It was early in the morning when Naruto and his group left the hotel they were staying in. If they kept a good pace, they'd be able to reach the Land of waves and catch a boat to the Sun Kingdom the following day. As they traveled through the trees on foot, Naruto thought back to the conversation with the others before they all went to bed.

Last night when Sai and Ino returned from their bath, Naruto called for a meeting between them. After the day's events, he thought it'd be best to decide who would watch during shifts for the night. As well as how to handle the next day's travels. After being attacked, he knew their enemy was still actively tracking them. So, their safety, especially Toshiro's, would be imperative from now on.

He looked around at the three other adults in the room, who currently had different expressions, which led him to take the first couple of hours of the night watch. Although he and Sakura enjoyed a relaxing afternoon after arriving in this town, she tried to cover a yawn with her hand and blinked a few times before masking how tired she felt. He knew he owed Sai for the afternoon, and given how his shoulders were slightly slumped and he didn't want any of the food they'd ordered earlier, he knew Sai wouldn't be a good choice either. And Ino was leaning on the table with her elbows while her hands cupped her face. Although one of her eyes was covered with her hair, her one visible eye was closed.

Naruto smiled before starting with the mind to make this meeting brief. "Alright, I say tomorrow we travel by foot again. I'll go ahead and take the first shift for tonight's watch as well. So you all go ahead and get some rest, y'know." They all nodded in agreement wordlessly, so he continued speaking. "I'll pick someone at random to cover for me when I need to get some rest. So that about covers it." He finished saying and hoped they'd go to bed without an argument.

"After a couple of hours, wake me up," Sakura said. "And don't go trying to stay up all night either trying to take one for the team."

Naruto started to protest, but Sai began to talk as he looked at Sakura. "Come and wake me up after two hours, Sakura. So that you can go back to sleep."

She nodded, and Ino started immediately started putting in for her shift. "I'll cover the early morning shift and order breakfast; good night, everyone," Ino said before standing up and going over to her shared area with Sakura.

Naruto frowned a little and reluctantly agreed by nodding. Sai and Sakura went to their designated areas, and Naruto sighed before laying his hands behind his head against the tatami floor of the room while staring up at the ceiling. Watching over the group for two hours wouldn't be hard at all. But the day or two ahead of him made him feel a bit uneasy. The enemy ninja was confusing him at this point. Whomever their leader was, they kept their people on a short leash. And the fact that this leader was in control over four people with Kekei Genki so far was alarming. He was more than confident of his abilities, and the skills of the team he currently had would be more than capable of defeating them. But from what Sai told him of the woman, Kagami tried warning him about something, leading him to believe something bigger had to be going on.

Now in the present, Naruto continued to lead the group, determined to see this mission through to the end. He was looking forward to traveling to this area to see something he hadn't seen in a long time. The Great Naruto bridge, which Tazuna built, on one of the earliest missions he did with team seven. He hoped he'd get to see him and Inari and Tsunami. Before Kakashi took office as the Sixth Hokage, he'd seen Tazuna again after he built a flying ship called the Tabishachimaru that used mass amounts of helium to fly.

However, the events that followed the mission Kakashi was on the Tabishachimaru hadn't made it after its maiden voyage. Since the group decided to stop in the Land of waves, he thought it'd be good to visit them. And also to let them know of his pending nuptials to Sakura so that they can send them an invitation if they'd be interested in attending.

After a couple of hours of traveling through the trees and on foot, Naruto's team finally arrived at the end of the Great Naruto bridge, which connected the Land of Waves to the Land of Fire. It was early into the evening, and the sun was still shining bright in the sky. He ran ahead of the others who were taking their time walking after traveling for so long. Naruto smiled, looking at the hanging sign with his name listed on it. He excitedly turned around with a grin on his face waving ecstatically.

"We're finally here! Sakura! Come check it out; the sign is still here, y'know!" He said excitedly.

Ino, Sai, and Toshiro looked confused as they looked over at Sakura, who laughed, understanding their sudden confusion. "Long ago, Kakashi sensei and our group protected a bridge builder who built this bridge. There was a rich tycoon guy who didn't want the Land of Waves connected to the Land of fire as he wouldn't be able to keep control over goods coming in and out of there. After we finished our mission, Naruto made such an impression on the bridge builder that he named it after him. So this is the Great Naruto bridge."

"Sakura!" Naruto called.

"Okay, I'm coming over," Sakura said before walking to him.

Ino smiled, looking at the two of them. "The Great Naruto Bridge, huh? They've sure been through a lot of crazy missions. You've been through a couple of your own when you joined team seven, right?"

