Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Last Airbender.
Bodyguard of Azula
Chapter 52: To Dance and To Execute
"Talking"
"Thinking"
"Bijū/spirit talking"
"Bijū/spirit thinking"
(Location: Land of Fire capital)
Team Paragon sat in one of the rooms in the hotel, silence engulfing the entire place. It was the morning after the impromptu meeting with Tobi. The unexpected addition to their 'assassination' mission had been shocking, and yet it didn't make sense.
"Okay, I think we can all agree that this is completely terrible," Naruto finally said in a hushed voice, so that they didn't arouse suspicion. The others could only silently agree with him. "Sokka, you got any ideas on how to make this work to our advantage?" He asked the resident idea guy.
"No. I don't have a single one," he said dejectedly. "Tobi threw us for a big enough loop that I don't have any ideas on how to make it work for us. Also add in the fact that we can't pass this information onto Jiraiya and the others." After Tobi had informed them of their second target and showed them the changes in the plan, he told them that Nadare would be staying close by. He said it was so it would be easier for them once they were to head out to the party, but they suspected an ulterior motive.
"So, what exactly are we going to do then?" June asked, saying the question they were all thinking.
"I think the only thing we can do right now is just play it by ear," Suki said, earning looks from the others.
"You mean improvise? That's incredibly risky, Suki," Naruto told her.
Azula raised an eyebrow at him. "This is coming from the master of improvisation?"
"Azula, even improvising can only go so far. I might've successfully improvised a couple of things other people thought required extensive planning, but even I recognize the fact that you can't do that kind of thing while attempting to stop an assassination from the inside."
"Well, there's a first time for everything, right?" Sokka asked him.
He stifled a groan as he covered his eyes with his hand. "I hate it when someone says that," he mentally growled.
"If I remember things correctly, you've said it quite a few times yourself," the Kyūbi drily commented.
"Oh, just shut up, furball," he snapped at the fox. "Sokka, you do realize that this entire thing has likely become more complicated because of what you just said, right?" he asked the Southern Tribesmen.
"Oops, sorry," he apologized, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Never mind him," June said, waving him off. "Do we have anything else to offer?"
They fell silent as they all tried to think of an idea. But whenever one of them thought of one, they dismissed it for a variety of reasons (too dangerous, too impractical, too stupid, too distracting, etc. etc.). In the end, all they had was that one thing. "So…I guess we'll be making this up as we go?" Suki asked, voicing what they already knew.
This time, Naruto didn't bother to stifle the groan. "If we screw this up, I am going to kill you people," he warned them.
"No, you won't. You love us too much," Azula replied with a small smirk.
"That might be true for you, but the others, not so much."
"Thanks so much for the vote of confidence," June drily remarked.
"Let's try and be a bit more serious here," Sokka told them. "There are a lot of things that could go wrong here."
"Sokka, you just stated the obvious," Naruto pointed out.
"It had to be said," he defended himself.
"No, it did not."
Team Kakashi sat around the table, the morning sun shining through the windows. The air around them was tense but quiet, almost like the calm before the storm.
"Are you ready for tonight, Lady Koyuki?" Sakura asked her.
"Yes, I am, Sakura," the Spring Daimyo answered. "But you've asked me that three times already."
"Oh, right, sorry. I'm just a little nervous," she apologized, blushing lightly.
"You're nervous? How do you think I feel?" she asked in attempted good humor (which sort of work as most of the people in the room began to chuckle). "Besides, I thought you would've been more used to this kind of thing since the last time we were together."
"Sakura has always been more on the recovery/standby team when it came to missions," Sasuke remarked as he leaned against the wall, fiddling with a kunai.
"Well, I am a medic, Sasuke," Sakura replied archly.
"And I've never said you weren't. You just really haven't been on the front lines all that often," he told her with a small smirk.
"Why are they acting like this?" Sai asked Kakashi, sitting across the table from him. "They're acting like they're about to fight."
"Oh, it's just their way of getting rid of the pre-mission jitters," he answered absently, his focus on his orange book.
"Pre-mission jitters?" he repeated in disbelief. "There is no such thing."
"Trust us, Sai. There is such a thing," Sakura assured him. "If we don't get rid of the jitters, then we'll be nervous throughout the entire mission and be more likely to make mistakes. With a mission such as this, we really can't afford mistakes."
"Don't bother trying to explain it to him, Sakura," Sasuke told her. "He'd need emotions to understand."
"There's no need to be rude about it, Sasuke," she said in reply.
"I am not offended. It's true that the concept of emotions often escapes me," Sai admitted to them. "It escapes me just as much as the concept of bonds does."
"How does the concept of bonds escape you?" Koyuki asked him. She thought the concept was straight forward.
"What puzzles me is this." He looked over at his two teammates. "Despite the fact Naruto has said quite often that you are not his friends anymore and that he would rather cause a massacre than come back to the village, you still consider him to be your friend. I could be wrong, but aren't bonds supposed to go both ways?" His question got everyone's attention. Even Kakashi looked up from his book to listen to the answer.
Both Sasuke and Sakura shared a look. He merely lifted an eyebrow in a silent question, and she simply nodded her head in acknowledgement.
He turned back to look at Sai. "Back when we had just started," he began. "I had thought that Naruto was just a useless idiot, a dobe who had passed due to sheer luck. But once we had gotten used to each other, I realized that he was entertaining to be around. He was a good rival…and a good friend," he admitted the last part after some hesitation. "And yet, I threw that in his face when I ran from the village. But he still went after me, for our bond. He had accepted me for me and thought I didn't realize it until later, I had done the same. He had become my friend and I had become his."
"But he still fled the village himself, throwing the bond in your faces as well."
"And we chased after him, the same way he did for Sasuke," Sakura replied. "The only difference is that we took longer than he did," she noted with a small chuckle.
"You did all that for the sake of your bond with him?" Sai asked, confusion written plainly on his face. "Especially since he doesn't want anything to do with you?"
"We've accepted the fact that he probably won't come back to the village," she said with a small amount of sadness in her voice. "But we can hope that he'll be our friend again, even if he said he didn't want to be."
"I…I don't what to think about what you've said. It doesn't make sense to me," he honestly admitted.
"Look at it this way, Sai," Sasuke told him. "Had I successfully left Konoha, odds are you would've been having this exact conversation with Naruto about me. The only difference would be that by now, he would've already convinced you."
"…You think so?"
