Chasing Storm Clouds

by Fonique2

My mother used to tell me some people were like storm clouds. They brought rain; responsible for the beauty and life we see all around us. But if you chase them for too long, you might end up drowning. **Revamped.

30. A New Mission

30. A New Mission

"Alright! A mission! A mission!" Naruto chanted, pumping his fists in the air.

So pleased was I that I didn't even think to hush the blonde. While calm and composed, I was just as excited that we were being assigned a mission rather than dealing with the village. Most of the repairs had been completed, but there was still some infrastructure that needed work. And there was still policing to do, enforcing new curfews, monitoring everything and everyone that passed through the village gates.

Although we'd been promised an assignment, the four of us still stared at an empty chair. The Hokage's chair to be exact. Her office was empty, and though we lined up before the grand desk, there was no one there to greet us.

"I'm going to give it everything I have!" Naruto was chattering. I was so used to his chatter by now that it faded into the background. So did Sasuke's obligatory 'hmph'.

"But I don't see Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said, glancing about herself, also seemingly blocking out Naruto's voice.

"Is he going to be late as usual?" Naruto complained.

"Probably," I shrugged, hands in my pockets. I'd long since stopped rolling my eyes at my sensei's absences.

"No, Kakashi won't be coming."

We glanced behind us at the voice. Tsunade-sama was entering the room, followed closely by her assistance Shizune.

"Tsunade-sama!" Naruto greeted.

Tsunade only took the seat at her desk with a great sigh and a look of disappointed acceptance.

"Hokage-sama, what do you mean Kakashi-sensei won't be coming?" Sakura asked, hands clasped in front of her hips.

"As you probably already know, Kakashi and most of the jounins are on a different mission. We will just have the four of you complete the mission this time," Tsunade explained, her golden-colored eyes set on our group. She picked up a scroll that had been sitting on her desk. "This is a B-ranked mission. You four will guard an important figure."

"An important figure?" Sakura repeated.

I raised an eyebrow at this. The last time we'd received a mission like this, a drunken old man had tricked us into a dangerous A-ranked mission. An A-ranked mission we didn't even get credit for.

"Of course, depending on the situation, it could also be classified as an A-ranked mission," Tsunade added.

My lips twisted in a frown. Great. A life-or-death mission. My favorite.

"And? Who are we guarding?" Sasuke asked, already bored and impatient.

"No clue."

"What do you mean 'no clue'?" Naruto asked incredulously after a moment of silence.

"In the allied Country of Tea, there is an event called the Todoroki Taisha dedication ceremony held once every four years. We have accepted a mission to guard the runner who will run in the race at the ceremony," Tsunade explained, having opened the scroll, her eyes moving back and forth across the words. "However, the messengers were defeated by an opponent's spy before they arrived here."

"A spy?" Naruto echoed.

"Um, I don't quite see the point yet," Sakura said.

"What makes this race so important that it's worth going to dangerous ends to win?" I asked wearily, frowning as I glanced from my teammates to the Hokage.

"I don't know," Tsunade admitted with a shrug. "For further details, you'll have to ask Boss Jirochou of the Country of Tea."

"Boss Jirochou?" Naruto mumbled, as though he was trying to recall the name from his memory. His eyes lit up suddenly. "Aha! I see, you mean that Boss from back then!"

"That's how it is," Tsunade confirmed, getting to her feet. I only glanced to Sasuke and Sakura, who looked equally confused at the exchange. Tsunade didn't explain, however, and merely pointed at the door. "Now get going; they're expecting you there by the end of the day!"

"Hai!"

---

The journey to the Land of Tea seemed painstakingly long. Though at least the dirt path was scenic. There was no air of trouble and the only things stirring were the leaves on the trees and the small rodents dashing about the forestry.

"Sakura, Nakao," Naruto glanced over his shoulder to both of us in turn after a long stretch of silence. "Are you guys hungry at all?"

I shrugged. Sakura seemed to think about it a moment before slowly responding. "Hmmm, a little bit maybe."

"Hey, good idea!" Naruto immediately pumped his fist into the air with a grin on his face. "Lunch break! And hey, what a coincidence, there just happens to be a tea house right there!"

Sure enough, a tiny tea house sat between two trees just ahead of us.

"Naruto, wait!" Sakura shouted after him as he made a mad dash to the tea house.

---

"What will you be having?" our waitress asked kindly. She was a portly, middle-aged woman with mousey brown hair pulled up into a bun. She wore a green dress with a white apron tied over it.

"Some sweet pea soup!" Naruto ordered excitedly as the waitress set a mug of steaming hot tea in front of each of us.

"Ew," I commented, wrinkling my nose at Naruto. He and Sakura sat across the table from Sasuke and me.

"I'll have the dumplings please," Sakura looked across the table to Sasuke. "And you Sasuke?"

I scoffed. The boy didn't need prompting. But my annoyed gesture went unnoticed.

"Just rice," Sasuke responded, not even glancing at the waitress.

"How boring," I rolled my eyes, nudging Sasuke with my shoulder. I glanced to the waitress. "I'll have your traditional Bento please."

"Very well, I'll be back in the moment," the waitress replied, tucking her serving tray beneath her arm and making her way back to the kitchen.

No sooner had she left did Naruto slump forward in his seat, placing his pouting face in his hands.

"It's not going to take that long for the food, Naruto," I commented, reaching across Sasuke to grab a sugar packet from his side of the table. He shot me a glare, which I dutifully ignored.

"It's not that," Naruto immediately perked up as I poured the sugar into my tea. "I'm just thinking about the mission! I hope we can get some fighting in!"

I stirred my tea as Sakura shot Naruto a warning look. "Don't you dare go overboard and making trouble, Naruto; not this time."

"I won't," Naruto whined, looking very much like a chastised child. At that moment, a shadow loomed over us.

I glanced to my right, surprised to find someone standing right beside me. It was a male, probably not even twenty. A cloak was tied around his neck and he wore leg-bands around his shins. His hair, the same rich brown as my own, was pulled back in a ponytail.

"Just sitting around in the shade, sucking down sweet bean soup? A ninja's life is pretty cushy," the stranger said, grabbing the attention of my other teammates.

Naruto and I glared up at the new arrival and I bristled. "Excuse me?"

"I guess you don't get much action in the leaf village," the stranger continued. He flashed us a cocky smirk. "Judging by how out of shape you look."

"That does it!" Naruto and I snapped, both of us slamming a hand down on the tabletop, jumping to our feet.

"Oh, hey there. I didn't see you there, Sweetie," the boy's dark brown eyes suddenly focused on me.

The sudden shift in demeanor took me aback. "Wait, what?"

"I didn't mean you of course. I'm Morino Idate," the boy leaned towards me, close enough I could feel his warm breath on my face. He was quite a bit taller than me and was able to be eye-level with me even as he leaned against the table with a hand on the tabletop. He smiled at me; a smile which I imagined charmed a good number of girls. "So what do they call you?"

"Wha-uh…" flustered, my lips opened and shut like a fish. I was still reeling at the sudden turn in conversation and my anger had been suddenly extinguished by my confusion. His proximity to me made me uncomfortable and I felt my head pull back slightly.

"What!?" Naruto looked like he might explode. He rolled up one sleeve of his orange jacket, making a fist. "You want to punch this guy in the face, Nakao, or do you want me to!?"

"Nakao, huh?" Idate rolled my name off his tongue. "That's a beautiful name. Well then, since fate has brought us together, isn't it time we talked about our future?"

Idate winked at me. I cringed. "Wh-What…?"

Idate's grin widened. "Oh you know, the part where you give up this ridiculous ninja business and run away with me."

"Hey, stop hitting on her or I'm going to start hitting on you!" Naruto hollered.

I felt fingers wrap around my wrist and I was suddenly tugged backwards. I hit my seat roughly and flinched. Immediately, I glanced over to see Sasuke removing his fingers from my wrist, his eyes set intently on Idate.

"I was just kidding around," Idate suddenly pulled back, his tone sober, his face hard. "But the rest of it; that was no joke. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's a ninja! You better go on back where you came from or there'll be trouble. I'm warning you!"

"I'd like to see you try something!" I hissed, suddenly on my feet again. Naruto and Idate were already engaged in a glaring match.

"Calm down Naruto, Nakao," Sakura said calmly, her keen eyes shifting between the two males.

"She's right; just ignore the punk. We don't have the time," Sasuke agreed as he sat back in his seat, eyes closed.

I huffed angrily but conceded, sitting down and glancing back at Sasuke. Naruto, however, was not so quick to back down. Fist still raised, Naruto turned his attention to my black-haired teammate. "Get out of here, Sasuke! After what this guy said; don't you have any ninja pride!?"

"Sasuke's not exactly the 'Go Konoha' mascot, Naruto," I said dryly.

"Well you can ignore it if you want but I'm gunna flatten him!" Naruto declared, turning back to Idate…only to find that he was gone.

"He disappeared!" Sakura whispered disbelievingly as Naruto frantically looked about himself.

My mouth fell open in surprise. What? No way! I didn't even feel him leave!

Sasuke, just as astonished, lips pressed in a firm line, subtly glanced about himself.

"UGH! I hate that! He gets in his little dig and then runs away!" Naruto complained angrily as dropped back in his seat, crossing his arms tightly across his chest.

