NARUTO

Nox Noctis Ingredior

Familiar Territory

Later that day…

The group had stopped at a small stream somewhere on the Northern-East edge of the Land of Fire, close to the borders of the country. They had placed the Jiao under a tree, with several Naruto clones, Kakashi and Sasuke standing guard around the shade. The others were scattered around the place, sitting, standing or resting under trees. Kurenai was sitting with Hinata and Sakura, sharing an animated discussion, while Ino was with her two teammates, with Shikamaru coming up with different tactics they could use for their Ino-Shika-Cho combinations. Kiba was curled up under a tree with Akamaru, Shino perched in the tree above them talking to a leaf insect, and Asuma standing close by to Kurenai, keeping watch on the other side of the clearing. Naruto and Sakura, meanwhile, were sitting by the stream, sandals off and feet in the water.

The pair was engrossed in sights and sound of the land around them, Sakura's hand on top of Naruto's as the water gently flowed past their feet, and the breeze licked at their hair.

Sakura sighed. "It's beautiful, isn't it? The sky…"

"Yeah," Naruto exclaimed, glancing over at her. He watched as Sakura moved a hand through her long, flowing pink hair, and look back at him, seeing his smile. "But not as beautiful as you…Sakura-chan…"

The girl giggled and pushed him lightly. "You're so sweet, Naruto-kun…" Naruto grinned sheepishly at her, and Sakura couldn't help but blush at his look. "I'm…I…"

"Hmm? What is it?"

"I…I'm sorry…if I ever hit you, or yelled at you, or hurt you in any way… just because you were trying to help me, or be nice to me," Sakura looked away shamefully, with a frown. "I…I made such big mistakes… because I was wrapped too much in a stupid crush! It clouded my better judgment…blinding me. So much… that I couldn't see you for who you really were: a kind, caring, descent guy…"

"Sakura-chan…"

"I've been nothing but a moron… a weakling…" Sakura looked up at him, seeing his eyes staring considerately at her. "I… I've been stupid…"

"You're not stupid, Sakura-chan…" Naruto said, reaching up and running the back of his hand down her cheek, before brushing a few strands of hair behind her ear. "We just… make stupid mistakes…"

Sakura smiled, and placed her hand on his. "I don't want to make anymore then…"

Naruto grinned at her, and was about to say something else, but the two were interrupted by a shadow casting over them from behind. They looked around and saw Ino standing there with her arms crossed over her chest, and looking at them with a sinister grin.

"Getting cozy, are we?"

"Huh? Sakura looked a little taken aback, and blushed at the realization of her and Naruto's position. She quickly got up and slipped on her sandals.

"Hey there, Ino-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, earning a smile and a wink from said girl.

"Hi there, Naru-kun!" Ino replied, using a new nickname she developed for him. She then lunged at him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug, placing her chin on his shoulder as he looked at her in surprise. "Did you miss me? I haven't seen you in weeks…"

Naruto grinned in response, a little bit nervous, while Sakura fumed in the background. "Uhh…of course I missed you, Ino-chan!"

"He-he… I'm glad!"

"Get off of him, pig!" Sakura shouted, yanking Ino off of the boy's back roughly. Ino tried to fight back in process, but ended up accidentally pushing Naruto into the stream below. He fell in with a yell and a splash.

Both girls gasped and looked over to see if he was okay, and found to their surprise and amusement that Naruto was sitting in the shallow water, soaked and with a frog on his head, a fish flapping around in his shirt, and a Lilly pad on his shoulder. It was a pretty humorous sight, which prompted the two girls to laugh, followed by Naruto.

Behind them, the other Genin and Jonin looked on with either smiles or interest, while the eyes of the girl from inside the Jiao looked on from behind her veils.

"Alright kids, lets get moving again!" Anko shouted, ending their break. "We've still got a lot of ground to cover, and there is a possibility we might be setting up camp!"

Once again, the teams were up and running. Gathering up their gear and their person they were assigned to protect, they then, once again, began hiking. This time, it was Choji, Shino and a pair of Naruto clones doing the heavy lifting, while the ones who previously carried it were escorting.

