Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

Shout out to BabiBunchez! Thank you for the review! I always appreciate the feedback. Here's a slightly longer chapter. Enjoy and stay safe!

Chapter 15

Minoko wiped the sweat forming on her forehead and took a long drink out of her canteen. She had been traveling for a week and was just now reaching the edges of Hi no Kuni. It was early July so it was starting to get pretty hot. Sure she was from the desert, but that was a dry heat. She could handle that. What she could not handle was feeling like she was suffocating on her own sweat! She never realized that the forests in the Land of Fire were so humid. She was sweating as much as she would in the desert. However, unlike the scorching sands, the muggy death trap she was currently in didn't let the sweat on her skin dry. It stuck to her in the most uncomfortable way and wouldn't evaporate. That defeated the whole purpose of sweat! It was supposed to dry in order to cool you off. Not try to drown you while you're running!

Minoko sighed as she let her head gently thump against the tree trunk she was leaning against. She should make it to the port town that would take her to Kiri by the end of the day. Then she could finally leave this miserable country and start her mission.

Her mission. By herself. Alone.

She thumped her head against the bark a few extra times for good measure. How in the world was she going to do this without Yashamaru-sensei or Gaara? She'd never been alone this long before. Sure, she could survive on her own better than almost any other five-year-old, but she had never led a mission before. And her very first time doing so was as a solo mission in a country on the opposite side of the elemental nations! Kirigakure, also known as the Bloody Mist. Not exactly a name that promotes wellness and peace. And she was going there by herself to gather intel on the political climate.

She wiped another bead of sweat away and sighed again. Not even moving and I'm still sweating. She heaved herself up with a groan of frustration and stretched before hooking her canteen back onto her belt. If she was going to feel yucky either way, she might as well keep running. She wanted to get on the boat as soon as possible. There was no way it could be worse than this place.

...

Back in Suna, Gaara was making a very valiant effort not to pull his own hair out. He was not having a good day. Oh, he was able to find what he was looking for in the desert. But not when he came home.

Minoko was gone.

He didn't bring her with him so that she could rest. Instead, he finds out from the guards that she was sent on a mission to who-knows-where and it was supposed to last for over a month!

That was the exact opposite of resting!

He checked up on Taru-san after he got back but found him passed out on the couch. Gaara covered him with a blanket and was about to leave when he found a note addressed to him on the kitchen table from his headache-inducing best friend. It was short. Basically just telling him that she was leaving on a mission, which he already knew, and that she wished that he could have gone with her. She promised that she would be careful and apologized, saying that she wouldn't be able to contact him while she was away. What made his anxiety level rise was the small detail stating that she would be going by herself.

The sand at his feet swirled in reaction to his agitation. When it nearly knocked over a vase, Gaara snapped out of his thoughts and regained control of the destructive grains.

He ran a hand roughly through his hair again in frustration. He knew that she was feeling better, but that didn't stop him from worrying. She was going to get herself hurt again. And he and Yashamaru-oji-san weren't going to be there. Some sand at his feet shifted in a lazy circle again as his thoughts raced. Noticing the moving grains, he stopped them once more and proceeded to rub his temples. Yep, there was the headache.

This was going to be a long month.

…

It was worse. It was so much worse!

Minoko leaned over the railing of the ship, her feet not even touching the ground, as she vomited her breakfast up.

She had made it to the port town the previous night. She was able to book a last minute ticket on a ship after convincing the captain that she was going to Kiri to look for her papa after her mama died. She had her forehead protector stashed away in a scroll at the bottom of her bag and was wearing a red shirt with black overalls. The legs of the overalls were cut to just above the knees and had flowers and lady bugs sewn on the pockets. Her wavy black hair was tied up in pigtails with flowing crimson ribbons with black polka dots. She looked the picture of innocence.

The captain was hesitant at first. She was just a kid and he didn't want to be responsible for her. She begged and had a few tears drop as she offered to pay and stay out of the way. It was easy to get tears to form. She just had to think of her own mommy leaving.

Somehow he caved. She had to bunk in an overly crowded common room in the hull of the boat since the passenger cabins were all full, but the other single passengers all seemed pretty nice so far. They didn't bother her and she didn't bother them.