"He was that kind of person."
"I think you meant to say he is that kind of person, Sasuke," Kakashi commented, his attention still on his book.
The door opened and Jiraiya walked in before he could reply. "I've got another message," the Toad Sage announced.
"Who gave it to you this time?" Koyuki asked him curiously.
"That's not really important," he told her, waving it off as he opened the letter.
"Was it the hot springs or the brothel, Lord Jiraiya?" Kakashi asked, looking over the top of his book.
"I said it wasn't important!" he repeated with a bit more harshness while also avoiding eye contract with the women in the room.
"What does the letter tell us now?" Sai asked, focusing on the mission.
"They gave details of their disguises and backgrounds. That is so we know what to expect from them," he explained as he placed the letter on the table.
"And what are they?" Sakura asked, deciding to also focus on the mission.
"Sokka will be posing as a Lord Manchou, who is a minor noble who has most of his revenue comes from farming. Recently, his farms were struck by a drought and as such, his crops were much smaller. He is a humble man who only wishes to ensure that he, his family, and those who work or serve are fed and cared for, surprisingly not in that order," he remarked.
"So, Sokka will be a caring noble who is also a farmer," Kakashi summarized.
"Correct. Suki is Lady Jieichou, the daughter of a noble. She is quiet and will not be the first to attempt conversation. Her cousin has joined the town guard where they live and has been the talk of the town since. June will be Lady Gaiyuu, a noble who is also a collector of rare animals. She inherited her title after her parents suspiciously died. However, she has a little sister who is learning to paint portraits and is becoming quite skilled. They are quite attached to each other and Gaiyuu will take any insult directed at her sister as one to herself. Are there any questions?" he asked, looking up.
"No," Sasuke answered. He had moved away from the wall and stood next to the table, putting the kunai away.
"Good. Moving on, Azula will be known as Yoen, the guard to Jieichou. She is supposed to stay silent, but if she speaks, it is likely to be short and to the point, if she is annoyed, sarcastic will also be added. She is also supposed to be fiercely loyal to Jieichou and will take any insult to her as an offer to a fight. Naruto will be going as Kikan, a man who has recently made his fortune in gambling. Supposedly, he went into a casino with only a couple of ryōs and had managed to break the bank. But despite that, he does not flaunt his newly gained wealth. He is quiet and conservative, but he is also generous. If anyone asks him about the wealth, he'll brush it off like it's nothing."
"Is that it?" Koyuki asked.
"That's only the basics," he admitted, as he touched the small seals that lined the bottom of the letter, creating a large cloud of smoke. Once the smoke dissipated, more documents lay on the table. "Here are all the details." He started to shift through them all. "Hmm, that's odd."
"What is it, Lord Jiraiya?" Kakashi asked him, closing the book and placing it down. Anything that the Toad Sage found odd required one's attention.
"Out of all these documents, I'm not finding a single forgery. These all seem legit," he noted.
"Are you sure about that?" Sai asked as he looked at the documents as well.
He threw the Root operative a hard look. "I've been in this business a lot longer than you have, Sai. I think I would know the difference between an authentic document and a fake."
"Are there any photos?" Sasuke asked as she began to move the documents around to find said photos.
"Only those of Team Paragon, who look like they didn't know they were being photographed," he replied, tapping each photo that was attached to each background document. "This is very, very strange. It also warrants investigation."
"But you can't do that, Lord Jiraiya," Sakura objected. "People are expecting you to be there at the dance."
"You seem to have forgotten four simple words, Sakura," he told her as he folded his hands into a handseal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Another Jiraiya appeared with a cloud of smoke. "You know what to do," the original told the clone, handing him all the documents. The clone nodded, took them, and walked out the door.
The sun was setting and the gate to the palace had a line forming in front of it. People walked slowly to the gate and showed their invitation to the guard, who allowed them to pass after inspecting their invitation. Despite what people thought of the Fire Daimyo, his parties and dances were great places to make new alliances and sign new trade agreements, marriage proposals, and other agreements as well. So, a lot of the nobles and the people who wanted to have connections always flock to these events.
"Invitation please," the guard said as Sokka walked up to him, wearing a fake beard and a kimono that had seen a lot of use. Some of the edges looked frayed and the entire outfit looked a little big on him. However, there was room enough for him to strap his Zanpakutō against his back with the coat covering it (just in case).
"Here you are, sir," he said, handing him the invitation.
The guard looked it over and handed it back to him. "Enjoy the party, my lord," he told him.
"Thank you, but there's no need to call me that," he replied before taking the invitation and walking past him.
The guard turned his attention back to the line as Suki, Azula, and June walked up. "Invitation please."
"Here you go." June handed him the invitation. She was wearing a black dress that fell all the way down to her feet, with a slit on the side that showed tantalizing glimpses of her legs. She had taken her skull headpiece off, letting her hair down. Suki had dressed a bit more conservatively. She wore a grey kimono with a black obi holding it together. She kept her hands folded to look demure, but also to keep them near where she had hidden one of her fans. Azula wasn't wearing a dress. Instead, she wore a black business suit with a white shirt underneath the jacket. There were no bugles in her jacket that would've shown weapons, but she kept her gloved hands loose and ready, showing that she knew how to use them. She stood close to Suki, ready to place herself in her way.
"Alright, you two can go," the guard said as he handed back the invitation. "But she stays." He pointed to Azula.
"What?" Suki asked, sounding both worried and nervous.
"This invitation is for Lady Gaiyuu and Lady Jieichou. No one else can go inside."
"But…but she has to come with us!" she protested, putting a hand on Azula's arm, like it was a precious thing.
"If she's not on the invitation, she is not coming in," the guard replied adamantly.
"Oh, come on. You can make an exception this one time, right?" June asked him.
"If she's not on the invitation, she is not coming in."
Before either one of them could say anything, Azula spoke out. "Lady Jieichou, Lady Gaiyuu, let me talk to him for a minute," she said to them.
"Are you sure, Yoen?" Suki asked.
"Just give me a minute." She walked up to the guard and leaned into his ear. "Look, there is properly a good reason why I'm not on that list," she whispered.
"And what's that?" he asked with obvious disbelief.
"I've been with Lady Jieichou since she was ten. She's very shy and extremely nervous when around strangers, so she relies on me. We practically live together. Her father probably didn't put me on the invitation because he thought I would be able to get in with her."
"Well, you can't."