Over hills and through forests they hiked, through fields, past farms, past small villages, cottages, and over the horizon they traveled. The clouds above moved with the wind, and the sounds of nature made the group feel at piece. But as they journeyed further and further into unknown territory, they began to feel a bit less at ease, yet couldn't contain their excitement.

"This is great! I can't wait to see this village!" Kiba exclaimed, thrusting his fist out. "First time outside of the borders of Fire Country! Wouldn't you say, Akamaru?!"

The dog resting in his jacket yipped happily, and sniffed the fresh air.

"You said it!" Choji agreed, while munching on a bag of Thins, humming happily to itself. "I really want to try out the buffets there. The exotic meat dishes, vegetables on the side, and the entrees!" The boy licked his lips in anticipation. "Mmm… I can taste the sweet dessert now!"

"How about you, Naruto? You lookin' forward to touring the village later on?" Kiba called over.

"Hmm…" Naruto murmured, hands at his sides as his eyes moved from left to right, looking for any signs of an enemy or strange obstacle. This response sort of surprised the other Genin, those who were hauling the princess in her Jiao looking between one another before glancing back at the boy, who was leading them behind Kakashi, Kurenai and Anko.

The boy sweated nervously as he walked, his eyes scaling the woods, and catching the scent of an upcoming village just over the next horizon. His senses were heightened to their fullest and, like a battle hardened Jonin who knew to expect anything around the next bend; he had a really bad feeling at the pit of his stomach.

Kakashi, who had switched places with Asuma so that he could bring up the rear, detected the usually boisterous boy's lack of delight, and decided to investigate his sudden change. Dropping back a bit, the man reading the orange book looked down at Naruto with concern.

"Are you okay, Naruto?" he asked. "You seem a little on edge… is something the matter?"

"Nothing, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto replied, looking up at the silver haired Jonin with his unmasked face. The older shinobi was met with the cold eyes of Naruto's real face, and couldn't help but blink at the look he received, which was one of a painful past, before watching the boy speed up in his walk. "I don't really want to talk about it. I've been to this area before, and I do not like it…"

Kakashi sighed when the boy left his side and shook his head. "Hell if I saw that look before," he mumbled, having seen Naruto's true nature a couple of times in the past.

Anko looked back a bit, seeing Naruto dip his head a little and lift his hood over his head, so that his eyes became overshadowed. This was a clear sign to her that there was something wrong, and she knew when to trust Naruto's reactions. She nodded her head and looked back towards the convoy.

"Everybody, stay sharp!" she called out. "No dilly-dallying until we reach the next village!"

As they journeyed on up the path running up the side of this steep hill, Sakura, Ino and Hinata were still engrossed in their previous conversation about the boys on their team. However, by the time they reached this next horizon, their talk had escalated a little more into something a tad bit extreme for their ages. Kakashi and Kurenai were fortunate to be listening in on their yammering, and couldn't help but smirk at the prospects had with this conversation.

"So, what do you think about your teammates, Ino?" Sakura asked, sizing up her friend and rival's expression with one of her own curious ones. "You seem to be getting along well with them!"

"Y-Yes… you three seem to be very cooperative with each other," Hinata exclaimed brightly. "You all seem to be the best of friends!"

"Tsk… heck if I know," Ino said, shrugging. "We get along fine, for sure! But I feel that we need to get our act together a little bit more, you know! We may have brains and strategy that are ideal for practical missions that require hard thinking, but we need more action and brawn to back that up!"

"What are you talking about?" Sakura replied, making a point with her hand gestures. "You've seen Choji; the guy's a power house. Your team has plenty of muscle, especially with Asuma sensei!"

"But when it comes down to just us three, we're really short-handed," Ino explained. "Sure, Choji is strong and all, but as far as action goes, there's not enough of it. Shikamaru brings us down right below naught, and Choji aimlessly follows him into it!"

"Okay then!" Sakura said. "But what about a more personal opinion, aside from them as being A-grade slackers?"

"Personally?" Ino replied, giving this more thought and swaying her body with the movements required. "That's all I guess. Even though I have to keep them in line, they are great friends. But putting aside all their great potential as a team and as individual shinobi, I don't think they can even compete with Naruto!" The girl clapped her hands together and looked upwards with a dreamy expression on her face and stars in her eyes. "He's such a dreamer…"

Kiba, who was standing a bit to the right and back, was within ear shot of this. When he heard it, he broke down in sniggers.

