Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
-A Testament of Things that Never Will-
The old Sarutobi frowned slightly and asked, "Where is the rest of your team, Kakashi?"
"Sakura recently gained the time of a medic-nin who is willing to train her," Kakashi said. "I spoke with the medic-nin, a Keiko Hashimoto, and she told me that she would prefer to start Sakura's training immediately and that if Sakura went on this mission she wouldn't be able to train her for some time."
"Ah, yes," Hiruzen muttered. He cleared his throat and said, "Keiko came to me just yesterday and told me that she had found a rather interesting pupil. When she told me who it was, I told her that I was planning on sending her team on this mission and she expressed concern as she wanted to be taken off the mission roster while she trained Sakura but that wouldn't be possible if she wasn't able to start the training immediately. This concern is understandable as, if she wasn't able to start the training, she would still be on the mission roster and it would be very likely that she would be sent on a mission around the time that Sakura came back from her's. By the time they did manage to find time to train together it would be right around the time the Chunin Exam started and Sakura would have almost no training as a medic-nin."
Kakashi nodded and said, "Sasuke isn't here because he is ill. He had shown up for our morning team meeting but he didn't look well and I decided to send him home to rest. I figure that, with two Jonin going on this mission, it wouldn't be a big deal if two Genin weren't able to come."
The old Hokage frowned. "Typically, I would assign two Genin to replace your missing team members but you have a point. You've made arrangements for Sasuke and Sakura to still receive adequate training?"
"Hai," the silver-haired Jonin answered. "When Sakura isn't training with Keiko-san and Sasuke is feeling better, they will be training with Team Kurenai and Team Asuma on alternate days. I have already cleared this with each Jonin-sensei."
The old man nodded. "Very good. Now then," he said as he picked up a scroll from his desk, "here is the mission scroll. It is a C-rank mission with reports of bandits in the area. Your mission is to find these bandits and eliminate them. This should be a relatively simple mission with the only problematic part being that it is close to our border with Kumo. If the bandits enter into Kumo territory then it is up to you, Kakashi, on whether you pursue or not. Kumo and Konoha have a pact of non-aggression so if you present your mission scroll they shouldn't hinder your pursuit."
Kakashi accepted the scroll and said to Naruto and Yuri, "Pack for a medium length mission and meet at the East gate in half-an-hour."
-A Testament of Things that Never Will-
Naruto jumped from tree to tree with Kakashi leading the group and Yuri bringing up the rear. They had been travelling for six days and estimated their arrival within the hour. As they neared their destination, the anxiety that Naruto had in the pit of his gut grew more and more. The previous day, Kakashi had told Naruto that the blonde would be the adjunct leader of the mission when they arrived.
They had been gathering information along the way and found out that there were some bandits spotted in the area but, from the description of the enemy, they were untrained and brutal. Both of the Jonin thought that it would be a good experience for Naruto to lead the mission, something that was unheard of for a Genin to do, and while he could understand the reasoning it didn't stop the stress from building on him.
The broke from the trees and a village came into view. The signs of bandit activity was obvious. Several buildings on the west side of the town were nothing more than burned out husks and one of the larger buildings had been spared from the fire only to suffer from the smashing of windows and walls leaving the structure unsafe to enter for civilians.
Naruto took a deep breath and released it. As he exhaled, he imagined the negative feelings like anxiety, fear, and doubt leaving his body as a physical thing and he felt the pressure in his gut lessen slightly. He repeated the exercise a few more times and when he was feeling more confident and less anxious he ordered, "Yurii, investigate that burned builders and see if there is anything you can discern from them. I want you to gather as much information as you can while Kakashi and I are speaking with the mayor."
Naruto felt a hand land on his head and mess up his hair. "Listen to him," Kakashi's voice rang in the air, "he's taking this rather seriously."
"We were the ones who told him that he was leading this mission," Yuri said and he started walking toward the burned buildings. He glanced back and said, "That was good, Naruto. You had quite the commanding voice there. Almost reminds me of the Third's when he is being serious. Relax and you'll do fine."