Sai chuckled and looked over at her. "Yes, I did. Being with those two are some of my fondest memories."

The three of them began walking toward Naruto and Sakura. Naruto was busy digging through his backpack for something.

"Argh," Naruto grumbled as he dug through his bag.

Sakura arched an eyebrow while putting her hands on her hips. She shifted her weight from one leg to the other as she watched him digging through his bag. "Honey, what are you looking for?"

"I bought a disposable camera before I arrived at the Hokage building the day before. I was hoping if we came by here, we could take a picture together, y'know. Dammit, I must've left it at the apartment."

Sakura approached him and gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "It's okay; when we get further into the Land of waves, we can buy one at the store. And on our way home, we'll stop and take a picture. So no need to get frustrated right now."

He sighed and nodded before putting his bag over his shoulders again. He wanted that picture, so he made a mental note to buy another disposable camera. Together they crossed the long bridge and officially made it to the Land of waves. The gentle cool air as a breeze passed off the ocean felt great as they walked.

When they arrived on the other side, the group was very excited to be there, which meant they'd be in the Sun Kingdom in one day. As they walked looking for a hotel, Naruto kept an eye out for the enemy ninja along with Ino. Surprisingly they hadn't had any signs yet of being attacked or followed. Even though they were in a highly populated village, they knew they still needed to keep an eye out. Soon enough, they found a hotel, and Naruto once ago got a large enough room for all of them to share. Unlike the last time, there wasn't an area or event where they could entertain Toshiro. So the four young adults looked to one another to see what they should do. Sai cleared his throat, and everyone looked over at him.

"I think Ino and I should take Toshiro to get some snacks from the store. We might be able to go and get something to eat while we're out like last time." He suggested.

Naruto's eyes widened as he looked over at Sai. "Are you sure, Sai?"

Ino smiled as she was happy that Sai wanted to spend time with her, and if that meant taking Toshiro with them, that would be fine as well. Sai nodded as he had already made up his mind.

"Yes, Ino can look out for the enemy since she can sense their chakra. We can speak to one another using her abilities if we need to and connect to you." Sai explained.

Ino nodded. "Yeah, we had a good time with Toshiro the last time, so we should be fine! Just don't go trying to prank us like last time, okay."

Naruto and Sakura laughed but nodded in agreement with Ino's request. After Sai and the others left, Sakura looked over to Naruto.

"So what do you want to do?" She asked, smiling.

Naruto grinned. "We should go see Tazuna, Inari, and Tsunami since we're here! We can invite them to the wedding and send them an invitation when we make them."

Sakura smiled and nodded. "I haven't seen them since Tazuna and Inari helped to rebuild the village. Let's see if they still live in their old house. Or ask around to see if we can find their new home if they've moved!"

Naruto grinned and nodded, and together they left the hotel room and began looking for the bridge builder and his family. After doing some light shopping, Naruto and Sakura arrived in front of Tazuna's house after they found out that he hadn't moved after all these years. Sakura thought it'd be a nice gesture to bring a gift since they were coming over without warning. They decided on flowers since it was affordable, and they wouldn't need to dip into the money from Kakashi to do it. When they approached the wooden home, Naruto knocked twice before looking at Sakura with a grin. She laughed in response to his excitement, and the familiar voice of Tsunami from behind the door greeted them.

"Who is it?" Tsunami asked.

"It's Naruto and Sakura!" Naruto replied.

The door was yanked open so quickly that they thought it might break off the henges. Tsunami looked at them both before she smiled, tears starting to form in her eyes. She embraced them together tightly as Naruto and Sakura laughed in response.

"Oh my goodness, what a pleasant surprise!" Tsunami said, letting them go. She wiped her eyes, but the tears flowed down her face as she laughed. "After all these years! Sakura, you are so beautiful! And Naruto, you are so handsome! Please come on in!"

They thanked her and entered the home. Sakura handed her the flowers they picked out together, tulips since it was orange, and Naruto insisted on them. She led them into her house and sat in the dining area while she went to the kitchen to grab some refreshments.

"Dad and Inari went to the market earlier to grab some items for a job they have to do tomorrow. They'll both be excited to see you both again! You both should join us for dinner! It's almost ready! So the last time they saw you both, they told me Sasuke wasn't in the village anymore?" Tsunami asked.

"No," Naruto answered truthfully. "He's out traveling right now, y'know. But I'm sure he'll be back when he's ready."

"But the last time we saw him was about a month ago," Sakura smiling. "He seems to be in good spirits."