"Naruto-kun is not an object for you to ogle at, Ino-chan," Hinata protested. "He's a good, kind friend, and he will do anything to make sure you're okay and happy!"

"Anything, aye," Ino said, a smirk growing on her face. "Well, I'd trade places with you any day, just to go out on missions with him! Can you imagine it! More days and nights outside of Konoha's walls, with very little or no authority, and no parents! Think of the possibilities!"

Sakura and Hinata were almost appalled by the way Ino was speaking, causing Sakura to slap her over the back of her head. "You pig! We're not even sixteen and you're thinking about that?!"

"Hey, give me a break!" Ino shot back. "I can't help it if my mind likes to wander. I mean look at him. Most of the time Naruto's not even wearing a shirt under that jacket, and I didn't even notice his build until only a few weeks ago! Check him out! He's practically dripping with sex appeal!"

"Naruto's not an object!" Hinata stated again.

"Don't tell me you don't like looking up and down that big piece of meat, eh?" Ino whispered to her. "Come on, admit it! You like to look at him too when he's not looking at you…"

Hinata flushed brightly and looked away quickly to hide her embarrassment. "N-No I don't! How can you say such a thing?"

Ino grinned triumphantly. "Ha! Knew it!"

"Still, it is indecent of you to think of him that way!"

"Well, maybe not if it's just a little," Sakura added, blushing heatedly as well as her own thoughts started to betray her. She didn't give it much time either until now, when she really started to notice how well built Naruto was underneath that jacket. She had seen him without his mesh-shirt before, and it started to make her feel funny.

Blushing, she glanced over at him, seeing his back to them. "He's definitely not like Sasuke. He's much more built since he focuses a lot more on physical exercises then ninjutsu training…"

"And how would you know that, Sakura-chan?" Ino asked, smirking at her friend. Sakura stumbled a bit, and glared at the girl, fist raised.

"That's none of your business!"

"Sure! Then you won't mind if I cover up that hole in the side-wall to the men's hot springs then, eh?"

"WHAT!"

Kakashi sweat-dropped, while Kurenai just shook her head, as the conversation between the girls continued on. Kiba was still sniggering, wanting to eavesdrop more on this gossip, even though he was a little disappointed that they had stopped comparing guys and were just talking about Naruto. A little further down the convoy, Sasuke was idling back casually, hands in his pockets and not really paying any attention to the conversations going on, although he did exchange a few words with the Naruto-clone carrying one of the rear poles of the Jiao, balancing its weight distribution.

"Do your teammates always talk so loud?" Sasuke asked, slightly annoyed at the laughs and shouts he heard from the girls, though the details to him were inaudible.

"One is usually quiet, the other I get along really well with," the clone replied. "I think it's when the girls get together they're loud…"

"There's a stereotypical view of things," the Uchiha replied.

"Says you!" Naruto shot back.

"Hn…"

"Oh, don't stop because of me," Choji said to them from ahead. "I like where this conversation is going!"

"You just focus on carrying! Your side is leaning, and I hate having to try and balance it out! And my feet are starting to hurt!" the clone shouted and groaned.

The convoy trudged on further, till they reached the top of the hill they were climbing. As soon as they gathered at the top, they looked down towards the valley below, which inevitably ended at the sea. Here, they saw a sea-side village amidst a thick forest of trees, built along the beach front, where a vast array of piers stood built. It was a colorful town with rooftops and buildings stretching for quite a distance for an outskirt port. As trees covered mountains stretched high on the horizon, with the beach weaving and disappearing into them, the group could see boats of many kinds making port here. The fresh sea air whipped at their faces, and they could hear the distant caws of seagulls.

It was at this point, as the shinobi gazed out across the land in awe and interest, Naruto finally recognized the village and frowned.

He looked up at the Jonin senseis also admiring the scenery, and spoke in a very serious tone of voice. "We have to go around…"

The four Jonin present looked down at him in surprise.

"Why so, Naruto?" Asuma asked.

"This isn't a village for us to go through," Naruto stated, looking back down towards it. "Shinjo Port: a pirate town… a pier where travelers come and go, mercenaries look for trouble and where the black market thrives amidst the chaos of everyday life. I really detest this place…"

"How do you know this?" Kurenai asked curiously. "Have you been here before?"