Naruto nodded and Yuri vanished with a shunshin. Kakashi chuckled and pulled out an orange book from his kunai pouch. Naruto didn't say anything since he knew that the Jonin was paying attention to everything that was going on around him and Naruto wanted to use the man's appeared lack of attention to his advantage if anything happened.
The two shinobi entered the town, going over a makeshift barricade that cut off all routes to the center of the town. The people of the village looked at Naruto and Kakashi suspiciously but Naruto kept his gaze focused ahead of him. Eventually a man stepped in front of the two shinobi. He had on a tan kimono and had a toad-like face.
"You are the shinobi that I hired?" the man asked. He looked around and asked, "Where are the others?"
Naruto stepped forward and answered, "The third member of our squad is investigating the section of the village that has already been attacked. When he has gathered the information I desire he will report in. For now, Kakashi Hatake and myself are here to speak with you."
"Only three of you," the man mumbled to himself and Naruto heard the taint of fear and anger in his words. "Who are you that you lead this mission?"
"I am Naruto Uzumaki, Genin of Konoha," Naruto answered.
The man looked befuddled and then insulted as he comprehended what the Genin had said. "You, a Genin is leading this mission? I recognize the name of Kakashi Hatake but I don't know you." He turned to Kakashi and said, "I'm not sure what kind of situation you think we're in but I don't have time for these games. My people are in danger and to have a Genin lead this mission is insulting."
Kakashi tilted his head slightly and said, "I assure you that no insult was meant. Myself and the other Jonin on this team wanted Naruto to lead this mission as a form of training. If at any point we feel that he is doing a less than adequate job I will take over and lead the mission to its end. However, Naruto is doing a fine job at this point and I would appreciate it if you didn't insult my Squad Leader because I think he will surprise you in the end."
The man took a step back and nodded quickly. "S-sorry," he stuttered. "A little on edge, is all. No offense meant." He looked to a building near him and said, "We should go inside and discuss the mission."
Naruto nodded and the man lead them into a tavern. The place was empty of people and had only one table in the main room. Naruto recognized the table as matching several of the ones that made up the barricades and the two chairs that sat opposite each other he was familiar with as well.
The mayor sat and Naruto did the same, signaling Kakashi to stand over his right shoulder. The mayor unfolded a map and said, "At the moment a quarter of the village has been destroyed. The bandits attack a little more than a week ago and made off with a large supply of food, mead, and several women." The man paused, swallowed, and continued, "They came from the south, however, several of our men have scouted that area and haven't found anything to signal the bandits are making home in that area."
"That is because they came from the north," a voice that Naruto knew well said.
Yuri took up his position over Naruto's left shoulder and reported, "I investigated the attacked section of the village, as ordered. I discovered that the buildings were set ablaze from several torches aided by an accelerate, most likely some form of potent sake. I check outside the area for one hundred yards and found tracks coming from the north that seemed to sweep down to the south."
"Seemed to?" Naruto questioned without looking away from the map on the table.
"It would appear that it rained in this area about two days after the attack. Much of the trails were destroyed and any scent trail has been wiped away. If we go out farther, we may find a better trail to follow."
Naruto nodded. "So," he said slowly, "the bandits have someone in charge that is intelligent or is at least familiar with tactics. They came from the north, so we will concentrate our search there. I want a shinobi sent out to patrol this area," Naruto circled a portion of the map north of the village, "and if nothing is found then the search area will change to here. As that shinobi patrols, I want the remaining two shinobi to help the villagers with defense."
The blond looked up at the mayor and asked, "Did you want us to capture the bandits so that they can stand trial?"
The man took a bit of cloth from his kimono and wiped the sweat from his face. "No, the monsters deserve to die."
Naruto nodded. "Yuri, I want you to scout out the first area. Report back if you find anything. Do not engage unless you have no choice. Kakashi, we will strengthen the defenses of the village and start patrols that will go our two hundred yards. If these bastards attack again, I want to know that they are coming."
