Taki, Azuko and Akari, woke early on the morning of their mission. They all dressed a gathered the equipment they would need for the one month trip to the Land of Planes.
As Naruto had instructed the three met outside the Hokage tower, Naruto was already waiting for them and greeted them with a grin and wave as they drew closer to tower.
He assessed them as they arrived looking at what they had brought with them for the mission.
As it was a body guard mission he was not surprised to see that all of them had brought along additional weapons with them.
Taki had merely doubled the amount of shuriken and kunai she would have had normally, which considering the situation was a perfectly understandable. Along with that she had several sealing scrolls for the most basic camping needs as well as something to entertain herself for the few hours of relaxation she would have.
Azuko had packed similarly to Taki with a larger quantity of kunai and shuriken as well as a pair of sickles. An exotic weapon to be sure, but the boy had shown a remarkable ability with the small scythe like weapons during both his academy training and in his training with Naruto.
Akari looked more like she had packed for a war rather than a body guard mission.
She had sealed three scrolls with equipment such as tents and clothes. Carried nearly triple the amount of shuriken and kunai of a standard mission as well as having four demon wind shuriken and a tanto strapped to the small of her back. He nodded approvingly to each of them as they showed him their equipment, and led them into the Hokage's office.
Tsunade looked up at them as they entered. "You guys are on time, good." She said.
Aside from herself and Shizune there was one other person in the office when Naruto and the others entered.
He was roughly the same size as Naruto with a slim and athletic build. He wore a simple yet elegant and well embroiled silk Kimono; he had red clog sandals giving him an extra inch or two in height and a simple sugesaga hat. He also had a Katana at his hip. He looked at the group as they entered and dipped his hat to them politely.
Naruto guessed that this man was the dignitary that they were escorting, given his clothing and his demeanour towards Tsunade.
"Tsugashi-san," Tsunade said gaining the man's attention, "I'd like you to meet Cell 7; they will be escorting you back home." Tsunade told him.
Tsugashi looked at the three Genin first, his eyes stayed on Akari a little longer than the other two but in the end it seemed he liked what he saw. He allowed a smile to come over his stern features as he gave the three Genin a polite nod of his head. "A pleasure to meet you," The man said with a grin.
The three young Shinobi bowed to the dignitary before the man turned his attention to Naruto. "If I'm not mistaken you are Uzumaki Naruto?" The man asked.
Naruto nodded. "I am."
The grin on Tsugashi's face seemed to grow as he bowed lightly and extended his hand. "It is an honour to meet you in person."
Naruto blushed slightly but accepted the man's hand shaking it firmly. He turned back to Tsunade as she finally gave them their official mission.
"You are to escort Tsugashi-san back to his home town of Howaitofīrudo in the Land of Planes," She told them. "You are to protect him from any dangers such as bandits and the like that you should come across on this mission." She told them.
The four Shinobi nodded before they left. Once they left the front gate of the village Naruto turned to his team, "Standard patrol pattern," He said, "Akari, Taki take point, Azuko you're rear guard, I'll stay with the ambassador."
The three Genin nodded and without a word between them fanned out.
They spent the first day in this formation heading south to the land of Planes. It was an Hour after their lunch break that Tsugashi broke the silence.
"So tell me; what are they like?" He asked seemingly out of the blue. It took Naruto a moment to understand what he was talking about, but when he saw that his eyes were locked on Akari he understood.
"Well they're certainly skilled and tenacious I can tell you." Naruto said remembering how heartily they had attacked their final challenge in their training.
Tsugashi nodded at the comment and went on, "Good to know, but what about their person?" He asked.
Naruto raised an eyebrow at the man, "Why do you want to know?" He asked.
Tsugashi shrugged in response. "Well we will be travelling together for at least a month to get from here to the Land of Planes, and I would like to know more about the people meant to guard me." He explained.
Naruto nodded his understanding, it did make sense; it was easier to trust in people you knew instead of strangers.
"Well Azuko's the skilled and disciplined type of person, rough around the edges and doesn't have a large degree of social skills. He's reliable, just not overly likeable at times." He explained.
Tsugashi nodded. "Sounds like an aristocrat," He mused.
Naruto allowed himself to grin at the comparison, compared to the few that he had met it was a rather apt comparison for the most part.
"Taki is a good natured and well-rounded kid." Naruto continued. "She's kind, thinks for others more than herself, always willing to help, and reliable."
"She sounds like she'll make a great Shinobi," Tsugashi commented.
Naruto nodded. "Yea, in all honesty I see her going the furthest of the three if she decided that's what she wants from life. At the very least she'll make a fantastic Chunin squad leader."
