A/N: Our CRA Poll officially closes with Konoha kunoichi taking the top 5 spots. I guess folks want me to keep it within the larger Konoha family, so to speak. I will admit, Eina's last minute fall from grace was heartbreaking to see. The top 4 were clear victories, however, Yugao, Samui, and Temari ended in a dead heat. Decisions, decisions...
The top five were:
Tenten Higurashi
Hinata Hyuuga
Ino Yamanaka
Anko Mitarashi
Yugao Uzuki
Now we'll just have to see how the romance and Council drama plays out, won't we?
Asif127: The Orarian Twins were originally high on my list of possible, but it turns out Tione is deeply in love with Finn. That complicates much. I agree that there are hundreds of NaruHina pairings. I don't mind it, but I was looking, on a dare, for a different inspiration.
Zabzab: No promises on the comma thing. I have a hate-hate relationship with them specifically.
Well, here's to wrapping up the Istoria Nukenin Arc and getting back to the familiar Konoha story line. Some things will change from canon, as to be expected in an AU fic. The greatest change you'll see is a greater span of time between graduation and the Chunin Exam Arc. I'm pushing it out six more months until January-February of Naruto's 15th year. After all, Konoha has a big festival, their only festival, to prepare for. Don't they?
As always, back to the story.
~Siva'a-tasi
~III~
Note: Edited 27 JAN 2019 to include the results of the CRA Poll and sections left out during the Nukenin Arc in Istoria.
Chapter 12: What Lies in the Hearts of Men
~ Previously on No More ~
Minotaur hide and horns were valuable drops. Since the monsters turned to ash once their crystals were cut from their chests, drops were not necessarily a certainty. For each of them to get one was truly a lucky stroke.
Bell tried to refuse saying he was useless in the fight but Ino and Naruto both pressed the items into his hands and would hear nothing else on the matter. Naruto's terse, "Group effort" seemed to be the end of the argument and they left it at that.
Naruto, having done the majority of killing, was the only one to get two horns.
Night followed the same routine of food, bathing and debriefing once they finished updates with Hestia.
Of note was the fact that his clones finally located Koaru in the cemetery and Naruto was beyond pleased. Before too long this would all come to an end and they could go home.
~III~
~ Orario City: Second Floor Room of Team Ten, The Hostess of Fertility ~
"Okay," Shikamaru's lazy voice began overflowing with incredulity, "run that by me once more."
Naruto's deep blue eyes closed as he gathered up his rapidly-scattering thoughts. They'd been talking for the last half hour and he was quickly losing interest in favor of his comfy sleeping bag.
"He's there. Koaru Aono is living inside, or underneath from the looks of it, the cemetery located inside Daedalus Borough." Over the last few days, Shikamaru worked with Eina to create a good-sized map of the city. Jabbing his finger at the rough area where the cemetery was, Naruto's jaw cracked open with a powerful yawn.
"Did you spot the nukenin helping him?" Shikamaru wasn't surprised by the indignant look his teammate shot him. To be honest, they were all tired and no one wanted to go "lights out" more than he did. A job was a job, however, and this one needed a bit more work before the team could power down.
Naruto stated more than once that he felt Shikamaru's extending of their surveillance one more day tantamount to unnecessary paranoia.
Biting back the sarcastic tone he felt, Naruto cracked open his copy of the Bingo book and flipped it to a dog-eared page. Shikamaru's eyes glanced over a majority of the information to pluck out the needed gems to help him plan their attack.
Name: Aoi Rokushō
There were no bloodlines to note. Listed as a B-ranked threat, Aoi had been a Konoha nin originally before defecting to Amegakure rather than going to prison for theft. Within three years of becoming an Ame nin, despite having no noticeable skills or talents other than a knack with poisons, he'd obtained a Jounin's rank and became a two-time nukenin shortly thereafter.
What stunned Shikamaru was that neither village listed a single elemental affinity and only a single jutsu was described under his very small list of skills, Senbon Shower. His sole claim to fame stemmed from his theft of the Raijin, Tobirama Senju's "Sword of the Thundergod."
Shikamaru hummed softly as he memorized the nukenin's face. "And you're absolutely sure you saw this guy walking with him to the dungeon?" He could see Naruto's tired nod in his peripheral vision and let it go.
"Okay, one more day of observation while I finalize our plan. Get inside the mausoleum and see if you can learn the layout. We'll make our move early the following day."
Naruto groaned out another yawn before reclaiming his Bingo book. Having mustered enough energy to stay awake long enough to seal it away, he flopped backwards onto his sleeping roll and began snoring softly almost immediately.
'Are you really okay, Naruto? How can you be so calm on the outside?' Ino's mind was still reeling from what she overheard a few nights ago. 'I would have been a worthless wreck.'
She began to wonder how much practice he'd had at disguising his pain over the years to be able to continue on like nothing was wrong. True, he spoke to both senseis just enough to answer the odd question and not a second more, but still.
Despite her concern, Ino and Shikamaru shared the same chuckle at his antics. Their teammate wasn't remotely worried about what was going to happen in the next twenty-four hours or, if he was, Naruto was damned good at hiding it.
"I don't know why you fight it so much." Delivering it around a yawning mouth and half-closed eyes, Shikamaru made it seem like the easiest thing to discuss.
Immediately Ino went on the defensive. "Not my type, you know that Shika. Good guy that he is, there are just too many rough edges."
"I thought fixing guys was what women did?" The Nara's right eyebrow rose up at a questioning angle making his comment all the more obnoxious.
"Sometimes when it's worth the payoff." She glanced down at the soundly sleeping Uzumaki as if weighing the past deeds of his life and finding them lacking.
"You're saying that marrying the overly powerful sole survivor of a prominent and prestigious clan isn't worth the payoff?"
That's right. She'd gotten so used to him that she'd conveniently forgotten that little detail.
Silence hung heavy in the air as lanterns got blown out and the Nara bundled up for the night.
~III~
The only discovery that changed the following day's proceedings was the addition of the red-haired Prum disguising herself as a dog-eared Chienthrope. Naruto wasn't fooled by the disguise no matter how much it reminded him of his shape-changing henge.
The girl's scent never changed.
Her height didn't change.
Her slender body dimensions didn't change and neither did her outfit from the day before, but it was apparently enough to convince Bell. Naruto shook his head in pity, and the white-haired teen took her on as their group supporter despite his concerns.
Ino gave the naïve male a pitying look and asked him to reconsider all to no avail.
The four of them headed off into the dungeon for their final group run. Ino took a chance and asked her unusually quiet teammate if he was okay only to receive an uncomfortably long stare ending with a terse, "Yeah, I'm good." He didn't speak again until they emerged from the dungeon.
Eight hours later they trudged outside the monster pit to divide the spoils of war and after Lili, the supporter, wandered off for the night, Team Ten met one last time to discuss the plan. Tomorrow was to be their raid on the cemetery and Shikamaru wanted everyone prepared.
Naruto broke away after dinner without a word.
Curious, Ino threw her share of the loot into her backpack and followed suit. She actually walked half a block behind him before he came to an abrupt halt and waited with his back to her while she stepped up alongside him.
He turned to glare silently at her with his jaw clenched.
"What? I want to update my status also. Plus, I finally have enough to buy my sparkly. You never know. It might just come in handy tomorrow."
For several minutes, Naruto's deep blue lenses bored into her very soul creating a very uncomfortable silence. Was she willing to try and force her hand on him? Could she?
Without any sort of answer, his head snapped back to the front and he resumed walking.
Ino started breathing again and by the time they'd finished the first block, she started talking again. At first, it was light conversation, talking about how much she was going to miss Orario. Of course, not enough to want to stay but miss it she would all the same.
Nothing.
Not a grunt.
Not an eye-roll.
He was like a blank slate. Then it hit her as she glanced up at his profile. It was an empty mask and he had no intention of removing it any time soon.
For some reason it made her heart hurt. She missed the semi-goofy person he was becoming around the team and she wanted that back as selfish as it sounded. It's not like he owed them anything.
Bell was leaving the church as they were entering. He must have been in a hurry somewhere because he waved cheerily and took off down the street back into the heart of town.
Ino shrugged and went inside.
