1 Month Later
Training Ground Beta | FOB Thunder | Fire Country
Anko stepped back as a flurry of shuriken flew at her. She substituted with a stone piece and retaliated letting loose two kunai in the enemy's direction. Hearing a grunt of pain in response, she smirked and stepped forward.
"Oh crap." She heard a soft clicking sound and paused in her mid-leap. She quickly substituted with another object, but the explosion's shock wave still struck her. Luckily, she had dodged the worst of the heat damage. Still, her hearing was mucked up and Satsuki chose to charge. Anko threw another kunai without looking towards her back and heard a popping sound. Anko turned in panicked to see it was Bunshin. Hanabi quickly capitalized and delivered a palm strike to her back, launching her into the ground below.
Anko got back up with a grin and dusted off her trench coat. She settled into a loose stance and tried to pounce on the duo before being interrupted.
"One hit, Sensei! That was the deal!" A panting Hanabi wailed.
"We have been at it for 2 hours, now!" Satsuki added.
"All right fine you bunch of softies," Anko muttered brought her fingers to her lips, and whistled. "Exercise over, gakis. Meet at LZ."
She then disappeared in a puff of smoke. A while later team 9 gathered around Anko, bloodied, tired, and hungry – but never quitting. Anko couldn't help but let a small proud smile appear on her face. The brats had been put through hell in the past 2 months, pushed beyond what any of their genin team had endured. While others were busy in theory and taking small steps, Anko had been training her team from war. If she was in Konoha, some jealous peer would've no doubt reported her to the Hokage for abuse and overworking. Lucky for her, shinobis deployed to FOBs weren't this soft. They had been undergoing live combat drills and scenarios consistently, albeit with dulled blades.
The three had started interacting more with each other and broken out of their shells. Naruto was no longer the skinny kid who would be pushed away by the wind. He was a beast when it came to mixed martial arts. Above all, being on board the operating base had helped him overcome his shell. Although he would never be an extrovert social butterfly, he could navigate a room. Also, he had developed a talent for explosives after witnessing Jounin and Chunins training in a combined arms exercise. Anko wondered if he was a bastard child of some jounin conceived after a one-night stand in the last war. That would explain his kekkai genkai-like mastery of gunpowder manipulation via chakra alone.
Hanabi interacted more with Satsuki and learned to utilize Ninjutsu. Satsuki had as always been a prodigy and a master of all trades. Being proficient with a knife, Anko had thrown her a wakizashi and began drilling her in it. The girl already was a specialist in the traditional open hand, to the point that she believed only Neji or Gai's protégé could defeat her. Anko hoped that channeling chakra through her blades would help improve her control and diversify her skill set.
The students sat cross-legged with torn clothes and various bandages on them. All of them were stone-faced, ready to face down her next challenge.
"Credit where it's due and I am not going to lie, Team, you have been through training hell and cleared it," Anko said and the team nodded solemnly. "Naruto, nicely done with the trip wire. In the future, ensure the explosives react faster. You are good but you have a long way to go."
"Hai sensei," Naruto said.
"Hanabi, your mimicry of being struck was perfect. Bunshin I presume?" Anko asked and Hanabi nodded in affirmative. "Just don't overdo that thing, ok? It's a real chakra guzzler."
"Hai Sensei." Hanabi said.
"Satsuki, well done on maintaining those peepers for hours on end. You are coming along well in taijutsu. Just don't neglect your blade or overly rely on ninjutsu. A predictable shinobi is a dead shinobi." Anko said.
"Hai sensei." Satsuki said.
"That wraps up our tour," Anko said and the tree shared surprised looks with each other.
"What happens now, sensei?" Hanabi asked.
"Well for one, you three smell like pigs and kinda look like ones too," Anko said and three glared at her indignantly.
Whose fault is that? Satsuki thought and Anko chuckled as if reading her thoughts.
"I will arrange a stay for you at Thunder. Just name-drop me, and they will leave you alone for a while. Just don't mention you're genin or every single degenerate over there will prank you to hell and beyond. Enjoy some brief wonders of civilization. Indoor plumbing and hot showers. Y'all have earned it." Anko said. "Start packing."
"Hai sensei," The three said in unison and dispersed.
FOB Thunder
Though they all had spent a solid hour showering, they still discovered sand and dirt in odd body places.
Freshly showered and finally feeling somewhat human again, the trio made their way through the barracks. Their steps were lighter, buoyed by the comfort of clean clothes and the promise of a good night's sleep. They were more than happy to leave behind the hardships of rough living, particularly the necessity of burying their feces to avoid detection by potential enemies. Potential enemies that took a savage joy of rubbing it all over them while they were asleep. Satsuki still shivered at that PTSD moment.
They approached Anko's room with trepidation. Hanabi had already shared that this probably was another taste by their sadistic trainer and thus all were armed.
"Welcome back, you three," Anko greeted, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "I've got a surprise for you."
Satsuki sent out a hand signal to assume combat positions. The three genin instinctively tensed, their bodies ready for a fight.
