A/N: Mahjong notes can be found on .jp/flash/mahjong/mahjong_ . For the time being, it's not especially important beyond what's described there. With this chapter a new arc begins! I also apologize in advance; from here on out chapter length may vary more significantly than a few hundred words or so.
The birds sung in the branches. The white cottage shimmered, lights pouring downward from the surface of the skylights. The tiles glimmered, white and crimson in the descending light of the evening sun. A single star shone in the evening sky. The trees shimmered in the light of the remaining stars.

"Sorry, but that's my win again! RON!"

Naruto groaned. "How do you keep winning?" He reached into his side of the table, tossing over a set of black sticks.

"Discarding the first one on the end every time isn't sufficient strategy to win this game. As to you, Sasuke-chan, you rely too heavily on impossible waits."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. I've got no choice if I want to come back from the hole you've dug me into… I need very strong hands. She opened her hand on the table. "Tenpai. Dora Four, Three Fu…"

Naruto laid his hand down on the table, groaning wearily. He let his fingers running along the list.

Kokushi Musou, missing only one honor tile? Naruto-kun is pretty insanely lucky… But his hand is incredibly easy to read, even if he doesn't deal into Tenpai. I won't deal into his waits, and can adjust my own to deal with his. As to Kiba… A faint note of distaste crossed Kōju's face as she glanced at the tiles. Kōju laid her fingers against the sticks.

Kiba laid the tiles down, groaning. "You're awful!"

He reveals too much of his hand. Sasuke-chan is probably No-Ten this round… though she's fairly lucky, she's not intelligent enough to capitalize on gains. For me, my only advantage is intelligence. Kōju gathered up the sticks on the table, shoving them into the drawer. "Hah." She glanced around the table. "Anyone up for another round? I'll keep playing as long as I'm the dealer.

Nōtō grinned. She's the best out of the group at basic ninja skills, after all. She has a strong instinct for Mahjong and can quickly calculate her best odds… still, it's possible another might win. He reached downward, pulling out his copy of the Bingo Book. She has won only off other people's discards, and gained only small hands. Her wins so far have taken many hours… But that's the way a ninja should be. Of Team Seven, she is closest to this ideal. Mahjong is a perfect game for shinobi… One based off instinct and logic.

"How can you keep winning?" Naruto demanded, slapping his forehead. "We should be able to win at least one game!"

"It's easy. To me, it's like your tiles are see-through." Kōju shrugged. "Well, you show too much when you get a good or bad tile."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Huh. I should probably work on that.

Nōtō glanced over his shoulder. Truly, these guys are fantastic…

A knock came at the door of the room.

"Eh?" Nōtō turned his head to the side of the room. He raised his arm. "Just a moment." He placed a small leaf in his book. Rising to his feet, he walked over to the door.

Kiba scowled. "And Naruto, since when have you liked guys anyway?"

"Guys?!" Naruto demanded, his face flushing.

"You've been making eyes at Sasuke for most of the game, you old dog!" Kiba slapped Naruto on the back. "Still, I didn't take you for that kind of person…" His eyes narrowed.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "The epithet dog better belongs to you… Kiba-san." Her arm extended to one side.

"No fighting, remember? That was one of the conditions for the game." Kōju raised her hands, her body tensing under the base of the table. If I have to knock over the table on them, I will.

Akamaru's growl died down to a low, rhythmic sound. He curled beneath the table.

Naruto's face flushed. He looked away from Sasuke, covering his face slightly with one hand.

It's not like I want him to make eyes at me or something… Damn it, CONCENTRATE… Sasuke's hand slipped slightly as she made the new wall.

A tile tumbled over.

Sasuke's eyes widened.

Kiba gasped in shock. The Haku!

The tile rested against the base of the table.

"…Can we make this the new Dora indicator?" Sasuke asked, a drop of sweat running down her face.

"I've got no objection." Kōju yawned. "But it's my bedtime soon."

Kiba grinned broadly. He leaned forward at the table.

"Ah! Kiba-san, I'm afraid you'll have to depart for the nonce!" Nōtō clapped his hands together. "We have an unexpected mission!"

"Fine, I get it…" Kiba rose to his feet. "You better explain this, understood? And living with such a cute girl under your roof too!" He growled, pointing at Naruto with one finger.

It's not the same as that, either… Tears ran down Naruto's face as he stared at the ceiling. She's really an awful pervert…

Kōju smiled faintly, flipping over the pages in the manga.