Tsunami came over with water and tea and sat down at the table with them. The front door opened again, and Tazuna's voice was instantly recognizable as it headed toward them.

"We're back! It's a shame Sake shouldn't cost that much money." He complained.

"That's because you only like drinking the expensive brand Grandpa," Inari replied.

"You might be getting older, Inari, but don't throw that up in my face," Tazuna said as Inari laughed. He was grumbling when he entered the room.

Naruto, Sakura, and Tsunami looked up at him, and his eyes widened. His mouth popped open before he began to laugh loudly.

"Well, I'll be! If it isn't Naruto and Sakura! What brings you two here?" Tazuna asked.

Inari hurried into the room then, wide-eyed with a grin. "What?"

They both stood up and greeted Tazuna and Inari before sitting down and catching up with one another after all these years.

In the market district in the Land of waves, Sai, Ino, and Toshiro were walking, looking for a nice place to grab snacks and other items. It was filled with many people getting off work or looking for a nice restaurant to wind down in the evening. Ino kept Toshiro between her and Sai as they walked so that he wouldn't get lost in the crowd. Since it wasn't too busy for her, she quickly scanned the surrounding area around them. The many different chakra signatures of all human life surrounded them. But she knew the distinctive ones she was looking for this time. She sighed in relief that the enemy wasn't around then and opened her eyes to look at Sai.

He looked around their surroundings, noticing the movements of people around them. The older man was drinking a bit too much as his face was flushed, and he laughed loudly with his cup in the air. Women were dancing to a song on the radio that a shopkeeper was trying to sell them. They laughed while having a good time while the shopkeeper stood with a smile. Then there was a toddler walking next to her mother, who was wailing for sweet desserts and candies, but her mother was unfazed by this and continued walking along the busy road. He looked over at Ino, and she nodded a little giving him the all-clear sign.

"Mr. Sai," Toshiro said suddenly.

Sai looked down at the boy and smiled. "What is it, Toshiro?"

"I'm getting kinda hungry." The boy said, holding his stomach and looking down at his hand.

"Hmm," Ino murmured before she noticed something in the distance. "There's a barbecue spot over there! Wanna go check it out?" She asked, looking over at Sai and Toshiro.

They nodded, and the trio continued walking through the crowded people to get a reservation at the restaurant. They got a seat in a booth and placed their order with the waitress. Toshiro sat next to Sai, and Ino watched as they looked through the menu together. She sighed happily as she cupped the side of her face as leaned against the table. When the food arrived, Ino grilled the items on the grill.

"You make it look so easy!" Sai said, smiling.

Ino blushed a little as she flipped over the order of pork belly they ordered. "I've seen Choji do this more than enough. I should be an expert at it by now."

"Well, you're much better at it than I am. Sakura almost ripped my head off after burning a steak one time. I'm glad Naruto was there to stop her, so they don't let me cook anymore if we go to a barbecue restaurant."

The memory of Sakura standing over the table, giving Sai a death glare while trying to take a swipe at him, and Naruto holding her back by her torso filled his mind as he chuckled. This was when they were younger, but the rule still stood as they didn't let Sai do any of the cooking since then.

Ino giggled as she grabbed a plate and started moving food onto it for Toshiro to eat. "I'm surprised to hear you say that. But don't feel too bad she isn't the best at cooking either."

Sai chuckled. "Oh, I know it! I've had one of her food pills before."

Ino laughed again as she started putting items on a plate for Sai and handed them to him. He thanked her, smiling warmly, and she blushed again. They didn't notice that Toshiro was observing them while chewing his food. He was beginning to enjoy much of his time spent with them both. It felt as if Sai were an older brother to him and Ino his older sister.

After the trio finished their meal, they went to a convenience store. They secured snacks and drinks and were now headed back toward the hotel. Ino yawned as they walked along the road as the sun appeared to start setting soon in the sky. She quickly did another scan for the enemy and froze in mid-step. Behind them were two chakra signatures that stood out from the other day. The man who created the giant tornado that took them off of their birds and the one Sakura had faced.

She opened her eyes and looked over at Sai, who continued walking with Toshiro next to him. She quickly started walking again and held her hand out when Sai suddenly stopped walking.

"Sai!" Ino said and grabbed his shoulder. "We've got to return to the hotel! I'll contact Naruto and Sakura and-"

Sai quickly turned around and caught Ino's wrist in his hand. She winced and noticed the dull look in his eyes. She gasped, pulled away from him with all her strength, and went to Toshrio immediately. Sai kept his eyes on her and dropped the bag he was holding with his other hand with the items he was holding.