This place was still hell.

The boat rocked and swayed with the waves. Pitching forwards and back, side to side, never staying still for even a moment. The only positive was the constant cool breeze.

It barely helped.

Needless to say, she wanted to get back on dry land as soon as possible. If she never had to board another boat in her life, she would be perfectly content. She hated boats.

Jovial laughter was heard behind her, but she wasn't about to move away from the safety of the railing to find out who it was.

"Don't have yer sea legs yet, do ya?" came the gruff yet kind voice. She turned her head slightly to see a burly older man lean his slightly muscled forearms on top of the rail next to her. He looked to be in his fifties with dark hair streaked with grey. Hazel eyes danced in mirth as he watched her pathetically shake her head at his question. "Don't cha worry about it too much girly. You'll be getting the hang of it soon."

"You sure mister?" she croaked out in a soft voice, grimacing at the taste of bile in her mouth, "I might die first."

A bellowing laugh escaped from him, seeming to start from the bottom of his round belly and bursting forth from his mouth with abandon, "Don't be dying on us now child. Ya needed ta find yer pa, didn't cha?"

Her stomach seemed to settle enough for her to hop down from the top of the railing. "Yeah, mama said that he was a shi…shi-no-bi," she made her face look like she was concentrating hard on pronouncing the word correctly, "He can use magic!" she said, her eyes shining in wonder.

"Can he now?" he smiled indulgently, "You'll have ta ask 'im ta teach ya when ya find 'im."

She nodded her head enthusiastically, then wobbled unsteadily and clutched her stomach. She shouldn't have done that. She barely made it back to the top of the rails before her stomach turned traitor on her again, the sailor beside her chuckled as he turned to go do his job. This was going to be a long ride.

…

Minoko had to stop herself from kissing the salt-worn planks of the dock when she finally stepped off of the torture device two days later. She swayed at first, trying to find her balance once the constant motions of the boat stopped and became a solid surface. While she would miss the nice sailors, she dreaded the thought of going back onto another boat. She stopped herself from thinking about the return trip.

"Take care o' yerself girly!"

She smiled and waved to the large man before turning and running at a civilian pace down to shore. She was finally in Mizu no Kuni. It would normally take at least half a day of traveling to get to Kiri from here, but since she was acting as a civilian, she'd have to go at a slower pace. It would probably be another two days before she got there if there were no complications.

She slowed to a walk and wandered through the port town, eyes wide in feigned wonder. Well, mostly feigned. A part of her was amazed at the different structures that lined the streets and the amount of fish that was available to purchase. Every other shop seemed to have some kind of seafood on display. It really shouldn't be a surprise considering where she was, but it was still quite a change from what she was used to.

It wasn't even mid-day yet, so she decided to go to the next town before nightfall. According to a friendly local fisherman, if she left now, she could get there in about five hours.

After walking for an hour she stopped and looked around. There weren't any people on the road and she couldn't sense any presences nearby either. She quickly got off the main road and hid in a grove of sickly looking, yet tightly packed, trees. Crouching down, she pulled her pack off in a swift motion and opened the flap. She quickly took out a scroll, brush, and an ink well. She concisely wrote a report for the Kazekage stating that she made it into the country with no issues and was on her way to the village. She would write again in a week to update him on what she learned.

She put the ink and brush away, then gently blew on the pages to help the ink dry faster. It wasn't as hot here as it was in Hi no Kuni, but it was just as humid, making it hard for the ink to dry quickly. She reread her report, checking for any errors. Nodding in satisfaction, she rolled it up and sealed it. Minoko bit her thumb to draw blood and carefully ran through a sequence of hand seals before slamming her hand onto the ground, "Kuchiyose no jutsu!" She wobbled a bit when felt a significant drain on her chakra reserves as a small puff of smoke cleared to reveal a light tan colored bearded dragon about the size of her arm. A cylindrical tube was attached across its back with a thick leather sash. Minoko steadied herself and sat cross legged in front of the calm lizard in front of her.

"Minoko-san," came a whispery voice, "What can I do for you?"

"Shinji-kun," she greeted the young reptile with a small bow, "I have a report that needs to be delivered to the Kazekage."

"Of course," he nodded, "It will be in his hands by the end of the day."