-A Testament of Thing that Never Will-
The bandits hadn't come that day or night. Yuri had returned before night and Kakashi had taken up the night watch. When morning came, Naruto relieved the Jonin of his duty and started his own scouting mission. He went to a location farther to the north than what either of the two Jonin had scouted and he checked in every ten minutes.
Naruto crouched and studied a print he found in the dirt. Having both Kakashi and Yuri as sensei, it was inevitable that he would learn how to track and it was a skill that he saw extreme value in. He examined the track and compared it to the one he had seen before, the one Yuri had found near the town. It was similar. He wagered that the print was from one of the bandits since none of the villagers traveled this far north and no road was located near the area.
He looked to the north and frowned. The bandits he was hunting were smart, that much was true. They had circled the village to keep the villagers from knowing where they truly came from and went far to the north, close to the Konoha-Kumo border if Naruto judged right.
Naruto froze. He strained his ears and waited. He didn't hear anything but he had the feeling that he was being watched. Whoever it was, they were to the south of his position.
He tapped his ear-radio and said, "I don't think I'm the only one out here."
"Explain," Yuri's voice ordered from the speaker in Naruto's ear.
"Just a feeling," he answered.
"Get back to the village immediately," Kakashi commanded. "Yuri and I are on the way."
Naruto nodded to himself and just as he was about to confirm the order with his sensei he heard the faint whisper of a kunai cutting through the air. He dashed to the north and heard the dull thuds of kunai striking the soft ground. He took the chance to glance behind him and saw that he was being pursued but couldn't make out precise details.
He shot to the northeast and planned on slowly circling around so that he could meet up with Kakashi and Yuri but his plan would never come into action when a shadow descended on him from above. He had just enough time to raise a kunai in defiance before the world went dark.
-A Testament of Things that Never Will-
Yuri rushed through the forest with Kakashi close on his heals. They followed the trail that Naruto had left and from time to time Yuri would stop for a second to study the footprints he followed to make sure he hadn't confused it with another print. They charged through the forest and both of them knew that they were getting dangerously close to the border.
They both paused when Kakashi called for a quick stop and pointed out a new set of footprints. These ones were completely different from Naruto's and they confirmed that Naruto had been followed. They looked at each other and left their fears unsaid.
The rustling of leaves signaled that arrival of another person and both the Jonin were ready for battle. From the covering of a branch a white-haired woman appeared. She was average height for a woman, had dark skin typical of those from Kumo, and beautiful grey-teal eyes. The woman studied the two, a hint of fright coming over her when the killing intent the two were giving off hit her, and bowed.
"You two must be the companions of the other Konoha shinobi that was found earlier," she said in a very formal voice.
Yuri recognized the woman as Mabui, the assistant of the Fourth Raikage. The last time he had seen the woman was before she went on a simple scouting mission She hadn't returned. He had never really gotten to know the woman but what concerned him was that if she was in the area that meant that the Raikage was too.
He lowered his guard only slightly and said, "We are. We were given a mission to clear out a bandit group that inhabits the area. It appears that they are across the border and our young companion crossed it by accident."
The woman smiled slightly. "You don't have to worry. No harm will come to the boy. Raikage-sama wants to talk to him is all."
"About?" Kakashi questioned and his posture changed completely back to his normal lazy self but Yuri knew that it was only an act.
"It isn't often that a Konoha shinobi is seen this far north and he was curious about what the boy was doing in the area. He was also curious about Konoha's jinchuriki."
Yuri leaned against a tree, his eyes still on the woman. It didn't surprise him that Kumo knew that Naruto was a jinchuriki. Hiruzen had made if very well known in Konoha that the boy was so it was only a matter of time that other nations would find out about him. It was one of the few decisions that Yuri thought the old man made the wrong choice on but that was in the past and they had to live with the repercussions now.
"Yuri, Kakashi," Naruto's voice came over the radio.
Kakashi touched his ear and said, "Naruto, are you okay?"
