A.N.: I'm back with the fifth chapter. Thanks to everybody who stayed with me so far. Now please read and review.
A.N.2: Now reposted with less grammar and spelling errors.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Got it?
The fugitive was stealthily crawling through the underbrush. It had been a long time since he last spotted his pursuers, but he didn't dare to lower his guard one bit. They were both skilled and persistent, they've proven it enough already. One mistake and he would be captured again. And then… just thinking about it gave him the creeps.
A twig snapped. That was nearby. Was it them? He carefully looked around, remaining hidden. Nothing. Even his sensitive ears couldn't pick a sound of pursuit. Yet he didn't allow himself to think he was safe. He resumed his travel.
An oppressive scent suddenly hit his nose. A dog? That was bad. He darted from his hiding place just in time to avoid the snapping jaws. And ran straight into the arms of another hunter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Forest of Konoha~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Got hi…muaaaaAAH!" Naruto screamed. Sharp teeth bit into his hand and he barely avoided a claw swipe that would have taken out his eye. "Stop it, you beast," he shouted, but the cat just scratched harder. He held it at arm's length, but unfortunately it wasn't far enough for him. He still got four bloody scratches on his face to accompany his birthmarks. He squeezed the animal in anger. It hissed and dug its claws into his forearm. He reflexively dropped it. Before it could escape again, Hotaru appeared and swiped it of the ground.
"What were you doing to the poor kitty," she chastised him.
"Poor kitty?" the boy doubted. "More like a rabid tiger."
"Well his name is Tiger," Hotaru pointed out, petting her captive's black fur. The tomcat was actually purring in her arms. Naruto couldn't believe it.
"Mission success," Hana grinned. This had gone well. She remembered how her original team used to struggle with this assignment. And Hotaru's have done even worse. But now it seemed like a breeze. Compared with the training Tenzo-sensei put them through, this was a walk in the park.
After their team was formed, they have slipped into a routine. They would meet every morning at sunrise and go through the personal drills. They had to run around the training grounds, do push ups, sit ups and squats until they thought they'll just drop down any time, worked on their taijutsu skills and chakra control. They thought they knew tree walking before, but Tenzo quickly corrected them. 'If you can't do it in the heat of a battle, it doesn't count,' he said and proceeded to prove the truth in this statement. They had struggled at first, but now they all could spar on a water surface without breaking a sweat. They also started working on their elemental affinities, but they haven't gotten any further then finding out their chakra natures and being explained the basic exercises. Hana had fire, Hotaru lightning and Naruto wind.
Afternoons varied. Sometimes they would take a D-rank mission, sometimes they sparred against each other, other times they teamed up against their sensei or one of his friends. Afterwards they would discuss the fights and think of a possible better strategy, then give it another go, rinse and repeat.
What they dreaded the most were the mock missions. Tenzo would give them an assignment of the same kind typical C-rank missions were and then let them work on it on their own. The objectives sounded simple, but something always went terribly wrong. Usually it was an enemy ninja appearing out of nowhere. They hadn't done a whole lot of them, but they gained a huge knowledge of most common ninja mishaps nevertheless.
Some afternoons and evenings were reserved for their individual trainings. Hana spent them studying with her aunt and her veterinary studies were coming along nicely. Hotaru practiced her swordsmanship with her cousin every time Yuugao wasn't on a mission. Then she would just practice her kata or study theory. Naruto was working with Tenzo on his kenjutsu and sometimes ninjutsu.
They returned home every night bruised, beaten and completely exhausted, but every one of them improved by leaps and bounds.
They also became a true team. Although they haven't completely opened up to each other yet, they were now feeling comfortable in each other's presence. The constant work helped Hana overcome her depression and she started smiling after the first month. All in all, life seemed good for them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Mission room~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They returned Tora safely to his owner and watched the poor cat get almost smothered by its overly enthusiastic daimyo's wife. Even Naruto, who had been grumbling about damned furballs from hell the whole way back, felt a pang of sympathy at that sight.
"Another mission success," the Hokage commented. "Your team seems to be doing fine, Tenzo. Are they ready for a C-rank mission?"
Tenzo hesitated only for a moment. His team had a fair understanding of cooperation and both the girls have already undertaken such missions. Naruto was still young and inexperienced, but he was also resilient and resourceful and Tenzo had full confidence that he'll pull through. And it had been two months since the formation of his squad and he had been thinking of asking for one for the last week or so.
"Yes, they are," he answered confidently.