"You wanna go first-." She stopped mid-sentence when he thumped down onto one of the few remaining pews. With a frustrated hissing of air through her teeth, the angry kunoichi pushed on the secret door and disappeared into the basement mumbling the whole way about stubborn males not being happy with what they had.
This was met with an upturned eyebrow and a smile from the pig-tailed goddess Hestia.
"It's good to see you as well, Ino."
The blond smiled and returned a short bow to the even shorter brunette.
"Sorry to trouble you, Hestia-sama, but do you have time for a quick update?"
The self-proclaimed goddess of the hearth motioned to the empty bed and gathered what she needed.
"I assume Naruto is upstairs awaiting his turn?"
Ino nodded even as she started peeling off garments, her mesh shirt and wrappings forming a neat pile next to the furniture.
Hestia did not miss the heavy sigh of relief once the younger girl freed her swelling breasts from the now uncomfortable cloth holding them tight against her body. It was almost as if she needed to buy a bigger roll.
Taking a moment to tenderly massage the pain from them, Ino stretched out on the covers and closed her eyes while Hestia climbed onto her lower back.
"Can I get a copy of my status, Hestia-sama? We're probably going to complete our mission soon and I would like to know what's back there when we leave."
Hestia's smile was a sad one but she nodded anyway.
A moment later and the familiar warmth from the goddess' ichor began to spread across her back. It was enveloping, almost soothing after a day crawling around the dungeon.
"Congratulations Ino. You're almost set to level. One good dose of excellia should do it for you."
Ino shivered as the cold parchment slapped down on her soft skin. She was distracted enough that the nearly-dozing girl missed the wet tracks working their way down the goddess' cheeks.
Hestia peeled the sheet up and set it to the side as she quickly slid off of the younger girl's back and dried her eyes under the premise of washing her hands and face at the sink.
[Ino Yamanaka] Level 2
Belongs to: Hestia Familia
Home: Hidden Room Under the Church
Job: Adventurer Specialization: Healer
Deepest Exploration: Level 10
Weapon: Kunai, Senbon
Wealth: 750,000 Valis
Strength: G 302 Defense: C 710 Agility: B 807 Utility: S 917 Magic: S 950
[Healing Magic]
Fil Eldis – A basic healing spell localized through the palms and applied by touch; minor healing capable of removing most surface damage, cuts, and abrasions.
Luna Aldis – An intermediate healing spell localized through the palms and applied by touch; capable of repairing most deep-tissue damage and can heal broken limbs once the bones are reset. Can restore lost bodily fluids and purge natural/ biological toxins through prolonged application. Not effective against most engineered or non-natural poisons.
Dia Panakeia - Healing magic that creates colored spheres of light that heal the target. Its effects are comparable to an elixir (capable of healing major and critical sources of damage through repeated applications but is very taxing on mana).
[Developmental Abilities]
Mage – Mage improves the power of the caster's magic, widens the effect range, and makes mind usage more efficient. It also creates a jade-colored magic circle under the caster's feet when they use magic, thus making stealth impossible under normal circumstances.
Abnormal Resistance: Negates the effects of abnormalities such as poisons.
Spirit Healing: Spirit Healing automatically begins regenerating the caster's mind after using magic to help reduce the occurrence of Mind Down. It is a rare ability.
[Skills]
Maiden's Wellspring – This skill increases the body's efficiency and ability to absorb and process mana for internal consumption. Direct benefits include lower requirements for rest and recuperation by twenty percent. Beneficial side effects include higher than normal resistance to common illnesses or diseases, increased fertility, and natural physical development of musculature and biology.
Ino sat with her eyes locked on that last entry once her mind got through squealing over her increased abilities. Thoughts of having a large family with Sasuke immediately began running through her head and she couldn't wait to return to Konoha. Leaping up from the bed, she squealed again and hugged Hestia tightly, her body making tiny hops with each happy warble.
As she tore out of the underground bedroom to send Naruto down for his update, she missed Hestia sadly shaking her head in disbelief.
"Poor child. She's so blind to what her heart really wants and what she really needs." She sighed heavily, her dress groaning at the added strain on its front. "May the One clear her sight and grant her clarity."
Her face broke into a sad smile when the emotionless face of her favorite shinobi entered, closed the door, stripped from the waist up, then soundlessly laid out on the bed with his eyes closed.
'This will not do. Not at all.' Hestia took a couple of steadying breaths as she convinced herself of her chosen course of action and strode towards her conquest for the day.
WARNING: Mature Content. Skip to the section starting with "WARNING ENDED"
Upstairs Ino couldn't believe her luck. She'd gotten a rare magical ability and everything else seemed like it was tailor-made to support her role as a great healer. Another squeal bubbled up from her lips as she bounced excitedly around the destroyed house of worship.
Down below Hestia was wrapping up Naruto's update. She hadn't expected him to level yet. Even with his growth, it was too soon but he was close. Looking at his stats all S-ranked or higher, it was only a matter of time. She hoped to see him again in the future but it appeared that they were out of time for now. She peeled the paper up from his back and set it to the side her eyes settling on the golden flesh of his back as his muscles twitched and writhed beneath the surface. Gently and deliberately her hands reached up to slide the straps of her almost-a-dress from her shoulders freeing her heavy mounds from their enclosure. With a soft sigh, the goddess leaned forward until her body lay flat on Naruto's back.
Ino had completed her tenth lap of the broken pews as her mind ran through her big clan wedding during iteration two-hundred forty-one, her favorite of the spring variety. The sakura blossoms were in full bloom and she was wearing the traditional all-white shiromuku. Her mind tried to envision her dashing Uchiha groom in his mon-tsuki but his face kept turning up with whisker marks and blond hair. She growled and shook her head to clear the image. Once she was sure everything was cleared out, she took another deep breath and mentally cued the wedding music and gently falling sakura petals...
Hestia fell back on the bed with a bounce, her large globes cycling from just below her chin to their normal resting position on her tiny frame. Only a second later a blond head found its way to her pale neck before kissing and licking his way down her clavicle and on towards the heaving valley of her bosom as her breath began to hitch and quiver through parted lips.
Upstairs, Ino had given up for the fifth time with another angry shriek. She couldn't get Naruto out of her perfect wedding ceremony and it was annoying her to no end. She felt terrible for what he went through with Anko but, come on! That was no reason to ruin her day of bliss. 'What's taking him so long anyway?' With a firm step, she strode back through the secret passage and down the stairs to the closed apartment door. It was generally bad form to view another person's update but it should be over by now. Her barging in on a simple conversation shouldn't be that big a deal.
Maybe Hestia was helping him with his Anko problems and she could join in?
"...ruto!"
She froze.
'That sounded like Hestia.'
Then another moan hit her and her face pinked.
'They couldn't be...' Being the busybody gossip of Konoha, Ino cautiously crept forward and gently pushed the heavy wooden door forward. Thankfully it didn't squeak which would have been beyond embarrassing.
'So what if he's getting a bit of action. Poor guy deserves a break from a life of shit.' At least that's what she told herself. Seeing it actually happen was harder to take than she thought.
Ino's eyes grew as she spied Hestia flat on her back, her dress crumpled up on the floor along with her panties and Naruto's clothes. Her hands were clenched up in the boy's blond hair and her thighs were clamped tight to the side of his head. She couldn't see what he was doing but the rhythmic rolling around of his head and the wet slurping sounds made her face blush a heated shade of red and her thighs clamp together like a vice.
Her eyes shot over to Hestia's face and she saw the woman's whole body seize up, her annoyingly large breasts pushed together as she continued to thrust her hips up at Naruto's working mouth. She was clearly enjoying what was happening. She was clearly enjoying Naruto's enthusiastic work ethic and Ino felt a heated rush of rage.
Her mouth gaped open as the truth dawned on her in that dark entryway. She was jealous and now she was trying to deny it.
As she stood there listening to the woman's disgustingly happy moans, watching with green-eyed loathing as her body twitched and gyrated in pleasure, she was jealous that those weren't her legs trying to pull his tongue as far into her body as possible.
'That's stupid! I love Sasuke, don't I?'
