Chapter 26 The Board is Set
Naruto watched his step as he moved down across one of the multiple docs which lined the coast line of the land of bronze. Unlike the other ports that he had been to in the North which were mostly clean this port was downright unsafe. Broken bottles covered the ground as the smell of rotting dead fish filled the air as they floated in the green algae filled water. Sitting in the harbor were three old rusty but still operative cargo ships.
"Well… It's better than nothing." thought Naruto as she walked up the game plank fearing that the writing would which was supporting him would give way at any moment.
"Client on deck." yelled a voice of a crew member as they spotted Naruto coming up the gangway. Naruto paused for a moment as he looked round at one of the ships that would rescue the rest of the jinchūriki from the land of fire. Just like the harbor it was in poor shape with rusty deck panels and chipped paint. Almost once a man in a dark gray uniform walked up to him.
"Welcome aboard." greeted the man "we await your orders, Captain."
"I'm not Captain, I don't know anything about sailing." Admitted Naruto as the man rolled his eyes a bit.
"I know that, but you paid for our services which makes you the Captain." explained the man "Now what are your orders."
"Head towards Lawom port in the land of Fire to pick up our passengers before." Ordered Naruto as the man nodded his head. "How long for us to reach it?"
"Given the current conditions out at sea and our top speed of I would estimate it to be about a 2 1/2 day journey. Which it does in the port at nightfall on Friday." Answered the man as Naruto nodded his head.
"Good, let's head out then." Ordered Naruto as the man confirmed Naruto's orders with a nod before turning towards another member of the crew.
"Order the other ships to raise anchor and head towards Lawom at top speed." Ordered the man as the ship raise anchor and the engines came to life. The water behind the ship began the chop as the propellers began to push the ship through the water and out to sea. While the ship began to move Naruto headed up towards the bridge forming a shadow clone as he went. Once the clone was made Naruto destroyed it with a swipe of his hand. Instantly the memories of the clone was distributed between all the clones and the original.
"What was that for?" ask on the deck remembers crew members
"Sending a message." Answered Naruto has his thoughts turned towards Sakura and Ino and the day the three of them to be together again. He couldn't help but smile as a memory of Sakura's touch and Ino's scent filled his mind.
"That is going to be one very fun night when we all get back together." chuckled Kyuubi as Naruto smiled at some of the ideas that cross his mind.
Across the world in the land of fire Sakura was walking beside the shadow clone duplicate of Naruto. Suddenly the clone came to a stop as he turned towards Sakura.
"What is it?" Inquired Sakura as she wondered why he was smiling.
"Because help is on the way." explained the clone "my real self just sent memories to me."
"And, we have a home?" asked Sakura hoping for some good news finally, her hopes were raised when she saw the smile on the clone's face.
"We have a home." Confirmed the clone "and my real self will be waiting at the port of Lawom with the ships needed to take everyone to her new home at nightfall on Friday."
Instantly Sakura's mind went into overdrive as she mentally process the time needed it would take to move all the civilians under their care from their current location to the port. Given the time needed for the non-ninja population to move across a given amount of terrain they would have to leave tonight however even though they were facing such a tight timetable she couldn't help but smile at the idea that they were finally leaving this place of torment behind.
"Good." said Sakura as he turned towards the clone "I need you to go to the tunnel and tell my father that we need to tunnel finished within five hours."
Naruto simply nodded his head before rushing down the street heading towards the location of the tunnel hidden by the outer wall.
At that same moment Shikamaru was moving across a white sandy beach. He had spent hours mapping the massive Valley which would become their new home. It still amazed them at the different types of terrain that could all be found in this one Valley which had been untouched by man. Near the mountains the rolling hills covered with untouched forests which led into open grasslands near to the center of the valley. Three large rivers flowed from the mountains before joining together and running into a medium size bay which was surrounded by mountains from view from the outside however there was an opening which led into an S shaped curve surrounded by mountains which led out to sea. This meant this hidden Bay was hidden from the world and would give them access to the sea without anyone noticing them. For a moment he just stopped there and gazed out at the crystal blue sea water which crashed against the s shoreline.