The waitress finally reappeared at our table, seemingly oblivious of the tension. She set the tray of food down on the table. "Here you go. Thank you for waiting."

Even the sight of food didn't make Naruto's anger ebb.

"I'll take these whenever you're ready," the waitress added, placing to receipts down in the center of the table.

"Huh?" Sakura looked curiously at the pair and picked them up, scanning their contents. "Why are there two bills?"

The waitress, who had already began walking away, stopped and glanced over her shoulder. "Yours and your young friend that just left. He said you'd be paying for him."

"What!?" I ground out and Naruto let out a strangle cry of frustration.

"I knew it! I knew it! I knew I should have flattened him when I had the chance!" Naruto ranted angrily, hands curled into fists.

From my left, Sasuke leaned down to the floor, placing his ear against the ground. I looked over in confusion to find concentration stitched onto the Uchiha's face. I realized, after a second, that he was probably checking for the sound and vibrations of the boy's footsteps.

"That's where he crosses the line; making fools of us! I'm going to catch that jerk!" Naruto continued, grabbing his backpack as he got to his feet, slinging it over his shoulders as he ran out the door.

I was right behind him, out the door before I'd even pulled on my pack. I heard Sakura say something about money before she and Sasuke followed me.

"I don't know what this kid's training has been but he's incredibly fast!" Sasuke commented as the four of us dashed in the direction Sasuke sensed Idate had gone.

"Who could he be?" Sakura wondered.

"Who cares! He's toast when I catch up with him!" Naruto promised.

We took to traveling by tree branch, hoping for an aerial view of the boy. But minutes began to slip by with no sight of the cocky jerk. But then, suddenly, I caught a glimpse of him in the distance; just in time to see his toes get caught on an uprooted log in the road and he went tumble forward…right through a bush and over the side of a cliff.

"Oh crap!" I gasped in surprise and the four of us dashed after him.

Idate was unhurt when we found him. His legs had caught on a thick root sticking out from the cliff wall and he swayed upside down.

"All the speed in the world won't help me if I don't watch where I'm going," I heard the boy mumble as he dislodged himself, gracefully landing on the ground.

"Heh, serves you right," Naruto smirked as he and I halted on a tree branch above Idate. I made sure to give him my darkest glare.

Idate's head jerked up and he gasped, taking a step backwards, readying to flee. However, he hadn't noticed Sakura and Sasuke land on the tree branch behind him.

"You've got some nerve; did you really think you could get away with it?" Sasuke asked, coldly.

Surprised, Idate whirled around to see Sasuke glaring down at him.

Idate grimaced before he suddenly fell to his knees, face bowed to the ground. "I'm sorry!"

I blinked and confusion flashed across Naruto's face as well. "Huh?"

"I couldn't pay the bill! All my money had been stolen…and you guys came…I shouldn't have done it, but I didn't know what else to do!"

The four of us jumped down to join Idate on the ground. We approached him carefully, though he made no sudden move.

"You're kidding? All of your money?" Sakura asked softly.

"Well why didn't you say that in the first place?" Naruto asked, completely calm now.

"You guys are joking right?" I asked incredulously, glancing to my teammates in shock. "Are you seriously buying this?"

They weren't serious, right? I wasn't about to buy this sob story, not after everything he's said at the restaurant. There had been pure bitterness and spite in every slight he'd spat at us. He'd meant every syllable of his disgust for ninja.

But as I completed my thought, something suddenly fell out of the sky, clonking Naruto on the head. He let out a cry of pain, clutching the top of his head before glancing down. We all glanced over to find a pocketknife at Naruto's feet.

Rubbing absently at his head, Naruto bent over and plucked the object off the ground. "What's this thing?"

"Hands off!" Idate suddenly lashed out, snatching the pocketknife from Naruto's palm before he could even curl his fingers around it.

My team glanced over to him, surprised at his sudden ferocity. I did not, however, not having believed his simpering act for a second. Besides, hadn't he shown he could switch his emotions as the drop of a hate back at the tea house?

"This belongs to me," Idate barked, slipping the knife into the layers of his clothes. The boy then bent forward, unbuckling the clasps of his leg-bands and sliding them off his shins.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked, confused. I, myself, was feeling a bit weary. Something was off.

Holding his leg-bands in each hand, Idate stood straight. He rolled his neck. "On your mark…get set…go!"

The last word left his lips and Idate dropped his leg bands. They smashed into the ground heavily, sending up large plumes of dust.

"Huh!?" Sakura let out a cry of surprise.

"They're weights!" I realized, throwing an arm in front of my eyes to protect them from the dust.

As the debris cleared away, an empty clearing stared back at us. My eyes shot around, barely making out Idate's form in the distance.

"There! He's running again!" Sakura gasped, pointing her finger in Idate's direction.

"Not for long!" Naruto leapt into the trees and the pursuit was on again.

"This kid's asking for it!" Sasuke gritted out as the four of dashed forward, using chakra to increase our speed. Despite this, Idate was still managing to outrun us.

"Is this guy for real!?" Sakura gasped, surprised.

"I told you, he's fast!" Sasuke reiterated unnecessarily.

"He's getting further away every second!" Naruto ground out in frustration.

And it was true. No matter how fast we moved, Idate seemed to be going faster. It quickly became apparent that we were not going to catch him. And so, with no small amount of frustration, we came to a halt on a long tree branch. We huffed, trying to catch our breath as we watched Idate's speeding form disappear into the distance.

---

The Land of Tea was beautiful. The entire village was a cookie-cutter representation of what one might find in a snow glob. The buildings were all traditionally styled but appeared new (or just well taken care of). Every acre was landscaped, every statue and flowerpot strategically placed. I took it all in as the four of us made our way to the large estate Tsunade-sama had indicated. We were greeted by a staff member warmly and quickly ushered in. Naruto told us he had visited here prior with Tsunade.

The same staff member led us down a long hallway and into a beautifully decorated room much larger than seemed necessary. We filed inside, faced with a long tabled surrounded by plushy purple cushions. An elderly man with gray hair sat at the table and glanced up as we arrived. I could only assume he was Boss Jirochou.

"Welcome, and thank you for coming," he greeted pleasantly. His face was lined with wrinkles, but his eyes were bright and filled with life.

Naruto stepped forward. "I bid you greetings and offer you my services! I have come from the Village Hidden in the Leaves, which is also the place of my birth. I was raised on ramen and hard work. And given the family name of Uzumaki, but I'm known to everyone as-"

"The dumbass," Sasuke muttered, arms crossed over his chest.

"-as the dumbass!" Naruto finished before realizing what he'd said. He scowled in anger, shooting Sasuke a dark glare. "Very funny Sasuke!"

I hid my own amusement behind a hand, strategically placed over my mouth. Boss Jirochou, however, didn't bother to hide his laugh.

"You haven't changed at all I see," Jirochou smiled warmly at Naruto.

Naruto's scowl turned into a lopsided smile and he folded his arms behind his head. "Well you haven't changed much either, big guy."

I blanched as Sakura hissed. "Naruto!"

"Oh no, it's alright. The boy has spirit; I like that," Jirochou assured, waving a hand airily, creases forming at the corner of his eyes.

"Now that we're done with the greetings, maybe we should get down to it," Sasuke said seriously.

I scoffed and shot him a glare before glancing back to the older man. "You'll have to excuse his manners, Sir. This is Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura. My name is Makase Nakao."

Jirochou smiled and nodded appreciatively before motioning us to take a seat. We did so, settling ourselves down onto those purple cushions before setting our attention to the man.

Jirochou cleared his throat. "You know about the dedication ceremonies held at the Great Todoroki Shrine every four years, don't you?"

"Oh, well uh…not really," Naruto admitted. Tsunade had neglected to give us any context of our mission.

"It all started long ago…" Jirochou bowed his head as he told his tale. "The legend goes that in ancient times there was a terrible storm. In desperation, the people dedicated the Ryuku Jewels to the Great Todoroki Shrine-it worked. The storm subsided and now the ceremony is repeated every four years.

At first it was a re-dedication of the jewels, then it became a festival-and a race; with the winner of the race being hailed as a great hero. But…in recent years, what once was a friendly race has taken on a more troubling aspect.

For generations, the Land of Tea has been divided between two families: the Wasabi clan and the Wagarashi clan; two rival gambling organizations. Both families want to control the village, which naturally lead to disputes which turned to violence and often into full-out battles. Townspeople got caught in the crossfire, leaving many injured or worse.

Finally, in an effort to end the violence, our tribal leaders told us to get together and come up with an agreement. Henceforth, control of the town would be decided, not by street brawls, but by a competition."

"What sort of competition?" Sakura asked, but I already had a good guess.

"The race run every four years at the Great Todoroki Shrine dedication ceremony. Four years ago, the Wagarashi beat us soundly by hiring ninja. We've found out they've done the same thing this year. That's why we've sent messengers to you, seeking your help. It was our way of leveling the playing field. We need protection for our competitor," Jirochou suddenly placed his palms on the ground and bowed before us. "I beg you, please lend our family your strength. If we lose again it means the Wagarashi will rule this village for four more years."

"Not gunna happen, I'm on the job!" Naruto said confidently, jabbing a thumb into his chest.