Her eyes told a different story as the petite goddess clenched, gnashed her teeth together, started panting and convulsing, then released a moan that stretched out over thirty seconds easily. As the woman fell limp on the bed and Naruto rose to his feet, she could see the red welts along Hestia's breasts where his mouth had paid special attention. Unbidden, her own hand found its way to an already erect nipple smothered in cloth, mesh, and fibers.
Then her breath caught as Hestia sat up and reached for his belt. Her mind was telling her to run away, to not look. That greedy stare from the smaller woman told her exactly what was about to happen but her feet were rooted to the spot. Why couldn't she move away?
She heard the metallic jangle of his belt coming undone followed by the slow draw of his zipper. Hestia gave one gentle tug on his trousers, his hips swaying with the pull before she grabbed the waistline of his boxers and tugged downwards in one sharp motion.
What flopped out and nearly concussed the woman made Ino goggle and sputter. She must have forgotten about Naruto's ears because his head deliberately swung in her direction and she caught his leering stare as Hestia reached up and firmly grasped him in both hands, one in front of the other.
WARNING ENDED: Resume Normal Content
Suddenly her feet were free and she was up the stairs like a shot. The only thing running through her mind was that Sasuke was bigger. Sasuke had to be bigger. Please Kami, let Sasuke be bigger!
A very red-face Ino later asked a very calm Naruto if they could stop by a vendor to pick up her healing focus on their way back to the inn.
He shrugged and asked her to lead the way.
~III~
Dawn came to find Team Ten a hundred yards from the entrance of a large family shrine made of silver-grey marble. Naruto sent a fresh batch of clones out twenty minutes before and the "reinforcements" had cemented their positions around the sides and back of the stone edifice. Everything appeared to be set.
"Naruto," Shikamaru whispered over, "are you sure their god will be-."
He never got to finish the question as the front door opened to reveal a powerfully built man wearing the ancient garb of some foreign country.
Everything he wore was silver from the delicate-looking sandals that strapped themselves halfway up his calves to the crown-like band keeping his shoulder-length hair from his face. He sported what appeared to be a silver skirt that parted widely in the front, a single flap of wide cloth hanging from his belt to cover his modesty. Around his neck draped a circular band of necklaces and golden bracers covered his forearms, all of which did little to cover the powerful muscles adorning his frame.
He looked, walked, and carried himself like one of power and authority. He exuded royalty even as he paused for a few seconds to address his polar opposite, the one Naruto had called "Seti" in his brief the night before. The only way to describe the right-hand man of the foreign god was in Naruto's words the previous night saying, "he's like a walking shadow."
Wrapped from head to toe in black cloth, the only thing to detract from his single-colored existence were a pair of shining grey eyes, two pinpoints of light in a colorless blob of flesh.
Then the two calmly walked away, the glittering lead nodding politely to the crouched trio as they passed on into the city.
Ino and Shikamaru both blinked in disbelief. Naruto decided to share his clone's discovery from the night before.
Flashback no Jutsu – The Night Before
The Naruto clone was beginning to get bored. There wasn't much to henge into so hiding had to come the old-fashioned way and crouching down behind a tombstone or on top of the few family crypts in this part of the cemetery got really old after six hours.
Tugging his face mask upwards until it was over his nose again, he froze as a noise behind him alerted the lookout to his relief's arrival. One quick glance over his shoulder confirmed this and he lazily settled back in from his crypt-top perch to observe the front entrance to their target location. Pointing to the door that hadn't moved all day, he opened his mouth to spit out his boring report only to pause as the heavy door creaked open to reveal all four of its inhabitants.
Aoi and Koaru strode off into the city without a moment's pause but the foppish deity and his leech stood on the stoop while the muscular figure reached into a bag to toss birdseed to the ground. In a fit of inspiration, the original watch henged into one of the many birds flocking to gobble up their dinner then joined in on the feast.
"It's a shame that he didn't work out, Seti."
The shadowy figure just behind him nodded, his wispy voice mumbling out a faint, "Of course, master." Odd how his eyes never left the clone transformed into an orange-feathered finch.
"I will miss his ability to bring us badly needed Valis but I'll not jeopardize our Familia for a brigand, or worse."
The clone hopped about pecking at seed grimacing at the sharp husks and bland favor.
'Oi!' he chirped out angrily when a slightly bigger bird shoved him over from a patch of promising kernels. Flapping his wings angrily, he pecked the foul bully until it backed off, his oddly fish-bowled vision noticing the god's chuckling interest in him. 'Probably should tone it down a bit.'
He pecked at a particularly itchy feather.
'Okay, more than just a bit.'
"Are our preparations to retire to the city villa complete?" he asked over his shoulder. His staring at the clone was starting to get creepy.
"Of course, master." The sunspot bowed once and was still again.
"Very well then. We will depart tomorrow morning after their return. I want to be far away when the Guild comes for our thieving associate and his mousy partner in crime." And with that, the two turned and strode back into the crypt without another word.
Flashback no Jutsu – The Night Before – Kai!
Naruto's hand came up out of habit to give a parting wave to the duo's backs before Ino slapped his hand out of the air. Muttering out a quick "gomen," he looked to their team lead as Shika started counting backwards from fifty.
At twenty-five, Naruto henged into a muscular shinobi with long black hair tied into a sweeping ponytail and eyes like coal. A black mask covered the lower half of his face up to the bridge of his nose, which sloped to a hawk-like sharpness. His upper body was covered in a sleeveless battle kimono that ended at his upper thighs and was secured at the waist by a black belt of cloth from which hung his pouches. Underneath the kimono was a tight battlemesh shirt circling his neck and covering his upper arms. Black bindings started at his knuckles and wound their way to his elbows matching the long trousers of the same dark material. Glancing down to his feet Ino saw more bindings around his calves covering his matching tabi.
All of the clones matched him in silent shimmers.
With a holster on both thighs and his punch knives at his lower back, he looked like a ninja from really old movies. The problem for Ino was that he looked like a really hot old-school ninja.
'Damn! He looks good as a brunette!'
The fact that the transformation was completely unnecessary seemed totally irrelevant at the moment. He had mentioned earlier to Shika about working in some new disguises for later use and the Nara had waved it off so long as it didn't interfere.
When five new copies burst into view beside him, she nearly passed out from lightheadedness. It was a good thing Shikamaru was there to slap her on the back of the head and jar her out of her hormonal daze. Yeah, good ole Shikamaru.
Time to focus.
Signaling a count down from five, Naruto and the rest of the front assault line dashed off without a sound crossing the open field to crack open the mausoleum's entryway. It was a good thing his clones had spent the last half hour clearing what few traps Aoi remembered to set up.
By the time his teammates reached the crypt interior, four of the normal clones had quietly lifted the heavy lid of a stone sarcophagus to reveal a lit stairway leading underground. Once the reinforced team padded silently into the lower level, the blondes replaced the lid then sat on it with a smirk, the remaining lookouts posting up outside to wait out the storm.
~III~
The entry hall opened into a circular room with little gilding or glamour, but it had been carved out with future grooming in mind. The ceilings were at least twice Asuma's height and three separate passages in the smoothly-carved chamber led off deeper into the complex. Without pausing, Naruto generated four more clones that immediately henged to match his appearance before placing themselves in opposing corners, their hands flying through seals as they backed up to the stone walls in-between exits.
[Meisai Gakure no Jutsu!] they hissed out in unison, their bodies washing out in color until they matched the stone walls behind them.
Naruto didn't even wait for them to get settled sending two clones down the hallway to the right before bounding off at a silent trot down the left hallway, Shikamaru and Ino hot on his tail. He silently thanked his godfather for those earth jutsu scrolls as his eyes adjusted to the dim torchlight. Up ahead the hallway cut a sharp right into a wider passageway with doors on both sides.
As one, the entire team moved down the hallway, Naruto to left, Shika two steps behind and hugging the right wall, Ino two paces behind that and hugging the left wall behind Naruto, and so on. Their point held up a fist and dropped to a crouch, the rest doing the same. Flicking two fingers up into the air, he turned those two fingers on his right hand to the specific door right behind Shikamaru's back. Two of his clones, joined by Anko, broke off and positioned themselves on either side of it with one holding up a scroll. When she nodded that they were set, the rest moved on to the door at the farthest end of the hall and set up with two clones on either side of the door in a similar fashion.