"This place has everything doesn't?" asked Shikamaru out loud to himself as he began the climb up one of the mountains which protected the bay. His mission was to map the day and see how it was shaped in the best way to do that was to map the mountains themselves in order for him to better plan out how he would use the bay for both commercial and leisure success. With his bad leg it took a while to reach the top of one of the mountains. Once are the top he paused for a moment before looking back at the valley below with a smile on his face, finally he turned his gaze out to sea only to be surprised at the sight of half a dozen large fishing boats heading almost straight towards him. Reacting on instinct he lowered himself to the ground to hide his profile from view. Quickly she grabbed his binoculars and focused in on the lead ship which had to be only a few hundred yards away from him.
"You have got to be kidding me." whispered Shikamaru as he focused on woman who was standing near the bow of the ship was Samui however the thing that caught his eye was her own blue eyes which were now silted. He turned his binocular towards the bridge checking the highs of everyone he saw in case it was some kind of trap. Slowly he stood up before grabbing a small handheld mirror from his jonin vest angling it so that the sunlight would bounce off the mirror and reflect towards the ships.
Meanwhile on the ships Samui stood on the bow scanning the horizon with her own binoculars studying the features of the massive island before her. The towering black igneous rock cliffs and mountains which surrounded the island.
"So that's our new home?" Inquired Omni as he moved to stand behind the woman he had slept with twice in less than 10 days, including a few nights ago.
"Perhaps." confirmed Samui as suddenly a flash of light caused her to lower the binoculars.
"What is it?" asked Omni as the blonde woman lifted the binoculars back to face. She turned her gaze towards the source of light only to spot a figure standing on top of one of the mountains.
"Who is that?" inquired Omni as his eyes strained to see the figure standing on top of the black stone mountain.
"Shikamaru Nara." answered Samui as she began to count the number of flashes of light and how long they lasted.
"What is up with the flashes?" asked Omni as he raised his hand to shield his eyes from the flashing light.
"During the war we used a system of flashing lights to communicate when radio transmissions were too risky." answered Samui as her teammates placed his hand under his chin.
"I see, so… What are is he saying?" asked Omni
"He is giving us directions." answered Samui as she quickly wrote out the directions that Shikamaru was giving her. Once the message started repeating itself she ripped the directions off the paper and handed it to Omni. "Make yourself useful and give this to whomever is at the controls of the moment."
Up on the rocks Shikamaru is mild and resolve the ships begin to turn towards the hidden entrance to the bay. He quickly began moving down the mountain as fast as his injured leg would allow him to go. All the while the ships were making their way through the tight passage which would lead them into the bay. Finally about the time that Shikamaru reached soft sand of the beach that ships had entered the bay. Whoever was at the controls of the ships decided the best way to unload the people on board was to just run the ships aground on the soft beach. The moment the ships came to a stop people began either jumping off the deck or using rope ladders to climb down onto the beach.
"Welcome to the land of Granite." Greeted Shikamaru as he offered his hand to Samui.
"Thanks." Answered Samui as she took his hand, before looking around at the massive Valley before her. "Not a bad place to hide."
"No it isn't." confirmed Shikamaru "however we are really hiding not much, we got about the entire country."
"What?" asked a stunned Samui
"We bought the country." Restated Shikamaru "Naruto is currently on his way to gather everyone from our home before moving on to the other nations and bring everyone back here."
"I see." Said Samui as her stomach began to grumble.
"We don't have much food at the moment but you're welcome to anything you want." Offered Shikamaru with a smile "this is your home now to."
Evening was fast approaching the Leaf village as Kiba Inuzuka stood before the gates of his clan's compound. Staring down at him from on top of two massive stone columns located on either side the rode iron gates where the stone dogs of Auryon and Jameelah, the first two ninja dogs that his clan ever trained.