"Who are we supposed to escort?" Sasuke asked, propping elbows on the table.

"Does that mean you'll take the job?" Jirochou sat upright.

"Of course," I said, a bit surprised by his reaction.

Jirochou smiled at us and clapped his hands twice. Immediately, the door on the left side of the room slid open. A figure kneeled before it. "Yes, Boss. You wanted me?"

We barely caught sight of the arrival, and he of us, before he, Naruto and myself all shouted simultaneously. "It's you!"

"So you already know each other," Jirochou said cheerfully, obviously oblivious to the sudden tension rolling off the five of us. "That makes everything easier."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Sakura mumbled as Naruto and I glared at Idate, and he at us.

---

Naruto had left the estate with Idate at Jirochou's insistence, both boys complying with gritted teeth and glares. Having wanted to avoid the impending explosion, Sakura had decided to explore the village with Sasuke. Sasuke pulled me along with them, not wanting both Naruto and I with Idate.

We meandered through the streets, assessing, analyzing. We found nothing of immediate danger, however. At Sakura's request, we wove through the stores that lined the streets, glancing at the unique merchandise of the village. True to Jirochou's story, there was a gambling casino every four stores. Sasuke was in charge of physically dragging me away from their doors.

"I just want to take a peek, that's all!" I'd insist. "I could go undercover!"

But knowing my weakness, Sasuke did not relent. Part of me knew I should have been glad for his interference. Another part of me was sure I could have gotten some dirt while in there.

Early afternoon found us inside a lone woman's shop. The front of the shop featured beautiful items such as handmade vases and fans. Sasuke remained outside but Sakura and I entered, Sakura muttering something about her mother's upcoming birthday. We glanced around ourselves, coming to a stop before a box of clay animals. They were beautifully sculpted and painted; truly lovely pieces of art. A dog, a snake, a slug, a toad…all animals I recognized as summons. Interesting. But not quite as interesting as the price tags that hung from them.

With these prices, you'd think this place was a tourist trap.

Frowning, I glanced over to Sakura. She caught my gaze and her eyes told me we were sharing the same thought.

"I know what you're thinking, too expensive?" a woman's voice floated over to us.

Sakura and I pivoted, finding the owner of the voice. She was a middle-aged woman, her brown hair streaked with gray, pulled into a bun. She looked tired and weary; her voice soft.

"Oh no," Sakura tried to assure the woman. "Uh…"

"Believe me, I don't like to charge that much, but the Wagarashi family sets the prices," the woman told us, her shoulders sagging.

Before we could make any inquiries, a loud crash from outside grabbed my attention. Sakura and I shared a quick glance before we darted outside, coming up beside Sasuke who was standing in the middle of the street. Before us, a mass of debris that appeared to have once been a cart, littered the street. Amongst the broken pieces of wood sat a cowering man in the shadow of three men.

"I'm sorry!" the man on the ground pleaded, his body shaking.

"What's wrong with you? When we want something, we get it. You got it?" one of the men sneered. "You wouldn't even be in business without the Wagarashi."

"I know! I know!" the man sounded desperate. "But I need to be paid-"

"You're really not getting this are you?" the thug said, cracking his knuckles as he formed fists.

"No, no please!" the defenseless man pleaded, stumbling to his feet.

The ruthless attacker grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt. The victim cried out in fear as the attacker pulled a fist back, aiming it for his face. Sasuke was gone in an instant, appearing before the attacker. He pulled the victim out of the way, stepping in front of the impending punch and catching the thrown fist with an open palm.

When the attacker realized what was happening, he ground his teeth together, attempting to push against Sasuke's hand. "Wha-?"

"Why don't you and your friends take a hike," Sasuke said, unwavering gaze cool.

"What is he doing!? He needs to run! Those are the Wagarashi's men!" the shopkeeper had come up behind us. She watched the scene in fear, hand placed over her heart.

I didn't take my eyes off the scene. "Don't worry."

"You asked for it!" the thug shouted, and his two cronies moved towards my teammate.

The shopkeeper glanced away, sealing her eyes tight as the sound of flesh hitting flesh began to echo across the area. But neither Sakura nor I were alarmed and watched the fight with mild interest. Only once the sounds of the scuffle ended did the shopkeeper return her attention forward.

To their credit, two of the men were still on their feet. Each sported a black eye and a split lip. Their eyes seemed partially glazed as they peered down between them, where their third member lay unconscious on the ground. Sasuke stood just outside of their reach, arms crossed over his chest.

"Next time, you won't get off so easy!" one of the thugs hissed at Sasuke, as though they'd been able to land even one hit on my teammate. He dug into his pocket and threw a small satchel of coins to the man whose cart had been smashed. Sasuke only had to crack his knuckles and the two men scooped up their incapacitated comrade and rushed away.

"Young man…" the vendor's shaky voice caught Sasuke's attention. He bowed his head. "Thank you, whoever you are."

Ecstatic, the shopkeeper wandered over towards Sasuke. She stood before the vendor and brushed some dirt of his clothes. Sakura and I followed the woman, stopping before Sasuke.

"Just look at those men run! Now if only the Wasabi can win the race, we'll be through with them for good!" the woman smiled wistfully, her eyes set in the direction the three cronies had gone.

But the three of us were glancing at each other, deep frowns etched onto our faces.

---

My yawn was drowned out by the explosion of fireworks overhead. It was just before sunrise, far too early to be awake, and the entire village was gathered at the port. As soon as the sun would cast its rays on the land, the race would begin. The village was divided into two large groups, standing across from one another; the Wasabi supporters and the Wagarashi supporters. Between the groups stood the feudal lords, the two competitors, and my team.

"Woah, I had no idea this was such a big deal," Naruto muttered, glancing about himself.

I yawned again, rubbing sleepily at my eyes. "Well now you know."

"What kind of race is this anyway?" Naruto asked, settling his gaze on us.

"The kind with a start and finish," I quipped, earning a huff of amusement from Sasuke.

Sakura pulled a map from her weapons pouch and unfurled it. Naruto peered over her shoulder to take a look, but Sasuke and I had already studied it. Sakura pointed to a spot on the map. "The starting point is here at the harbor of Degarashi. From here, the runners head to Modorki Shrine; that's the midpoint."

"They run over water?" Naruto asked incredulously, noting that the Modoroki Shrine was on another island.

"No, Naruto, the first leg of the race is done by boat," Sakura rolled her eyes. "Anyway, the runners pick up the Ryuuku Jewels from the Modoroki Shrine and the first one that gets them to The Great Todoroki Shrine wins. That's it as far as the basic rules go but other than that, just about anything goes; short cuts, dirty tricks, anything."

"Which sucks for us," I mumbled, eyes set on the sky, watching a red firework explode.

"Huh?" Naruto asked.

"That's why they can hire ninja," Sasuke emphasized.

"Oh right, so where are the ninja that the other side hired?" Naruto asked, peering around as if they'd suddenly materialize.

"Probably keeping a low profile," I answered, also glancing around, wondering where said ninja were hiding. "But they're around here somewhere. Don't forget what Tsunade-sama said about this being an A-ranked mission…"

"Yeah, so watch your step, Naruto," Sakura chastised.

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto muttered irritably.

"I don't care what you guys do, but whatever happens, just stay away from me," Idate said rudely, glancing over his shoulder to shoot us a glare.

"Say what!?" Naruto raised a fist.

"I've got a race to run, I don't want you in my way!" Idate snapped.

"In your way!?" Naruto moved to lung at Idate.

As irritated as I was, my hand shot out and snatched Naruto by the sleeve of his jacket, halting him in his tracks. I trained a glare on Idate. "Don't let him get to you, Naruto. He'll be begging us for help when there's a kunai to his neck."

Idate gave me the darkest look he could muster but said nothing. He turned away from us once more and seemed completely unbothered by the holes I glared into his back.

This is going to be a long race…

"Attention! Attention! The race is about to begin!" a loudspeaker blared out to the crowd. "Running for the Wasabi: Morino Idate!"

There was an uproar of cheers from the crowd. Idate only closed his eyes and held up a hand to his supporters.

Wait…Morino Idate? Morino? Where do I know that name from?

My eyebrows crinkled in thought as I racked my brain but came up empty.

"Running for the Wagarashi family: Hiyokuya Fukusuke!"

The other runner thrust a fist into the air with a war cry. The other half of the audience cheered. My eyes took in Idate's opponent. He was a bit taller than Idate, lean and muscular. His mousy brown hair was pushed out of his face by an orange band tied around his forehead.

"Take your marks…get set…

The two runners took their stance; low to the ground, one knee bent, and the other leg poised to push the body off. The wooden gate before the two slowly began to creak open. A vast stretch of sea became visible beyond. At the end of the pier floated two small boats. At the horizon, the sun was slowly rising. Just as its orange hue hit the water…

"GO!"

The crowd cheered as the runners set off. The two were so fast they literally kicked up dust piles as they took off.

"Guess that means we better get going too!" Naruto glanced to your team.

But just as the two runners passed through the gates, about to meet the pier, Idate veered left.

My team gasped in surprise and immediately took off after the boy we were to protect.

"What's that idiot doing!?" Sasuke questioned aloud as we hurried after Idate.