"What's the problem here? Are you afraid that I might muck up the security in there if I go in there or something? Fine, I will let them know that I am there and will do nothing to stand in their way. My priority is Lady Jieichou. Are you happy now?"
He tried to think of a defense, but whatever idea came to his head couldn't hold. "Okay, fine," he said, giving up. "You can go in. But I want you to inform security of your presence. You make a scene, it'll be on you, got it?"
"Yes. Thank you for understanding."
"Just get in there already," he growled into her ear.
She nodded and stepped away, turning back to Suki and June. "Everything is fine now, milady. We can head in now."
"Are you sure?" Suki asked, looking at her so-called bodyguard with worry evident on her face.
"We're fine." They walked past the guard and through the gate.
"Laying it on a little thick, weren't we, Suki?" June asked under her breath.
"It got us through, didn't it?" she whispered back.
"Invitation please," the guard asked the next person who walked forward, now a little annoyed.
"Here it is," Naruto handed him the invitation. He wore a black suit, complete with a black shirt underneath. Only one button was open, and he wore no chains or necklaces underneath the shirt. The clothes looked recently bought and yet they worked on him. He was using the Henge jutsu to make his hair a deep red, his eyes a glowing teal, and his whisker marks disappear. He unconsciously drew the eye of single woman that was there and was completely unaware of it (which making the Kyūbi trying desperately not to snigger, which he always did when this sort of thing occurred).
"Alright, get in there," the guard said rudely, handing back the invitation.
"Is something the matter?" he asked as he took the invitation back.
"Nothing that concerns you, now get moving," he snapped, jerking his thumb at the gate.
"Did it have to do with that group before me or something?"
"I said it is nothing that concerns you."
"Alright, alright, thank you." He started to walk past and then stopped. "Actually, hold on."
"What is it now?" the guard growled as he swung around to face him, only to find a hand full of cash in front of him. "What the…?"
"Here, take it," he said with a smile. "Think of it as a big tip for have to deal with people like us."
"I…uh…it…it's my job." It was a job that made him stand out here with all these people, but it was his job.
"Nevertheless, I insist you take it."
"Um…thanks, I guess." He reached out hesitantly and took the money. His eyes widened after quickly counting it all. "This is over two grand!"
"And you deserve it," Naruto told him honestly.
"Thank you, sir. Thank you very much!"
He shook his head. "No, thank you for putting up with this line," he told him before walking through the gate. He saw that the others had stayed close to the wall next to the gate. "Everyone is in, right?" he asked as he quickly made his way over to them.
"You can see everyone, can't you?" June asked. Her voice was laced with sarcasm.
"Wait, where's Nadare?" Sokka asked as he examined the courtyard. "I don't see him."
"I thought he was going to meet us once we were inside," Suki said, blanking on some of the details. The others looked around, but they didn't see him either. "I thought he was supposed to go ahead and meet us in the courtyard."
"It was either that, or in the dance hall," Naruto told her. He was also blanking on some of the details and that was a feeling he didn't like.
"Alright, everyone, stay in your groups and head into the dance hall," Sokka ordered, taking charge. "Once inside, we look for Nadare and go from there."
"Fine by me, let's get this party started," June declared as she started walking towards the main building, Suki and Azula behind her.
After a few minutes, Sokka walked away as well, making sure he kept his distance from the girls. Naruto just stood against the wall, waiting as he took out a cigarette and lit it. He took a couple of minutes smoking it before snuffing it out in a nearby trashcan. Once he was done, he began to make his way towards the palace and by proxy, the dance hall.
"I should've packed a dress," Sakura moaned quietly as she stood against the wall, watching the nobles dance. Seeing all those dresses the ladies were wearing was making her feel a bit jealous.
"You wouldn't have been able to wear it," Sasuke told her as he stood next to her.
"You don't know that," she objected.
"Sakura, we're shinobi currently on a job. Dancing was not part of it. We are here to keep watch and ensure that our charge stays safe." He looked at the crowd with an annoyed look. "Besides, why would you want to dance like that? It's nothing but a big pain in the rear, if you ask me."
"Well, I wasn't," she told him. "And the only reason you don't like this kind of thing is because of that mission two years ago."
"I made you swear to never talk about that again!" he hissed at her. It had been his first mission as a Chūnin. He and the Konoha Eleven had to infiltrate a foreign noblewoman's estate and obtain information that was important to their client. Their way in was a masquerade ball the noblewoman was holding, therefore making Sasuke spend about a week learning how to dance. They got in and while the others hunted down the information, he distracted the entire ballroom by dancing with the noblewoman. However, within a couple of hours, they had learned two things. The first was that the information had been passed on verbally and the second was that the noblewoman had a fetish for younger boys. By the time they had located the noblewoman, she was with Sasuke, who had been strapped to a bed and was within five seconds of involuntarily losing his virginity. Once the mission was done, he made everyone swear never to talk about what had happened unless they wanted him to do something very unpleasant to them with a Chidori.
"Are you two kids enjoying yourselves?" Jiraiya asked them as he walked up to them.
"Just barrels full of it, Lord Jiraiya," Sasuke replied with heavy sarcasm and a glare at Sakura.
"If that's true, then what's with the look?" he asked, noticing the glare.
"Never mind him, Lord Jiraiya," Sakura told him. "Sasuke doesn't really like ballrooms."
"Oh yeah, I had heard about that particular mission."
"Who told you!?" Sasuke demanded, trying not to shout.
"Who do you think? Tsunade," he replied, not at all offended at the tone Sasuke had used. "So why aren't you dancing, Sakura?"
"I didn't pack a dress," she answered, a little embarrassed.
"So? Use the Henge jutsu," he told her with a shrug.
"Um…isn't that cheating?"
He gave her a look. "We're shinobi, cheating is part of the program. If using Henge to wear a dress is cheating, cheat away."
"I don't think many of the guys here would be interested in me anyway," she reasoned.
"Think again," he told her, gesturing to the hall behind him. She looked and saw that a good amount of the men (and a couple of women too) kept looking back at her. They looked interested in her, but they didn't do anything about it. While she was wondering why that was happening, Jiraiya could tell why just by looking at the person next to her glaring at the people who looked at her. "Hey kid, I want to talk to you," he told Sasuke quietly.
He nodded once and they walked away from Sakura. "What is it?" he asked once they had some privacy.
"When exactly are you going to do about you and Sakura?"