"Open the gates." Yelled a voice from the main house as the two guards standing just behind the gate, slowly opened it allowing him access to the home he had grown up it. A creaking sound filled the air as the iron gates swung open as Kiba grinned a bit.
"I see they still haven't oiled those doors yet." Laughed Kiba to one of his many cousins who had been standing guard.
"Just get in here." Snapped his cousin as Kiba lowered his head as he marched up the long paved walkway toward the main house all the while the sound of barking dogs filled the air. As he neared the front door of his mother's house. Before he could even knock on the front door it flew open as his sister Hana appeared in the doorway.
"Hello sis." Said Kiba expecting a death glare from his older sister however instead he found himself embraced in her arms. A rare smile graced his face as he felt happiness for the first time in days.
"Welcome home baby brother." greeted Hana as if nothing had changed between the two of them.
"Hana, don't touch the demon." Came another voice from within the poorly lit house. Kiba turned his gaze toward the dining room which was adjacent to the entrance way, only to see his mother sitting there with a glass of whiskey in front of her.
"And I love you to mother." greeted Kiba sarcastically as he walked into his childhood home pulling back the chair which sat across from his mother. Without even asking he poured himself a glass of whiskey from the large container which sat in the middle of the hardwood table.
"Let's get one thing straight if we didn't share the same goal I wouldn't have let you into this compound yet alone this house." explained Tsuma Inuzuka as Kiba raised an eyebrow as he took a sip of the drink.
"Mom how can you say that?" asked Hana as she looked into her mother's eyes as she sat between the two of them poured herself a drink of her own. If there was one thing the three of them all shared it was the fact that they all liked the same type of alcohol. It had become somewhat of a tradition that at least once a week the three of them would have dinner around the table followed by a drink. "He is your son."
"I am not saying that to my son, I am saying it to the demon which invaded and occupied his body is not my son." explained Tsuma before looking into her son's eyes "Kiba I don't know if you can hear me but I will do everything I can to save you from the demon."
"What are you talking about?" asked the confused 21 year old man "Of course I can hear you?"
"Mom, thinks the demons have total control over the human body." explained Hana as Kiba slammed his palm into his forehead as quietly cursed himself for moment.
"You have got to be kidding me." Groaned Kiba before turning his gaze towards his sister "She thinks that?"
"There is a lot of theories on what is going on with your demons and her ideas are just one of them." explained Hana as Kiba nodded his head in understanding.
"Now for the reason why we are here, we need you to talk to Akamaru and convince him that he needs to bread with the bitch we have selected for him." explained Tsuma
"You have picked a mate for Akamaru without talking to me about it?" snapped Kiba "According to clan laws only the ninja dog of my wife is supposed to be Akamaru's mate just like it has always been."
"But you are no longer in the clan which makes Akamaru a master-less dogs which means it is the clan's choice on who he breads with." Explained Tsuma as Kiba looked down at the ground. Master-less dogs where dogs who had their partners die in battle or old age and the duty of caring for them rested with the clan. "And since Akamaru is the last in the male line of Auryon and Jameelah, the first two ninja dogs the clan needs him to have as many pups as possible to keep the line going."
"And Akamaru isn't helping you out is he?" asked Kiba with a grin knowing that his dog was just as stubborn as he was.
"He isn't." confirmed Tsuma as she leaned back a bit in her chair "Hana recommended we try having you talk to him before we carry out the backup plan?"
"And what is the backup plan?" asked Kiba slightly confused at what she was talking about.
"Put him to sleep but not after we extract his sperm and artificially inseminate one or more bitches to start the line over." explained Tsuma as Kiba's eyes widened.
"Is that even possible?" asked Kiba as he turned his sister and ninja veterinarian, Hana.
"Sadly, yes." confirmed Hana as she lowered her head in shame of her clan's actions. "The clan wants to protect the bloodline of their ninja hounds and they will do anything to make them safe. That is why I talked them into letting you talk to Akamaru so that maybe it can be avoided."