"Fine," the Genin replied far more calmly than would be expected of someone in his position. "Apparently the Raikage wished to speak with me. Sorry about worrying both of you. I'll finish my conversation with the Raikage and then search past the border for the bandit camp. For now, stand down but if you don't hear from me in the minutes assume I'm captured and return to Konoha."
Yuri nodded, accepting the order. He only hoped that the boy understood just what kind of position he was in and that if he said even the slightest thing wrong a war might be the result.
-A Testament of Things that Never Will-
Naruto kept his eyes closed when consciousness came back to him. He could hear birds chirping and he figured that he was in a building. There was a window open in the room he was in and he guess that it was to his left. He tested his hands and feet and found that they were bound to the wooden chair that he sat in. Ninja wire kept him in place and if he move too much the wire would cut into his flesh. He thought about the damage that forcing his way out of the wire would do to him and he threw the idea out since it would take too long to do.
"Some might mistake you for a Chunin since any Genin wouldn't be acting the way you are in your position," a male voice said.
Naruto suppressed a frown at being found out and also was disappointed in himself that he didn't hear the man breathing. He opening his eyes and found a black man with white hair. The man was a Kumo shinobi but not just any Kumo shinobi as Naruto recognized the man from the many lessons that Yuri had given him on other nations.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of meeting you, Raikage-sama?" Naruto asked in the most confident and unimpressed voice he could manage.
He would be lying if he said that he wasn't scared. The man was a Kage, Naruto was his prisoner, and there was nothing that Naruto could do to get himself out of the situation that he was in. He felt a cold bead of sweat roll down his back but forced his face and posture to appear calm and relaxed.
The Raikage studied Naruto a few seconds before opening his mouth in a loud laugh. "There aren't that many people that can look like they are in control of the situation when they are the one tied up," the man said. "To answer your question, I was curious is all."
Naruto did frown this time and asked, "And what would make you curious enough to have one of your shinobi cross the border and force me to cross over it to your side? Some would say that you just toed the line of war, Raikage-sama."
"Are you threatening me, boy?"
The blonde Genin looked down at his predicament, jerked his arms a few times, and said, "That would be hard to do considering my position."
The man smirked and replied, "Well, it isn't every day that you find Konoha's Jinchuriki running around near your border. What are you doing in this area?"
Naruto considered not telling the man but saw no point in it since the information would only help him. "My squad and I are on a mission hunting bandits that are inhabiting the area. During our investigations, we discovered that the bandits are actually hiding across the border and cross it when they wish to pillage the near by villages."
"So, you were following their trail to the north and neared the border," the black man said. He paused and then asked seriously, killing intent flowing off of him, "What makes you think that I would allow you Konoha shinobi to cross into my nation to hunt these bandits? For all I know, you could be spies."
Naruto swallowed and struggled to keep eye contact with the Kage. The man's killing intent was intimidating and added to the fact that the man was leagues above Naruto in skill and was a foreign shinobi and the result was a very nervous Naruto.
He took a breath and let it out slowly as he tried to calm himself. When he felt that he could speak without stuttering he said, "Considering that I am only a Genin, I don't think the Hokage would trust me with something like an espionage mission. Also, we have the Chunin Exam coming up and I have heard that you and the Hokage are in talks about you attending them. Why would we try anything so underhanded as espionage to a nation that we are finally starting to gain a diplomatic relationship with?"
The Raikage nodded slowly. "You think fast for a Genin. That and the fact that you noticed my shinobi following you makes it hard for me to believe that you are a Genin. As for the espionage business, I know that you aren't here for that. My shinobi was watching you for a good while and reported to me that you were trailing some footprints. But my question stands, why would I allow you to cross into my nation to hunt these bandits?"
"Why would you wish to have bandits in your nation?" Naruto asked. "As far as I can see, allowing me to take out the bandits in you nations is a win-win for you. You get rid of some bandits in your borders, you don't have to risk a Genin squad, and you can apply the squad you spare from this mission on another better paying mission. Sure, you might not get the payment for this C-rank mission but with the other advantages that come with allowing me to do it makes up for the loss of income."