He became confused. "What are you talking about?"
"Come on, kid. A village idiot would've known that you like Sakura, and he'd be the first one to say it aloud."
"So, would that make you the village idiot?" the last Uchiha asked, trying to deflect the question.
"I was the dead last in my graduating class. Look at me now," he replied with a straight face. "But back to my question, what are you going to do?"
"There's nothing to do."
"Right, that's why you're glaring everyone who even looks at her to death."
"What's the point here, Lord Jiraiya?"
"You like her, don't you?" he asked, getting straight to the point. Sasuke's answer was silence, which was all that he needed. "I thought so. You haven't told her, have you?"
"Of course,I haven't," he said, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.
"And why is that?"
He fell silent for at least a minute. "…I don't want things to go back to the way things were," he finally answered.
"Now what is that supposed to mean? You're afraid that if you tell her, she'll become a Fangirl again?"
"Yeah, I am." He noticed that Jiraiya was desperately trying not to snicker and got angry. "What? You think that's funny?"
"A little bit, yeah," the Toad Sage answered, managing to not snicker. "Sasuke, you do remember that Sakura was trained by Tsunade, right? Trust me when I say that the chances of her becoming a Fangirl are both virtually and literally nonexistent."
"If you say so," he said with a shrug.
"I do say so. Anyway, if you want to do something about you and Sakura, let me know. I can give you a couple of tips."
"You would give me a couple of tips? I think I'd rather announce my presence to the Fangirls."
"For your information, gaki, I happened to be quite good at getting couples together," he told him, offended. "Who do you think got your parents together?"
"What? What do you mean? My parents got along fine with each other."
"That's only after Minato and Kushina helped me lock them in a room together for a couple of days."
"You did what!?"
"Don't get your panties in a twist. We had permission from their parents, and we made sure to pass in food."
"How…how long were they in there?" he asked, almost scared of the answer.
"Long enough," Jiraiya answered with a shrug. "They got married soon afterwards. Quite frankly, we always suspected that Itachi was conceived in that room."
"Stop, please. I don't need to hear that," he all but begged, trying not to shudder at that thought.
"You were the one who asked," he told him before walking away. He quickly noticed Naruto walking into the hall and signaled him to come over.
"I wish I hadn't," Sasuke muttered to himself as he walked back over to Sakura.
"What was that all about?" she asked, curious.
"Something I am never telling you," he replied.
"Now you've got me interested."
"Forget it, I'm never telling you. Let's focus on the job."
Azula had to admit, the dance hall was very well done. The dance floor was spacious enough to allow everyone there to dance without hitting each other. A group of musicians sat in a corner, playing a slow tune. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, shining down light. Tables surrounded the dance floor with light food so that people could sit down, eat and relax for a couple of minutes before getting back up to dance again.
"This place is something," Suki noted quietly as she looked around. "I know this might sound odd, but I think the ballrooms of Ba Sing Se would have a hard time comparing to this."
"Trust me, they would," June told her as they watched the people on the dance floor swirl around and around. "What the ballrooms in Ba Sing Se lack is elegance. They're all gaudy and horrible, heavy on the pieces of art and paintings that clash horribly together. This place does not have any of that and was done quite nicely."
The other two looked at her in surprise. "…When were you in the ballrooms of Ba Sing Se?" Suki asked her.
"I think the fact that she's a fashion critic is a bit more noteworthy," Azula said.
"I had a couple of jobs that had to deal with Ba Sing Se's 'high society', if you can call it that," she said, distaste evident when she said high society. "So, I had to learn how to blend in and understand what was fashionable and what wasn't. Not a bright point in my career as a bounty hunter."
"You must've had a lot of male admirers. How many hearts did you have to break?" Suki asked with a small grin. She knew that June had to have admirers. She was that kind of woman.
June gave her an irritable look. "Like that would be something I'd tell you."
"Ladies, can we please focus on our mission?" Azula asked pointedly. "I see Kakashi and Sai are standing against the west wall. I'll go see them and let them know of my 'priorities.' The two of you might want to get back into character."
They both nodded and Suki began to look worried as she walked away. She made sure to look like she was keeping an eye out for possible dangers against Suki (AKA Lady Jieichou) as she slowly made her way over to Kakashi and Sai. Just as she was about to approach them, a hand grabbed her shoulder. "What are you doing?" a voice hissed in her ear.
She turned around and came face-to-face with Nadare, who was wearing a hood to cover his hair and eyes. "I'm trying to stay in character here by informing the shinobi about my priorities. Are you trying to make a scene and get my cover blown?" she demanded.
"Is everything alright over here?" Kakashi asked, standing between them. Both he and Sai had noticed that Azula was making her way over to them but grew concerned when she was stopped by a hooded man. He quickly made his way over to see if Azula's cover hadn't been blown.
"Damn, he's fast." Azula thought. "It's nothing. This gentleman thought I was someone else, that's all."
"Yeah, what she said," Nadare agreed. "Sorry about that, ma'am," he apologized to Azula before turning around and walking away.
"That was a little close. Had that not gone any farther, we would've had a fight on our hands," Kakashi noted as he watched Nadare. He knew who it was, despite the hood he wore.
"It might have very well been," Azula agreed. Nadare disappear back into the crowd. They tried to look for him, but he was invisible to their sight.
"Anyway ma'am, we had noticed that you were coming this way. Is something the matter?" he asked her, pretending he didn't know her.
"Yes, I was making my over to speak with you," she told him, getting back into character. "My name is Yoen, Lady Jieichou's personal guard. I'm just here to tell you that my Lady is my primary concern. So please do not interfere if something happens with her, I will take care of it."
"Thank you for informing me. I will inform the other shinobi here."
"Then my business is done. I will return to my lady." She turned around and began to walk away.
"I hope you aren't hiding anything in your pockets," Kakashi's voice spoke from behind her. "It would be quite bad if weapons were to be drawn if the trouble occurred."
"I have no need to hide weapons," she told him as she kept walking. "I am a weapon."
"Then try not to kill anyone," he said with an eye-smile before going back to his place against the wall.
As she made her back, her mind was racing. "What did he mean 'hiding anything in your pockets'? He should've known, or at least saw that there wasn't anything in the pockets," she thought. As she mulled it over, realization struck and struck hard. "Wait a second, he didn't..." She subtly checked the pockets, feeling a piece of paper in her breast pocket. "Agni, not just fast on his feet, he's fast with his fingers too." She withdrew her hands from the pockets as she walked back to Suki and June.