The door opened.

"Here we are, then," Nōtō remarked, gesturing to the door. "Please show her hospitality, for now."

Naruto's eyes widened. Wow. She looks so calm. He frowned. I should try pranking her at some point. That is if I have the option available to me—I really hope there's something there.

She's a cutie! Small hearts appeared in Kōju's eyes. She leaned forward, her cheeks flushing.

Wealthy, therefore perplexing… what is she doing here? Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed. She folded her hands across her chest, studying the woman carefully.

"Please allow myself to introduce my humble personage." The girl bowed her head low, her hands lying against the ground. "I am the princess of the province of Wave, my poor name Ranryū Yokaze." Black hair framed a small heart-shaped face. Brown eyes stared out from the face. The girl brushed her hair to one side with a comb, her body kneeling in a traditional position of submission. "I will depend on you to preserve my existence in the castle of Wave."

"Wave?" Naruto questioned, his eyebrows furrowing. "I've never heard of them before. Are they like a minor nation or something? Or is there something else—"

"We conquered the province in the Third Shinobi World War." Kōju answered distantly. Composing herself after a moment, she coughed, turning her gaze away from Yokaze. "Ahem. Shall we eat dinner?"

"Heat up some of the ramen again!" Naruto shouted, throwing up one fist up in the air.

"Beef stew for me." Sasuke looked downward. She stared through her eyelashes at the girl.

"Just some ice cream for me…" Kōju rubbed her stomach, staring at the ceiling.

"You three need to expand your diets. For me, a simple fish." Nōtō walked into the kitchen. Throwing on an apron, he settled his hands on the oven. He turned on the flame.

Smoke rose from the surface of the oven.

He says that with a straight face?! Naruto groaned.

"And you, miss?" Nōtō inquired calmly. "If necessary I can go down to the corner store."

"Oh… for my humble self, simply the leftovers heated will suffice." Yokaze paused. "The situation is as the white-haired one states it. I will request your names in a moment, but for now let me explain the situation…"

Naruto scowled faintly. This is going to be boring. He studied the food, his eyes never returning to the person.

"The province of Wave was never entirely stable… even when Fire Country first conquered it there were riots, battles, and various forms of evil performed against shinobi. For this reason, it was judged best to place us, the Ranryū family, in charge of day-to-day operations and the province. It became an ancestral title of land to us. Those still live who remember the Third Shinobi World War, but the strategy worked for some time. It is only recently that we have encountered troubles… In particular, an economic downturn has occurred that resulted in great troubles and riots. In this circumstance, it's possible even our family might be targeted. So, for the present, it's best to ensure the protection of its next-in-line." Yokaze lifted her head. "For this reason, we have already paid compensation to Hidden Leaf in return for protection. You are the team we have selected for this mission. Please, protect my humble personage."

"Just a moment. How did you travel here?" Nōtō questioned, his eyebrows rising. "Surely you had some means of self-protection. That trip takes at least a day, even going quickly."

"I sent a summoning scroll to the Hokage, naturally. That letter was carried by a large eagle, one of the ones raised on the land of the Senju." Yokaze paused. "Are there any further questions? I like to clarify things, so it's understandable that you raise these points."

"Perhaps there's something I didn't quite clarify. What is the rank of this mission?" Nōtō questioned.

"Well, it's about C-rank difficulty in my opinion. So not too difficult. Just a few local thugs." Yokaze paused. "Of course, they have the power to threaten my family… recently we have been trained as the 'leaders of a province' and not as 'ninja'."

"I see. In that case—" Nōtō paused.

"Hold it! What are these 'ranks'?" Naruto demanded.

Sasuke massaged her temples slowly. "Were you out the day they passed out brains, or did they just give you a really holey one? Mission difficulty ranks indicate how tough the mission is and, in turn, how much we get paid. What we've been doing up till now is only D-rank missions. Cheap, easy, reasonable. But, since our team strength is disproportionate to our experience and what not, we can probably handle a C-rank mission by ourselves."

"Yeah! Okay, let's take this mission, Nōtō-sensei!" Naruto shouted, his fist shooting up in the air.

"…Hm. I was going to refuse it outright…" Nōtō sighed. "Oh, whatever. Naruto-kun, could you go prepare a futon?"

"We're going to let her sleep in here?!" Naruto demanded.