"Hey! You're going the wrong way!" Naruto called after Idate. Our team managed to close some distance between us and Idate, but we weren't able to catch up. "The ocean's the other way! You have to turn around!"

"You can forget it! There's no way I'm turning around!" Idate yelled over his shoulder before speeding up.

"Shit!" I hissed as Idate disappeared into a patch of forestry.

The four of us took to the trees, leaping from branch to branch, scanning the surrounding area. We traveled in silence, but the anger was clearly festering. What was this idiot boy doing? Why was he so disinclined to accept our help? Did he not understand the danger? Did he not care? Was he even in the race anymore or had he been effectively scared off?

I couldn't say how long we traveled when Naruto spoke up. "We've got to catch up to him soon."

"But it's too late now!" Sakura insisted. "There's no way he can win this far away from the port!"

"Maybe he has some sort of plan," I tried. I couldn't clearly see what it was, as this path seemed to take him far away from the designated course, but it was always a possibility.

It would have been nice for him to tell us thought, I found myself thinking begrudging.

Just then, a flash of color caught my attention. I pointed to the ground. "Look, there he is!"

Naruto, who had been at the front of our squad, was the first to jump down, landing just behind the speeding Idate.

"Finally caught up to you!" Naruto tried to increase his speeding, attempting to get a look at Idate's face. "What gives? Why did you come this way?"

"Hey, shut up!" Idate fired at Naruto, just as I dropped down on Idate's other side.

I didn't want to waste extra energy talking, but my anger sparked. "Hey, I've had it with your attitude! If we're going to protect you, we have to know what you're doing!"

"I said shut up!" Idate now turned his glare on me.

I clenched my teeth together, trying to reign in my anger. If I wasn't such a professional, I would have ditched this asshole a long time ago and left him to his fate. He clearly didn't want our help, and I didn't truly believe he even deserved it. But it wasn't for the shinobi to decide what was deserved and what wasn't; all that mattered was the mission. And so Naruto and I continued to keep pace with Idate as Sasuke and Sakura followed from the treetops.

The forestry gave way to jagged rock for the slightest of moments, before the forestry once again took over. Something suddenly tugged at my senses and unease spread over me.

Something's not right…

"Hey, you need to slow down!" I called over to Idate. Naruto didn't seem to realize something was amiss.

As the words left my mouth, we passed a large tree with a giant hole in the middle of its trunk. Idate seemed to recognize it and came to a sudden halt. He began muttering to himself, seemingly forgetting our presence. Naruto looked confused and my eyes shifted directions, assessing for a threat.

"So a genjutsu…" Idate finally muttered before bringing his fingers together in a handseal. "Release!"

I gasped. He can do jutsus!? What the fuck?

In my momentary distraction, Idate smirked and took off. I reigned in my focus and brought my own fingers together. Release!

My eyes snapped open and I was able to see the world anew. I could see the genjutsu, like a thin film that settled over the real environment. My eyes relocated Idate and my stomach dropped. He was heading for what I assumed, he thought, was the way out of the area, but he was wrong. Whoever had done this genjutsu was skilled and had double-layered it. I was able to see through it, as I was a practiced shinobi, but Idate had not.

"No, don't go that way!" I shouted after Idate, taking off at a sprint. Naruto seemed as confused as ever but shot off after me.

I don't know why I had bothered trying to warn Idate, as he ignored me. So arrogant and caught up in false triumph was he that he wasn't sensing that something was still wrong. And that he was running full speed straight towards a cliff.

"Nakao!"

Sasuke's voice caught my attention as he and Sakura dropped down beside me. Sasuke already had a rope in his hand. I quickly snatched it. "Naruto!"

I tossed the end of the rope to Naruto just as Idate ran right off the edge of the cliff. His scream bounced off of the rocks around us. Naruto caught the rope, tying it around his waist as he ran. He managed to secure it just as he reached the edge and hopped over it.

The sudden weight pulling on the rope indicated that Naruto had caught Idate. I cried out in surprise at the sharp tug and dug my heels into the ground. Sakura and Sasuke rushed to help me so that each of a shared the strain.

"Whew, that was a close one," Sakura sighed as the three of us began to haul Naruto and Idate up. While part of me shared her relief, there was still a petty part of me that would have liked to see Idate go splat.

"Someone set up one genjutsu on top of the other," Sasuke said as we hefted the two boys up.

I nodded, eyes unfocused as I contemplated. "Whoever did it is skilled."

"You idiot! If you would just stop for two seconds we wouldn't be in this mess!" Naruto suddenly snapped, his voice echoing up towards us, dragging me from my thoughts and grabbing my attention.

"What did you say!?"

I felt more tugging on the rope as the two boys seemed to struggle with each other. I clenched my teeth, wincing as the rope cut into my palms.

"Hey! Knock it off!" Naruto called out. "Ah! No! All of my weapons!"

As soon as the two were on solid ground, I dropped the rope. I didn't bother to check on them, but instead inspected my rope-burned skin.

"Look, I didn't need your help," Idate grumbled, getting to his feet.

"Oh right," I scoffed, finally settling my gaze on him as Sakura collected the rope. "We just didn't give your wings enough time to sprout."

"How about a little thanks for saving your life!?" Naruto agreed, jumping to his own feet.

"You only saved me because you're bound to by duty! There's no need for me to thank you!" Idate yelled back.

"What did you say?" Naruto growled.

My own anger was rising, washing out all other thoughts in my brain. I could feel the heat in my cheeks, the clenching of my fists. How could someone be so damn ungrateful? How could someone complain that another had just risked their life for them? Why was he such an arrogant twat?

Before I was mindful of my actions, I was advancing on the boy. I itched to throw him over the cliff myself, but I settled for shoving a finger into his chest. "You're damn right! We did only save you because we're bound to duty! Because who in their right mind would sacrifice themselves for an ungrateful, whiny, arrogant prick!"

"What?" Idate hissed, his eyes narrowing into slits.

"Stop it, Nakao," Sasuke said quietly, stepping up beside my and grabbing gently at my arm. "He's right; he doesn't need to thank us."

I turned my glare on Sasuke, wrenching my arm from his grasp. I only continued to seethe, now furious that Sasuke wasn't as indignant about this as I was. Traitor.

Sasuke was either unaffected by my rage, or chose to ignore it as he settled his gaze on Idate. "But if you don't want to end up dead, I suggest you stay close to us."

"Hmph."

"Where are you going anyway?" Naruto asked, his irritation still evident in his tone. "What happened to the port?"

Idate, who had already begun walking away, stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "What about it? Forget the port, I'm headed north from here."

"Is it faster that way?" Sakura asked.

"That's right," Idate smirked cockily.

"Yeah, maybe," Naruto frowned, not sounding the least bit convinced. He glanced in my direction. "How do we even know if we can trust this guy?"

"Humph! That's the problem with all you ninja!" Idate suddenly snapped, rounding on the four of us.

"What?" Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"Look, at this time of year, there are some pretty strong seasonal winds blowing hard across the sea. Back at the starting point, I noticed the clouds; I could see the wind was blowing towards us. On top of that, there's a port to the north where the current flows directly into Nagi Island. You oughta use this a little more, right here," Idate pointed to his temple.

Naruto had no reply to this and we were forced to continue our journey, following Idate. We kept quiet and alert, eyes sweeping the area, looking for more threats.

"Hey, I can smell salt on the wind," Naruto muttered after a sizeable chunk of time.

"It's the ocean!" Sakura exclaimed excitedly as it came into view.

Idate slowed his pace as we reached the sand-covered shore. A boat sat afloat the water near a pier. Seagulls perched atop its mast, chirping.

"What's that across the water?" Sakura asked as she spotted a large mass on the horizon of the sea.

"That's the midway point," Idate answered.

Wow, it's so close from here, I realized, eyes set on the shadowy mass.

"We can probably get ourselves there within an hour," Idate said before bee-lining it to a small sea shack to our left. I watched as Idate knocked on the door and an old man answered. I watched the pair exchange dialogue before the man pointed a finger at the boat.

Not a minute later, Idate and squad seven were clambering into the vessel. Sasuke manned the rudder while Naruto and Sakura set to managing the ropes that controlled the mast. Idate stood at the back of the boat, his unwavering gaze set on the vast spread of ocean. I stood within arm's reach of him, eyes darting about. Our enemy had failed in assassinating Idate; another attack wouldn't be too far behind. And I was in no way convinced that the sea would provide us with protection.

"Hey Naruto…"

I glanced over my shoulder as Sakura's soft voice snagged my attention. She drew nearer to the boy, eyes darting to Idate a couple of times. I inched closer to hear what they were discussing.

"What do you think about Idate?" Sakura whispered, her eyes raising to meet mine as I neared.

"What do you mean?"

"He's not some ordinary guy; the speed he runs at is extraordinary. He's probably received some sort of special training," Sakura said, eyes darting to Idate again.

"What kind of training?" Naruto frowned.

"Some kind of shinobi training," I said, jaw set as I remembered him dispelling that genjutsu. Sakura and Naruto shot me looks of surprise.

Naruto's shoulders shook as he tried to contain his laughter. "Get real! That block-head could never be a ninja!"

"Look who's talking!" Sakura hissed. "Last I checked, you were the reigning King of Stupid!"