"Excellent," the Sandaime smiled. "Here is your assignment. It's a search and rescue mission in the Gray Mist Mountains. You'll be looking for a group of missing prospectors. They group failed to return when they were scheduled to and though that it itself wouldn't be too worrisome, a local hunter found a bear eating human remains in the area. The ring on its finger and a scar identified the hand as belonging to one of them without a doubt. You are tasked to find them and bring them safely to civilization. In case they are already dead, you are to determine their fate and give a report about it to their superiors. If you find their possessions, they want you to bring them too, especially any maps and mineral samples. Details are in this scroll. Is everything clear?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Tenzo answered.
"Good. You may leave now."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Tenzo's apartment~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Naruto was bursting with excitement. Finally he was going on his first real ninja mission. The D-ranks didn't count. Just like every new genin he had been terribly disappointed when he got his first one, but he learned to cope and accept them as necessary evil. After all he needed a certain number of them before he was eligible for higher ranked ones. Yet he couldn't help but grumble every time he had to pull weeds, paint a fence or walk a dog. He didn't even want to think of the time he had to babysit a child older then him.
But now he was going on a real mission. Maybe if they would perform well enough, they wouldn't have to do another D-rank ever again. He realistically knew that it wasn't going to happen, but one could dream.
He was now packing everything he thought he might need. If he didn't know a bit about storage seals, he would have needed a cart for it, but even now his backpack threatened to burst in the seams.
Naruto had first learned about sealing when he was six. Tenzo had been sent on a lengthy mission and he arranged for a friend to babysit. Kanou was a retired shinobi. He once used to be in ANBU, but a hit with a weird jutsu caused him pain attacks at odd times. The medics were completely stumped and couldn't figure out what the problem was, much less find a cure. He supposed he was luckier than those who had lost their limbs or lives in the line of duty, but it forced him to quit his career all the same. Now he made a living by making storage scrolls and exploding tags.
He hadn't been too excited to have to watch over a kid and a notoriously hyper one to boot, but it hadn't been as bad as he had expected. He led Naruto to the training grounds, let him go through his routines and settled down to draw his seals. After a while the boy became intrigued and inquired what he was doing. He replied he was making storage seals for shuriken. He fully expected the child to back off, but instead the little blond was fascinated. That in turn intrigued him. Not many people were willing to study the delicate art of sealing nowadays unless they absolutely had to. And Kanou wasn't inclined to turn away a potential disciple.
He started to explain the basic principles and Naruto listened attentively. He seemed to have talent. They soon got to painting his own seals. By the end of their two-week stay together the boy could seal a shuriken on his own. They continued their lessons even after Tenzo returned, though less frequently. Now the pupil knew not just basic storage seals, but could also make his own blast note.
"What are you taking?" Tenzo asked. "There's no way you'll need all of these."
"Aren't you always drilling us on how we should be prepared for anything?" the genin replied with a raised eyebrow.
"I am," confirmed the jounin, "but that doesn't mean you have to take all your possessions on a mission. You have to learn to get by with just the basic provisions. If you carry all that, you'll be so tired you want be able to complete the mission once we arrived to the mountains."
Naruto seemed to consider this. "But how would I know what to leave behind? I don't know what I would need and what not."
"You have to think," his guardian explained. "What kind of mission are we assigned?"
"A search and rescue one," the boy answered.
"Correct," Tenzo nodded. "And what else do you know?"
"We'll be camping in the mountains. It's going to be cold and wet," the young ninja observed.
"True. What else?"
"It might take a long time," Naruto guessed.
"True again. Is that all you can think of?" the older man inquired.
"Well, there might be bears," he offered.
"Even that is true. But can't you think of anything else?" Tenzo looked at him expectantly.
"It is," Naruto sighed. "I'm missing something, aren't I?"
"Yes," Tenzo nodded. "Think. Why was our team sent on the mission?"
The blond boy scratched his head. "Because we're awesome probably isn't the correct answer," he tried.
"Too true," the jounin answered with a chuckle. "It's because we are a free response team."
"What does that mean?" Naruto wondered.
"That means we can undertake any kind of mission," the team leader explained. "We have Hana as a tracker, medic and heavy hitter close range fighter. Then there's Hotaru as a fighter and information gatherer. You are a close to mid range fighter, tracker and infiltration-assassination type. I cover long range fights and tough opponents. Do you get it now?"
"Maybe," the blond shrugged. "Are we going because we are theoretically able to deal with any situation, because anything can happen on this mission?"
"You got it," Tenzo smiled. "We have no idea what's waiting there. The prospectors had guards. They weren't shinobi, but that doesn't mean they were pushovers. They might have been massacred by a superior force or squashed by an avalanche. No way to know what to expect until we get there."