Nōtō sighed. "No. She will be sleeping in the third bed. You, on the other hand, will be sleeping on the futon; that's why you're getting it. That is the holy act."

"No way!" Naruto's agonized howl sounded across the ground.

Price

The night air felt cool against the skin. A window lay open in the room, winds blowing through the window. The futon glimmered, moonlight pouring into the blankets. The four-poster bed shimmered.

Naruto glanced over at the bed, his cheeks red.

Yokaze lay motionless. Snores emanated from her lips. She rolled over in bed, her face turning to the window.

I'm never going to get any sleep. Naruto groaned. He turned over in the futon, shoving her shoulder into the bag.

The door brushed open, hardly a breeze in the wind of the evening sky.

Naruto rolled over rapidly again. His hand reached downward. He looked at the door. His hand seized on a kunai. A burglar? Did someone get into the house while I wasn't paying attention…?

"Yo. Idiot. We can switch shifts…" Sasuke's hand rested against the hilt of the blade. "We'll catch up on sleep tomorrow night." She stepped into the moonlight, her black hair shining in the light.

Naruto blinked in confusion. "Why are you helping me?" he questioned. He did not release the kunai—Sasuke was definitely acting weird, and he wasn't certain it wasn't the Shape-Shifting Technique.

"It's not like I care about your sleep. This is just smart—if we do run into trouble, it's best to have many weak sticks instead of a single strong one." Sasuke lay down on the ground. "You can take my room, instead."

"Hah…" Naruto exhaled.

"Though not my bed."

"Thank you." It's probably not right to tell a princess she snores… Naruto picked up the futon.

Sasuke scowled, but said nothing. She lay down on the ground, her eyes staring at the wood planks on the ceiling.

Naruto collapsed into the futon thankfully. He fell asleep after several minutes, his whiskers twitching on the surface of his cheeks.

Price

The forest glistened with dew drops. The sun poured down. Light poured through the trees and sparkled off the branches. The air glimmered. White light covered the surface of the water.

"So, what are the great nations, anyway?" Naruto questioned.

Nōtō stopped. He turned around on the path, his body tense. "You mean to tell me that you have not even heard of the great nations?"

"Well, I know we're one of them," Naruto replied reasonably.

Nōtō sighed tightly. "Kōju-san. Would you mind explaining this matter?"

"There are seven Great Nations. Hidden Fire, Hidden Mist, Hidden Stone, Hidden Sand, Hidden Cloud, Hidden Rain, and Hidden Frost." Kōju paused. "They were the big participants in the Third Shinobi World War—those were truly dark times. Though there are dark parts to our modern experience, they don't even compare. The Pillars of Shinobi got involved, among others."

"Who?" Naruto questioned, tilting his head to one side.

Nōtō sighed, rubbing his temples. "That's enough education for one day." He turned his gaze to the path, his glasses glinting in the light. "I have a bad feeling about today… why don't you three go up ahead?" Nōtō's hands extended. "I can step in a bit, but for the most part it's up to you three…"

"You think there are thugs already?" Sasuke demanded.

"I think merely it's best to be cautious." Nōtō paused, touching his chin. "You guys go ahead. I'll stick back here with our client."

Sasuke scowled. "Che. Can't be helped…" She stepped forward. Her hand grasped the scroll, unclipping it from her belt. "You stay back, all right, Kōju-san?"

Kōju's lip stuck outward. "I want to fight!"

"You're the strongest of the three of us right now. If these thugs turn out to be strong or smart, they might try going behind us, right?" Sasuke glanced over her shoulder briefly.

Kōju nodded reluctantly. She glanced over her shoulder at Yokaze. "You don't have any trouble with this, right?"

"My humble personage is in your care." Yokaze bowed her head deeply.

Kōju swallowed, her eyes wide. Her cheeks blushed deeply.

Naruto and Sasuke walked forward, hands on weapons. They spread to the sides.

It's an instinct and nothing more, but… Nōtō tapped his chin. He looked into the darkness ahead.

Woods often concealed bandits. These might not, but wariness never hurt one, after all…

Naruto stepped forward. Grinning foolishly, he lifted his arm. "I'll show these bandits—if there are any, that is—"

Water splashed upward from a puddle behind Naruto.

I see. Nōtō's eyes narrowed. It seems that I was correct after all.

Naruto turned around, his eyes widening.

Sasuke lifted the kusari-gama, her eyes narrowing as she regarded the pair. Her legs tensed against the ground.