"Come on! I did make it to the final round of the Chuunin Exams!" Naruto defended himself.

We clearly hadn't been as quiet as I thought, or at least Naruto hadn't been, because Idate was suddenly staring at us. "You didn't really make it to the final round, did you?"

The three of us started, whipping our heads over to look at the boy. I couldn't explain the look on his face, the stillness of his body.

"Well yeah, Naruto, Sasuke and I all did," I said carefully, eyeing Idate.

"Yeah, and if I hadn't been interrupted in the middle of it, then I could have won the tournament and become a Chuunin!" Naruto grumbled.

I snorted. "Get real, Naruto. To win, you would have had to face me and won, and we both know that wouldn't have happened."

"Hey!" Naruto shot me a glare.

"Yeah, well whoever your proctor was must have been a real pushover," Idate suddenly scoffed.

"Excuse me?" my eyes snapped back to him.

"Sounds like the Chuunin Exams have lowered its standards some!" Idate said scathingly before quickly covering his mouth with his hand.

"I knew it!" I pointed an accusing finger at Idate. "You did have training. You're from a shinobi village."

Going pale, Idate glanced away from me.

"I remember now," Sasuke spoke up, his voice piecing together the puzzle. "Morino Idate."

I snapped my fingers as realization dawn on me. I glanced to Sasuke in triumph. I probably would never have remembered if the Chuunin Exams hadn't been brought up; perhaps Sasuke wouldn't have either. "That's why that name sounded so familiar! Morino. Our first proctor: Morino Ibiki."

This grabbed Idate's attention and he turned his attention back to us, his eyes wide, his mouth gaping. "Wh-What!? My brother? He's alive."

"Brother?" I echoed. It was my turn to look surprised. "Well yes, he's alive."

"Why wouldn't he be? He threw such a curve ball at me the tenth question in!" Naruto nearly chuckled at the memory.

"Seriously? He's really alive?" Idate asked again, as though he could not believe the words.

But before any of us could answer, an arrow came whizzing past, narrowly missing Idate's cheek. The arrow dug into the wood behind him with a thud.

"Shit!" my teeth clench together, eyeing the arrow before my eyes darted around.

"Oh great, now what?" Naruto gritted out, his shoulders tensing.

"It's an ambush," Sasuke answered, his eyes set past us, to the sea behind us.

I spun around, only to be greeted with a barrage of arrows flying straight towards us. I snatched out a kunai and Sakura followed my lead as we began to slash through the shafts of any arrow that came at us. I stepped backwards, trying to remain in front of Idate, even though he took out a pocketknife and followed suit. A wave of arrows pelted towards Sasuke, but he leapt away from them, landing just in front of me.

"Naruto, Nakao and I will fend these guys off. Sakura, you keep an eye on Idate," Sasuke glanced back to our pink-haired teammate.

"Maybe we should all just run," Sakura suggested.

"Too late," I muttered as a group of harpoons attacked the boat. The harpoons were attached to another boat via ropes. As the harpoons dug into the wooden sides of the boat, the enemy boat was tugged towards us.

"Start working on these ropes, I'll cover you," Sasuke instructed myself and Naruto.

We didn't even nod, only set immediately to work. I ran forward, slashing my blade through every rope that I saw. Naruto, however, only groped at his weapon pouches, only now realizing that he had lost all his weaponry rescuing Idate.

Naruto turned around to face Idate and Sakura. His vision rested on the pocketknife in Idate's hand. "Hey, lend me that will ya?"

"What? Forget about it!" Idate held the knife close to his heart. "This is more precious to me than my own life!"

"Yeah well it's not your own life that's on the line here!" I hollered over my shoulder as I slashed an incoming arrow in half.

I heard the pair argue, but I tuned them out. I didn't even have time to toss Naruto a weapon as the boat continued to creep towards us. Sweat beaded at my forehead as I quickly slashed through the rest of the ropes. I watched them fall into the water and the other boat began to fall behind us as we continued forward.

Sakura's scream made my jump.

I swiveled around and gasped. Three figures were seeping up from the bottom of our boat, as though made of ink. They rose up from the bottom of the boat until they stood before us. By the second, more began to appear, coming out of every inch of wood, even the poles for the mast. My spine stiffened as I felt two appear behind me.

"Don't worry, Sakura! They're just clones!" I heard Naruto try to assure our teammate. But I could not see him; my visions was completely filled with the figures.

My eyes widened. Wait a second…

I knew these ninja. They were wearing full-bodied wet suits. White masks covered the top of their faces and they wore strange metal breathing contraptions over their mouths. They were the ninja we had faced twice during the second Exam.

"Be careful! One of them is not a clone!" I heard Sasuke shout out.

"Which one!?" I replied, glancing about myself rapidly, watching the boat fill with enemies. My grip tightened on my kunai. And where are his two teammates?

"Stay by my side, Idate," Sakura glanced over her shoulder to the boy.

"What, no way! Why would I want help from a ninja!?"

"Take a look around you, pal. Beggars can't be choosers!" Naruto said irritably.

"Naruto, watch out!" Sasuke yelled.

A break in the mass of enemy clones revealed Naruto, Sakura and Idate. An enemy came flying down on Naruto and I cried his name as Naruto took a punch to his face, slamming backwards onto the floor of the boat. As he hit, however, he disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

Seemingly realizing he'd punched a clone, the enemy jerked his head around, looking for the real Naruto. Glancing upwards, he found give Naruto clones flying towards him, fist pulled back. Before the hit could land, however, the ninja dove overboard and into the water. This one was obviously the real one.

"He got away!" Naruto ground out, rushing to the side of the boat, glaring down into the water.

But despite the fact the flesh and bone ninja had retreated, his clones remained. I felt movement behind me and I whirled around in time to see a clone drive a kunai towards my chest. No time for a calculated move. I slashed out, tearing my kunai through the clone. It immediately broke apart and turned to liquid, splashing over my feet.

"Water clones!" I yelled out, my eyes quickly sweeping over the area in hopes of locating my teammates in the fray.

My search was cut short as two clones rushed me. I jumped back and threw my kunai at one advancing clone. It ripped through its chest cavity. As its partner neared, I pulled out my dagger and slashed.

"I know!" I could hear Sasuke call out, obvious frustration lacing his tone.

Suddenly, I felt water pelting my skin. At first I thought it was one of the clones being destroyed, but there was too much water. I peered upwards through my bangs.

Rain?

There hadn't been a cloud in sight; where had this rain come from? But I had no time to consider this as a clone thrust a kunai in my face. I jumped backwards, but as I touched down, my foot landed in a puddle. I slipped, falling onto the floor of the boat.

I wheezed as I slammed hard on my back. I could feel the air escape my lungs as pain shot up my spine. All the same, I rushed to sit up, conscious of the battle around me. I went to push myself up, when the floorboards caught my attention. I'd thought I slipped in water…but this wasn't water.

It's oil!

Just as the thought rang through my mind, I heard Sakura shout out. "Sasuke, don't!"

The panic in Sakura's voice caused something heavy to drop into my gut. I glanced around wildly, trying to pinpoint the Uchiha. I found him on the far side of the boat, his fingers brought together in the Tiger seal. Fear swept through me.

He'll burn the boat down!

I scrambled to my feet in time to see something nearing our boat. I couldn't discern it; it was merely a dark mass flying towards us at an alarming speed. Sasuke momentarily forgotten, I found my eyes narrowing at the object. And when it came closer, my eyes widened.

"Shit!"

I jumped out of the way as an arrow lodged into the floor just in front of where I'd been standing. The head of the arrow was alit with flame and it immediately flared, latching onto the oil-soaked wood and setting the entire boat ablaze in seconds. The orange flames flickered around me as I quickly began to look for my teammates.

"Sasuke, what are we going to do!? The fire's out of control!" I could hear Sakura's voice call out from somewhere behind me.

I swiveled around at the sound of her voice, locating her just as a beam fell in front of her and Idate. At the same moment, the hairs on the back of my next shot up. I twirled around just in time to rank my blade through a water clone.

"We jump into the ocean! We're going to have to swim to the port!" Sasuke announced from somewhere I could not visualize.

I slashed through another enemy, sweat beginning to bead along my hairline from the heat surrounding me. My enemy splashed to the ground and I turned on my heel, jumping over the burning beams to get to Sakura and Idate.

"Idate!" Sakura was saying in aggravation as I reached my pink-haired teammate.

"What is going on?" I asked, only to be greeted with the sight of Idate in a defensive pose; his eyes set intently on Sakura, then on me. Smoke was rising from the flames and I let out a cough as some seeped into my lungs.

"What, do you think I'm stupid? You four just want to use me as a decoy!" Idate glared at the two of us. "You want them to focus on me while you guys get the heck out of here!"

My eyes were beginning to water as another couch racked through me. "Have you lost your mind!?"

"I said forget it! I don't trust ninja!"

A clone appeared in the periphery of my vision and I swung around, slashing through it.

"Get out of here already! We don't need you getting in our way!" Sasuke yelled; his voice sounding nearer than it had before.

But Idate did not move. He seemed rooted to the spot, his eyes wide with fear and accusation. His eyes couldn't decide where to settle; on us, the clones, or the fire.

"Idate, trust me! We would never use you as a decoy!" Sakura pleaded.