"You have some good points," the large man said. He walked around Naruto and the ninja wire loosened to the point that Naruto could free his hands.
Naruto didn't move them right away and waited for the Raikage to come back around to his front. Naruto's legs were still tied in place. The blonde looked at the man and asked, "May I radio my squadmates so that they can stop worrying about me?"
The man nodded.
Naruto touched the radio and said, "Yuri, Kakashi."
"Naruto, are you okay?" Kakashi asked.
"Fine. Apparently the Raikage wished to speak with me. Sorry about worrying both of you. I'll finish my conversation with the Raikage and then search past the border for the bandit camp. For now, stand down but if you don't hear from me in the minutes assume I'm captured and return to Konoha."
Naruto nodded at something Kakashi said over his radio and looked to the Raikage and asked, "Now, what did you want to talk about?"
The man huffed, a smile on his face. "I wanted to meet Konoha's Jinchuriki and take a look at the quality of Genin that Konoha is producing. I knew that you were a Genin when I saw you because of who you are. I like to keep tabs on the Jinchuriki."
Naruto wasn't surprised by the revelation that another nation was keeping tabs on him, he suspected it in fact. The only thing he could hope was that the man didn't have as much information as he was making it seem.
Deciding to test the knowledge the Raikage had he chuckled and said, "I'm hardly representative of the other Genin. I graduated the Academy at the head of my class."
The black man nodded and rubbed his small white beard. "I'm aware of that fact," the man said.
Naruto didn't allow the relief show on his face but, instead, focused on trying to turn the attention of the conversation away from him. He looked down at his legs and asked, "Am I your prisoner?"
"No," the Raikage answered. "To do something like that would be an act of war."
Naruto quickly thought about what the man said and what he knew of the Fourth Raikage. The Raikage, from what he knew, was a good Kage. He was strong, cunning, and willing to do whatever he had to to make his nation stronger even going so far as the Hyuga Affair. He stopped himself from going further and thought about the Hyuga Affair. A plan formed. It was a stupid plan but he needed to get out of the situation he was in and that meant that he had to get the Raikage into a position that to not let him go was the worst option that he had.
The blonde understood that he was in a precarious position. The Raikage had ordered one of his shinobi to cross the border and force Naruto to do the same. Naruto couldn't prove that the Raikage had ordered this nor could he prove that it was a Kumo shinobi that had chased him. It would be his word against a Kage's and he would lose, big time. The old man couldn't risk going to war over such a thing since he was trying to get a peace going between the two nations and he would be forced to give into Kumo's demands to maintain their shaky relationship. Naruto couldn't guess as to what kind of demands Kumo would make without asking for too much but even that small advantage wouldn't be a good thing.
Naruto took a breath and started his game of words. "You say that doing something like taking me prisoner would be an act of war," he said, "however I find it strange that you, of all people would say something like that, considering your position."
The black Kage focused his full attention on Naruto and his face shifted to a look of anger. "What," he asked, "do you mean by that? As far as anyone else is concerned we are just having a pleasant conversation. It is your word against mine and if you were smart you would know that. In this situation, it is best to answer my questions less I charge you with espionage."
"Forgive me," Naruto said. "I wasn't referring to your position in this situation but you position among the rest of the Kage in the Elemental Nations."
The man rose a single white eyebrow and nodded for Naruto to explain himself.
"Your involvement in the Hyuga Affair is well known among Konoha shinobi," Naruto said and when he mentioned the incident the man's eyes squinted slightly and a bit of killing intent oozed from him. "I imagine that all the other shinobi nations also know about your involvement in that affair and have since been rather suspicious in dealing with Kumo. This is to be expected since you turned a very bad situation for you into a beneficial one if it had gone off without a hitch."
"Explain," the man order, his voice deep and serious.
He stopped himself from swallowing and forged on with his plan, hopeful since he had made it so far without being knocked out or worse. It was never wise to anger a Kage and the next part involved insulting the man.