"I understand," Naruto nodded. "So how does it help me to decide what to take? Because it still sounds to me like I need everything."
"I'll show you."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Inuzuka clan compound~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She was leaving the village for the first time since that incident. She felt strangely reluctant to go. She couldn't help but fear something terrible was going to happen. She was scared she'd lose her new team just when she had grown to like them. She wanted to talk with her old sensei, but she couldn't find him. Her mother just advised her to get over it and be a proud Inuzuka. She knew Tsume was right. She even looked forward to seeing new places, but she couldn't help but worry.
"Do you have a mission, sis?" a young voice asked.
"Kiba," she exclaimed. "Already back from the Academy?"
"Of course, sis," the lad rolled his eyes. "It's nearly evening."
"It is," Hana realized with surpise. She must have been lost in thoughts far longer then it seemed.
"So you have a mission?" Her little brother was curious.
"Yes," she nodded. "I'm leaving tomorrow early morning."
"You're lucky," he whined. "When will I go on a mission?"
"When you graduate, Kiba," she answered. "So do your homework properly or it'll never happen."
"Of course I'll graduate," he took offense. "I'm an awesome ninja!"
She couldn't help but smile. "Well, I don't know. You're still stuck at the Academy."
"I won't be forever," he claimed. "And then you'll see. I'll make chuunin and then jounin in no time," he declared with utmost certainty.
"I'll hold you to your word," Hana smiled.
"So where are you going, sis?" he wanted to know. "Or is it secret?"
"I don't know," she shrugged. "We aren't supposed to talk about ongoing missions with civilians."
"Come on," Kiba pleaded.
"Sorry, Kiba," she shook her head, "I can't tell."
"No fair," he pouted. "Can I at least go with you to the gates?" He unleashed the Puppy eyes of doom on her.
"Why not," she agreed. It would be nice to have somebody there to bide her farewell. After all, it might be even the last time they'd see each other. She suppressed the depressing thoughts. "But don't be late. We aren't waiting for anybody."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Hotaru's apartment~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hotaru was packing methodically. She had been only on a couple of C-ranks before, but she had a fair idea what to expect from this one. Rain, cold and lots of camping in the wild. It didn't sound like it would be anything exciting, just a routine. But it would look good on her record and get her a step closer to finally becoming chuunin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Village gates~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They were scheduled to meet at dawn. Naruto had been there for an hour already, he couldn't wait to hit the road. Tenzo and Hotaru arrived with a few minutes to spare. Hana was almost running late.
"Hurry up or I'll just leave you behind," her voice came suddenly from nearby. "I don't want to miss my first mission with my new team."
"I'm running, sis," a child's voice replied.
"Too slow," Hana added. Then they rounded the corner and came in sight of Konoha's gates.
"Finally," Naruto greeted. "I was getting worried you wont make it."
"I'd have no trouble if that little twerp hadn't insisted on seeing me off," the dog mistress said.
"I'm wounded, sis. I thought you wanted me here," the youth with two red fang-like marks of the Inuzuka clan on his cheeks answered. "Would you introduce us?"
"Of course," Hana replied. "This is my younger brother Kiba. And those are my teammates, Tenzo-sensei, Uzuki Hotaru and Uzumaki Naruto."
"That is a ninja?" Kiba remarked disbelievingly. "He looks younger than me!"
"Don't be rude, bro," Hana chastised him. "And yes, he is a ninja. And not a bad one."
"I don't believe it," the younger Inuzuka stated. "How old is he?"
"Eight," his sister answered.
"Eight?!" Kiba couldn't believe his ears. "I'm eight too and I just started the Academy!"
"Now do you see why you have to study harder?" the older Inuzuka asked rhetorically.
"If you two are quite finished," Tenzo interrupted, "can we go? I would like to reach our destination by nightfall today."
"Yes, let's go," Hana agreed. "So long, Kiba. See you… well, whenever we return."
And then they turned and walked through the gates. Their first adventure together was awaiting them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Near the Grey Mist Mountains~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They had been running all day. Naruto had to work hard to keep up with his older and taller teammates, but his monstrous stamina allowed him to manage. But when they stopped for the night, he just fell down on the ground panting and refused to move until Tenzo threatened to eat his dinner. That made him to get up and help setting the camp.
"So what's the plan for tomorrow?" Hotaru asked.
"What's there to plan?" Naruto questioned. "We don't know anything about them so we'll just have to go to the last place they were seen and start tracking."
"Do you have any idea how long ago that was?" Hana asked.
Naruto wracked his memory. "Over three months?"
