Sorry guys I had practically forgotten "^^ Don;t blame me school is really busy! Don't get me started on my weekly schedule!

Besides half term is starting next week so i'll definitely pay more attention to writing.

Here it is the next chapter!

Yumi belongs to Yumi Seiji

Bakuto belongs to Bakuto Masaki

All Naruto characters and Naruto related things belong to Masashi Kishimoto

By the time it was fully morning Bakuto was already on a shrouded path to the Land of Waves. As he was in his Anbu uniform he kept a low profile and stayed out of the sun so he would not be caught out by travellers and he could keep watch of foreign shinobi who disguised themselves among the common people. He travelled swiftly and by the time the sun was high in the sky he had reached the pier. He changed his black Anbu coat for a long blue cotton jacket and wore a conical straw hat with dangling tassels to hide his face. He approached the middle aged, stern faced man near the port.

"How much to get to the Land of Waves?"

The man laughed haughtily,

"That desolate island? Now why would a stranger like you want to go there?"

Bakuto merely grinned toothily under the straw hat and said,

"The price sir or your boat – I don't mind."

"Well no need to play rough now!" The man said with a conspicuous smirk,

"How about 400 ryo?" the man requested with a sly smile.

Bakuto wasn't pleased – and in all this he could have already been halfway there on his own! But he couldn't afford to be seen and normal methods were required, if only he had travelled at night...

"Thank you." He grabbed the bag with greedy hands.

It was hard to tell when they would reach the island as thick bog skewered their vision, but the man knew his way in the waters better than Bakuto could fathom – taking boat was best after all. A structure loomed out of the fog and lo and behold it was a bridge. As they neared the structure the man cut the engine and began to row the boat instead.

"They're building a bridge?" Bakuto thought aloud.

"Shhhh!" the man hushed him,

" Yes they are, a bridge to the mainland so there won't be any need for a ferry man like me." The man said this without remorse.

"Why? You never needed to before, you're quite a well off little country through shipping and trading alone – building a bridge must take a lot of work to do – and why are we travelling so quietly now."

"There's no point in telling you, so why don't you go see for yourself why – just make sure to keep a low profile." The man said this in quiet anger, not directed at Bakuto but to another unknown entity.

Bakuto did not need to be told this as he planned to stay low-key for a while. Once they passed the bridge to the pier he had already felt the lurking presence of shinobi. Was the Land of Waves being terrorised by shinobi? If so then the Iwagakure spy would soon be the least of his problems. But what was really going on here?

He casually walked around town keeping his guard up in secret for any suspicious activities. He wasn't the type of person to be touched by impoverished villages, small orphaned children and the like but he could not help but be empathetic towards the people of the land. As he looked into a shop the only food that was on sale was a frugal amount of vegetables, small and shrivelled in appearance.

'Times have been much harder than they used to be around here.'

He realised finding accommodation would be hard and decided that he would have to camp out instead. He moved to a secluded area and quickly summoned his salamander pack. With a puff of smoke four salamanders the size of wolves appeared in metal shoulder pads, sharp eyes and razor claws. The leader of the pack looked around him and sniffed before looking up,

"Bakuto-san what is your request?"

"I need you to do some scouting, Ryoushi, this is the island the Land of Waves and if I remember it wasn't such a poor country. I'm supposed to be hunting down an Iwagakure spy, but I 'm afraid there might be more shinobi lurking around."

"We understand." Ryoushi spoke and turned to the other salamanders,

"Takedai you take the south of the island, Daiki the east and Takeshi the west, I'll look up north."

As the salamanders dispelled themselves with great speed and stealth Bakuto concealed himself and relaxed under the tree – his first break since dawn.

He began dozing off when the sounds of an annoying but familiar ninja's voice flooded his dreams. Vexed Bakuto leaned over and saw with his surprise the blonde haired ninja and Kakashi with Sasuke and the pink haired girl, what was her name again – Sakura. What were they doing here he wondered? It was too dangerous for genin like them to be here at this time.

Then a shining object came flying out of the trees opposite his. A huge sword had landed roughly into the bark of his tree above his head and a shinobi appeared standing on it. He had concealed himself and therefore went unnoticed by the shinobi and even Kakashi but he could see very clearly the situation that lay before him. Momochi Zabuza, the bloody hidden mist rogue ninja had appeared. Now Bakuto really knew something bad was going on. Zabuza seemed to be demanding Kakashi to give over the old man, was that their mission? For genin such a mission was too high a rank, why had Hogake-sama given them such a task? So many questions and so little time but before Bakuto could consider intervening Ryoushi had already returned.

"What is it Ryoushi?" he asked in hushed tones.

"We've found the Iwagakure spy, but she seems to need our assistance."

"She what?" Bakuto asked in confusion.

"She's being held hostage by another gang of ninja – they're probably the cause for all the commotion on the island. They're huge and if I remember rightly their leader seems to be a man named Gato."

"Gato, the business tycoon? What is he doing taking over the Land of Waves..."

Then it dawned on him. It was easy and simple – when the seas on an island are controlled the land is also under control – easy money for scum like Gato who compiled their riches through ruthlessness and he too secretly used the service of shinobi. Now his spy was in their hands – was that a good or bad thing? He wasn't sure but he was about to find out.

