Journey to Americagakure two part special: pt. 5 Danger from the Sky and pt. 6 This is no Vacation!

Pt. 5 Danger from the Sky

It was an amazing spectacle for the Leaf ninja, watching the Super-Elite Jounin of Americagakure just stand before those missiles, ready to defend their country with their lives. Each one of them made a good hundred shadow clones, and they dotted the rooftops, just staring at the ballistic destroyers, as if waiting for something to happen.

"Everyone, target the closest missile too you and jump on it! I'll give further instructions after that. Get to it!" ordered Jinketsu. The SEJs and their clones followed suit, each of them making an enormous leap to mount one of the incoming nukes.

"That's all of us on here, Jin," reported Kamiko "Now what?"

"Attach a kunai to a steel cable and throw it to the next closest missile!" said Jin.

"Wha-what the hell is that supposed to do? You think you're going to—ohhh, I'm gettin' ya now!" said Tsuki, smiling. Each shadow clone did as they were told, and pretty soon it looked like a web of falling missiles instead of just, well, falling missiles.

"Now, every other clone, I want you to dismiss yourselves, and the missiles with clones still on them, swing that cable around! The missile you're attached to will swing about and collide with the missile you're riding, detonating them both. Then we'll do a Chakra Shield Jutsu to block the blast from hurting anyone! You got it!?" cried Jin from his missile.

"Understood, captain!" said the other SEJs simultaneously. Just as planned, half the clones disappeared and with amazing strength, even Mio, pulled the cables, causing most of the missiles to spiral into each other, creating spectacular explosions. The original Super-Elite Jounin dove down from the fiery wreckage, landing about a football field's length apart, turned towards the sky with their hands outstretched, and shouted,

"Chakra Shield!" and a flash of color highlighted a massive dome made of transparent chakra, holding back the multiple explosions of the nukes with minimal effort.

"Keep holding it! There's still a lot more explosion to go!" shouted Jin, keeping up the morale of his teammates. The Konoha fourteen still had the same look of awe as when the American nin first made their clones.

As soon as the surprise attack started, the explosion dissipated, and the SEJs let down the shield. Only harmless rouge scraps of metal still fell from the wild blue yonder.

"So, what was your impression?" asked America's Hinata, who had returned to her reserved and ladylike pose.

"More like what wasn't our impression. I've never seen anything like that!" exclaimed Kiba, with Akamaru barking his agreement.

"Words cannot describe the spectacle of youth I have just witnessed! When you boasted about your power, you had perfect reason to!" Lee gave his praise too. While everyone else was congratulating the American ninjas on their beautiful defensive maneuvers, the more intelligent minds of Konoha: Neji, Shikamaru, Sasuke, and Itachi were the only ones who were only mildly impressed. They conversed separately. Then, interrupting the congratulation ceremony,

"As impressive as it was," said Itachi,

"There's one thing that troubles us," added Sasuke.

"You say that each of those missiles could have taken out a city of this size with no effort at all." Shikamaru pointed out,

"There were hundreds of them." concluded Neji.

"Now that you mention it, the incredible number of them did seem a little weird," admitted Kobi Rito, tilting his head up in thought.

"Why focus so many of them on one city, then?" asked Itachi.

"Well how are we supposed to know?" Kamiko retorted.

"If you recall," Shikamaru began, "not all of us were exactly convinced when you boasted about so much power and so much control. How do we know this wasn't just a ruse to make us believe you're greater than you really are?" Tsuki shrugged his shoulders,

"Look, kid. We don't need no fancy display of power to show that we're the best here. Those missiles just now, not even we coulda coordinated somethin' as big as that."

"Tsuki's right," Jin supported his friend, "If we knew that was going to happen, we would have had our introductions on the rooftops of Tampa, not in my office."

"Plus, I'm only 10!" said Mio, holding out her fingers.

"Well if it wasn't you," said Shino, who has barely said a word in this entire fan fiction, "then who do suppose made this happen?" The SEJs and Konoha fourteen went into deep thought. While thinking, however, Akamaru was busy sniffing the remaining wreckage of one of the missiles.

"Kiba, come." he said. Everyone now paid attention to the scraps of metal the ninken had discovered.

"What is it, boy?" Kiba asked.

"Element, depleted. Not active. No danger." the dog barked.

"What? That means this missile would have just hit the ground like a hunk of metal! I'll use my Byakugan to check the others." said Jinketsu. He activated the eyes but only for a few seconds before turning to the group and shaking his head. "All of them were like that. The explosion we blocked was just a whole lot of TNT behind the uranium. But even with that behind it, the TNT wasn't rigged to detonate on impact."

"That's not necessarily helping our theory that this was just a game." said Neji.

"For the last time, there's no way that we could have—oh, one second." Jin put his hand to his ear. A transmission was coming in. "No way, are you sure?! Put it onscreen for me. I think the others are going to need to see this." Then Jin held out his arm. In the light of the setting sun, the hologram that projected from the device on the Jiyuukage's arm appeared even more hellish than it would have in normal light. A mushroom cloud, bigger than the largest one ever recorded loomed over a city, the missile's blast still flattening buildings and vegetation.