Naruto nodded at the clone on the far side of the door, which promptly sunk into the ground without seals or chants. Asuma's eyebrows rose at the silent execution but had to push it aside as the door silently opened with a soft click.
The clone inside crabbed to the left allowing room for the second clone to pad softly inside and take up position to the right of the door. Naruto waited until Shika ducked inside and he heard [Kagemane no Jutsu!] Success! A half heartbeat later he rushed in with a fist hauled back to club the Ame Jounin insensate only to stagger to a stuttering stop arm's length from the bed.
Sprawled out on the posh bed overhung with pale-seafoam green drapes over its canopy was an unconscious and snoring Aoi Rokushō. He hadn't even stirred when Shikamaru trapped him in his family jutsu.
"Naruto!" Shikamaru hissed out, "Get on with it! I can't hold this all day even if he is asleep!"
Grunting out a disappointed acknowledgment, Naruto walked forward without trying to muffle his steps and rudely slapped a now open scroll across the Jounin's forehead.
Aoi had just enough time to sleepily open his eyes and mumble out a startled, "Whuzzat?!" before he felt himself being sucked into a deep dark hole.
Naruto calmly rolled up the storage seal and stuck it in his thigh holster. "That was largely unsatisfying."
Shikamaru chuckled and patted his friend on the back condescendingly.
"A successful capture is one no one hears about, Naruto. Be grateful we didn't have to fight and that no one got hurt."
The blond Genin nodded knowing his friend was right but glanced at the bed one last time in disgust. He wanted to test his strength out against the nukenin, even one supposedly as weak as Rokushō. It was that parting glance that caught the golden hilt of Raidin just beneath the large forest green pillows at the head of the bed.
"Hey, Shikamaru. Check this out." Naruto reached over and tossed the pillow into the face of his buddy before scooping up the bladeless hilt snuggled up next to a crumpled pouch half-filled with Valis Crowns, the largest of Orario's currency.
"Isn't there a bounty for the safe return of this thing to the Senju clan?" he wondered aloud even as one of the clones grabbed the nukenin's favored umbrella for storage.
Shikamaru's eyes ballooned. "Yeah, something like twenty mil, I think."
Naruto's whistle caught Asuma's attention as he ducked into the room.
"Looks like Koaru is getting shackled up nicely as we speak." Down the hall, the first squad had taken him without much effort, the memories of one of the clones coming back to him as the second one took custody of the slightly-bruised prisoner. "What's the fuss in here?"
Naruto simply turned to face his instructor and held up the shiny object in his hand. "Oh, nothing sensei. I'm just deciding how to split up our bounty for this baby five ways."
Asuma grinned from ear to ear. He loved his team.
~III~
The rest of the day was spent talking.
Naruto paid their first official visit to Hestia Familia hoping to catch Bell before he rushed off for the dungeon. They'd spoken about him not being available, but he wanted to say his goodbyes alone and his teammates were more than happy to let him do so once the adrenaline from their assault wore off.
Then Ino's Gossip Senses started tingling…
Ino returned about a half-hour before Naruto did and promptly ordered the strongest tankard of Ale the Hostess served her face already glowing like a fresh tomato.
Once Naruto joined them shortly thereafter and, with a knowing smirk at the still blushing platinum blond, the rest of the morning was to be spent in meetings at Guild Headquarters but he needed to make something clear first.
Leaning over her shoulder making the red-faced girl jump slightly, he whispered in her ear, "That's twice now Ino. You know you don't have to sneak if you want something from me."
He'd already moved on before she could respond, her ale long forgotten. This was not the Naruto she knew. Turning to face a perplexed Anko, she shot her a glare that clearly said 'This is your fault. You broke him.'
Anko shot back a look that clearly stated, 'I don't care. Not my problem anymore.'
Breakfast ended and they meandered as a group to their meeting with Set Familia and the Guild.
Set was very apologetic claiming no knowledge of Aoi's duplicitous past. Despite knowing better, Team Ten kept quiet and out of Familia affairs earning a gentle nod of approval from the Egyptian Host as he departed. With only a mild warning that he should better screen his new members, he left with little more than a minor fine and a gentle slap on the wrist.
They were leaving by caravan back to Melen the next morning, Asuma having refused another escort citing they were more trouble than they were worth. With the rest of the day off to do as they pleased, the Genin broke up and parted ways to get in a last day of souvenir shopping and agreed to meet up for dinner.
~III~
Naruto must have wandered for hours until he found the right gift. Paying the twenty thousand Valis, he pocketed the slender case and left the shop content knowing that his own personal errands for the day were finally over.
He'd converted the Guild trade bars to hard coins and gems earlier in the afternoon storing them in an advanced seal attached to his gauntlet. Goibniu Familia had completed his new shin guards in the matte black he wanted complete with mana storing gemstones and those were currently in a scroll buried in his thigh holster. He'd add the seals to them later. Right now he had somewhere to be.
Walking through the Guild Headquarters entryway for a second time that day, Naruto leaned off to the side and watched the polite Eina Tulle cycle through several customers, her gentle grin never wavering. A few times she paused and stared off into space, her chest heaving before releasing a pensive sigh, which her friend Misha immediately teased her for.
From his spot near the door, Naruto could hear her nervous denial and his name uttered more than once by Misha. He figured enough was enough and pushed off the wall to go stand in line.
It took another half hour behind a large dwarf before he got anywhere close and he quietly gnashed his teeth while he listened to the large man flirt desperately with the gentle beauty. He glanced over his shoulder as the front doors were closed and barred for the night knowing that it would be time to leave soon. Anyone left inside would be let out through a small side door to prevent new customers so he turned to stare at the very wide shoulders of the man in front of him until the broken giant turned and stepped away.
Eina hadn't noticed him yet. Her emerald green pools were feeling bad for the despondent warrior she had to deny for the umpteenth time. That all changed once he stepped forward and distracted her.
"Excuse me but I would like some advice."
Eina's head snapped around to look up into his deep blue eyes and a blush began to spread out through her cheeks and neck.
"Um, certainly Sir. How-how can I be of assistance?"
He stepped forward and gently placed his hands on her counter with his fingers interlaced.
"Well, I have this friend that I am greatly attached to and I'd like to know if there is an Orarian way to ask them to dinner, perhaps at the Golden Vineyard. I hear it's a local favorite among the well-heeled."
The teen blushed a healthy shade of red as her hands reached out to lay gently on top of his own.
"I would start by asking her if she was free and would like to share a meal or glass of wine. That's the sort of thing I'm fond of anyway."
He smiled and her heart melted.
"Come share a quiet meal with me. Let me ease your tension of the day and bask in your beauty. I would like my final hours in Orario to be remembered with joy and happiness of memories spent in your company." He was laying it on thick and he knew it. Hell, he wouldn't have had that much to say if Naruko hadn't made him watch all those chick flicks, as she called them, whenever she won a training challenge.
Inside his mind, the bubbly blond pumped her fist in success.
At the moment, he was grateful for every one of them as he watched her sway dangerously behind the counter. Two seconds later, Misha was throwing up the "Closed" sign at Eina's work position and pushing her from behind the counter yelling, "Have fun you two!" as she rushed the two of them out the door.
Naruto pointedly ignored the jealous stares at his back.
They walked quietly to her apartment, the slightly older Guild rep taking him inside while she went upstairs to freshen up. Naruto henged changing his common articles into a formal kimono from his apartment. He thought being forced to bring one on a mission was an idiotic idea but the thought of using one as a false identity to get into formal functions made some sense and now it gave him the perfect attire for the evening.
What greeted him as he smoothed out the wrinkles was a stunning beauty in a flowing pastel orange gown and cream-colored short cloak that matched his dark blue clothing.
"Amazing." He whispered though it reached her ears and the blush returned. Raising his left elbow, she took it and the two stepped out into the mild night.
Dinner passed calmly, sedately. Naruto wouldn't have been able to tell you what he ate as focused as he was on the beautiful woman at his side. She laughed often, blushed more than not, and they held hands lightly to the displeasure of the many jealous stares in the upscale restaurant. He couldn't identify the strange peace he felt he just knew that being with her felt - right.
"Please close your eyes for me, Eina-chan."