"Is everything okay?" Suki asked with concern, staying in character. "We saw what happened."
"It's nothing, milady, just someone who thought I was a person that he knew," she answered with a straight face.
"It was Nadare, right?" June asked in a hushed voice. She just nodded in answer. "How did he get in without us knowing?"
"I don't know."
"Look out, we've got incoming," Suki warned them. They looked in the direction she was and saw a couple of noblemen about their age swaggering over to them. Their positions changed immediately, June morphed her face into an expression of uncaring, Suki became more nervous and stood slightly behind Azula.
"Hello, ladies!" the leader of the group, a boy with lank hair and a sneer on his face, said as they approached them. "You girls are looking for a couple of guys to dance with, right?"
"Actually, no, we're not. We were actually having a conversation," June told him indifferently. "Thanks for interrupting."
"Ah, come on. Don't be like that," another of the guys, a brute of a boy with hair cut very short and a piggish nose, said cockily. "We know you're looking for a good time here and we can provide."
"That one in the middle is hot," a third, who looked like he had over-gelled his hair and had a bad case of acne, declared, looking at Suki with hunger in his eyes. "I'd love to take her to the floor, along with a couple of other places." Had this been any other time, she would've done something publicly humiliating to him, but she had to remain in character.
However, Azula did something about it. "Would you mind keeping such thoughts to yourself?" she asked, covering more of Suki from view. "Lady Jieichou is not some sort of sex doll for you to drool over."
"Are you kidding? I want to know what's underneath that kimono."
She scowled. "If I hear one more word like that come out of any of your mouths, you will all end up in considerable pain," she warned, her fists tightening up.
They just laughed it off. "Looks like we have a bit of a fighter here, guys," the leader said as he looked at her. "Are you her girlfriend or something?"
"That's hot!" the second one declared, drooling at the prospect. "Go on and give her a kiss! And make sure to include tongue!"
Azula took a step forward, intent on seriously harming the pack of idiots in front of them. However, she was stopped when Suki grabbed her arm. "Yoen, don't. They aren't worth the trouble," she told her.
"I cannot let that insult just pass, Lady Jieichou," she all but snarled.
"We don't need to make a scene. Please, let's just walk away."
She let a couple seconds pass before answering. "…Fine." The girls turned around and began to walk away.
"Hey, where the hell do you think you three are going?" the second boy demanded.
"Isn't it obvious?" Azula asked, not bothering to turn and face them. "We're leaving."
"No, you aren't. Get back here!" he yelled.
"It's alright, let them go," the leader told him. "We're obviously too macho for them."
"That's funny. I don't see macho men in front of me," June declared as she stopped, turned around, and looked at them, making Suki and Azula stop as well. "All I see are three arrogant, pathetic little boys who don't how to treat a lady properly. Perhaps you should go back to your mothers and actually pay attention when they teach you manners."
"Who the hell do you think you are, you little bitch!?" the third boy demanded, getting the attention of nearby people.
"That's easy enough. I think I and my friends know the difference between boys and men. And you three are most certainly not men. Good evening." She turned back around and kept on walking, Suki and Azula right beside her.
"You get back right now, you whore!" he shouted, gaining more attention from nearby people, who now had looks of disapproval on their faces.
She stopped once more and looked back. "Did you boys happen to notice the wolf and the large creature waiting outside?" she asked them. "It'd be a shame for something unfortunate to happen to you three, wouldn't it? I mean, the creature does have a toxin in its tongue that can paralyze a person for about an hour and the wolf does enjoy meat." She started walking again, not bothering to look at the expressions on their faces, although Azula and Suki managed to hide the smirks they wore.
As they walked through the crowd, they noticed Sokka was making his way towards them. Suki gestured to an empty table, and he nodded in agreement. "That was nicely done," he complimented them as they sat down. "All I got was a discussion on farming methods." He groaned slightly as he remembered the conversation. "I am so glad we looked over everything. I probably would've gone straight to blows in your conversation, but you ladies handled it amazingly."
"Thank you," June said as she stretched her legs a little under the table. "But I was surprised that they didn't come after us."
"That might have been because their parents arrived just after you walked away and all but dragged out of the hall," he told them with a grin.
"I wish I could've seen that," Azula remarked with a small smirk. "It serves those idiots right."
They all quietly shared a laugh, but soon got serious again. "Azula, I saw what happened over there," Sokka told her. "Were you made?"
She shook her head. "I managed to get out of there fine. But Kakashi did slip me something when I wasn't looking." She reached into the breast pocket and pulled out the small piece of paper. She briefly read it and then passed it to the others. Each took a moment to look at it before handing it to the next person. Once they were done, Suki handed the paper back to Azula. She closed her hand around it and burned it to ashes with a quick Firebending.
"We need to inform Naruto," June said as Azula discreetly dipped her hand past the tablecloth and dropped the ashes. "Does anyone see him?" They started to look around, not moving from the table. It was a little difficult due to the fact the place was crowded,and most people were on their feet, giving them a bit of a blocked view.
"There he is," Suki said. "He's over to the right of the dance floor, being swarmed by girls." They all looked to where she had said. Naruto was indeed standing to the right, just within sight of Sasuke and Sakura. Girls had surrounded him, but it didn't look like he was enjoying the attention.
"You should really put a collar on him or something," June told Azula as they watched him try to wave the girls away. "Just show who he belongs to."
"I can't really do that right now, seeing as we're undercover," she replied. "But I guess I really should do something soon."
It didn't take long before the girls finally left Naruto alone. His eyes searched the hall until he found them sitting at the table. "Um…why is he glaring us to death?" Suki asked as she tried to avoid making eye contact with Naruto.
"I don't think he's glaring at us," Sokka told her. "I think he's glaring at me." They watched as Naruto raised his hand and give his ear a tug before lowering it and started walking towards the dance floor.
"What is he doing? And what was with tugging his ear?" June asked.
"I think he just told us he's about to play it by ear," Azula remarked.
"But what is he doing?"
The others, as well as the shinobi, were asking that same question. Soon, the sound of people talking, of people dancing, even the sound of the music playing stopped as everyone's eyes were on him. He made his way through the dance floor, people moving away from him like he would hurt them if he didn't. When he stopped, he was standing in front of the royal table, at which sat the Fire Daimyo, Koyuki, Madam Shijimi, Jiraiya, and Miki.