"And the blond girl?" Tsugashi asked.
Naruto instinctively let his eyes fall on the girl and was silent for a few moments. "She's a though one," He said eventually. "She's strong and rather perceptive, but she's apathetic, her parents died in the last war and she's been alone ever since, he villagers treat her with contempt and unfortunately she has no one she's able to open up to. I mean I've tried but she's practically afraid of sharing her emotions, so she's a bit of a loner."
Tsugashi nodded, his hand resting on his chin as they walked. "Well it's a long walk back to Howaitofīrudo, and you never know what changes the trail might cause." He said absently.
Naruto hummed in agreement.
As night drew in the group camped out a little off the trail in a large clearing. As they began making camp Akari asked a question that had been on her mind for a long time. "If we're heading to the Land of Planes, can't we take a boat most of the way?" She asked. "If it's a peninsula to the south why are we walking?"
"My thoughts exactly," Azuko added. "It seems like a waste of time, taking the long way around." He said.
Naruto was about to speak but Tsugashi beat him to it. "Normally you'd be right." He agreed. "But the Land of Planes has no harbour towns at all." He told them.
"Why?" Taki asked.
Tsugashi smiled at her. "The entire peninsula is surrounded by steep cliffs and treacherous reefs. There have been many attempts to make harbours but they all failed, as such the only possible way to travel to the Land of Planes is through the Idaina Yuki Pass in the Kyojin no Gyokuza mountains." He explained to the three Genin. "Sadly the path both in and out of the mountains is rather dangerous."
They nodded, satisfied with the answer as they made camp.
Azuko moved away from the others to secure a perimeter as the rest set about preparing the evening meal and relaxing. Akari bored out of her skull got comfortable and began routine maintenance of her equipment. As she got to the Tanto she carried Tsugashi cast her a glance.
"May I?" He asked holding out a hand.
Akari looked up at him and shrugged, she had no reason to refuse the man, re-sheathing the blade she passed it to him hilt first. He took the hilt in hand and whipped it out and up in one fluid motion.
He inspected the blade with silent awe as he admired the quality of the craftsmanship, he noted the insignia etched into the blade near the guard and smiled.
Akari and Taki watched as Tsugashi let the blade dance nimbly in his fingers before he sheathed the blade and handed it back to Akari. "I have to ask how you came across such a fine blade," He said. "I've never seen a Kinuko in person before."
"Kinuko?" Akari asked with a raised eyebrow not understanding what the man was saying.
"He's talking about the craftsman." Azuko said as he came back to the camp fire. "Kinuko was a master sword smith nearly fifty years ago. His weapons are some of the finest you'll find." He said.
Tsugashi nodded in confirmation before turning to Akari, after a few moments of silence she answered his question. "It was my mothers," She said quietly. Before another question could be asked she stood up suddenly. "I'll take first watch," She stated.
Naruto nodded after a moment of thought. "Okay." He said. "Taki you're on second, Azuko is on third watch and I'll take the last watch."
The group nodded and Akari disappeared into the tree line to check the perimeter. Night came in and Akari found a good vantage point in the trees where she could easily observe both the group and the surrounding forest.
Only a day's walk from Konoha the possibly of attack was remote, at most she might spot a Konoha team on routine patrol, or heading home after a mission. But the night had a way of toying with ones senses.
Above all the other Genin Akari had a remarkably sharp sense of hearing, able to clearly make out the more mundane sounds of the forest like she was holding a horn to her ear.
During the day when she could see as well as hear it made little difference, but on a moonless night, when she could barely make out basic shapes, it set her on edge, as every noise the forest made took her imagination in leaps and bounds.
Unconsciously her hand came to rest on the hilt of her Tanto as she began making a loop around the camp to keep her mind at ease.
It took all of her willpower not to scream in terror when a hand wrapped itself around her mouth dragging her deeper into the woods.
Naruto was about to move when Tsugashi woke up, A shadow clone he had placed in the perimeter had shown him what happened, but he stopped himself as the dignitary stood up and picked up his katana, making for the edge of the clearing.
He watched the man go with a curious expression. Quickly he sent another clone after him.
What are you up to? Naruto asked as the man walked away.
Akari tried to break the grip, but her assailant was skilled enough to be able to stop her. She felt a jarring pain in the back of her neck and went limp instinctively. She knew about the nerve cluster in the base of the neck, luckily for her, her assailant didn't hit it quite right. It took a few minutes for them to reach where ever it was they were heading. Her assailant stopped and she sprang into action. She lashed out as the assailant loosed their grip, pushing herself away from them.
Her blade was in her hand and the next thing she knew there was a sharp stabbing pain in the back of her knees as her legs turned to jelly.