The figures leapt forward. Gas masks, crude and inefficient, showed across their faces.

Naruto gritted his teeth. Attacked already! He raised his arms in a defensive posture.

One of the mask-wearing shinobi grasped the chain of a kusari-gama. The chain whipped forward.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Not on my watch you don't." She twisted around the blade.

The second kusari-gama caught the first.

The figure scowled behind the mask, their eyebrows drawing together into a sharp line. He slashed toward Sasuke's face.

The second masked shinobi raised their kunai.

"I'll hold him here…" Naruto punched forward.

The kusari-gama glistened. It slashed into the surface of the skin of the fist.

Blood trickled down from Naruto's knuckle.

Naruto winced. He closed his eyes. For some reason everything is going blurry…

"You dumbass!" Sasuke shouted, her eyes widening with rage. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I went to punch him when you had him caught up, and—" Naruto began, his body trembling. He looked down at the wound. His body shook heavily. He lowered his fist, his shivering arm lowering and shaking.

"Ugh. Never mind. Flame Style: Great Fireball Technique!" Sasuke exhaled rapidly, her breath turning into flames.

A ball of flames shot outward from Sasuke's mouth.

The flames covered the path.

Flames rushed up the body of the ninja.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Where's the other one?" he demanded, whirling around as he stared through the smoke.

The flames died away.

Sasuke blinked in shock. "…What?"

The ninja emerged from the underbrush. Water dripped down from the body rapidly.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "…Okay, you're pretty lucky," she conceded, turning around. "But that's not going to last long!"

The ninja swung around a kusari-gama.

"Damn!" Sasuke's eyes widened. She spun around, looking behind her.

The shinobi rushed forward, his hand drawing the blade and carrying it toward the target rapidly.

A white blade suddenly crossed the clearing.

The tree collapsed.

Kōju's eyes narrowed. "That was a Hidden Mist ninja, wasn't it?" she questioned calmly. She lowered her hand slightly.

The whirling blade returned to Kōju's hand.

Kōju lifted the sword. She sheathed the tantō in her belt.

Nōtō knelt. His hand picked up the headband. He glanced back toward the ninja. His eyes narrowed. Standing up, he walked over to the pair. His hands clapped together. "Forgive me." His arms spread upward.

The ninjas' eyes widened.

Those two are both okay. Not a mark on them… why are they so calm? Naruto choked as he stared up at his teammates.

Sasuke closed her eyes. She exhaled, touching her chest. A rapid pulse echoed across the fingers. It's a lot scarier actually fighting someone… I should have realized that targeting Itachi-san would not be so easy.

Kōju looked downward at the bodies. It… I won't say it's fun getting ready to fight someone, but there's a distinct and unique feeling to it.

"Shrine Maiden Entry." The hands spun rapidly forward.

The bodies of the pair exploded. A look of ecstasy crossed the faces of the pair as the masks shattered.

"It seems to me you've been lying about the difficulty of the mission." Nōtō turned his gaze to Yokaze. "We weren't equipped to handle ninja like this… Even if it's me, I may have difficulties against some of this quality. Truthfully, this is much more serious than that."

Yokaze frowned. "Why?"

"The province of Wave was originally taken from the Land of Fire. It's not improbable to say that this could be the start of a diplomatic incident between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water… indeed, if Hidden Cloud and Hidden Sand became involved, we could be looking at a Fourth Shinobi World War."

Sasuke frowned. "What the hell does that have to do with this?"

Nōtō sighed in exasperation. "If they're targeting the ruling family of the province of Wave, Land of Water wants the land back. It's possible that they might attempt to install a puppet or use Yokaze-san as a puppet to return the land to them. Either will make the Land of Fire look weak if we let it happen. We retaliate, and Land of Water declares war for unnecessary aggression. Then the other Lands might act. This kind of posturing is why ninja were created in the first place…"

"No way." Naruto scratched his brow. "That is what being a ninja is?"

Sasuke sighed. Though I don't like it better than Naruto, I know the truth of what he says well enough. Politics are a dangerous arena, in which shinobi are combatants—if it wasn't like that, a lot of things might be different in my own life.

"There is another way. We find out the person who is targeting Yokaze-san, defeat them. Land of Water writes them off as 'rogues'. The average citizen might suspect, but… we save face in this way."

"This… skullduggery? Is this all the Hokage is?"