"You showed the world that you are a great Kage. When your Head Shinobi came to Konoha to sign that peace treaty and ended up being killed by Hiashi Hyuga when he was kidnapping Hinata Hyuga, you managed to save that disastrous situation by citing the very peace treaty that you were breaking in the kidnapping. Of course, Konoha couldn't call you out on this because of the threat of war and, as such, they had to give in but you plan was for not since the Hyuga you ended up killing was Hiashi's brother, Hizashi. In the end, it was a simple matter of your word against ours. You said that you didn't order such a mission and that your shinobi had been wrongfully killed. Who was to argue with you?"
Naruto let the question linger before he continued. "Since that day," he said, "all Konoha shinobi have been suspicious of Kumo shinobi to the point of outright hostility. This is where this situation is different from that one. Konoha is already suspicious of you, Konoha isn't fighting with multiple other nations, and Konoha has an ally in Suna. If you were to say that I was on an espionage mission, Konoha would deny it and, since the shinobi have been waiting for a chance to take their pound of flesh, war would be declared. Suna would help us and you would be left alone fighting against two nations alone."
The Raikage was silent for sometime but his eyes never left Naruto's. A full minute passed before he said, "Iwa has been waiting to go back to war with Konoha. If it came to war, Iwa would join Kumo just for the chance to destroy your nation."
"Truly?" Naruto questioned. "I don't think so."
The large man grunted.
"Think about it. The Hyuga Affair showed that you are a great Kage. You changed a terrible situation into a beneficial one and you showed that you are willing to do anything to make your nation stronger. This is to be expected of both a Kage and a shinobi but because you have shown that you are so good at it, all the other nations will be hesitate to join in fear that you pull something on then to make yourself stronger. I, for one, wouldn't join you for that very reason. If I was Iwa, I would wait until all three of the nations involved in the war exhausted themselves and then I would come out and destroy the whole lot or at least demonstrate my nations dominance. Konoha, Suna, and Kumo would all be too spent to argue, Kiri is currently in a civil war, and Iwa would become the strongest hidden village in the Elemental Nations without even trying."
Again, Naruto paused. He had made it this far with his plan and now all he had to do was allow the Raikage connect the dots in his reasoning as well and he would released without another word. Never in the world would he have thought that he would be happy to learn the histories of all the different nations and with it politics but he was very happy that Yuri knew better than him. However, the more he thought about what he had said, the more he began to wonder something.
"I wonder," he said only a little louder than a whisper, "is it possible to be a good Kage, a good shinobi, and a good person."
The Raikage tilted his head, his attention focused on Naruto. "What do you mean?"
"Well, to be a good Kage, a person must put their village above all else. To be a good shinobi, a person must follow orders without question. But, to be a good person doesn't that mean that one has to be good to all? It just seems to me that to be all three is impossible. One can be a good Kage and a good shinobi but it seems to me that in doing so they sacrifice their humanity." Naruto noticed what he said and bowed his head slightly, "I apologize, Raikage-sama, I didn't mean to offend. I will stop speaking if you wish."
The Genin looked up when the man didn't respond and saw that the Raikage's face looked far older than it did before. The man's eyes were concentrated on nothing and everything and he had a grave look on his face.
"No," he eventually said softly, "I don't think it is possible to be all three."
Naruto nodded slowly. "There was a time," he said, "that I wanted to be Hokage. It was a fools dream but my dream nonetheless. I loved the idea of being the center of attention, of everyone looking at me but that dream was lost to me a while ago. I now find the idea of being the center of attention less appealing than before and, now that I have grown a little bit since then, I know that the position would call for me to do things that I couldn't do. But now, I find myself with a new dream."
"What's that?" the man asked.
"I want to show the world that it is possible to be all three," the Genin answered. "It will be hard, impossible most likely since the very idea of being a good shinobi is counter intuitive to being a good person but," he paused, "I think it is possible."
The black man looked at Naruto and said, "I would truly like to see that."
"Then why don't we both work towards that goal?"