This was asinine. No amount of talking was going to convince him of our intentions. Something or someone had convinced him somewhere down the line that we were to be feared more than burning alive. And while I was tempted to do just that, but I was bound to my duty.

"Just get out of here!" I shouted at Idate.

"No! I won't!"

But I'd torn my attention away, for something else had ensnared it. A clone had appeared behind Idate, a kunai clutched in his hand. The flames didn't seem to bother the clone, or effect it in anyway. And it was already releasing its weapon.

Dammit!

I rushed forward, closing the short distance between me and Idate. I was just able to reach him, ramming my shoulder into him to knock him out of the way as the kunai slashed against my shoulder, ripping open the black fabric of my shirt and leaving a gash in its wake. I let out a cry of pain.

"Nakao!" I could hear Naruto and Sakura call my name.

Idate had stumbled, but not fallen. He stood with wide eyes and a stunned expression, fixated on me. "N-Nakao…?"

My wound was searing and I grasped at it with my right hand. Sweat was sliding down my face, my bangs sticking to my forehead. The entire vessel was ablaze and breaking apart with every groan and snap. Any minute, the boat would begin to sink into the water.

I set my eyes on Idate, watching the flames reflecting in his eyes. "Get out of here or I'll throw you overboard."

Idate stood perfectly still for a moment, before he clumsily nodded. I watched him turn towards the side of the ship, and dive over the side into the water.

"Let's go, you guys!" I called out to my teammates.

But they were already bounding over towards me. Naruto and Sakura were there in a second, each leaping out of the boat. I pivoted to see if Sasuke was coming, only to find him right behind me. He grabbed my upper arm and tugged me with him. Together, we scrambled forwards and threw ourselves over the side of the boat. I could feel Sasuke pull me flush against his side as we hit the water, protecting me from the impact.

The water sucked us under, like an invisible force pulling on me. But I kicked furiously with my legs and we quickly broke the surface of the water. I took in a deep breath of air but then immediately let out a yelp of pain. My hand went to clutch my wound again as the salt water seeped into my wound, aggravating it. But I gritted my teeth against the pain and helped Sasuke propel us through the water.

"Are you okay, Nakao?" Naruto glanced over to me as we all began to swim.

"I'm fine," I winced. "It's the least of our worries."

"You mean like those Rain Village ninja?" Sasuke's lips set themselves into a firm line.

"Are you kidding? Those wimps? We can handle them!" Naruto said cockily.

"I know we can handle them," I sighed, glancing to my blonde-haired teammate. "It's Idate. What if they're already after him?"

"Oh yeah! He might be in danger!" Naruto suddenly realized, his eyes growing wide. He peered around himself, but there was no sign of Idate. We'd urged him to swim ahead and there was no telling how far he'd gotten or if he'd run into anyone yet.

"Of course he's in danger!" Sakura exasperated.

Suddenly, Naruto called out and began flailing around. He was suddenly pulled beneath the surface of the water, his arms trying to grasp at the air until they too, were pulled under.

"Knock it off, Naruto, this is no time to be playing around!" Sakura scolded.

"He's not," Sasuke gritted his teeth together, eyes training on the ripples of water where Naruto had just been. We stopped moving, bobbing along the current of the water.

"Our friends are back," I grimaced.

"Nakao, you ready?" Sasuke glanced over to me.

I glanced to him and nodded. Though my wound stung, it was still completely functional. Without further comment, Sasuke took in a deep breath of air and dove under the water. Sakura and I followed suit.

It stung to keep my eyes open under water, but at least the water was clear enough for me to see. I was faster than Sakura as I propelled my way through the water, eyes on Sasuke as he swam deeper. I could just visualize the Rain ninja, thanks to their yellow suits, just on the edge where the water began to turn dark. Two of them were pulling a struggling Naruto deeper into the depths of the water, while one floated in place, attention focused on the three of us.

Despite the shinobi's intent to stop us, we continued forward. He waited for us to near before he activated his water clone jutsu. We were in his domain, surrounded by his element, and we were sitting ducks, pardon the pun. We were ambushed by clones, at least a dozen of them. I could already feel my lungs constricting, reminding me that I required oxygen to live, as one clone wrapped its arm around my neck from behind, and another came from the front, wrapping itself around my torso, pinning my arms to my sides.

I struggled, trying to thrash around, but it was hopeless. My brain was feeling hazy as the clones and the current worked against me. From the corner of my eye, I could see Sasuke and Sakura struggling as well. This was it. This was how I was going to go out.

I can't give up now! We've beat these punks twice already!

But my lungs were burning. I needed air. My muscles felt tired. My brain was hazy. But I took every ounce of focus, every bit of strength, and channeled it to my legs. I bucked enough to put a sliver of distance between myself and the clone in front of me before curling my knees up as far as I could. I rammed my knees forward into its chest with enough power that I could bring my legs up and I kicked out, throwing the clone off of me.

Although the clone was now dislodged, it did not disappear, not surrounded by water as we were. The second clone still held me from behind. But no matter, I had use of my hands now. I brought my fingers together.

Arashi Kamekaze.

As the molecules in my body began to change, oxygen began to ooze of my pours. As it hit the water, bubbles began to form, surrounding me, encasing me. I didn't have time to let them float away from me, I needed them. And so I focused on my chakra and I laced it with the air around me. The water around me began to feed my chakra and I pushed out my power. Water began to swirl around me, a vortex growing larger and larger the more I exerted my chakra.

A water twister finally formed, nearly its own entity as it grew larger at an alarming rate. Its powerful currents began to engulf everything in its path, enemies and teammates alike. As the clones were sucked forward, the sheer impact of the currents was enough to rip them apart.

Nearest to me, I saw the clones holding Sasuke be ripped away. He immediately pushed away from the vortex, more than likely due to some chakra exertion of his own, and began to swim towards the surface. I could only hope Sakura was smart enough to do the same as I cut off my flow of chakra. The vortex continued to rage on its own and I pushed away as fast as I could, kicking furiously towards the surface.

My vision was fading. I could see clouds of blackness begin to creep towards the center of my vision. All I could see around me was darkness. I could feel the air in my lungs evaporating. I needed to take a breath. I couldn't hold on anymore.

And with a great splash, I broke the surface.

I heaved in a great breath, gulping greedily at the air. I felt the dizziness begin to ebb away and my vision slowly return to me. I looked around wildly, trying to pinpoint my teammates. Had Sasuke and Sakura gotten to the surface? Where was Naruto? Did he get away?

I spotted Sasuke after a moment. He was ahead of me, already swimming towards shore. Before I could look around myself for a flash of pink or orange, something came rushing past me.

"Hold on Sakura!"

I gasped as I focused on what has flown by me at an incredible pace. It was Naruto, running across the surface of the water, Sakura unconscious in his arms. I watched in surprise as he ran past Sasuke. I did not have the energy required to walk on water. I was tired from the ordeal under water, and so I continued swimming. As did Sasuke.

When the water became shallow enough to walk, Sasuke and I got to our feet. My clothes were soaked and heavy, attempting to tug me back down. My hair was plastered to my face, and I annoyingly brushed at it, sweeping bangs out of my eyes.

Sasuke and I waded through the rest of the water until we were once again on dry land. My feet sunk into the sand, but I was so grateful to feel it. Just off the shore, Sakura was lying on the ground, Naruto kneeling over her.

"How's she doing?" I asked, kneeling beside Naruto. Sasuke knelt across from me.

Naruto gulped. "I think…she's going to need mouth to mouth."

I held my hands up in surrender, signaling to Naruto that I was in no way to be apart of this. Not that Naruto even seemed to think of me as an option. He was already leaning forward, a blush spreading across his cheeks. He neared her face, puckered his lips, and Sakura's eyes snapped open. Her scream echoed across the island.

I drew back, hands flying to my ears to cover them. Sakura shot up into a sitting position, punching Naruto in the face as she did so. Poor Naruto fell to the ground, grasping at his nose.

"What do you think you're doing you perv!" Sakura screeched, her face flushed with anger.

Silently, Sasuke got to his feet. Sakura and I glanced up to him.

"What's up Sasuke?" Sakura asked.

"We're wasting time we haven't got; we need to find Idate," he replied, barely glancing down at the girl.

I sighed, already feeling fatigue tugging at my body. Regardless, I got to my feet as well, knees groaning the whole way.

---

The island was covered with jagged, pointed rocks. The rocks were slippery from the rain that poured down from the sky and the spray from the sea. Traversing the terrain was tedious, every step careful, some areas requiring a detour.

I couldn't say how long it took us to find Idate, but when we did, I was frozen to the core. I couldn't quite tell if I was more tired or cold. And while finding Idate should have brought some relief, it did not. Idate was lying on his back, right arm spread out beside him, still clutching his beloved pocketknife.

"Idate!" Naruto called out and we hurried towards him.

It wasn't Idate himself that had us in a panic, but the man standing over him. His hair was a dark, sea-foam green, jaggedly cut at his shoulders. His bangs parted on his forehead to reveal a Rain Village headband tied around it. He held a parasol in his right hand, protecting himself from the rain. As we neared, he glanced up with purple eyes glinting with glee.

We slid to a halt as close as we dared, muscles tensing. My eyes flickered to Idate, trying to discern if he was breathing. The man stepped away and I wondered if he was making space for a battleground.