She perked up and blinked in surprise. "Oh?"
He nodded trying to fight back a smile and she suddenly sat up straight with her pretty eyes shut tight and a nervous smile on her face. He did his best not to stare at the way it pushed her chest out straining the fabric of her dress.
Quietly he rose from his chair and pulled out the slim case opening it to reveal a delicate platinum necklace with a dainty setting shaped like a wide "V" holding a pinky-sized sapphire nestled at its very center. Spreading out along the v-setting the stones gradually decreased in size but alternated between diamonds and more sapphires.
Her hand came up to hold the pendant to her chest as she gasped in surprise, her eyes flying open to see the expensive gift.
"Naruto-san," she was having a hard time stringing together words.
"I think we are beyond such formal titles, aren't we?"
Her eyes came up filled with tears as she tried not to shed them and ruin her makeup.
"The sapphires represent my good fortune in finding someone like you. You bring indescribable joy to my life and I am going to be a broken man until I am in your company again. The diamonds represent the truth of my feelings for you and the perfection you bring to my life, the missing peace and serenity I have been looking for but have been unable to find."
There were many sighs of mushy happiness throughout the nearest tables as the green-eyed Eina could no longer hold back her tears. There were also repeated sounds of men being slapped across the shoulders and hands by jealous wives and dates.
When Naruto escorted Eina home, the poor woman was floating with her head in the clouds and a sad pain in her heart.
~III~
It was a very somber Naruto that joined them in the morning having not returned the night before, a scented letter disappearing into his jacket pocket as he entered the Inn.
As the coach rolled through the gates of Orario with its Konohan passengers, the blond Jinchuuriki took the sole position on the floor and stared off into space refusing any and all attempts at conversation from his teammates.
~III~
Two and a half days later found them sailing peacefully back to the hidden harbor of Sutirū-ōtā. Anko stepped out onto the deck after lunch to find two of her Genin staring up at the crow's nest with sour looks on their faces.
"Still moping up there?"
They both nodded silently.
"Has he eaten anything today?"
Both of them shook their heads negatively.
With a heavy sigh, the spiky-headed woman [Body Flickered] to the yardarm clearing her throat in a pointed fashion at a quiet Blinkers. The normally soft-spoken crewman had a hand up pointing out tips to his blond friend whittling away at a thin cylinder of wood.
The scrawny sailor paused to look over at his nestmate and waited for the Genin to nod his head once before shimmying back down to the deck.
It didn't surprise Anko even if it did annoy her. Folks that took the time to get to know him ended up being very loyal and often protective. The crew noticed his subdued behavior and had been giving him space to deal with whatever was "weighing on his mind," as Cookie had put it.
Anko, for the most part, had seen enough of his self-destructive behavior.
"You gonna mope your life away now, Gaki?"
The surly Genin cut his eyes at her before looking to glance back out at the water. With Blinkers gone, someone had to maintain the watch.
"Stop ignoring me!" She thumped his head hard enough to knock it sideways but not hard enough to unseat him from the high perch.
No answer.
"This is not the way to win my affections, Gaki! We already covered stuff like this the other day." She was getting annoyed, but he was being a petulant child, something that was getting easier to remember with this kind of behavior.
"Are we done?" he asked never taking his eyes off the horizon. "Blinkers and I have the watch and he really should be up here, or he'll get in trouble with the Cap'n."
Anko drew in a long-suffering lungful of air through her teeth and reached out to snatch him up by the scruff…
'Damnit! He's not wearing a shirt again!" She adjusted mid-lunge and grabbed a handful of golden hair making his eyes squint closed with the pain, his mouth wide open showing clenched fangs.
She had just reprimanded herself for thinking he had a beautiful set of teeth to go with a gorgeous smile, or grimace, whichever you prefer. Then the entire world spun out from under their feet as the sound of rushing water, quickly followed by a torrent of saltwater, swept them up onto a rocky shoreline.
Down below Ino, Shikamaru, Blinkers, and Cookie (who had brought up a snack for the crow's nest watch team, mirrored each other when they saw the spiraling torrent of water suck the arguing couple into it. Then it popped like a bubble leaving an empty nest and a gentle spray of salty water.
Blinkers took off up the mast like an arrow.
"Nothing up here! They're gone!" He yelled down.
A second later everyone heard the Captain yell for the ship to come dead in the water. Then the frantic search began, the crew looking inside while the shinobi searched the coastline.
A little over ten miles away on the rocky shoreline of southern Kaze no Kuni, Anko sputtered and hacked as she frantically tried to force the liquid out of her lungs. Blinking the salt from her eyes, the now-soaked woman braced as another wave pounded against her before receding. 'Naruto!'
"Naruto!" her voice nearly raw with the effort. She took a staggering step down the rocky shoreline and kept yelling his name.
Groggy and panicked at the same time, her eyes raked the rocks looking for any sign of blond only to find more rocks. A frantic pivot out into the pounding surf showed only more foamy water plus the Mermaid luffing in the wind farther out.
Her fear began to ratchet up another point or five.
Then she heard a rumbling growl behind her and the ever-alert ANBU took over. Snatching a kunai from a hidden pocket, she whirled around to come face to face, er, face to muzzle with the largest lizard she'd ever seen, its bellowing roar blowing the water from her face and her hair straight out behind her.
Out on the Mermaid, Cookie shot up ramrod tall and whispered out one word in utter reverence, "Umihebi."
Asuma looked at him like he'd grown two heads then started trying to get the greybeard to expound a bit more with little success.
Back on the beach, Anko was frantically trying to figure out what it was she was facing so she could decide whether or not to run for her life.
It was an unusual creature. The head was lizard-like, almost Draconian, the nose blunting over gracefully like a beak. Unfortunately, the mouth full of razor-sharp teeth as long as her hand was enough to convince her that this creature, whatever it was, ate meat. So much for hoping it was a vegetarian.
The large head had fins just behind the jaw and a ridge-like sail starting as nubs near its ridged brow and growing to gently curving sails down its extra-long neck and back. From the front, it towered almost twice her height, its serpentine neck merging with powerful shoulders and beast-like arms tipped with talons long enough to match her kunai. Its body was more lionesque than reptilian, its powerful haunches also ending in another set of wicked blades before a sleek and powerful tail (topped with the same sailed ridges) ended with a large fan-shaped set of spikes. When the spiky spines forming the sail of its tail extended into nasty-looking spines, Anko couldn't help but mutter a curse. She almost expected to see wings and have to start dodging flames from the beast's mouth.
It didn't matter that the creature's scaly hide was a gorgeous pearl color with seashell pink highlights. It didn't matter that its large eyes were the same translucent sea green that you find in a clear lagoon. It was large, angry, and most definitely dangerous. Plus, it was also the reason why she couldn't just walk away from it.
'Must be a summons but where is the master?'
Whatever it was, the creature was almost three times the size of any horse and crouching atop her prone Genin, his hands clamped firmly over the back of his neck as he writhed in pain.
"Damnit, kami must really hate me this week," she muttered.
~III~
Naruto groaned. It felt like someone had ripped his head from his shoulders starting right where that damnable seal on his neck was. He felt nauseous and swore his entire tenketsu network was aflame. His ears could hear the ocean still even though he was laying on something hard, probably rocks. He could also hear someone gently calling his name, someone familiar. Then something massive growled and it sounded like it was coming from everywhere at the same time.
Naruto struggled to open his eyes and came face to face with black stone. Seawater splashed up against the rocks and forced him to blink his sight clear for just a second. He was under a shade of some sort, something large like a covered alcove maybe and he needed to pull himself together. Where was he? If he knew that he could figure out how to get away from his kidnappers and back to the Mermaid.
Then something roared and nearly ruptured his eardrums as every bone in his body vibrated painfully.
Fear took over and his adrenal glands started pumping for all they were worth. Sapphire eyes rocketed open and he came face to face with overlapping plates the color of pearls with a pinkish tinge around the creases.
'Ugh, why can't I escape that color?'
Even with Naruko yelling in his mind to stop, he did something incredibly stupid.
He reached up and stroked the plates closest to his face and the entire wall of hardened leather shivered then shrieked, one massive claw tipped with daggers on the end raised up off the ground almost directly above his head.