"I came here with Ero-Sennin once on one of his trips…" Naruto stated. "For an eight year old, this wasn't a town I wanted to be in… the markets, the drugs; corruption… I even had a bad encounter with a few slave traders when I went off on my own. They thought I was another orphan to kidnap…"

"I see," Asuma replied, looking back down. "Either way, we can just go around the edge of town, and keep away from the markets. We need to rent an inn anyway so the mistress can get some sleep…"

"I wouldn't recommend it," Naruto muttered, turning on his heel and walking away, back to the carriage. His friends watched as he disappeared behind the Jiao, Sakura and Hinata looking on with concern as they watched the boy sit himself down on the rock, to listen and wait for a decision to be made.

"We can't let our client spend a night here," Anko said, furrowing her brow. "In light of these circumstances, I say we just move on through, get some supplies if we can, and go. We'll camp as soon as we're out of the town…"

"I agree," Kakashi said, looking at Kurenai and Asuma. "Besides, I think the locals will take far too much interest in a convoy moving a person of royalty through it. Stick close to it… and move through…"

Kurenai and Asuma nodded. Turning, they relayed their instructions to the Genin.

"Alright you lot, lets get moving," Anko said. "We're going to go through the town. Do not talk to the locals, and try not to wander off. I'd hate to have to be buy you back from any would-be-slave traders…" The woman muttered, hands in her pockets and began making her way down the hillside.

The Genin moved back into formation, this time allowing Sakura, Ino, Hinata and Shikamaru to carry the Jiao again, while the rest of them formed a protective circle around it. Kakashi, Asuma and Kurenai made sure to stick closer to them this time, while Anko took the lead. While they moved down at the hill, Naruto shook his head and rubbed his nose with his fingers, trying to ignore the stench of serenity.

"I'm starting to regret arguing with Oji-san for this mission…" Naruto mumbled.

Upon arriving at the bottom of the hill and at the front gates of town, the group entered in through one of the many access points, which looked disturbingly similar to the entrance to Konohagakure, only with a few major differences. Number one, the buildings were much more colorful, and suited the description as more of a Western European design of village. The buildings were more run down, the roads were paved and more open to civilians, and street lamps, oil lanterns apparently, blended into the 1920's look of this backwater town.

The scent of fish, markets and foul play was immediately picked up by the would-be travelers, the Jonin looking around with expressions of focus and seriousness. Anko and Kakashi made sure to keep a grip around a hidden kunai in their pockets at all times, whereas Asuma was clenching one of his trench knives. The rest of the Genin were also on high alert, especially Naruto, who kept his hood slid over his head, eyes hidden away. Sasuke and Shino appeared emotionless as usual, Choji and Kiba anxious, with Akamaru who was getting a little sketchy and on edge as well. As for the girls, they stuck close to their charge-of-charge, and Kurenai kept a close watch on their students.

The moment they entered this place, they immediately felt a change in the air. Though a majority of people walking around minded their own business, such as merchants, business owners, and people with a purpose, there were however some in the shadows giving the group strange and considerate looks. Even those armed were staring at them. However, neither of them made a move, as there were some of the nation's soldier's on patrol. Still, if the opportunity came, there was a possibility that they would make a move.

Keeping away from the buildings and to the center of the road, the group of shinobi moved on.

"Well, at least there is some security here," Kurenai said.

"That's a welcome change," Naruto muttered.

"But don't feel too at ease just because there are law enforcers," Kakashi spoke up. "A lot of the guards you see walking around work for some powerful organizations; you can tell by the different dress codes. The real soldiers a part of the country's security and army are dressed in armor… see…" The Jonin said, pointing out a marching patrol walking in perfect formation, and led by a Captain, who had a more distinguishable outfit that designated him as the group's CO. The members of Team 7, 8 and 10 watched the soldiers march by them, the civilians making a gap as they walked on through. They also noticed another group of supposed 'soldiers' walking with the crowd, this group dressed more casually with their own form of clothing, but wore pauldrons, bandoleers and vests that designated them as a separate security force. They were also heavily armed like the guards, and maintained order in the streets.

"Those other ones work for clans powerful enough to own their own security force. But in these times, they remain as one nation," Anko stated.