"My Lady Miki, may I have this dance?" he asked in a formal tone. But no matter what tone he used; he still stunned the entire dance hall. Nobody had ever so brazenly walked up to the Royal Princess and asked her if she wanted to dance. She was supposed to have a dance card, which was supposed to be filled in.
"May I ask your name, sir?" Miki asked in return.
"It's Kikan, your Highness."
"That man who recently made a fortune when he gambled in a casino with a single ryō bill?"
"I think the rumors are getting a little exaggerated," he said with a small chuckle. "It was more than just one ryō."
"Rumors do tend to do that," she conceded. "But why do you wish to dance with me?"
His expression became confused. "I'm sorry, your Highness, but who wouldn't want to dance with you? Besides, I had thought you would've wanted to do justice to the dress you're wearing." The dress was a long, strapless one that was the color of midnight blue. She wore no necklace or earrings and only wore minimal makeup. But she was stunning nonetheless, especially with her hair down.
"Were you not aware of the fact that I have a dance card?" she asked him, only blushing faintly at the compliment.
"If it is full, then I apologize, your Highness," he answered with an apologetic bow of his head.
She laughed. "Oh, it's full, trust me," she told him, before getting up. "But screw it. It'll just be full of suitors the FB and my father are trying to shove down my throat." She looked pointedly over at the Fire Daimyo and Madam Shijimi before walking around the table to stand in front of him. "You may have this dance, Mr. Kikan."
"Thank you, your Highness," he thanked her with a bow of his head. She curtsied a little in return before offering her hand. He took it and led her down to the dance floor, which completely emptied itself as they approached. As they stood in the middle of the floor and readied themselves, the lights above dimmed until there was only one light, which was focused on the pair. The musicians began to play a song that the Princess considered to be an old favorite.
(Start FFX-2 OST: Eternity ~Memory of Lightwaves~)
As the music played in the air, the two danced. It was a slow dance, but everyone's eye was on them. There was no misstep, no hesitation, and no awkwardness between the two dancers. They danced as if they had been doing this for a long time.
"You dance well," Miki praised him as they dance.
"Thank you," he replied. He spun her around slowly and she followed through, spinning gracefully. "Princess Miki," he said underneath his breath as she came back to him. "Whatever you do, please do not show anything on your face. My name is Naruto Uzumaki. My team and I are with Jiraiya and the other Konoha shinobi on assignment to protect the Daimyo of Spring."
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" she asked, keeping a blank face as they danced.
"We came into the capital with Jiraiya the Toad Sage, Kakashi Hatake, Sai, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno."
"Anyone could've known that detail."
"They came here to ensure that Lady Koyuki and your father completed the trade agreement they had negotiated, which would bring trains and railroads into the Land of Fire as well as allowing Konoha shinobi to infiltrate Yukigakure. While there are many more items in the agreement, these two are the most important. Only those who were part of the negotiations and Lady Koyuki's protection detail know the contents of the trade agreement."
That was enough for her. "Okay, you're telling the truth. Why are we having this conversation?" she asked.
"The Konoha shinobi are here in order to protect Lady Koyuki from an assassination attempt. While one team always stayed with her, the other would hunt down any information about the assassination. Recently, we have learned that there is a second target," he informed her.
"And how does that concern me?"
"The second target is you." If she was shocked or surprised, she didn't show it. "I'm sorry, but we heard about this at the last minute, so we couldn't come up with a concrete plan to protect you," he apologized as they twirled.
"That is not important, what is important is that both Koyuki and I remain alive. However, she is the more important target, so if you have to choose, protect her," she ordered him.
"I would say that you are both important."
She shook her head, making it appear as a part of her sway. "No, she is the Daimyo of a country. I am just a princess."
"That may be, but we still have to lure the assassin out. If he goes after you, we'll be able to stop him."
"I've got an idea," she told him. As the song ended, he dipped her slowly and pulled her back up.
(End FFX-2 OST: Eternity ~Memory of Lightwaves~)
As the rest of the lights came back on, the crowd began clapping, applauding them for the dance. "Thank you for the dance, Mr. Kikan," Miki said to him with a smile.
He shook his head. "No, thank you, your Highness. I had the honor of dancing with the most beautiful woman here," he praised her. "You definitely look beautiful in that dress."
"Would you like to see me out of it?" she asked with a sly grin. If the crowd had been stunned to silence when he asked her for a dance, they were now picking their jaws up from the floor. Even Naruto was stunned, although he managed to keep it at a small blush. "I'm sure you've got a couple of special moves that I would love to see."
"Well…if your Highness would want me," he said. What was going through his head was different. "She's kidding, right?" He was hoping that this was just a part of her plan, but he wasn't sure
"I ain't telling ya," the Kyūbi said with a grin. He loved watching things that made his Jinchūriki either squirm or nervous and wouldn't try to do anything to spoil the fun.
"Call me Miki, and I definitely want." She turned around and walked away with a seductive sway in her hips. "Come see when you're bored here, I'll be in my room." She walked out of the hall with everyone watching her leave.
Looking over to see Sasuke and Sakura still standing against the wall, he subtly jerked his head in the direction of the door Miki left through. Sasuke saw it and nodded in acknowledgement. He tapped Sakura on the arm They quickly made their way through the crowd and left through a different door. As Naruto made his way off the dance floor, he was soon accosted by Nadare.
"Why didn't you kill her?" he demanded in a growl. "You had a perfect opportunity!"
"If I had tried to kill her, someone would've noticed me trying to pull the kunai out. Besides, who tries to kill someone in the middle of an empty dance floor during a slow dance?" he asked with a scowl. "That's just wrong."
"I don't care if it had been a public orgy!" he snarled. "You had a chance and you missed it!"
"What part of 'someone would've noticed me trying to pull the kunai out' are you not listening too?" he asked back, trying to keep his voice low. "And we can't do anything about her now since she walked off with those two shinobi going after her. We should concentrate on the Spring Daimyo."
"Fine, you and your group make a distraction. I'll take care of the rest." He walked away and disappeared into the crowd. "We'll deal with the princess afterwards."
"How helpful of him," he mentally growled.
"So what are you going to do, kit?" the Kyūbi asked him.
"I'm still working on it," he told the fox as he saw the others come towards him. Azula might not have shown it but he could tell she was angry. "In my defense, I didn't know she was going to say that stuff," he said quietly. "All she said beforehand was she had an idea to lure out the assassin."