"NO!" cried Kamiko suddenly.

"What? Where is that? What is that?" asked Tenten frantically.

"I-I don't believe it… This is impossible. Our country is supposed to be indestructible! HOW COULD I LET THIS HAPPEN!?" The Jiyuukage pounded the roof, which destroyed the transmission device, but the image of the city being destroyed played clearly in everyone's mind. Barely fighting back sobs, Kamiko explained.

"Th-that was… Washington D.C. The c-capital city of our country… M-my entire family l-lives… lived there…" after that, she exploded into tears. Crackling from one of the other SEJ's transmission devices caught attention.

"Tsuchi Masura here. Further news?" he asked.

"Yes. Bad news, I'm afraid." replied the voice over the intercom. Besides Kamiko's sobs, the shinobi became quiet again.

"Well how could it get any better than losing our capital city?"

"Sir. New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Detroit, Seattle, San Francisco, Boston, Dallas…"

"Oh, hell no. Hell no! You've got to be kidding me!" yelled Tsuchi. This only furthered Kamiko's waterworks, and started more in Mio, Hinata, and Kobi.

"I'm sorry, sir. All of them were hit as well, but as great as the loss is, you need to get moving to Denver. It's the home of NORAD, and the only major city with enough conventional and ninja defense to fight off another nuclear attack. All other forces are on their way there as well." said the voice. The Leaf ninja looked puzzled.

"A-all those names that lady said… are they important?" asked Hinata cautiously.

"What do you mean, 'are they important'!? Do you think I'd be crying if they weren't IMPORTANT!?" Kamiko scolded her, making the young Hyuuga retreat close to Naruto.

"Calm down, Kamiko. Guys, all those names you heard were some of the largest cities in the country. Each one of them had over five million residents. Some over ten." Said Jinketsu. The Leaf nin were utterly shocked. Hinata and Tenten began to cry, and some of the male ninja clenched their fists and fought tears.

"Who would do such a thing?" asked Sakura.

"That's why we're going to Denver, I guess. To find out." answered the Jiyuukage. "We'd better get a move on. Who knows what could happen after this?"

"But it's so dark out," said Ino, "Shouldn't we wait until morning?" The American ninja just looked at her with somber faces. Even Mio's bright and sunny complexion looked dark under the circumstances. The silent looks said everything.

"Get your bags and go back to the airport. We'll take a special plane to get to Denver as fast as possible."

Pt. 6 This is no Vacation!

"Man, what a visit this turned out to be. I wanted to see the sights. You know, relax!" Naruto complained.

"How can you have such an attitude at a time like this? As far as I'm concerned we're just as much a part of this now as Jinketsu and the other Super-Elite Jounin are." said Neji.

"The Hyuuga's right. I hate fighting, but these children, as strong as they are, just lost a fairly large fraction of their entire country's population. Not even the strongest shinobi can stomach that for long." said Itachi.

"What does that have to do with fighting, nii-san?" questioned Sasuke.

"If I'm correct, these Americans want revenge on whoever did this to their land. Since we're guests here, it's only polite that we help out with whatever they need done." Itachi explained. Looking back, Sakura thought to herself: Maybe that Itachi has changed if he's willing to protect some strangers' country like this.

The American and Konoha ninja were high in the sky, aboard a mighty air cruiser that had room enough to walk around in. Guns laced the edges of the ship, giving its majestic shape a fierce appearance, but on the inside the area was clean and shiny. While the SEJs worked at stations in the bridge, the Leaf ninja were busily inspecting the entire ship.

"What keeps this thing airborne? From the outside it looks like it could fall from the sky at any second. Not only that, but the fuel cost for it must be incredible." Sasuke pointed out.

"It flies using wind chakra. As I grab hold of the steering wheel, the machine feeds off my wind natured chakra, causing the cruiser to rise or fall as needed. If I'm needed elsewhere, I insert a predetermined amount of chakra so that it stays airborne even when I'm not there. That or Mio here takes over." explained Jin. He patted the young American kunoichi on the head.

"I have wind chakra, too! Lots of it!" she beamed. Poor thing, Sasuke thought, she's not old enough to fully grasp the concept of death. Especially loss of this magnitude.

"Lightning chakra pulses that I give off powers all the electrical devices, computers, and weapons on this ship." Kobi boasted. "That means even if someone manages to make this thing fly, they can't do anything with it unless they've got lightning, too!"

"Hey, that's pretty smart!" said Kiba.

"Jin-kun's the one that designed it." said Tsuki, who was taking a break from flirting with Ino, much to Chouji's relief.

"Whoa, take a look at those mountains! They're huge!" exclaimed Tenten, peering out the window. "Is Denver really around here?"

"It sure is. It has a nickname of the 'Mile High City' because its elevation relative to sea level is roughly a mile. We're passing over it now. I'll bring the ship around to land, and you'll get a beautiful view of it perfectly nestled in these mountains." said Jinketsu.

"Where's this NORAD we were hearing about?" asked Sai. The Jiyuukage pointed to a mountain.

