zori, Waraji and Gato, once they were certain the pair had left, melted on the spot. While the muscle swordsmen collapsed to the floor, the mogul slid down his chair, pouring sweat and looking utterly traumatized. "That was… terrifying…"

"Who were those men, boss?" Waraji asked, wiping his brow.

"Members of Akatsuki; an organization of powerful missing ninja," Gato replied, head slumping to the side in thought. "The man in the mask… I've seen his face before in the bingo book. I never thought I'd ever see him in person. He's dangerous, that one."

"Why would you hire men like that to do these jobs?" Zori asked, completely baffled by his boss's decision. It was bad enough he hired a shinobi as powerful and as dangerous as Zabuza to begin with, but then he hires somebody who seemed even more powerful and dangerous to deal with him. It didn't make any sense.

"Zabuza is a tough nut to crack. It would take a lot more than ordinary hidden village shinobi to take care of him," Gato replied, breathing a sigh. "In terms of rogue ninja, I learned that the 'Demon of the Hidden Mist' is one of the strongest out there. In order to avoid complications with the authorities and other countries, I needed both a powerful shinobi and someone not affiliated with any of the known shinobi nations to throw at him, as well as someone who could follow instructions. The Akatsuki was a safe bet. They have good results."

"But… you're going to be paying the man even more than what you promised Zabuza," Zori added.

"No one of that level of strength and skill are cheap anymore," Gato exclaimed, taking off his glasses and massaging the bridge of his nose. "At least with Akatsuki I'm guaranteed success. They'll be able to wipe my slate clean, with no questions asked and no complications. That's all I really want at this point."

With that understanding, while Zori and Waraji gathered back their senses, Naruto was left sitting in the air duct sweating up a storm.

Geez. Even though he hadn't been directly apart of the events that just took place right in front of him, that whole standoff had been damn near terrifying. Whoever those two guys were, Akatsuki members, Kakuzu, Hidan… they were intimidating as hell. Naruto never thought there was anyone out there who could match Crow in terms of appearance and presence, but these guys trumped him by miles. They were in a completely different league of their own; a fact that the Kyuubi was well aware of and was partly responsible for his decision not to engage them in the end.

Speaking of which…

"Who were those two, furball?" Naruto asked, shivering slightly at the memory.

The fox inside his head murmured uneasily. "I don't know about the silver haired one, but from the looks of the other guy, if I remember correctly, he was the same brat that tried to kill the First Hokage all those years ago."

"Wait… the First Hokage? Are you serious?"

"Yeah. He crossed paths with Mito, the First's wife, whom was my jinchuriki at the time and fought with both of them," the Kyuubi stated before frowning darkly. "I swear to Kami that Hashirama chased that little spit-fuck away after their fight. Guess he managed to survive after all."

"Okay. I'm going to venture a guess that there's a lot more to that story and why the hell someone like that is still alive and kicking," Naruto thought. Was he some kind of immortal being or something? Well, whatever the hell he was, he was currently on the move, along with that other guy who wasn't afraid to swear publically at every little thing around him. Even Tayuya wasn't as brazen as that when it came to freedom of speech. "So they're both here at Gato's request; to kill a sea monster and some guy named Zabuza…"

"That's not all, brat."

Thinking back, Naruto then stiffened when he realized what else had been said and looked down the length of duct he'd taken to get here. "Shit! They're going after that bridge builder's family!"

He may have been missing some facts, like the bridge and who this family actually was, but there was no way in hell he was going to let some murderer in a black bathrobe kill a mother and child. For the first time ever, Naruto had just seen Gato issue a direct order to a hired gun to go out and off someone like their life was expendable; like it meant nothing. This was not going to sit still with Naruto as long as he was around, and therefore propelled him into action.

Without needing to be told twice, the jinchuriki began scrambling down the ducts he'd gone through as fast as humanly possible. Making barely even a sound, he darted straight for the nearest exit.

"Kid, calm down and think about this," the Kyuubi spoke up in a frantic voice, concerned about the wellbeing of his container and any actions he was planning to take, as it would not only affect the kid but both of them. "The killing intent leaking off of those two did not belong to a pair of ordinary shinobi. Those guys, especially that masked one… they mean business."

"I know! But I've got to do something!" Naruto shouted back, expression desperate and alive with effort as he flew out of the open vent he used to enter the building and began bounding towards the forest. "I can't just stand by and watch innocent people get hurt! I'll deal with Gato later! Those two come first!"

He didn't plan on tackling them head to head. No way. That Kakuzu person was one thing. The Kyuubi warned him to keep his distance from that one and he was going to listen, especially after learning that one little piece of history regarding his village's first leader. The other one though, even though they didn't have any idea who or what he was, if he was with that guy and able to talk so freely around him without fear of his wrath, then he also had to be freakishly strong too.

In any case, Naruto was a man of action and it was action he was going to take to stop them from whatever they had cooked up. He just needed a strategy to go with his fists and he was good to go.

This was something he thought about as his eyes locked onto the two dark figures as they exited Gato's mansion, split up, and started towards their objectives. Knowing where he needed to go next, he began shadowing Hidan well out of range…

TO BE CONTINUED…

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Author's Note: And that concludes the next chapter... and all hell is about to break loose.

Playing out just as he did before on his last adventure, Naruto goes wandering and stumbles upon Isaribi's shack, yay. While he didn't exactly save her from the people she's working for yet or try to convince her that what she was doing was wrong, he did manage to get her to open up through good old-fashioned Uzumaki perseverance. He wanted to ask someone about the island he was on, and seeing how the girl acted and guessing what her situation was, he wanted to help her out. It's just in his nature to want to be friends with people, and he will stop at nothing to do so. Kind of reminds me of Kintaro Oe from Golden Boy, able to convince people to give him a job with only his words and persistence to go by... minus the sexual orientation and extreme pervertedness.

Isaribi is still working for Orochimaru, but Naruto was able to make friends with her and gain her trust.

He also stumbles upon Gato, and who does he find? Yep. You guessed it, Akatsuki.

I wrote this scenario based on a number of factors. Gato already hired Zabuza, and has a few problems to deal with. His ships are being attacked, and he's losing lots of money. He also has a bridge to deal with that will be a big threat to his operation in Wave. What's more, Zabuza, unwilling to follow his instructions, has ran off to deal with the problems himself and is leaving Gato in the dark. He won't hire another ordinary missing nin to deal with Zabuza, because Gato is afraid he might lose control of that one too and doesn't trust lone ones anymore, and he won't hire regular shinobi because they're too expensive and might expose his illegal dealings on the island. Therefore, desperate, he hires somebody more trustworthy in Akatsuki.

Shit's about to hit the fan and this is a good setup. Naruto is pointed towards the source of the problem and realizes his problems have just escalated, and now has to stop Hidan from murdering Tazuna's family.

Hope you're all looking forward to the next chapter.