"Oh, dip," he muttered.
~III~
Anko wanted to kill him but his actions stopped the creature's raging and it focused on him for a change. When the claw came up, she swore it was over and prepared to dash in now that it was distracted but the mood drastically changed forcing her to wait.
The fins that were waving agitatedly along the beast's head and back slapped tight along its body. Its mouth closed with a snap as it backed up just enough to lower its muzzle down to his face. Its whole body flushed and rippled, the smooth pearl tint to its scales flashing almost seashell pink before returning to its normal color.
'Did that thing just,' her thoughts paused while her mind re-booted, 'blush?'
The not-quite-a-dragon backed up until it could lower its bulk to the rocky ground without crushing him before nuzzling Naruto almost protectively. When Anko tried to get closer, its eyes snapped up, those fins behind its jaw started waggling angrily again, and it let out a rumbling sound like boulders tearing down a hillside.
Anko's foot stopped right where it came down on the wet rock and her palms came up defensively.
"Naruto," she called out watching both of them very closely, "Naruto, I need you to come over here to me."
The lost summons did not appreciate her comment and its head snapped up completely from Naruto's prone body to fixate on her.
She frowned when the boy didn't move.
"Look, we can talk about our," she flinched when the creature growled once again forcing her to back off a bit, "situation later but we need to get back to the ship and her crew."
The summons whined and pressed the rounded end of its muzzle into Naruto's right palm. A golden flash met his skin and his hand jerked away like it had been burned.
Naruto looked into the palm apparently surprised.
Right then another beast emerged from the surf, this one far larger than the one hovering protectively over her Gaki and Anko swore like a sailor without rum. She didn't think she could take one in a fight even with her snakes and now there was a second.
Glancing back and forth, she saw this new one, a nice dark blue shade, roar in their direction, and the pearl-colored one shrink back almost in fear.
With one last nudge to the prone Genin, it rose to its clawed feet, shifted sideways to clear the human child's body, then slammed down to the earth before sliding along like a snake on its scaled underbelly head-first into the surf.
"Well slap my ass and call me Candy," she mumbled out. Making sure whatever it was had indeed vanished beneath the waves, she strode over to the sitting Genin and began roughly checking him for injuries, while he promptly began swatting her hands away.
It earned him a painful smash on the noggin for his troubles.
"I don't care how prissy of a mood you're in, you'll obey my commands until I'm no longer assigned over you. Do you understand, Genin?!"
Naruto rubbed his skull and glared hateful up at the woman standing over him.
"Since when has that ever changed?" he shot back.
She gaped and nearly struck him again for good measure. "When?! What do you call all that disobedient attitude before up in the crow's nest?!" By now she was moving beyond angry to kill-him-dead-livid.
"You never officially ordered me to do anything. You just kept asking me questions." Naruto stated it all calmly despite the nasty sneer on his face. His eyes were filled with pain, his mask completely gone for the time being.
"I told you to stop ignoring me. Last time I checked that was a fu-, damned order!"
The Genin stood up to face her directly.
"Trying to get me to talk about my feelings does not fall under the standard protocols for a leader-subordinate working relationship. You cannot legally force me to talk about my feelings."
She knew he had a point.
"Fine." It was almost a curse. 'Damnable stubborn and pig-headed this one.' She turned around to see the Mermaid bobbing peacefully out in deeper water. "Can you water walk yet?"
"No, haven't had time to master it."
She grumbled a bit more and crouched down with her hands out beside her curvy hips.
"C'mon then. It's too far for me to shunshin all the way back."
He stood there for a few minutes looking at her back, long enough for her to glance over her shoulder.
"Well?"
With a sigh, he shuffled forward and leaned against her, his arms locked around her neck as she grabbed his legs and stood effortlessly.
"You grab anything you shouldn't, and I'll make you swim the rest of the way." It was only fair to warn him.
"Yeah, yeah."
Taking a few steps at the shoreline, Anko modified her chakra output to compensate for his extra weight and took off across the choppy water like a dolphin.
She expected him to get a chub or something. Instead, he was so detached that she was almost disappointed. They were about halfway to the ship he wasn't even trying to look down her coat front with his head turned to the side as if he was watching the water for something.
Hoping that those large lizards were in fact gone, she [Body Flickered] the moment she felt she was in range and never looked back.
~III~
"What have you done?!" Poseidus was furious, the fins and spines along his body literally humming with rage. Opal was once again atop her platform beneath her mother, her muzzle turned away hoping he would not notice her flushed color.
'He-he touched me! He accepted my gift!' Her mind was racing, and she found it hard to listen to her father's words at the moment. 'His hands were so soft." She squeaked out a tiny squeal, her fair scales rippling through a brighter shade of scarlet then back to their normal hue.
Her mother sighed hopelessly seeing that her daughter clearly had been affected by the encounter and was now a lost cause.
The massive boss summons, the only one sporting two wicked horns raked backwards from his massive brow, whipped his head to face his son. "Tell me what happened."
It was not a request and Titus, having just settled back onto his own perch, raised his head to answer his sire.
"We were watching the wooden toy sail past with Magnus and Regnus, most of us trying to stay deep below the surface as it crawled by. But then we heard it."
Magnus did not try to hide the fanged grin creeping its way onto his own muzzle.
"It was serene, almost like a choir," the older heir was in a daze as his eyes focused out past the walls of their cavern not far from Ryuchi Cave. "It… called to me, started pulling me to the surface."
By now, the remaining dozen or more of the Umihebi had begun to gather. Many had heard tales, mostly those spread by Magnus, of the Walker's return so, when Opal had been dragged back under protest after reportedly having engaged the Walker itself, they were all understandably curious.
"Then the music changed, an angry mournful sound that pulled all of us to their world and we saw this female creature attacking him." His muzzle swung to his pouting sibling. "That's when Opal tunneled to the shore and drew him to her."
Marianus hissed in shock while Poseidus wheeled on her and vented more of his rage.
"You would defy me?!" He nearly stepped down fully from his platform his long neck sweeping his snapping jaws low and across his mighty body to face her. "What if it had been a ruse? A trap to lure us out to resume the hunts?!" Many of the survivors winced at that knowing that there were worse fates for females of their species if captured alive and restrained. There were ways to do so.
Opalessa was not deterred and her muzzle lifted up to squarely face down her father. "He accepted the gift."
Her words were softly spoken but the entire assembly heard them. For all his might, the mighty Poseidus sputtered and floundered as he tried to refute them to no avail.
The Gift was a mental link only receivable by the royal line of Senju, the last bearer being the mighty Tobirama himself. If that was true…
His muzzle swept down again to his daughter, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "You will take full responsibility for your actions, child." He waited until she nodded back fiercely. "Pray that your impetuousness has not doomed us all to extinction."
Without another word, Poseidus settled fully onto his platform and closed his eyes signaling the end of the audience.
Opal quietly cheered her victory, small as it was, as the excited whispers of her clan vibrated in the audience chamber she'd spent most of her existence sequestered in.
Magnus, on the other hand, roared her victory to the heavens and whatever corner of their territory that would listen. He may have even roared in a few that did not.
~III~
Other than climbing back up to the nest to retrieve the flute Blinkers was teaching him to carve, Naruto spent the majority of the day in odd places trying to keep away from everyone. Once Anko described what they saw (which immediately produced awed whispers from the crew), many of the sailors started stepping lightly around Naruto. Several bowed to him as they walked by making some odd symbol in the air by waving their hands like paintbrushes.
Having had enough of the superstition, Anko snapped on old Cookie and forced him to explain what in the nine-hundred layers of the Abyss was going on.
Not taking his eyes from a sullen Naruto resting up near the front of the boat next to the crow's nest resident, the two carving away silently, he spun a short tale.
"The Uzumaki are known throughout the seafarin' trade, more so 'un the Umino Clan what give us the powerful strong Dolphins. While the Umino were masters of their trade, the Uzumaki were true masters of the sea. Tweren't a ship afloat what didn't sail with 'em."
His accent grew atrocious the less he focused on speaking "normalese" to tell his tall tales.
"I've sailed with muh share, from the flaming locks 'o thuh main family to the golden crowns uh them thar Senju branchers. Both 'em powerful strong on the seas, powerful strong." He paused to take a deep pull from his pipe not even noticing that the embers had burned out long ago.