"But why establish their personal security forces?" Sakura asked. "I mean, wouldn't the head village or leader of this nation fight against this build up in an opposing force?"

"This is more of a lawless part of the country, kid," Asuma explained. "In spite of the country's security forces, they are like a toothless tiger now, without a proper leader. This country doesn't have a leader anymore, thus prompting other organizations and former political advisors to squabble over the bits and pieces left for the picking from the downfall of the country's head. The clans had to form their own security for their own safety, in case a civil war broke out. They run the country together, alongside criminals and organization leaders, who are taking advantage of this time to make a quick ryo…"

"But once the mistress is returned to her home village and takes charge, will everything change then?" Ino asked.

"Probably," Shikamaru replied. "But it'll take a while till this country is back on its feet."

"Once law and order is properly established, you can bet that these cockroaches will run off and hide, and continue their business dealings elsewhere," Sasuke said, but then glanced over at Shino on the other side of the Jiao. "No offense Shino…"

"None taken," the boy replied, hands in his pockets.

They continued walking on through the crowd, as the area thickened with the scent of markets. Even keeping to the edge of town was proving a little too treacherous, as the buildings rose higher into the air, the crowds became more packet, and the noise from these crowds grew more and more. It was after a few more minutes of walking through the thick aired, yet beautifully crafted town, that they entered the edge of the small market district, which opened up at a central roundabout, and a large one. The buildings moved around it, plenty of space to build another five blocks, but were occupied by market stands, a damaged fountain in the center, and carriages.

They Teams saw the place was loaded with people, purchasing and browsing through stuff at the stands, and rick, autocratic like figures, as well as mercenaries, grouped around what looked to be salesmen at separate stands making bids. At these separate, darker booths, the crowds were grouped beside carriages towed by horses. These carriages had caged windows, and were heavily armored, and were flanked by their equally heavily armed guards. Most of these security figures looked more like the described 'separate security organizations' forces', but were instructed to guard a different kind of 'merchandise'.

Within the perimeter of guards, and what the rich, wealthy and other merchants were looking to purchase, were what looked to be prisoners, ordinary people, mostly women and orphans, chained up together, and dressed in rags. It looked like a chain-gang than anything else, only these people were exhausted, and beaten, obviously starved, and put on sale by the salesmen working for the organization specializing in this department. At the very sight of this, the Jonin averted a little to the left, keeping away from the carriages, and the people.

The Genin couldn't help but look, with many in the group rather bewildered at the sight.

"Are those… prisoners?" Hinata asked.

"No… they're slaves," Naruto replied darkly, glaring at the carriages as they moved around the crowd, who were screaming bids on the people they had lined up, like cattle. "This is nothing but a place where people have goods to buy and sell…"

"That's horrible," Ino murmured.

"I'll say!" Kiba growled, to which Akamaru gladly enforced with his own as they watched the salesmen auction off another two of these chain up girls to a satisfied buyer in the crowds, and have them carted off. "How can they; trading of human lives! It's sickening!"

"This is what happens in countries without a proper leadership," Shikamaru commented.

"Unlawful behavior, illegal shipping and trading occur," Asuma evaluated, the group stopping for a brief pause. "You're looking at a city that is undergoing a stage of deterioration. In our world, this sort of thing happens. It even occurred in many of the Hidden Villages as well, during and after the Great Shinobi Wars. Most of the villages managed to rebuild quickly to avoid takeovers and backlash from the war, mostly due to their still existing leadership that was in power. But those countries and villages with the leadership decimated, and left to pick up the pieces on their own; suffered. This is what happens to the broken, poor, homeless and helpless. Without authority, in a world thriving with mongrels, divided clans and criminal organizations, you see the country deteriorate and eventually fall into chaos."

"It's been like this for years now," Anko noted. "With little thanks to us and to the remaining security forces still loyal to the Hashimoto family, they kept this place from going out of balance."

"The people however are still losing their homes, families and jobs, thanks to a leader not being able to take charge and command the people," Kakashi butted in. "But these things are eventually going to change…"

A couple of the Genin looked at the Jiao that Miss Haru Hashimoto was sitting in, watching the silhouette peer out the veiled and protected windows. They heard her sigh, and shift in her carrier.