"It's in there. About 50 years ago we began building it inside that mountain due to a cold war with a country that used to be an enemy. Since the base is in the Earth itself, it can survive even a nuclear war. Inside is the military complex, a massive reservoir for water and natural gas, and long ventilation ducts so that even when the base is sealed off it has air."

"Your country gets more and more incredible by the second!" said Chouji.

"Thank you. It'd be an honor to see yours one day." replied Hinata.

The ship touched down without difficulty through a shaft twice as wide as the vessel itself that was disguised at the top of the mountain. Workers immediately surrounded it to inspect for malfunctions or parts that needed repair. Ninja and soldiers alike rushed about the cavern. It was even more crowded than the headquarters back in Tampa. A woman rushed up to the Super-Elite Jounin and company.

"Thank goodness you're here. President Obama is at his wit's end."

"I would be, too. He got out alive?" asked Jin.

"Fortunately, he was in Montana when the attacks happened. He's waiting for you seven." the lady peered around at the Leaf ninja. "These are guests? I'm afraid they will have to—"

"We're from the Hidden Leaf Village in the Land of Fire!" said Naruto suddenly. Sakura bashed him on the head.

"I'm sorry for his rudeness," she bowed, "we were invited by Jinketsu to come see the country. Unfortunately not a couple hours after we arrived the attacks took place. We're all terribly sorry for your losses."

"The orange one is Naruto Uzumaki. The pink haired girl next to him is Sakura Haruno. Then there are Sasuke Uchiha, Sai, Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, Chouji Akimichi, Neji Hyuuga, Tenten, Rock Lee, Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Akamaru, Kiba's ninken, and Itachi Uchiha. They are very strong and will be of great help. I'd like them to help the other Super-Elite Jounin and I with whatever mission the president assigns us." explained the Jiyuukage.

"Very well. The president's makeshift office is this way." The woman led the group through maze-like halls, but she didn't take a second look once, as if invisible signs pointed her the way to her destination. Finally, she arrived at a door which had a piece of paper tacked onto it with "President's Office" roughly scribbled on it. They entered.

"I'll leave you alone." the woman bowed and hurried out of the room.

"Mr. President—"

"Where were you!? How could you let our major cities get destroyed like that!? You ninja are supposed to be able to protect the land from attacks like that!" the tall man, about in his late 40s or early 50s looked furious.

"Mr. President, with all due respect, we were kind of in a separate engagement that threatened our own lives at the time of the bombings." explained Jinketsu.

"What could have possibly been more important that saving millions of lives!" yelled the president.

"Sir, hundreds of missiles like the ones that destroyed those cities were minutes away from destroying Tampa. That's where we were at the time, and no one gave us priority alerts so that we had time to react elsewhere in the country. However…" Jin had to pause.

"'However', what?" President Obama demanded.

"None of the missiles were a threat to the city."

"So you took out hunks of metal for nothing!?"

"We didn't know until they were destroyed! The uranium inside depleted right when we blew them up. TNT was packed behind the uranium to make us believe that they were really dangerous when they were destroyed. Only then did we realize that even if the missiles had hit, they wouldn't have exploded in the first place." taking advantage of the president's silence, Jin added, "Whatever the case, we know three things. One, whoever coordinated the attack knew all seven of us would be in Tampa at the time. Two, they had to have access to nuclear warheads and a lot of metal for the fakes. Three, they've got a bigger grudge against America than any other enemy has had in this country's history." The president sighed and held his head.

"So a national crisis has been reduced to a mystery case." he said.

"What do you mean?" asked Neji.

"We can't go about fighting anyone until we know who did this. I know you strangers are from the Hidden Leaf Village, and you have no knowledge of nuclear arms, so that rules you out…"

"Yes?" asked Tsuchi, eager to hear more.

"I want all of you to go to Washington D.C.'s ground zero. It was the first city hit, and due to its importance, the place you'll probably find the most evidence. While looking for clues, salvage any material you see necessary. There are a lot of secrets still there and we don't want the enemy finding them before we do; whoever they may be."

"Yes sir!" said twenty of the ninja simultaneously. Only Kamiko looked down.

"Kami-chan." said Jin, noticing his friend still a little shaken. He went over to her close.

"I don't want to go, Jin. I don't want to go. If there's any chance that a body of any of my family is still there, I don't want to see it. I'm scared. Really scared." the young kunoichi sobbed.

"This coming from the toughest girl I know." said Jin to himself. "Look, Kamiko. You need to understand that you're not the only one who lost someone in these attacks. All of America and Americagakure lost someone in some way today. We're the Super-Elite Jounin, the new shining gems of this country. It's our job to be brave for those that are scared right now, so just like I'm being brave for you, you need to be brave for me, your family, and everyone else." Kamiko looked up as Jin was suddenly quietly laughing. "Truth is, I'm probably more fearful than you right now, but I'm the Jiyuukage. I've got extra reason to be scared, but extra reason to be brave, too." he said. This got Kamiko laughing slightly too.

"Alright, you two. Break up the love fest. We've gotta get going to Washington D.C., don't we?" said Tenten.

"Right," said Jinketsu Yochi, straightening up. "Let's move."