Kiba lowered his head as he thought about what he could do, he knew that he was supposed to leave in the third group leaving the village heading out of the tunnel at 3 AM but he knew that he couldn't leave his teammate behind to be used as a stud.
"All right I'll talk to him." Confirmed Kiba as his mother and sister nodded their heads.
"Follow me." Ordered Hana as she stood up and followed moments later by Kiba. He followed her back behind their childhood and towards one of the massive kennels located in their clan compound. Almost instantly the sound of multiple different barking dogs filled the air as the two of them moved down the main walkway with cages on either side of them. Finally they came to a stop in front of one of the larger cages.
The moment Kiba stopped in front of the cage a giant figure rose from the darkness and rushed towards the gate stopping a moment before he crashed into it. The figure belonging to his longtime partner on and off missions his ninja hound, Akamaru.
"How you doing boy." Greeted Kiba was a warm smile on his face as he saw his dog for the first time in days. Akamaru replied with a few well choice barks which only to be understood by members of his clan and those who have been taught the secret language of the ninja hounds.
"I'll leave you two alone." Said Hana with a smirk as she started turning away only to purposely drop a key which bounced off the ground giving off a ringing sound. Kiba looked into his sister's eyes for a moment before turning her gaze towards the massive lock on Akamaru's door.
"Thank you." Lipped Kiba as Hana smiled
"Good luck." Lipped Hana back as she walked away.
Hours later in almost pitch blackness Sakurastood by the entrees of the escape tunnel watching as people began moving down the tunnel which would lead them out of the village. The people leaving in the first wave were mostly the children and those who had no formal ninja training. Protecting them was only a small group of ninjas lead by Neji who would use his clan's ability to scout the way. They had only a few hours to get just over 7,000 people mostly non ninjas out of the village.
"Is everything in place?" Inquired Sakura as she turned toward her former childhood crush Sasuke Uchiha.
"Yes and I can't wait to begin this operation." confirmed Sasuke with the classic Uchiha smile on his face.
"Sometimes you make me sick, you're looking forward to this." said a heavy hearted Sakura as she turned her gaze toward the Hokage Mountain which was brightly light up like it was every night. Her eyes focus on Naruto's father and Lady Tsunade knowing that one of her
"Aren't you?" inquired Sasuke
"I am looking forward to leaving but not what we have to do to leave." explained Sakura "Now go do your job."
Sasuke couldn't help but smile as he headed off to carry out the plan.
Hours later Sakura stood along with a few other ninjas including Hinata and Kakashi stood under the cover of the woods.
"Should happen any moment now." reported Kakashi as Sakura nodded her head.
"Everyone is out correct?" asked Sakura as she turned to Hinata who was scanning their former home with her byakugan eyes.
"Yes, everyone is out." confirmed Hinata as suddenly the ground shock as four massive explosions rocked the Leaf village as hidden bombs under three points along the outer wall ripped open massive holes in the first line of defense of the village. Almost at once sirens started blaring out a warning ordering all civilians to stay in their homes and calling all ninjas to action stations.
"Looks like everything went off without a hitch and Sasuke pulled it off." confirmed Hinata as she scanned the nearest blast sight. "They are deploying forces around the opening in case of an attack."
"So they are following standard action orders to defend the walls and keep the civilians in their homes until the source of the threat is found." stated Kakashi as Sakura nodded her head. "It should help that Shino knocked out their radios."
"Now let's hope it buys us enough time for us to get away." confirmed Sakura as he turned her back on the Leaf village even as three massive clouds of smoke rose up over her old home as she started down the path toward the port.
Well I hope you liked this chapter and now the chase is on. Also as a Christmas/Holiday gift to you all I plan to post another chapter of this story either on Christmas Eve or Christmas day. Now I hope you keep reading and until next time. Thanks Wilkins75.