"My people have survived on their own long enough," they heard her speak. "I cannot let my village, or this country fall into chaos and war. As soon as I am back at home, I will set things right, starting with this town. I give you my solemn vow!"

The Jonin nodded and, with their Genin teams, continued on. The convoy was up and on the move again, pushing through the crowds, and easing out of the market district, quickly entering a more residential area. Happy to get out of sight of those slave traders, the group could finally tread more carefully out of sight of any mercenaries, thieves, robbers of pesky dealers and merchants. However, after a few minutes since entering this area, Sakura, who had become more alert with the grouping and presence of the teams, looked around to check and make sure everyone was here. It then occurred to her that someone was missing.

"Hey, where's Naruto?" she asked.

Anko's head shot around. "Shit…"

Naruto was looking through the crowds, passing several weapons selling stands as he forced his way to the front of the slave traders. When he did, he scooted around, eyeing the carriage that had caught his eye. Stopping here, close to the back, he saw a lot of the slaves out of the carriage, most of them still chained up and in a line that led around to the front. However, there were several of them in cages, or still in the carriage they were transported here. Judging from the spaces, it was definitely not comfortable for them.

Here around the back, behind the auctioneer and outside of the crowd, the Genin walked around, hands in his pockets and eyes glaring with distaste at the conditions, and at the men possessing this area for their private market. He watched as a separate salesman led a rich autocrat flanked by bodyguards round the carriage, allowing him to inspect their 'stock'. He paused, standing amidst a couple of the cages containing some of the slaves, and not too far from the carriage.

Naruto walked up to one of the smaller ones at the foot of the carriage, this one containing a lone orphan, and crouched down next to it. This slave was chained up and sitting with her back against the bars of her cage. She had silky, raven black hair, though a little dirty and messy, and was younger then the spiky haired Genin. Quietly sitting in her holding, dirty, bruised and wearing brown rags, the only thing she could do was sit there, and ignore the hungry pains in her stomach. It was a deeply upsetting sight, to see a girl as young as her in a state like this, as well as hundreds of others surrounding Naruto in this area.

When the girl felt the presence of someone next to her cage, she looked up through her long, black locks, and gasped when she saw the stranger. Her response was immediate, quickly backing away from the boy, chains rattling. She nearly hurt herself in her haste.

The young ninja held out his hand to her. "Hey, hey… it's alright. I'm not one of them. I'm not going to hurt you…"

"Can I help you, young man," the voice of a man spoke up behind Naruto, the Genin standing up and spinning around. He met the face of a stout man with a scruffy brown beard and mustache, wearing a really strange hat with a cotton ball on the end of it. He wore basic, casual clothes suiting his profession, and yellow and black, striped slacks. Naruto was about the same height as him, maybe even a bit taller, and had to look down a bit to meet the man eye-to-eye.

"See anything you like from our stocks, sir?"

Naruto growled and pointed accusingly at him. "Thing? These are people you are selling! They are not just worthless products, goods, or objects! This is sick!" the boy growled angrily, before pointing to the cage behind him. "How can you keep her in here? You can't even stand up in this cage! And on top of that, she looks half-starved!"

"My boy, please, calm down," the man eased him, looking a little worried at his outburst. The salesman was also slightly taken aback at the look of pure anger blazing in the boy's eyes, and appearance they had taken. "I'm… just trying to make a living here. I apologize, but this is the best we can do to keep these people well fed and in good health on our budget. Our bosses won't allow for anything more…"

"Spare me…" Naruto said, looking back down at the girl looking up at them.

The poor child had become terrified at the argument and had backed away into the corner of the cage, staring up at the yellow haired boy with fear, and was trembling all over. In her slight shaking, her hair had parted a little, allowing Naruto to get a good look at her eyes.

It was with this glance; Naruto gasped and swooped down onto the cage again, causing the girl to jump slightly at his movement. He grasped the rusty bars of her enclosure, and tried to get a better look at her.

"N-No. It can't be…"

Looking into the orphan girl's eyes, the boy saw distinctive, rings with a light purple shade in her irises. These rings rippled out of a center pupil, and from Naruto's knowledge of doejutsu and ninjutsu, he knew what these eyes were.