"You've got it, Tiny," the dog user confirmed. "Even an Inuzuka can't follow a scent that old, especially considering the frequent downpours here."
"What about the arm, then?" the blond offered.
"That is a better idea, but I'm afraid it won't work as well." Hana shook her head.
"Why?" Naruto didn't understand.
She didn't have to answer. It started to rain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The following day~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The morning dawned cold and gloomy. The mist that gave the mountains their name fell down thick and they couldn't see any further than a few steps. The peaks that had loomed ominously over them the day before disappeared from their sight completely. The team was following a narrow path, huddled in their warm traveling cloaks, Hana's dogs at the point trying to catch scent of anything interesting. So far they caught only an unlucky hare which they promptly ate.
They hoped they were going the right way. The map the clients provided wasn't very informative, only a roughly drawn sketch with a red cross marking the place the expedition entered the range and another where the arm was found. They were on the opposite sides of the mountains.
Naruto found it strange that the mining company didn't have a better map of prospective ore sources. He asked Tenzo about it.
"They probably do, but they aren't showing it to anybody," the older man answered.
"Don't they want their people to be saved?" the boy wondered.
"Oh, they do," the jounin replied, "but not at the price of their secrets falling into the hands of their competition. If there really is an ore lode, it can earn them a lot more money than they lose on a group of dead prospectors."
Naruto considered the explanation. "If there is so much money at stake, why didn't they hire a more experienced team?"
"You'll find that rich people are unwilling to part even with a tiny portion of their wealth," the Wood user explained. "The company most likely doesn't expect their people to be still alive and hired us only for show. And I find it also believable that the expedition had sent them some report of their progress before they disappeared."
"If it is so, why didn't they tell us?" It was something the blond couldn't understand.
"Like I said, they don't want us to find their newest lode and possibly tell somebody else."
"That's sick," Naruto commented.
"Boy, you have yet to see anything," Tenzo remarked.
They have been walking for hours. The fog had yet to lift. The pathway led them uphill. The trees around them changed. Instead of the lush forests they knew from the vicinity of Konoha, spiky conifers were now growing around them. Even the ever present chirping of birds have slowly waned and only an occasional rustle of grass let them know that they weren't in a dead land.
"We should be close now," Tenzo announced when they entered a wide valley covered in strange mountain grass and flowers. "According to this map, the arm has been found somewhere on the other side of this small plain, near the creek."
They left the already dwindling path and crossed the meadow. It turned out to be a marshland in disguise and Hotaru grumbled about getting mud in her shoes. The three genin were eternally grateful to their sensei for his merciless drills in water-walking.
Hana sent her dogs to sniff out the area, but predictably they found nothing.
"What now?" Hotaru asked.
"Now we think about where an arm could have come from to end up here," Tenzo answered.
"From up there," Hotaru pointed to the steep valley side.
"Or maybe it floated down the stream," Naruto suggested.
"That's more likely," Hana agreed. "There are bushes, trees and boulders up the slope. Nothing as small as a human hand could have rolled through it. But the bear could have carried it from anywhere. And we aren't even sure we found the correct place."
"So we follow the brook upstream," Naruto said.
"You got it, kid," the Inuzuka answered. They set off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Evening~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They followed the creek until it turned into a small trickle.
"Nothing could have floated down this," Hotaru pointed out.
"Is it just me or are we fresh out of ideas?" Naruto spoke.
The fog was thick as ever and the nearing dusk stole what little light found its way through it.
"It seems like we won't find anything today, so let's just start a camp," Tenzo decided. His team was delighted to hear those words.
Next morning dawned bright and sunny. The four ninja looked around themselves in wonder. They found it hard to believe they were still in the same place. The oppressive mist from yesterday was completely gone and imposing mountain peaks stood around them tall and proud, bathing in the golden sunlight, slivery snow glittering on their tops. Azure sky reflected in a lake they have completely missed the evening before.
"It's beautiful," Naruto whispered reverently.
"It is," Tenzo agreed. "You don't get to see such near Konoha. I still remember when I saw the mountains for the first time. I had to pick my jaw from the ground as well."
"Can we climb up there and take a look around?" the young blond asked excitedly. "I mean we might see something from the expedition from up there."
"I don't see why not," his guardian answered with a smile. "It's not like we have a better plan anyway. And it might actually work, who knows. If not, than we'll just have to trek through the whole range until we find something."
"But that's a huge area," Hotaru almost panicked.
"That's true," their jounin-sensei nodded. "But such are the perils of shinobi life. And never forget, it could have been worse."