"Thank you Shinji-kun," she said with a smile.

Shinji was the first desert lizard that she summoned that could physically help her in delivering messages. Her actual first attempts were mere hatchlings. It took her a day and a half to finally summon Shinji. By that point in time, she was out of chakra and her temporary sensei was out of patience. She was lucky that Shinji was kind and docile like the rest of his kind. If she had summoned a Gila monster or a komodo dragon instead, she would probably have been attacked first. She would have to try to work with them in the future and earn their respect so that they could help with battles. But for now, summoning a bearded dragon was perfect for her needs.

She opened the tube and inserted the scroll, making sure it was secure. The moment the tube was closed, the bearded dragon bobbed it's head in her direction and popped out of existence without another word.

Minoko stood and dusted off her backside. She heaved her backpack back onto her shoulders and did a quick scan of the area before jogging back over to the road. A fine mist swirled along the dirt path as she walked. She pulled out some onigiri to snack on as she walked along. Every-so-often she would kick a pebble into the mist, skip, or softly hum a cheerful tune like a normal five-year-old. She might think that she was alone, but she was only a genin. It was better to act like the child she was while walking in order to keep her cover in place. She made sure to discretely scan the area as she went, her senses on full alert.

Her nerves were strung tight by the time she made it to the small town three and a half hours later, but there had been no incident while she traveled. There were no gates or guards or anything, so she simply walked down the path into the main streets of town. It was surprisingly quiet. It was barely five in the afternoon, yet there were only a few people walking hurriedly down the street. They seemed as jumpy as she was, constantly looking over their shoulders.

Minoko felt a small, familiar prickle in the back of her head and went to sit on the street corner. She lowered her head like she was just resting and closed her eyes after double checking her surroundings. When it was clear, she let the dream bubble flow over her. It was short and simple; just telling her where to find shelter. She got up a moment later and walked through the small town, confidently turning a couple corners and entering a building with a plain sign saying "Inn" on it.

When she came into the lobby an old woman behind the front counter looked up from her knitting in shock, "Oh! Hello dear, where are your parents?"

Minoko acted shyly, scuffing her foot against the ground as her hands went behind her back, head turned down slightly, "Mama…mama died. I'm trying to find papa. Mama said papa was in Kiri."

The woman blinked, "So you're here alone?"

Minoko nodded, "But I have some money," she was quick to reassure, "Can I stay here tonight? I'm really sleepy and I walked a really long time."

"I won't turn away business. Kami knows I don't have enough as it is."

Encouraged, Minoko stepped closer to the desk, her eyes barely able to peer over the top, "Why don't you have bu-si-ness? This place looks nice."

The woman smiled tiredly and shrugged, "With the war going on, not many people are traveling nowadays."

The crimson-eyed girl's eyes widened, "War?" she asked in a hushed tone.

The woman nodded, "Nothing official, mostly just hearsay, but something happened in the shinobi village. Not real sure what, everyone is keeping pretty hush-hush, but people are fighting something fierce. You should reconsider traveling that way. I'm sure your mama would prefer to have you safe."

Minoko put on a stubborn front and crossed her arms, "Imma find papa. We're gonna be a family. You can't stop me."

The old lady raised her hands in surrender, "Just a suggestion. Now, what's your name dear?"

"Kimi! Tanaka Kimi!" she chirped with a grin.

"Ok, Kimi-chan. I'm Watanabe Miyu, the owner of this inn. You can have room 303. It's on the third floor, second door on the left. Have you had supper?"

The young girl shook her head, "No Watanabe-obaa-san."

Miyu's face softened into a small smile, the wrinkles in the corners of her eyes becoming more prominent, "Then I insist that you eat with me."

Minoko bowed and took the keys from the woman, promising to come back down in an hour to eat. She ran up the stairs and quickly found her room. After entering and searching the room for anything suspicious, she dumped her bag on the ground and landed face first on the bed with a plop.

There was a war. Of course there was a war. No wonder the Kazekage wanted to know about the political climate.

For probably the hundredth time since receiving her mission, Minoko wondered just what she had gotten herself into.

A/N: Now to see how Minoko handles Kiri! Please leave a review and let me know what you think!