"Rinnegan? B-But how?" Naruto thought in shock. "The Sage of Six Paths was the only one who possessed them. Yet… this child…"

"Listen son, if you're not interested in buying, then I suggest you leave before the guards come around and decide to shove you into one of these cages," the man said worriedly. "You either leave while you can, or fall into line like the rest of us… its how we survive here…"

"And to work and slave, and become someone's object for their sick, twisted desires is how these people are destined to survive," Naruto growled. "I refuse to let that happen to this one…" He stood up and turned towards the man, pulling out a brown bag from his pouch and holding it out to him. "I'll take her…"

The man held out his hands and took the bag. Opening it, the bearded man gasped when he saw the gold coins shining and glittering from inside of it, amounting to more than what many ryo dollars could add up to, to purchase a horse. He looked up at the boy, seeing him glaring at him.

"A-Are you sure, sir?" the man asked. "She may be young… b-but her eyes are a little strange. Maybe something…"

"No! This one is fine!" Naruto stated.

The man smiled and bowed. "Thank you, sir," the man replied. Quickly pulling out a key from his pocket, he let her out, and undid her chains so that she could move. The girl had a hard time standing, so much so that she fell, only to be caught by Naruto. To boy lifted her up and glared at the salesman.

"Do yourself a favor and quit to redeem yourself," Naruto said, walking away, and carrying the girl with him. The man watched the young shinobi strode into the crowd, and took some prolonged time to think.

Naruto pushed himself out of the crowd, forcefully, ignoring everything else, and followed the chakra signals of his shadow clones carrying the Jiao, and headed back towards the group. It was only when he was about to leave the market place, he suddenly bumped into a familiar face. He stopped by the side of the archway and looked to his left, where he saw Anko leaning against the brickwork with her arms folded and eyes closed. When she looked back at Naruto, she looked disappointed, but at the same time filled with a sense of pride.

"You know, you shouldn't wander off on your own in a place like this," Anko said. "Like you said… a lot of bad eggs…"

"I never said that," Naruto replied, looking up at her with his pained, dead-man's look, with that exhausted expression in play. "I said this place was Kami's asshole, but I didn't say that on top of the hill because I knew he'd send a bolt of lightning down at me for saying something like that. All that can reach me here is his farts and his fingers to scratch his ass…"

Anko sniggered and got off of the wall, walking over to the boy and leaning over a bit to take a look at the child he was carrying. "So… you picked up an orphan I see…"

"Yeah," Naruto said, looking down at the girl to see that she had her eyes closed and was sleeping. She looked very peaceful snoozing in his arms, her breathing at ease, and body relaxed. However, nothing could fully mask her wounds, the cuff marks on her wrists, and her physical fatigue. "I couldn't leave her in there, not in a cage only big enough for a dog…"

"So I saw," Anko replied, looking up at his face. "What are you going to do with her?"

"She can come and live with me when we get back to Konohagakure…"

"Sounds like a good plan," Anko said, patting him on the shoulder and leading him the rest of the way out of the market square. "You sure you've got enough money to support you two?"

"I've got enough to support a whole family for the rest of my life," Naruto stated, smiling up at Anko. "You'd be surprised how much I get around and earn at the same time…"

"Really? What's your annual salary?"

"About a 1000 ryo a day if I were to split a bill between hours," Naruto said. "I usually take up high bid jobs… but that's on a need to know basis…"

"Gottcha," Anko said with a nod, the two of them now walking down the road the shinobi convoy had gone down. In the time Anko had taken to find Naruto, and the time Naruto had taken himself, the Jiao was bound to have left town already.

Unbeknownst to the pair, as they walked down a now emptier street, a figure, dressed in a cloak with a hood over their head, and a white mask with a blue fire pattern on the left hand side, with cracks leading out from the right eyehole, was watching them from the shadows of a tea-house next to an inn they had just past. They didn't even notice the figure in the shadows, and the massive zangetsu sword at the person's side; about eleven feet in length with a thick blade, wrapped in white gauze straps.

Furthermore, on the forehead of the mask, was the symbol of the Village Hidden in the Mist, with a gash scarred into it.

Setting the tea down, the figure looked up, watching as the two shinobi went down the road, and out of sight.

"Konohagakure… eh?"

TO BE CONTINUED…