"I won't say either way. It's up to you to decide… this way we save a lot of innocent lives." Nōtō sighed. "But yes, it is underhanded. This is our world. By the way, I'll need to draw the blood from your wound." He reached downward, drawing out a scalpel. "Removing the portion that's poisoned should do the trick."

Naruto gritted his teeth. He stabbed his hand with the kunai.

Kōju gasped. "Um—er!" She raised her hand, her body shaking as she regarded Naruto. "Er—"

Nōtō turned sharply.

"I swear we'll get you home, Yokaze-san. I swear it on this pain!" Naruto grinned through the tears.

"If you don't stop that bleeding, you're probably going to die. Kōju-san…" Nōtō gestured to Kōju.

Kōju stepped forward, wrapping up the wound with gauze. It's healing quickly. Strange…

Mist drifted over the sky. The forest darkened. The shadows cast over the wood. Slowly, the day darkened, the hours passing swiftly beyond the gate of the sphere. The waves splashed against a distant shore. The smell of sea salt and the cries of seagulls echoed through the space.

Yokaze nodded. "Well, I can guide you there. Don't worry; once we reach my father things should be fine!"

"He… does know you took the trip, right?" A drop of sweat ran down Sasuke's face.

"Yeah! Well, I might have told him it was for different reasons, but…" Yokaze wiped off a drop of sweat.

The mist cleared slightly.

A tall castle stood above a flight of marble steps. The white stones glimmered as the light struck them, solid blocks of stone on golden grass. A small river ran along the side of the castle, the ripples spreading from the base of the stones.

"Wow! This is a nice place!" Naruto exclaimed, staring at the exterior wall.

Yokaze grinned. "Glad you think so. Tanzaku Castle—we're in the middle of renovations." She stared up at the heavens. Her hands fell to her sides.

"Seems quiet." Sasuke looked upward with a scowl on her face.

"Yeah… It's strange," Kōju concurred.

The sky darkened.

Yokaze frowned. "I'm sure it'll be just fine…" She hurried up the steps into the castle. "Father? Father!"

"Idiot," Kōju muttered quietly. She hurried through the doors.

Suits of armor lay in the corner of the entrance room. Drops of water lay along the base of the entry hall.

Yokaze ran through the building, calling out her father's name. Her feet slipped occasionally on the water, and she fell to the ground.

Nōtō glanced from side to side. He proceeded more cautiously, his leather shoes soaking up water and grime.

The castle creaked.

"Father! I'm home—" Yokaze began, pushing open the door.

A piercing scream echoed through the castle.

Naruto's eyes widened.

Sasuke reached downward, her hand unclipping the scroll.

Kōju ran swiftly through the halls, glancing from side to side as she ran inward.

"Sorry, but I have to go." Nōtō vanished. Leaves fell through the ceiling, surrounding the body.

Naruto ran in the direction of the scream, through tapestry-covered corridors and armor of gold.

Blood splattered across the floor. The body lay motionless. A massive gash lay across the chest, cut by a sword. Blood pooled across the ground, sinking into the gaps between the stones.

A man in white stood against the side of the room. He folded his arms, staring with blank, dead eyes at the entry to the room.

Nōtō cleared his throat. He stood in the middle of the room. "That girl is under our protection. You should consider your position as a criminal in the Hidden Mist, as well, before you take some premature action."

"Against you, it will definitely be difficult even in this environment." The masked man glanced toward the door. "Those guys are useless, but you…" He turned his gaze to Nōtō.

Nōtō clapped his hands together, his eyes grave. "It's an honor to be known by such a famous fellow. Or should I perhaps say infamous? Momoichi Zabuza." His hands rose swiftly.

Zabuza's eyes narrowed. He reached upward, touching the hilt of the sword.

"Why? You were always such a good mentor…" Yokaze wept.

"Pay wasn't good enough." Zabuza tightened his grip on his sword. "I've wanted to fight you for a long time… Mura Nōtō."

Nōtō's eyes narrowed. "Stay back, you three. You're strong, but there's no need for you to die senselessly."

"I'll kill them after you're dead." Zabuza's eyes narrowed. "That's quite simple; there's no reason to warn them regarding that."

"You appear to have misunderstood. At my current poor level of proficiency, I'm not certain I can kill you without getting them involved. The same goes for you, Yokaze-san. Stand well back." Nōtō's body trembled. His body glowed as brown energy rose around the body.