"Ryoushi call the others, we're retrieving the Iwagakure spy."

"Are you sure about this?"

"If she retained any secret information on us then we need to intercede, anything about Konoha ending up in the hands of someone like Gato would be detrimental."

Ryoushi nodded and signalled the others to return. Once they had recuperated Bakuto turned his back on the fight behind him – Kakashi was an Anbu captain, even if it was someone like Momochi Zabuza he had to put his faith in him to handle the situation. Bakuto took one last look at him as he pulled the Sharingan eye out for battle.

"Good luck Kakashi."

Yumi had finally reached the pier and considering she had no money needed to find a secretive and alternative way of travel. As she looked for a place to cross the sea it seemed the pier was the only option she had.

"Note to self – need flying animal summon." She said to herself sweat-dropping.

She was already in commoners clothing and she wore her hair in a long plait behind and a simple conical hat. She approached the pier but found no-one was there!

'They must have taken the boat and he hasn't returned yet.'

So she looked into the port and found a shabby spare boat floating near the shore. She looked warily at it but decided it was the only way. The boat had a shabby looking motor and a wooden oar. Yumi climbed in, untied the knot to the pier and set off after a couple of tugs on the motor cord.

As she sped ahead she got caught in the thick fog that clouded the view of the island – and just her luck the motor began to die. Soon the boat simply stood still in the middle of the sea and Yumi almost couldn't tell her left from her right. She wasn't much of a lateral thinker as she was intuitive compared to Bakuto and being a girl born of the Earth actually did not appeal to sailing either. However she did have a good affinity with water and after cultivating her chakra she began to stir the waters around her. The water moved and swirled until she had enough control over it to direct its push on the boat. With a hard movement of her hand a huge wave began to shove the back of the boat forward through the fog. Yumi relieved and feeling drained edged closer to island until she saw the great bridge. Instead of going beside it she began to row under it so she would not be noticed. She eventually stopped and made a huge hole in the old wooden boat leaving it to sink as she climbed up the sides of the steady bridge.

"Wood release: Heavenly Bridge." She headed skywards besides the bridge and stepped off onto the firm ground. The fog had shrouded her activities and she immediately stealthily made her across the bridge being careful not to be seen by the men that were working around her on the magnificent structure.

"The Land of Waves has been busy lately." She said thoughtfully.

One she reached the island she did not hesitate to search for Sasuke. As she prowled through the town she noticed the empty shop windows, the dirty faced children begging for food and the weary eyed adults that strolled around the area. It seemed the land had fallen on very hard times – they need this bridge urgently. Since it was "simply" an escort mission Sasuke and his team should have already completed their task, but she could tell the old man didn't plan to let them leave so easily – the scent of shinobi was in the air.

She sat down quietly on the grass and contemplating their whereabouts on the small island. She sensed tremors in the Earth and a small but heavy movement could be heard from a distance. The Earth then screamed out to Yumi at the sound of wood being slashed open – west, they were not far from the islands edge. Yumi travelled through the trees quickly discarding her hat and cloak when she was suddenly stopped with a kunai at her throat. She leaned her head sideways so she could see who her attacker was, but they tugged on her hair sharply keeping her facing straight.

"You reek of shinobi." The man spoke in a harsh voice.

"The second catch of the day – two females shinobi in one day, were rather lucky." Another one appeared in front of her, bug eyed and yellow teeth grinning ear to ear.

"Tell me who sent you." The man holding the kunai demanded.

Yumi simply spat on the ground hitting the man's feet.

"Why you...!" he began indignantly,

Yumi used her elbows to crack into his ribs and quickly disarmed his kunai. She was wiser than to hold him down too so instead let loose her long hair the lapped around her and cut a long strip of it. The lock of hair, as hard as steel, roped round the man lying on the floor in quick successive action. The other man headed for Yumi as well but she dodged him easily,

"Earth release: Earth needles!"

She had pinned him to the tree by his clothing. She watched with a contemptuous smile as they struggled against her natural but dangerous bindings. She brought the kunai to the man's throat, who she had hung on the tree,

"Who do you work for?"

The man spat out and began to shout profanities at her as the man on the floor bound by her hair squirmed and tried to kick Yumi from underneath. She stamped her foot onto the man's ribs once more earning a groan.

"Before I bury you both in mud alive, you better tell me who sent you." Her steely edged voice was razor sharp and grated along the nerves of the men. She could see it in their faces. But they still looked at her with sly smiles and unfounded confidence.

"Okay, if you want it the hard way...Mud release," She began and the turned to the man squirming on the floor,

"Quicksand burial!"

The ground beneath the man began to sink in as he let out a cry. The Earth began to swallow him whole and he struggled even more violently against her steel strands. Once he had fallen deep enough the Earth closed up once more and the look of horror on the other's man face could not be hidden. Yumi turned her attention back to him,

"Now talk."

Please review :3

I love it when Yumi gets badass!

Bakuto has stumbled upon more trouble than he bargained for...

And what do you mean the Iwagakure spy is captured!

Heheh find out next chapter! ^^