"What's wrong with Mr. Sai?" Toshiro asked as Ino pulled him behind her.

She ignored his question pulling out a Kunai as he began unsheathing his blade. Civilians around them noticed this, and before anyone could react, an explosion from the direction of the two enemy shinobi occurred. Screams of mass hysteria began appearing as civilians began to take cover and run from the direction of the explosion.

'Sakura!' Ino said mentally as she connected to Sakura.

'Ino! What's up?' Sakura replied.

'I need you and Naruto down here in the market area asap. Sai's been put under a genjutsu, and two of the enemy ninja are here!'

'We're on our way!' Sakura thought.

Sai lunged toward Ino, and she blocked the attack with her kunai knife. He swung repeatedly, and she had to keep blocking his attacks as she couldn't move in close enough to break him from the genjutsu.

"Mr. Sai! What's wrong?" Toshiro asked again, worried.

"Toshiro!" Ino warned him. "I need you to stay close to me, okay!"

"He won't be doing that." A woman's voice said behind her.

Suddenly Sai jumped back from Ino, and a person appeared behind him. It was a woman with bright long red hair and matching colored eyes. She wore a white sleeveless crop top blouse and black athletic pants with matching-colored sandals. Over her shoulder was Toshiro squirming to get free of her grasp, but she wasn't strong enough to do it. The other two Shinobi appeared next to them, and Ino's eyes widened. She handed Toshiro off to the bigger of the two men, and she smiled at Ino.

"You're the leader of this group, aren't you?" Ino asked, narrowing her eyes at the woman.

She laughed once and smiled. "That's right. You, leaf ninja, have cost me two subordinates. So I'll be taking this Sai guy as a replacement."

"The hell you are!"

Suddenly Toshiro stopped squirming in the man's arms as he went limp. Ino didn't begin to feel so good, as if the world started to shift under her feet. She gasped and fell to the cement as she looked up at the enemy ninja and Sai. Her eyes began to droop as she was starting to lose consciousness.

"You poisoned us?" Ino asked

They smiled as Ino struggled to stay awake. "Ahh, it wasn't hard to do. A simple transformation jutsu and being a good waitress that brought you water was all I needed to do. You'll be fine; the poison isn't deadly; you'll just be knocked out for a while. Bunsaku, Genji lets go. The boat is waiting for us."

They all disappeared, jumping away from the area, and Ino reached out after them before finally falling unconscious.

Naruto and Sakura quickly raced toward the market area after Sakura told Naruto they needed to move. They apologized to Tazuna and his family for leaving suddenly, but they couldn't help the situation. Naruto was upset that the enemy had attacked his teammates but also himself. Although he knew hid didn't foresee this happening, he felt partially responsible as the leader. Ino stopped responding to Sakura, so he feared the worst. He used sage mode to track Ino down and was relieved to sense her chakra.

They quickly arrived to find two women kneeling by Ino, and Sakura promptly went into action.

"Excuse me! She's our friend. Can you tell us what happened to her?" Sakura asked as she knelt at Ino's side.

"There was a group of people. They took the young boy, and the guy walking with her went along. She suddenly collapsed, and we didn't know what had happened to her. But she appears to be okay."

Sakura took off her glove, and green chakra formed over her right hand. Naruto and the women observed Sakura as she moved over Ino's body, and she suddenly stopped at Ino's torso. She looked up at Naruto specifically as her eyebrows knitted together.

"She's been drugged. I'm guessing it was odorless and tasteless. The person that did it knew their stuff to get it passed someone like Ino."

Naruto's fists bawled at his sides as he turned in the direction the woman pointed out that Sai and the others went. "Sakura, I want you to take Ino back to the hotel. I'll follow after Sai and the others to get them back."

Sakura's eyes widened, and she shook her head. "No, we don't leave anyone behind. If we wait until-"

"We don't know how long it will take for Ino to wake up," Naruto said, cutting Sakura off. "I am uncomfortable leaving her like this with her being drugged alone. I'll save Toshiro and Sai while you take Ino to the hotel and keep an eye on her. Come to the Sun Kingdom when she wakes up and find me there."

He took off immediately to the peer, not listening to Sakura call out his name in protest. Sakura looked down at Ino and picked her up bridle style, to the surprise of the two women.

"Thank you for looking after her. She'll be okay from here." Sakura said and started walking towards the hotel.

'I know he can take care of himself but still…You better come back to me, Naruto!' She thought to herself as she continued walking to the hotel.