"Are you in charge of those Rain Village ninja!?" Naruto accused angrily, teeth clenching.

Sakura hurried over to Idate, kneeling beside him. I left it to her to manage his well-being, and focused my attention on the Rain ninja.

"Apparently they weren't quite up to the job," the man said, assessing us with his eyes. Despite his statement, he sounded rather smug. "In a contest between genin it appears the Leaf genin are the stronger. But genin, no matter how strong they are, are no match against me."

"Well let's fine out!" Naruto ground out.

No signal was needed as the three of us rushed our opponent together. Naruto reached him first, aiming a fist at his face, but the ninja only sidled out of the way. Sasuke and I took up positions on either side of him. Sasuke aimed a punch for the back of his head, I aimed a kick beneath his chin. But neither of our attacks landed and we were suddenly met with an empty space between us.

Sasuke's gaze shot upwards. "Up there!"

Naruto and I snapped our attention to the sky. The Rain shinobi was high in the air, smirking down at us. He brought back his parasol before swing it forward, much like a bat. A large burst of wind issued from it, barreling towards our group.

Before I could whip up a counterattack, the wind knocked into us, sending us sprawling to the ground. We cried out in unison as the wind continued to pelt us, tearing at our clothes, slicing at our skin. Only when the earth beneath us began to crack did the attack finally ease.

The shinobi gracefully fell to the ground, landing somewhere behind us. "Hmph, about what I expected. No more of a challenge than Idate really."

The tone of his voice had fury rushing through me. Gritting my teeth in effort, I pushed myself up, peering over my shoulder at the man.

"I'll just give you what I gave him," the ninja said, closing his parasol and sliding it into a sash on his back. He pulled out several tracker needles, holding them between the fingers of both his hands. "No use in wasting any of my chakra."

The three of us soared to our feet. I gathered my chakra, ready to mold a shield. But our opponent seemed to sense this because he released his needles before I got the chance. The needles plowed into each of us with enough force to bowl us over.

A sharp cry was wrench from my throat as I hit the ground. Wincing, I followed the pulsing pain to my shoulder, where several needles were lodged, then to my abdomen where I found two more.

"Needles that deliver a deadly poison. No matter how strong you may be, you already have one foot in the grave," the ninja smirked.

Grasping the needles in my shoulder, I tugged them out, hissing in pain as I did so. Training my eyes on our opponent, I shakily got to my knees. To my left, I could see Sasuke doing the same.

"Yeah yeah…we've heard that before…" Naruto grumbled as he attempted to get to his feet. But he faltered, falling right back down beside me.

In the distance, I could hear the faint roar of cheering.

"Fusuke must have reached the shrine by now," the shinobi commented, his eyes moving to an unseen location far from here. He paused for a moment before shifting his gaze back to us. "The last sound you'll ever hear: the sound of all your plans going up in smoke."

With that, our enemy leapt up into the air and disappeared.

"D-Dammit," I growled before yanking the needles from my abdomen. Another hiss of pain and I dropped them on the ground.

"He's gunna pay," Naruto gritted out.

Unless we died of course. I had no inkling the shinobi had been lying about the poison.

As if on cue, Sakura's soft voice pulled our attention. "You guys, take this."

I glanced over. Sakura was still beside Idate, but she was pulling something out of pouch. In her hand was a bottle topped with a red cap.

"What is it?" I asked, watching her unscrew the cap.

"Tsunade-sama gave it to me," Sakura explained, dumping some pills into the red cap. "She stopped me as we were leaving the village."

Sakura slipped a pill into Idate's mouth, rubbing at his throat to assist him with swallowing it. Satisfied, Sakura got to her feet, moving over to us.

"Some kind of antidote?" I asked, grabbing a pill from the cap and examining it.

"Yeah, I think so," Sakura replied, pocketing the bottle as I swallowed the pill. She moved back towards Idate, glancing down at him. "We can't just leave him out here in the rain, we've got to get him someplace warm.

Someplace warm ended up being a small cave carved into the steep mountainsides of the island. Sasuke had started a fire and it was crackling merrily, throwing shadows across the cavern. The four of us huddled around it, trying to soak in the heat. Idate was lying behind us, still unconscious.

We sat in silence, each of us in our own thoughts. I rubbed tiredly at my face, trying to scrub away the fatigue. This mission had been mentally draining; first with Idate's behavior and attitude, second, the nostalgia of it all. Protecting a Morino and facing enemies we'd faced in the Chuunin Exams. Something of which I had no desire to be reminded of. I had no happy memories to associate with those Exams and this missions was causing memories to surface.

"We can argue later about my skills. That I'm not fast enough, strong enough, smart enough. But I'm all Sasuke has right now and I have to go."

Keitaro looked troubled, and the swarm of emotions in his eyes were too jumbled to read. I didn't know what he was thinking, but I didn't have the time to wonder. I'd wasted too much time as it was. I turned my back on him.

"Nakao," he called out again, and his voice sounded different. Sad, mollified, defeated. "I never-I didn't…I just…Come home."

The flames of the fire reflected in my eyes as the memory washed over me. It was the last time I'd ever see my brother. I tried not to dwell on these memories. It was dangerous territory to wander into should I let myself. All the things I could have said, should have said. The things I should never have said. The thoughts were a poison that would overtake me if I let it.

"Well look who's awake," Naruto's voice cut through my thought, grabbing my attention.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Sakura asked softly as I watched Idate struggle into a sitting position. Sakura hurried over to help him.

"Where is he? What happened to Aoi?" Idate asked immediately, his voice nervous, his eyes darting around the cave.

"He's gone," Sasuke assured from my right. "So that's that guy's name? Aoi?"

Idate, now sitting up on his own, quickly glanced away from us.

Sakura leaned away from him on her haunches. "Who is he? Do you know each other from somewhere?"

"He was…" Idate paused, his eyes still adverted. His face was troubled, his shoulders tense. "A sensei I knew back in my Leaf Village days."

"You're from the Leaf Village!?" Naruto exclaimed.

"Duh, Naruto," I rolled my eyes, relieved to hear my familiar tone in my voice. I was sure the rest of us had established this. His brother was a Morino, he had participated in the Chuunin Exams.

"After he betrayed the Leaf Village, he became a jounin of the Village Hidden in the Rain," Idate explained.

"Hang on, back up. What are you talking about?" Naruto asked, his brows crinkling.

Idate attempted to sit up straighter, but he hissed in pain.

"Easy there, you'll still weak," Sakura laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Tch, all that work, all that training, all for nothing," Idate's nearly spat as he glared at nothing in particular

"You're giving up kind of easy aren't you?" Naruto bristled, as though personally affronted. "That's no way for any Konoha ninja to talk."

"You've got the wrong guy. I haven't even thought about Konoha since the day I walked away from it," Idate replied quietly, looking down to his lap.

"Hold up," I cut in, eyes now boring into the young man. "You abandoned Konoha? You're a traitor."

A traitor. Just as Itachi had been. Just as my clan had been. Ninja who traded in their honor, betrayed their countries. And more often than not, put many people in danger.

Idate's eyes flickered to me and I noticed a hollowness in them, but he couldn't seem to hold my gaze for long and quickly looked away. "It hit me hard when I failed the first Chuunin Exam; I didn't know what to do. Aoi-Sensei tricked me, told me there was another way I could become a chuunin. He had me steal the Scroll of Sealing and the Legendary Blade of the Thunder Spirit used by the second Hokage. I could become a chuunin, but in the Hidden Rain Village. I didn't have a choice; I could go with Aoi, or stay in Konoha and be punished. I never saw Konoha again after that day…Nothing I do goes right. I've never been of any use to anyone, except to Boss Jirochou. Even though I was no good, he still trusted me and now…I've let him down."

Silence rang around the cave. Idate glanced down to the pocketknife he was gripping in his hand. I could only assume it had been given to him by Boss Jirochou. Tears slipped down his cheeks.

"I'm worthless. Everything I do goes wrong. Aoi said it and he was right…I'd be better off dead!"

Only the sound of his choked sobs accompanied his shout. The four of us sat in varying levels of surprise, staring at him. But as I watched him, a spark of irritation flared to life. What he had done was stupid, yes. But he had found a new life, a new home, someone that believed in him. He had someone who cared for him and was rooting for him. And he had the chance to make that person proud.

It was more than some of us had.

"So that's it?" I found the words leaping from my lips before I'd thought them.. "You're giving up?"

"I've already lost! I've let everyone down!" Idate bit out, shining eyes glaring at me.

"Stop it! You said it yourself, you've got one person who believes in you, right!?" Naruto got to his feet, his anger much more intense than mine was. He stomped over to Idate, grabbing him by the shoulders.. "One person is enough! That's all anyone needs! Don't even think of quitting; who says this race is over? You have no way of knowing how things are going to turn out!"

Idate couldn't even look him in the eye. Though he was so close to Naruto, he managed to set his gaze on anything but the blond. "Yeah, but-"

"Come on! On your feet!" Naruto demanded, grabbing Idate's arms and pulling him up.

"Stop it, Naruto! He's still far too weak to move!" Sakura tried.

"If he can't run then I'll carry him on my back the whole way if I need to!" Naruto shot back.