She felt a few more stabbing pains and her whole body when limp. "What the hell are you doing Kiduro?" A voice asked from behind her. "We we're supposed to be keeping out of the way. Why the hell did you kidnap someone? A shinobi no less."
The man named Kiduro grunted his displeasure. "I caught this one sneaking around in the forest. She could have found us so I took her. If I had killed her, it would have raised the alarm as soon as her body was found." He retorted.
The two attackers – men by the sounds of it – were talking barely above a whisper but Akari could hear every word.
"You should have just ignored her," The other man said. "We've been eluding the patrols for a week now, I doubt she would have found anything."
Kiduro said nothing as first, but eventually he spoke. "So what do we do now?" He asked. "We can't leave her and we can't kill her."
The other man sighed. "We have to kill her now you fool. If we let her go shell alert the village and we'll be done for."
"What about the body?" Kiduro asked.
"We'll just have to make sure that there is nothing larger than a thumb in any one place," The second man said. Akari heard the soft hiss of a sword leaving its sheath and felt her heart thunder against her ribs. She could hear him approach and she couldn't see or move.
The terror she felt was indescribable as she knew she was about to die, alone, left for the crows and bugs to devour.
There was a faint hiss, thud, followed by someone clicking their fingers together and the area was lit in an orangey glow.
"You know it isn't very polite to kidnap a girl," Tsugashi said as he walked closer to the two men. "And even less polite to kill her for it."
The two men looked at Tsugashi wide eyed as he walked closer, one hand resting lazily on the hilt of his Katana. "You two would do best to let the girl go and go back to where ever you came from."
After a short pause Kiduro began to laugh. "You got guts mister, I'll give you that, but you really shouldn't make idle threats." He warned, drawing a kunai from his holster.
Tsugashi let a bemused grin fall across his featured as he looked at the man with hard unyielding eyes. "I don't." He said evenly.
Kiduro laughed again and took a readied stance. "Your life." He said.
Tsugashi said nothing, only smiled. His right hand fell to the hilt of his Katana and he moved. Kiduro didn't have time to react as Tsugashi closed the sixty foot gap between the two in less than a second.
His partner watched in shock as Kiduro fell to the ground. "You know you ninja really overestimate your own abilities sometimes." Tsugashi said as he started to walk closer to the second man. "Just because you're opponent isn't a Shinobi doesn't mean they aren't strong."
The second man panicked and turned to run, but Tsugashi caught him in an instant. He pulled his blade free of the nameless Nin and cleaned it before putting it back in its scabbard.
He walked over to Akari and the girl grunted a little at the pain as Tsugashi removed the senbon needles from her back. He took a deep breath before jabbing his finger into her a dozen times in quick succession
Akari let out a thankful groan as she felt pins and needles all through her arms and legs, with Tsugashi's help she found herself – rather shakily – on her feet once again. In the orange glow of the torchlight Akari was finally able to see her assailants.
They were missing Nin form Kusagakure, judging by their defaced headbands.
"Nice work Tsugashi-san," Naruto said from above them.
The two spun to look at him, the effort nearly had Akari collapse again. "Uzumaki-san," Tsugashi said with a nod. "How long have you been there?" He asked.
"Since they took Akari. I would have acted sooner but I was interested to see what you were up to." He said as he landed.
He turned to the clone next to him and gestured to the two missing Nin. "Take them back to Tsunade immediately, I'll report to the original." He said. The clone nodded and picked up the two dead Shinobi.
"You two head back to camp," He told them. "And wake Taki for her watch." He said.
"But Sensei," Akari began. Naruto cut her off with a smile as he put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it." He said with a reassuring smile. "I'll keep another clone on watch with her in case there is any more danger." He said.
Akari nodded reluctantly as the second Naruto left with the two Kusa Nin the first vanished with a puff of smoke. Akari sighed heavily as she began to walk back to camp. She'd barely taken two steps before she began to shake. While Tsugashi had restored her movement, the effects Senbon needles hadn't worn off completely.
She felt a strong hand on her shoulder as Tsugashi stopped her from falling, helping her walk strait.
She smiled dizzily, before speaking. "Thank you." She said quietly.
Tsugashi smiled as they headed back to camp. "Any time," He said.
Okay I know I keep saying one more chapter like a broke record, but the next two chapters are going to be super awesome, with some really cool fighting and stuff.
So yea hope you enjoyed it, and I know the link in the last chapter didn't work. but if you really want to know the geography just go to the Narutopedia website, go to articles then locations, Geography should be the first one on the list. and follow the directions from there.
Until next time I wish you all the best.
Yours truly.
Nicolai Grey.