"Them Senju though, they sang to the Umihebi. They could call 'em to help fight off pirates an' brigands. They could call 'em to calm the seas or grant safe passage with good winds. Kami help ya if yer barnacle brained enough to cross them Senju what wuz linked to the powerful serpents 'o the waves."
"Sea serpents?" Shikamaru spit out in disbelief. They all heard the freakishly loud roaring coming from the shore. Heck, it stopped all motion topside and even drew up the crew sleeping from below. You could not miss it (*take a listen to the roars from Godzilla 2000; the almost aquatic nature goes well with water-dwelling sea serpents… sonar?).
The old cook returned his pipe to his clamped teeth and spoke not another word for the rest of the night. Later he brought dinner up to the decks so that Naruto could eat and sat down with the two woodcarvers. Most of the crew would pass by and lay a hand on his shoulder and nod sagely before moving on while his team stared on befuddled at the day's events.
Anko was lost in thought.
'Uzumaki, check.
'Father? Dunno but he's the spittin' image of the Yondaime.
'There's nothing in his freakin' history to suggest ties to the Senju! Hell, the last one I know of is Tsunade and she's never had kids that anyone could prove.' She was jostled from those thoughts by a familiar baritone that sounded like the owner gargled with rock salt.
"It's fer good luck," the ship captain grumbled out behind them startling the two Genin. Then he proceeded to walk up and do the same by ruffling Naruto's golden mop, his gruff voice carrying across the quiet deck as he thanked the blond for sailing with them and "warding off the evil afloat in the dark waters." More than once through the day he'd asked the boy flat out if he'd give up the shinobi life to crew with them, an offer Naruto politely and respectfully declined each time.
Anko couldn't wait to get back to Konoha and away from the weird water. Port couldn't come soon enough tomorrow. She'd had enough of the sea to last her a good while.
~III~
"I refuse!"
Speaking of Iruka Umino, he was gaping like a dying fish at the petulant face of one Sasuke Uchiha. The boy was flat-out refusing to do another D-ranked mission. His bold proclamation started with, "If Naruto and his merry band of losers were good enough to get a multi-week-long C-ranked, then he, the elite of the Uchiha Clan, should be doing B-ranks or better."
Then it ended with, "The Council thinks I can do better."
"Of all the hubris," Iruka barked out before turning from the stack of scrolls in the "D-Rank" box in his lap. He bolted upright with the box clutched tightly in his white-knuckled grip. "You will learn your place, Genin!"
The jealous Uchiha folded his arms and scowled, his mighty duck hair jiggling minutely with ten pounds of product gluing it firmly into place.
The Jounin's frown towards his pampered soldier and his horrible behavior got cut off by the Hokage's voice.
"Kakashi, can you think of a valid reason why your team would not be ready for a C-Ranked mission?"
The elite shinobi looked upon his team like a general surveying the battlefield and carefully weighed his options. Not wanting to deal with a wailing Council, he opted to pitch them a bone.
"It depends on the mission, Hokage-sama. Bandit camp elimination is currently out of their reach but a timid escort or missive delivery to some dignitary should be doable."
Iruka started to object but the Hokage held out his hand asking for the Nami escort mission. Clicking his desk intercom, Hiruzen asked someone to show in their visitor.
The door opened to show a slightly silvered man wobbling his way into the room. One hand gripped an end of the towel draped around his shoulders as it swabbed his face. The other clutched a sake bottle protectively to his chest.
"Team Seven, meet your client Tazuna Aono of Nami no Kuni." Something clicked in the back of Sakura's brain when she heard the name Aono but the moment passed.
"That's not a princess," Choji mumbled out between a mouth packed with chips.
"And you're not a skinny knight in shining armor," the old drunk slurred back.
Choji's eyes narrowed dangerously at the implication.
"Team," the Hokage interjected, "your mission will be to escort Tazuna-san back to Nami and then guard him until his bridge is completed."
The spectacled drunk squared his shoulders swaying slightly with the sudden rush of blood from his head. "I-I'm aaaaaaaaaaan important (buuuuuuurp) man in Nami. You better protect me with your lives!"
Sasuke responded by dropping into a crouch and whipping a kunai across the room. There was a soft "chink" followed immediately by the kunai burying itself into the wood paneling directly behind the tipsy architect.
Then his bottle cracked. He had just enough time to look up from the damaged porcelain before it shattered in his grip and soaked his sandaled feet in rice wine.
"I think you've had enough to drink, old man," hissed out the brooding Genin.
For once, Kakashi agreed with him. 'What could go wrong with this mission?' an eye-smiling Kakashi joked to himself.
~III~
Saying goodbye to the crew of the Blue Mermaid was a traumatic moment. Cookie actually shed tears and many of the crew embraced Naruto like a long-lost relative.
In the end, Team Ten left the secret port happy to be home again in the forests of their homeland. At long last, the mission that never ends was nearing its finish. Ino and Shikamaru spent the road trip staring at the back of their point man, Naruto Uzumaki, who resolutely stared at the path ahead.
Hey, at least he wasn't sulking anymore. He'd spent the last twelve hours since sunrise staring at his right hand, his palm specifically after gaining a coiled dragon tattoo.
'Damn, have to remember it's not a dragon but damn that thing was huge. Kinda cool how it slid like a cobra into the water though.' Anko was much happier to have distance between her and a ginormous sea serpent but had to admit they were gorgeous when they weren't snarling at you.
Her mind was trying to piece through the past twenty-four hours of excitement and how she could get the withdrawn blond to open back up to her. His being quiet just wasn't natural.
Said blond was ignoring his team because he was trying to find a way to get to Nami and find his clan's ancestral home. Opal told him that he could find his way back to her through there. Well, to be honest, she'd shared a lot more than that through their new link and he was suddenly very excited about a clan he hadn't thought a whole lot about since getting that journal from his mom.
On top of that, his dream last night seemed so real.
Flashback no Jutsu – Sea Serpent Dream Sequence
Naruto stretched as hard as he could, his yawn echoing out across the strange cavern he found himself in. Even though it was dark, the pale blue light coming from swirl-shaped seals along the wall provided enough light for normal people to see just fine let alone someone with his much sharper night vision. Blinking a few times to clear the grogginess, he scanned the room to get his bearings.
First of all, Naruto was standing in a pool, at least the shallow edge of one. He could see much deeper water in a much larger pool not ten meters from the kiddie pool where he lingered. His smaller pool was off to the side and farther from the back of the room, so it was difficult to accurately judge distance in the dim light. Besides, this place was enormous.
Glancing up he could see dimly glowing crystals on the ceiling that had to be fifty meters or more away. That's when he saw them.
There were ledges, a dozen or more half-circle-shaped alcoves spread out all over the wall. Many were empty but a good number had odd-shaped stones clustered on them. Each stone pulsed softly with a pale light of some color or another, a sky blue here, a dark purple there. There were even a few of the egg-like shapes pulsing with a soft whitish light that reminded him of Opal.
Turning his eyes over the rest of the cave, his orbs lit on four massive platforms stacked together right behind him, two fairly high up and set side by side. Just below and to the side of those two were another pair of ledges, all four currently empty.
He inhaled and the smell washed over him. Leather, saltwater, water lilies, and a hint of fishy aroma all mixed together. Opal! There were many other smells, but he could make her out somewhere just to his left. Maybe it was one of the four nearest to him. Yeah, that had to be it.
"What do you think?"
Naruto spun around in the pool, the water sloshing about as he turned to face the sweet alto posing the question. The first thought that hit him was that she was stunning. Forget Eina. Forget Hinata. Anko? Anko who?
Her skin literally glowed, so pale and perfect as it was. Slender shoulders, graceful limbs filled with lean muscle. Her long hair flowed and swayed behind her hips, a pale off-white curtain that matched her skin except for the faint pink highlights throughout her silky strands. Her heart-shaped face drew his stare to her pouty lips, petite nose, and sea-green eyes. They were quickly becoming his favorite color.
The next thought that hit him was that she was only wearing what Eina had called a "shendyt," that short skirt thing that Set guy wore back in Orario. Eina shared with him some of the Egyptian culture the god supposedly came from but there weren't records of any such colony in all of the elemental kingdoms.