The three genin winced when they remembered some of the mock missions they took during their training. Each of them started to count all the places an enemy could hide, name all the dangerous animals that could live here and search for potential avalanche sites.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They made a good time to the nearest overpass. They encountered no trouble on the way there, only some stones giving out under their feet, but their finely honed reflexes allowed them to find purchase before they could slide down the slope.
The vastness of the Grey Mist Mountains opened before their eyes. They could see peaks, valleys, creeks, ravines, lakes, meadows, waterfalls, boulders and forests, but they couldn't see a single sign of the missing expedition.
"What now?" Naruto asked dejectedly. He seemed to only now realize how much ground they would have to cover.
"We'll search the next valley," Hana answered. "And then the next. And then the next. And next. And again. Do you get it, squirt?"
The boy grimaced. "Unfortunately yes. We'd better begin then. Hey, what's that," Naruto pointed at the peak across a steep valley.
"What?" Tenzo asked.
"I'm not sure," Naruto answered hesitantly. "I thought I saw a flash of something bright purple but it's gone now."
"I haven't seen anything. What about you, girls?" They both shook their heads. "Hn, well. It's not like we have a better idea. Where did you see it, Naruto?"
"Over there," the blue-eyed boy pointed. "On the peak with the split top. Just above the large patch of ice."
"I see what you mean," the jounin confirmed. "Ok, team, let's go."
Reaching the spot Naruto pointed out took them the rest of the day. The sun was about to touch the horizon, when they stopped.
"So, where exactly was it?" Tenzo inquired.
"Somewhere here," Naruto answered. "I can't tell exactly. I don't see anything now though."
"You're not the only one," Hotaru commented.
"There," Hana pointed to the left.
"What?" everybody turned in surprised.
"I noticed it," the Inuzuka explained. It's a piece of cloth. It's purple on one side and grey on the other. That's why we couldn't see it unless the wind lifted it up."
"You're right," the youngest member of the team exclaimed. "I can see it now. It looks like it's weighted down by that boulder, otherwise it would have been blown away. I'll bring it here."
"Don't be hasty," Tenzo chided. "The rocks around it don't look too stable."
Naruto paid his warning no heed. He took of at a jog heading towards a man-sized piece of rock laying on the percipience. "Don't worry," he shouted over his shoulder. "I'm small and light so I'm the best man for this job." He grabbed the cloth. "There, see, no reason to worry."
He pulled on the cloth. It refused to give. Not wanting to tear it, he pushed the stone. The boulder moved unexpectedly easily. Naruto yelped in surprise and lost his footing. He grabbed the nearest rock, but it gave out under him. He fell backwards onto a small glacier. He tried to get a hold on it, but even when he applied chakra to his hands the only thing he accomplished was taking small chunks of snow and ice with him. It didn't slow down his descent a bit.
He glanced downwards and immediately wished he could just take it back. He was nearing the edge of the iceberg rapidly, after that there was a drop. He couldn't see how high it was, but given his luck probably a lot. 'I'm going to die here,' went through his head. He tried jumping upwards but he succeeded only in kicking up some snow. His short life flashed in front of his eyes, but nothing he saw showed him a way out of this situation.
Just when he was about to fall over the edge, a desperate idea struck him. He remembered a practice session with Tenzo. The man had shown him a new jutsu and he had been itching to try it out. He had formed the necessary handseals. Suiton: Water shockwave. The jet of liquid had shot from his mouth and towards his sparring partner. Unfortunately he had forgotten he had been standing on water surface. The reaction propelled him backwards and he skidded several feet before coming to a stop.
Naruto prayed this might help him in his current situation. There was no water around and snow didn't really count. His fingers flew through the required positions at a speed previously unmatched. He exhaled and spat out the water. Instead of the expected trickle he got a wide stream of boiling, steaming liquid. 'What's happening?' he wondered briefly. A familiar burning heat seeped into his veins.
The jutsu stopped his descent, but he was already in the air with no purchase in sight. The backlash of the technique also made him rotate backwards in such a way that he couldn't use it again. It would have just sent him crashing down faster. He panicked. He tried to grab the side of the mountain even though it was out of his reach. He didn't find it strange when a red claw of chakra extended from his arm and plowed into the rock. It tore out a large chunk of stone but failed to find purchase. He was still falling.
He turned in the air again and saw the ground almost upon him. He thrust his arms in front of him. There was a flash of red, then pain, then darkness.
Evil cliffhanger no jutsu, I've been looking forward to this for so long.
Next time: It will be proven, that C-ranks can be a world of trouble even when staying within the parameters.