The man smiled. It was a small, sad smile. "I'm afraid it is too late for me," the man said. "I've already dirtied my hands more than can be washed away. As a Kage, I don't regret what I have done for my nation but as a person...I find it hard to sleep at night."
"It is never too late," Naruto said with more conviction and certainty than he thought he had. "You can start by fixing past mistakes. As I understand it, you will be attending the Chunin Exam this year?" The man nodded and Naruto continued, "When you come, return the body of Hizashi Hyuga and formally apologize to the Hyuga clan. If you can't do it as a Kage, do it as a person. Do this and it will not only show Konoha but the rest of the Elemental Nations that you have changed since then. I can't say anything will change or that things will get better between our nations but I would hope that it would put your heart at ease about the matter."
The Raikage frowned and walked over to Naruto. He crouched and worked at the wire that bound Naruto's legs. When the blonde was free, the black man took a step back and waved to the door of the building. "You've given me much to think about." He chuckled and said, "Never thought I'd say that to a Genin, much less a Konoha Genin."
Naruto rose from the chair and walked to the door. He opened it and took a step out of the dark building and into the light of the sun. He looked at it the best he could, shading his eyes with his hand, and guessed that it had been two hours since he had been taken. He radioed his senseis and told them that he was fine.
"Boy," the Raikage called from behind him.
Naruto turned and saw that the man had his hand out. Naruto smirked and took it.
"Call me A," the Raikage said.
"Nice to meet you, A-san," the Genin said. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki."
"You have my permission to pursue this bandit group that you're tracking," A said. "You are about half-an-hour to the north of where we found you. I kept an eye on the tracks as we came here and they went to the west after twenty minutes of travel. There are many caves in that direction that would make good places for bandits to make a home. That is all the information I can give you about the matter."
Naruto bowed and said, "Thank you, A-san. I hope to see you at the Chunin Exam."
The man smiled and said, "We'll see. Good luck, boy."
-A Testament of Things that Never Will-
"Kakashi, Yuri," Naruto's voice chirped in Yuri's mic.
He touched it and pushed it in a little to hear it better. The blonde had called in a few minutes ago that he was fine and Kakashi and he had allowed Mabui to leave. He was relieved that the Genin was fine and would question him later about what he and the Raikage talked about.
"The Raikage has given us permission to cross the border for our mission and has also given me some valuable information about the whereabouts of the bandits. Apparently, there are a collection of caves to the northwest of where I was taken, about half-an-hours worth of travel. I want both of you to start heading in that direction. I'll beat both of you there by about twenty minutes so I'll use that time to scout the area. Understood?"
Yuri smirked at Naruto's use of the word 'understood.' He looked at Kakashi who was shaking his head and said, "I might be spending too much time with Naruto."
The two shared a laugh and started in the direction that Naruto told them.
-A Testament of Things that Never Will-
A looked out into the distance, taking in the beauty of his nation. The Genin's words had stuck a chord with him and had been running around his head since the boy had left him. He wasn't usually one to listen to other nation's shinobi. In his mind, respect and strength meant everything and the weak should be crushed. But, despite living under that philosophy, the blonde-haired Genin has said things that made him think, that made him doubt his decisions.
He shook his head and tried to quiet the blonde's voice in his head.
"Raikage-sama," his assistant said as she emerged from some trees and landed near him. "The Konoha shinobi have crossed our border and are moving to the northwest."
"I know," he said. "I've given them my permission to do so."
"Is that wise, Raikage-sama?" she questioned.
He ignored the question and asked, "Am I a good person, Mabui-san?"
"Raikage-sama?" Mabui asked, confused.
He grunted. "Nevermind, something that Genin said has me thinking is all."
The kunoichi looked to the west and said, "Thinking?"
"It's nothing," he answered. He too looked to the west and said, "Keep your eyes open for that boy, Mabui-san. I have a feeling that he will do great things." He turned to the north and said, "Now, lets go home."
-A Testament of Things that Never Will-
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-Unbiased Abyss