"Sure she did," Azula replied, not believing a word of it.
"It's the truth, I swear."
"Can the two of you have this talk later?" June asked pointedly. "Naruto, Kakashi passed us information that you need to hear."
"I already know," he said, stopping her from continuing. "Jiraiya caught me as I was walking in."
So they were all up to speed. That just left the problem. "But what are we going to do?" Suki asked. "We can't attack Koyuki ourselves, Nadare's supposed to do that, and we can't fake an attack on the princess now."
"Nadare told me that we had to make a distraction so that he can take care of the rest. Does anyone have any ideas?" Naruto asked, looking at the others.
"Hm, let's see. We're middle of a crowded room, and someone needs to kill someone without the rest of the people in here noticing," Sokka mused as he looked around the hall, noticing the dance floor was beginning to fill up again. "Perhaps if two of us started a fight in the middle of the dance floor, that would get the most attention. And if one or two others would try and stop it, it would get more attention."
"So, any volunteers?" asked Suki, looking at the others.
"Oh, I think we have the perfect first two candidates," June remarked with a smirk, looking at both Naruto and Azula. Before he could say something or even object to the idea, he was sent flying backwards by a punch, courtesy of Azula. He crashed into a nearby table, the sound echoing throughout the entire hall and earning everyone's attention. Even the musicians had stopped playing to see what was going on.
"You will apologize!" Azula yelled as she stomped over towards him.
"Apologized for what? I didn't do anything!" he protested as he tried to stand back up.
"You lie!" She punched him again, this time sending him into the dance floor, scattering the few people on it. "Apologize, now!" she ordered as she came at him again.
"Tell me what I did, and then I'll apologize," he told her as he stood back up. She snarled and tried to punch him for a third time. While the sound of flesh hitting flesh was heard in every part of the hall, it was not her hitting him. It was him blocking the punch with his hand. But that didn't stop her in the slightest. She crouched low and knocked his feet out from underneath him with a sweep.
He fell to the floor with a crash.She took advantage of that by sitting on his chest. She raised her hands to start pummeling him, but Sokka burst out of the crowd and grabbed them. "Please, there's no need to fight in here!" he told them as he pulled her off him.
She nodded, yanked her hands out of his grip. "Who the hell are you!?" she demanded, turning to face him.
"My name is Manchou," he introduced himself.
"That was a rhetorical question. I don't care about who you are," she snapped at him. "This doesn't concern you. Now get out of my way." She turned around to face Naruto, ready to fight again.
"Please! There is no need to fight!" he pleaded.
"Oh yes there is."
"Yoen, that's enough!" Suki shouted as she stepped out of the crowd, June behind her.
"He insulted you, Lady Jieichou!" she replied, looking over at her. "I can't let that slide!"
"Well, if you tell me what I did to insult your lady, I'll apologize," Naruto told her, standing back up. "But all you're doing is hitting me."
"That's because you're being oblivious! You know damn well how you insulted Lady Jieichou!" she snapped at him.
"No, I don't, you idiot!"
She leapt for him again, but Sokka grabbed hold of her. "Let go of me!" she ordered.
"The two of you don't need to fight!" Sokka told her, grunting with supposed effort as he tried to hold her still.
"I said LET GO!" She twisted out of his grip and unconsciously slugged him across the face, sending him stumbling back.
"YOEN!" said a horrified Suki.
She pretended to also be horrified at what she did. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that," she apologized as she tried to help him up.
"What in the name of Kami is wrong with you, lady?!" Naruto demanded as he came over and helped Sokka up as well.
"If you had just apologized, that wouldn't have happened!" she growled at him.
"Please don't fight," Sokka begged the two of them as he tried to stand in between them. But they ignored him, stepping to the side.
"If you had told me what I did, I would. But you haven't!" Naruto yelled at her. They began to circle each other, pretending they were about to fight again.
"That's enough!" Jiraiya announced as he and Kakashi appeared in between them, stopping them from starting another fight. "You need to leave, now! You included!" he ordered, pointing at Suki, who pretended to look surprised.
"But I told her to stop!" she protested.
"And that's all you did. She's your guard; therefore, she is your responsibility. Now the three of you will leave the royal palace right now!"
Before any one of them moved, Madam Shijimi screamed. Everyone in the hall turned to see what she was screaming at and were struck speechless. Koyuki was slumped over the royal table, a kunai in her back and blood running down it. Standing over her, with the hood down and wearing a crazed grin, was Nadare. "For the Land of Snow!" he declared loudly before disappearing in Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Jutsu).
There was literally five seconds of silence before the chaos ensued. Everyone rushed towards the table, some were screaming in panic, others were calling for the guards, and everyone was wondering who the man was and how he managed to sneak up on the Spring Daimyo. However, no one realized that, as they all rushed towards the royal table, eight people disappeared from the room the minute all hell broke loose.
Nadare bolted down the empty hallway. Everyone might've been in the dance hall, but he wasn't going to take his time to saunter out of the place. "I finally did it, Lord Dotō," he said to himself. "I finally killed that bitch. Now you can rest in peace. Once I get back to the Land of Snow, those loyal to you can take control once more." He picked up his pace; the thought of taking back the Land of Spring urged him on.
The sound of his footsteps bounced off the walls and went back through his ears as he raced through the halls. Soon, it turned from the sound of wood to ground as he ran out into the open. The sun had fully set and now there was only the moon and the stars to light his way. He ran past the gate, which had no guard due to what happened, and almost collided with Sokka.
Thankfully he was able to come to a stop before that. "I see you guys got out," he said.
"Did you expect anything else?" Azula asked cockily.
"No, I didn't. Now let's get to the princess." He looked behind him. "The guards are sure to be out looking for the assassin. If we're quick and careful, we'll be able to get into her room, kill her, and get out before anyone, even the shinobi guarding her, will notice."
"Before we go, there's something we need to discuss," Sokka told him, folding his arms and making it look like he wasn't going to move.
"What is it?" He didn't try to hide his impatience. "Is it about the money? We'll be able to discuss that once we've killed the princess and escape, okay? Now let's get moving!"
"It's not that, actually," Suki said.
"Then what do you want?!" he all snarled at them, turning back to face them.
"Nyla!" barked out June. He felt something prick the back of his neck and then suddenly couldn't move. He lost control of his body as he fell to the ground.