Idate pulled himself out of Naruto's grasp, falling back down from the inertia. He glared up at the boy. "The other runner already reached Modoroki!"

"You're not quitting, understand!" Naruto grabbed the collar of Idate's shirt, pulling his face up to meet his, so close that their noses were touching.

"Naruto…" Sakura got to her feet, meaning to make her way over, but Sasuke's hand shot out and caught her wrist.

"Sakura…" Sasuke said in warning, keeping his stare on the two boys.

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked, aghast.

"Just leave this one to Naruto…" I murmured to my teammate, eyes also set on the pair.

"Jirochou's counting on you and you don't want to keep him waiting. Pull yourself together!" Naruto continued, almost shaking the boy. He suddenly let go of Idate and he dropped back to the ground. "Are you really going to quit now when you've finally gotten the opportunity you've been waiting for your whole life? To show someone he was right to depend on you, to believe in you!"

Idate stared up at Naruto for a long moment before a noticeable change fell over his face. His jaw became set, his eyes narrowing in determination. He was an entirely different person than the boy crying just a few minutes ago. "Alright, I'll do it!"

"Alright! Then let's go!" Naruto grinned, more energy radiating off of him than I currently felt. He dropped to one knee, collecting Idate on his back. Idate grabbed hold of Naruto's shoulders and Naruto was back on his feet, dashing out of the cave.

The three of us watched Naruto's form sprint ahead before we glanced at each other. I sighed wearily, getting to my feet. "I guess that's our cue."

---

"Sakura, are you sure we're on the right path?" I asked, frowning, eyes squinted as I peered around myself.

Sasuke, Sakura and I had been running for quite some time now without any sign of Naruto or Idate. It seemed Naruto had inspired himself so much he forgot he needed his teammates. How he'd gotten so far ahead of us, I was unsure. Was he just that fast, or were we just slow?

"I already checked the map twice and told you yes!" Sakura snapped at me, shooting me a glare; but it quickly dissolved as a voice drifted over to us.

"You trust no one!"

I came to an abrupt halt, thrusting my arms out to stop my teammates. "Sssh, did you guys hear that?"

The three of us strained to listen. We were just about to come over a hill where, according to Sakura's map, a bridge should be that would lead us to the final island. It was from here that the voice seemed to be originating from. That voice…it was faintly familiar.

"I couldn't have asked for a better student."

And then it dawned on me. A gasp was ripped from my throat. "Aoi!"

And then we were sprinting, pounding up the rest of the hill, Sakura and Sasuke on my heels.

"As a reward, Idate, I will kill you quickly!"

We cleared the top of the hill, a scene unfolding before us. Idate was on the ground on his knees. Aoi stood above him, a sword raised. A sword like no other I had ever seen. The blade appeared to made out of solid electricity and cast a glowing yellow hue on anything in its vicinity.

The Thunder Blade, the sword used by the second Hokage. The blade Idate had stolen from Aoi, I remembered. And I remembered something else; a memory that suddenly swam to the forefront of my mind. Something Keitaro had told me. That blade can cut through anything; even chakra.

Instinct took over for me. As the blade came down on Idate, I had already flung several kunai straight for Aoi. But Aoi's eyes flashed and he pivoted, using the blade to knock down the kunai, where they fell harmlessly to the ground. Aoi glanced up, his eyes finding the three of us.

"You guys, just in time!" Naruto exclaimed happily.

I had not noticed him at first, but his voice pulled my gaze to him. He was closer to us than Idate was, half-lying on the ground. Several needles were sticking out of his legs.

"Don't sweat it, Naruto. Just sit back and leave this clown to me," Sasuke said in his usual drawl, his onyx gaze set on Aoi.

Naruto smirked, managing to sit up. "This clown's tougher than you think."

I was inclined to agree with my blonde teammate. Aoi was wielding the Thunder Blade; a blade that had struck fear into the heart of plenty of ninja stronger and more experienced than us. And Aoi had already defeated us before. He would have killed us with that poison had it not been for Tsunade's intuition.

"Don't get too cocky, Sasuke," I muttered wearily, eyes flickering to my teammate. His pride would be the death of him.

"It doesn't make any difference how many of you there are," Aoi held up the Thunder Blade. "You'll never defeat me. I'm Aoi of the Rain and I wield the blade of the Thunder Spirit.

"Is that so," Sasuke activated his Sharingan and then his Chidori. "Perfect. The Thunder Blade versus my Chidori. Let's see which one is stronger!"

I sucked in a breath of anticipation as Sasuke took off at a sprint towards Aoi, pulling back the arm covered in blue lightning. Dread was already swirling in my gut. The Chidori was concentrated chakra; and the Thunder Blade could cut through chakra. But I felt powerless. What could I do? Interfere? Sasuke would never allow it. And it wouldn't be a sign of a strong team to second guess my teammate in front of the opponent. But we also couldn't do nothing either.

As Sasuke reached his opponent, he flung his hand forward and the sizzling blue of his Chidori met with the flashing yellow of the Thunder Blade. Sasuke cried out in effort as he attempted to push against the blade, but to no avail. The Thunder Blade broke through and a golden bolt of electricity seemed to zap through Sasuke. The Uchiha gave a shout of pain, jumping backwards.

My heart was hammering against my ribcage. Fear was pulsing through me, almost paralyzing me. Undeterred, Sasuke took out a kunai and rushed Aoi again. They parried against one another, their blades nothing but blurs until the wound up in a lock, muscles straining as they pushed against the other's blade.

"I see that the stories are true," Aoi smirked, his face mere inches from Sasuke's. "I'd always heard that the last of the great Uchiha Clan was a hopeless loser unworthy of his family name.

Something heavy dropped into my gut. Oh no…

The insult struck Sasuke to his core, and it was visible all over his face. In his momentary lapse, Aoi pushed through Sasuke's defense. Electricity struck the Uchiha, sending him flying back towards our group, landing hard on his back.

"Sasuke!" his name sprung from my lips and I made to rush forward.

This made Idate leap to his feet. "No, Nakao! He'll kill us all! Run away while you still can!"

"What are you, crazy!?" I turned a glare on him. "We're not just gunna leave you here! Besides!" I didn't continue, but leveled Aoi with the darkest glare I could manage. I had no intention of letting Aoi get away with trying to fry my teammate.

"Yes, well then, back to the matter at hand," Aoi turned an amused look on Idate. "Idate, time to start your journey to the next world."

My teeth gritted together as I reached for a kunai. But before I could attack, Sasuke shakily got to his feet in front of me.

"Take it back…" Sasuke growled, setting cold eyes on Aoi. He wavered slightly, Aoi's last attack having clearly taken a toll; still, he stood as tall as possible, glaring down the shinobi. "Take back what you said."

"What are you talking about?" Aoi quirked his head in question. Whether he had genuinely forgotten or was purposely acting as though he had, I wasn't sure. And I wasn't sure which was more insulting

"I'm warning you, don't mess with me!" Sasuke activated his Chidori again.

"Sasuke, no!" I shouted, rushing forward to stop him, but I wasn't quick enough.

With a war cry, Sasuke rushed Aoi, thrusting the Chidori at his face. His ferocity seemed to have taken Aoi by surprise and he raised his blade up sloppily, intercepting Sasuke's Chidori. I watched in near horror as Sasuke began to push Aoi back, sending a blinding flash of white light around the area. But it didn't last long, a mere moment really, before the light ebbed away to reveal Sasuke suspended in the air by the sheer electricity emitted by Aoi's stolen blade.

Sasuke screamed in pain as a vortex of electricity wrapped around his body. As though the handle of his blade was a baton, Aoi jerked Sasuke behind him, throwing him towards the bridge that was suspended above a large canyon. It was as Sasuke landed on the wooden planks of the bridge, unconscious, that I noticed the two primary suspensory ropes had been cut. The bridge rocked sickeningly as Sasuke landed.

"Sasuke!" I called out but he didn't stir.

Pulling out a kunai, I thrust it straight for Aoi's heart. He jumped into the air to avoid the weapon, giving me the opportunity to sprint forwards, past Idate and Aoi and to the bridge. I fell to my knees on the dirt ground, just before the first plank, grabbing for Sasuke's wrist.

"Sasuke! Wake up!" I shook his arm urgently, but he remained unconscious. I pushed down the panic that was beginning to settle in my chest and carefully crawled onto the bridge. It was the only way to get a good enough hold on Sasuke to pull him back onto solid ground.

"It's a long way to the bottom of the sea," Aoi was suddenly behind me, smirking as he raised his blade to the remaining rope holding the bridge up.

"No!" Idate yelled out, running at Aoi. Aoi only slashed his blade at Idate and he went flying back towards Naruto.

"Idate!" Naruto called out.

My head whipped over to see the commotion just in time to see Aoi slash his blade through the last rope holding the bridge to land. My stomach leapt into my throat as the bridge immediately gave way. I had barely enough time to firmly grab hold of Sasuke before we were plummeting down the canyon.

I barely heard Naruto call my name, my own scream blocking his out as Sasuke and I flew towards the sea and the jagged rocks below.

---

Author's Note:

I have to admit, I'm not happy with this chapter at all. But this mission is a necessary segway.

You guys are AMAZING! Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! Mwah!