It didn't matter because, unlike the common examples the poor and slaves of that imaginary culture wore, the one sinfully hugging the hips and thighs of this woman shone a glistening white of the finest silk, the edges trimmed in the thickest gold. That told him that she was royalty of some sort if he remembered Eina's lessons correctly.
That's where her clothing ended. His eyes shamelessly raked her body from the tops of her dainty feet, along her shapely and strong legs, past her tiny waist, flat stomach, and very generous chest (he might have lingered on the seashell-pink buds for a moment or two), before settling his sapphire orbs firmly onto her creamy green ones.
She was blushing by this time at his scrutiny and his face flushed a bright red with embarrassment. He was ashamed for two reasons.
Of course, the first was because he'd shamelessly ogled her body and found her extremely attractive. It was a natural response for a healthy male facing a nearly naked woman of incredible beauty. Did he mention how gorgeous she was?
The second was because he found her desirable and his lower body responded accordingly, which she noticed when her eyes darted below his waist and the young girl demurely bit her lower lip.
Wait a minute. The only way that she could know he was attracted to her that way was if he was…
Both hands flew to his crotch and she giggled at his embarrassment. As he tried to inconspicuously sink his hips below the thigh-high pool surface, she slowly walked into the shallows from the other side, her hips swaying in a way that should be neither humanly possible nor legal in polite company. His jaw promptly fell open.
She glided through the water until she was close enough to drape one arm over his shoulder and across his back. Her eyes closed and her lips parted as she sighed with decadent pleasure once her chest made contact with his, her legs straddling his as he knelt in the pool. Kami he could feel the thing grasped between his hands trying to explode and it was starting to hurt a bit.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he noted that her skin was chilly to the touch but that thought fled once she pressed harder against him, her lips hovering near his jaw as she pressed her cheek against his face.
"So warm," she murmured, her other arm joining the first across his still-widening shoulders. Every motion rubbed her chest against his body as their skin contact tried to wipe his mind clean.
"Remember this place, U~ōkā. Come to me. Call to me and I shall be yours for all time." Then she kissed him, hands planted to his cheeks and chest still pressed against his body.
There was a flash of light and Naruto sat up in his bedroll gasping for air. It took almost an hour before he could calm down enough to go back to sleep and he awoke the next morning disappointed not to find the mysterious girl waiting for him once he did.
Flashback no Jutsu – Sea Serpent Dream Sequence – Kai!
The cry of a falcon high above them not only brought Naruto out of his revelry it brought him to an abrupt stop in the branches high above the ground. Asuma called down the messenger bird and pulled the tiny scroll from its leg before reading through it twice then passing it to Anko with a sigh.
"Change of plans gang. Naruto, hang an immediate right and make best speed for Kōraru Mura."
Anko hissed and cursed. Loudly.
"Troublesome," joined the chorus of malcontent.
Kamakura was, in the "public" eye, the only harbor town in Hi no Kuni. Loaded with tons of fishing vessels and transport ships, it was perfect for rapid transport to and from the Land of Fire. Too bad it was too far away to be useful for their immediate needs.
Instead of Kamakura, Tazuna had been leading Team Seven to the sleepy fishing village just across from Nami no Kuni's main island. According to the message Asuma received, Team Ten would have to make a beeline for Kōraru Mura so they could meet up with Sasuke's squad and support them in Nami.
Naruto was originally so not-pleased to hear this news wanting nothing more than to go home and be done with people for a while. Trying to get a grip on his volatile temper, he schooled his emotions and stilled his face. He had a lot to sort through and he couldn't do that with constant distractions. Then his mind perused its stores of Hi no Kuni geography and what lay near both Coral Village and Nami.
Nami, before the destruction of his clan, was part of Uzushiogakure.
'Come to me.' The voice was like a whisper on the wind and his face went blank so quickly that Ino was wondering if he'd had a stroke or just plain snapped.
Without a single objection, the blond Genin changed course and leaped from his perch towards the eastern coast of Hi no Kuni.
It was the fact that he didn't argue that worried the senior shinobi, one wondering why he'd shut them all out for the last three days and the other afraid that she already knew the answer.
~III~
[Jutsu Used in This Chapter]
[A-Rank] Doton: Meisai Gakure no Jutsu (Earth Release: Camouflage Concealment Technique): Meisai Gakure no Jutsu is an advanced Ninjutsu technique developed by Rock ninja. After forming the needed handseals, the ninja can grant themselves near invisibility. So far only the Sharingan eye and its revelation abilities has been shown to pierce the veil and see the hidden ninja. It is unknown if the Byakugan can penetrate the jutsu and see the user's chakra circulatory system.
[C-Rank] Doton: Dochuu Eigyo (Earth Release: Underground Fish Projection): Doton Dochuu Eigyo is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Earth Element. Using the Oboro Bunshin, the Rain Genin use the clones to confuse their enemies and then hide within the earth. From the shadows of the clones, the actual ninja can then attack their target. It can also be combined with similar techniques like the [Double Decapitation Jutsu].
Note: Allows ninja to hide underground
[C-Rank] Kagemane no Jutsu (The Art of Me-and-My-Shadow): Kagemane no Jutsu, literally "Shadow Imitation Technique" is a short to mid-range (0-10m) technique made famous among the Nara clan of Konohagakure no Sato. The user's shadow is extended to the opponent's shadow, combining them. This puts the attacker in control of the target's movements- the target is forced to make any movement the user makes. It is an extremely versatile technique. Given enough talent, the shadow can contracted or have its shape changed. It can even get ahold of several targets at once. The shadow can also be connected with the shadows of other objects to extend its range. Shikamaru can only hold the jutsu for about 5 minutes.
~III~
Omake: Cuts Like A Knife
"Clack."
Anko's eyes scrunched up as she tried to block out the irritating sound.
"Clack, clack, click-clack."
'Ugh. Too early for this shit!'
Kicking her legs and flailing her arms like an angry four-year old, Anko bolted upright grunting under her breath. Trying not to swear loud enough to wake up the other four inhabitants… her eyes caught the ruffled bedroll minus the blond mop of hair sticking loosely out of the northern end.
Suddenly the open window made sense.
Going back to slip on her trench, she reached out with her senses and detected the jinchuuriki's enormous chakra pool right above her head. Taking a deep breath, she slipped outside via the ledge then walked up the wall until she was crouched a dozen steps away from her sitting Genin.
"Trouble sleeping?" she queried. His eyes swiveled over to her for a moment before returning to the slowly increasing lights of the city.
A heavy sigh followed her unceremonious flop to the roof's tiles. As her elbows found their way onto her knees, her light brown peepers started counting the number of lights bursting on behind shuttered windows. It was almost as if a thousand eyes were opening to greet the dawn one sleepy pair at a time.
"How long are you going to hold this against me?" The blond sighed.
"There's nothing to hold against you. I poured out my heart. You set fire to the mess. That's within your right." His voice sounded so hollow in her ears. A quick glance over showed that blank mask he once wore prior to joining Team Ten was back.
"Don't force this." While her tone was dire, she knew she was losing her spot. This was always a risk when people got too close. She wanted, no, needed to reign things back to a comfortable distance.
"I'm not forcing anything. Sounds like you need to let it go."
She snarled inside. He wouldn't even meet her eyes. "I'm bad news in more ways than one and you know it, gaki."
"What has that got to do with the price of tea in the Land of Tea?" This time she huffed out in irritation.
"Not going down this road again."
He turned to face her full on. "Why are you even here? I came up here to get away from you all!"
Anko's mouth opened for a moment then closed almost immediately. Why was she even there? 'Hey, sorry I crapped all over half your dream but there's always a bright side! Besides, you're young so I know you'll snap right back in no time!'
"You're better off finding someone closer to your own age. You'll thank me for this later."
"Keep telling yourself that. Whatever helps you sleep at night." With that he turned back to the wakening city.
Hell, she wasn't good at this motivational crap and could tell a sinking ship when she smelled one. Ghosting to her bare feet, she applied chakra to her hands and swung over the ledge and back into their crowded room.
'He's a big boy. He'll figure something out without me.'
~III~