"I've been paralyzed!" he realized. Hearing footsteps coming towards him, he managed to look up to see who he thought was using the fake name of Kikan squatting over. Only his hair wasn't red, it was blonde, his eyes weren't a glowing teal, they were blue, and he had whiskers marks on his cheeks.
"You!?" He managed to croak out.
"Me," Naruto replied before knocking him out.
When he came to, he could feel that his hands had been bound to his sides and his legs were bound together. He could also feel a chair underneath him but felt something binding him to it. He opened his eyes and saw that he was in an empty room. It was dark, save for the windows letting the moon shine through. He also could tell that he was being held in one of the rooms in the palace, due to the quality of the floor, walls, and windows.
He then turned his attention to the ten people standing in front of him. "I see you're awake." Naruto noted from where he stood.
"…You were working with them the whole time?" Nadare asked, looking over at Team Kakashi.
"Yeah, we were," Sokka answered, holding his Zanpakutō in his hand. "We were trying to protect Koyuki from the hit from within."
He gave a hoarse laugh. "And a marvelous job you did at that." Sokka's grip on his Zanpakutō tightened and the expression on his face said he was seriously tempted to use it. Suki placed a hand on his shoulder, calming him down and preventing him from moving.
"Nadare Rōga, why were you working with the Akatsuki?" Kakashi asked him, both his tone and face completely serious.
"Now why would I tell you that? Do you think I would sell out to my comrades?" he asked the masked shinobi with a sneer. "You must be stupider than I thought, Kakashi Hatake."
"We can make you talk," Sasuke told him, his tone threatening.
"How would you do that? By torturing me? You don't look like you've changed much since the last time we met, Sasuke Uchiha," he taunted. "I guess I don't have much to worry about being tortured by you."
He smirked. "I never said I was going to be the one to torture you." He looked over at Sakura. "My teammate will be the one to do that."
The captured shinobi followed his gaze. "Her? Ha!" he laughed, rather loudly. "Good luck with that."
Sakura smiled at the shinobi, making both Jiraiya and Sasuke advert their gaze, Sasuke because he had been on the end of the smile before and Jiraiya because he had seen that smile on Tsunade. Whoever was on the receiving end of that smile was not in for a good time (more like a really painful time). "I know the location of each and every sensitive bone in your body, as well as the easily breakable and painful ones," Sakura told Nadare. "I can start breaking those bones, causing you indescribable pain, until you're begging me to stop."
"Or I can slowly burn you to ashes," Azula stated with a sadistic grin. Opening her hand, she bent a small fire into palm. "All I would have to do is start at your legs and slowly work my up. By the time I reach your nether regions, you'll be in so much pain, you be thanking whatever spirit you pray to if I decide to stop, which I might not." Both Sokka and Suki took a step back after they heard that come out of her. But Naruto and June acted like it was no big deal.
"So, which is it going to be, Nadare Rōga?" Jiraiya asked him. "Telling us everything you know, having every bone in your body being broken until you talk, or being slowly burned alive until you talk? It's your choice; I'd suggest you be quick about it."
This time he didn't laugh, he cackled. "You can't torture me, Lord Jiraiya," he said, making the name sound like he was someone you shouldn't be around with. "I have valuable information you need, so you can't torture me, so that puts both having my bones broken and being burned alive out of the question. I will be needed alive, so you'll have to take me back to Konoha with you in order to make me break." He threw them a smug grin, the kind where you wanted to punch it off him. "I'll save you the trouble, I won't break. I may have valuable information, but all I have to do is to wait for my comrades in the Akatsuki to rescue me."
"You are quite mistaken there, Nadare," a voice to the side told him. Everyone swung their heads to where the voice was coming from. They were caught off guard when they saw Tobi sitting on a window ledge they would've sworn was locked. But he wasn't using the child-like voice Team Paragon had heard him use, he was speaking with a deep voice, sounding completely serious. "The Akatsuki has never considered you to be a comrade. You have been nothing but a pawn."
"What?" Nadare said, stunned to be stripped of a notion he thought was a guarantee, the smug grin disappearing from his face. "You must be kidding, Tobi!"
"I assure you I am not. Now please be quiet, I have more important things to concern myself with." He turned his gaze to the Konoha shinobi. To Team Paragon, the mask seemed to be different. It looked harsh, unnerving, and a little scary. "Hello, Konoha shinobi. I assume you are currently threatening Nadare to get the information he has, correct?" he asked, being polite.
"You should know. You were listening in beforehand," Jiraiya accused him.
"I was doing nothing of the sort. I have just arrived."
"Then how do you know what we're doing?" Sasuke demanded, preparing himself for a fight.
"Simple really, I know how shinobi from Konoha operate. You'll capture a target, pump him for information at nearby location, then take him back to the village and pump him again, this time fully breaking him." He gave a small laugh. "If you want to try that with Mr. Nadare here, then, go ahead. But if you want to try to get the information out of me." He shrugged his shoulders. "Catch me if you can." He then rolled his body off the ledge. They heard feet hitting the ground and then running off.
"Somebody get after him!" Jiraiya ordered. Before he even got to the third word in that sentence, both Naruto and Kakashi were already out the window and after him.
End
Author's note: Thank you for all the reviews you have sent me.
Yes, that conversation between Sai, Sakura, and Sasuke about bonds was necessary. He had that same conversation with Naruto about Sasuke. All I'm doing is reversing the situation. Besides, how else is he supposed to become the Sai we all know and love (and punch through a door when he gives us a bad nickname)?
If anyone thinks I really shouldn't have put the information down with the aliases only not to really use them later on, I apologize. I'm still trying to figure out how to write a conversation that doesn't look like it came off a script or even reads like one. It's a work in progress and one I'm trying to stay on top of.
If you're going to ask me what Team Paragon was informed of, I'm not going to tell you. That would be spoiling the fun and I make an effort not to do that. It's actually kinda fun reading the reviews and see how you all try to figure out what I'm going to do.
However, there is one question which is beginning to annoy me. And that would be the question of is Ursa the Air Paragon. Okay, let's get straight to the facts here: URSA IS FROM THE FIRE NATION! AT WHAT POINT IN TIME DID WE START MAKING HER AN AIR NOMAD!? And don't try to use Naruto as a defense, look at Chapter 47 and read the two rules. Could you people be a little more creative in your thinking? It's not that hard. Really, it isn't.
I'll see you all next chapter!