Anko snorted at their reaction and shook her head. "Relax, I'm not going to attack you. This time," she added with a chuckle. With a swift motion, she tossed three bags at them.
Hanabi, Naruto, and Satsuki caught the bags with ease. They were sturdy, canvas bags, the kind used for carrying gear on long missions. Each bag had a tag with their names on it.
"Since you're a team reborn from this training trip, I thought it was fitting to get you some individual gifts," Anko explained. "And fresh cutlery."
What she didn't mention was she didn't pay for it. She merely used her mentor's influence to push her requisition forms to the top of the line. Whatever the kids didn't know, won't hurt them.
Hanabi opened her bag first, her eyes widening with excitement as she pulled out a set of kunai, senbon, and shuriken, all freshly made and sharpened to perfection. "Whoa! These are awesome!"
Aside from that, all three of them got a flak jacket and a blueish body suit to match. Satsuki got a new Katana better fitted to her form. Hanabi got personalized blades. Naruto got more explosive powder.
"Thank you, sensei," Naruto said and nodded.
"Now, dismissed," Anko said and they all left.
Briefing
"I've got some exciting news. This next mission is a C-rank." Anko announced.
The sound of fist-smashing wood went off as Satsuki muttered, "Finally."
Hanabi looked worried but Naruto remained neutral boredly doodling stuff on a piece of paper.
"That's great news Sensei!" Hanabi said.
"Even better," Anko said, her tone unnervingly cheerful, "the probability of combat is 90%."
Satsuki couldn't contain her curiosity any longer. "Where are we headed, Sensei?"
Anko's grin didn't falter as she replied, "Kusagakure no Sato."
The name hung in the air, heavy with implications. Anko let the tension build for a moment before continuing.
"Merchants with Fire country's nationality have been turned away repeatedly from the border. There are also reports that the more persistent ones have been beaten up and robbed. A few of the successful ones from within the village have gone missing entirely." Anko said. "Despite the Sarutobi-sama's persistent attempts to diplomatically resolve this, all Kusa has done is present one excuse after another."
"What is their official stance?" Hanabi asked.
"Good question, Hanabi." Anko said and glanced at Satsuki, "At least somebody has been paying attention to their clan education."
"What?" Satsuki asked but Anko ignored her.
"They site a persistent high crime problem and their overworked shinobi force," Anko said.
"Why can't Shinobi deal with a few bandits running around?" Naruto spoke up for the first time.
"Well for one, not all nations have large standing shinobi armies like the great villages. Lower villages rely mostly on civilian militias & samurais to maintain order. Kusa does have a shinobi force but it's mostly deployed abroad." She said.
"Do we have to adapt any significant strategies against Samurais?" Satsuki asked.
"None at this moment. These are Ronin mostly and samurai in name. None of them have proper training here. If these were warriors from Iron Country, I would be speaking to Jonin hit squads here." Anko said. "Do note that civil militias in large numbers are still dangerous to genin and chunin ranks. So, stay on top of your toes at all times."
She let the team digest the information dump and then spoke again after a bit, "That concludes it. Ready yourselves. We depart in 15 minutes."
"Lastly, remember our codeword for initiating combat is firecracker," Anko said and ordered them to leave.
The First C-Ranked Mission
Their respect was in inverse proportion to their skill. The number of missions completed by others was greater than the rest. Team 7 had even (barely) completed a C-ranked mission. The base commander had gotten his orders from the Hokage and relayed them to Anko.
Merchants traveling to Kusagakure no Sato were being turned away. The more stubborn ones were having their caravan looted and their staff killed. Such small villages were often the sight of proxy wars and intrigue between the major shinobi nations. Since conflicting with each other directly might spark a large-scale war, subterfuge was the better part of business. Thus, the Hokage had ordered an investigation followed by a show of force. No doubt other villagers were testing the rumors of Konoha's apparent weakness. A show of force was just what they needed to quell the rumors.
Team 9 would pose as a merchant caravan traveling undercover to trade. Anko enjoyed watching the look of realization on the genins' faces as they realized all their hours of working on D-ranked missions led to this. Those weren't mindless chores, but cleverly designed exercises aimed at teaching young shinobi how to seamlessly blend into civilian life. Thus, making the cart, changing wheels, or sewing clothes over it now seemed like a piece of cake.
"You know, Satsuki-chan, being apologetic when you realize you are wrong is a very normal thing." Teased Anko as they neared the first check post for customs clearance.
"Remember people, we are not shinobis here. We are civilians. So, no overt use of Jutsus and weapons. Only use them if your life is in danger." Anko said.
"Hai sensei." The team said.
"Also, Lily, keep your peepers on for the entire team while we pass security. I want an exact count of all shinobis, undercover and regular while we are here." She said.
"Hai sensei," Hanabi replied. They had assigned codewords to each other for the duration of the mission. Naruto was fox much to his chagrin. Satsuki was duck which only deepened her scowl and Hanabi was rose. In addition to that, they had opted for old-school disguises in place of using henges and genjutsu. The risk of even a single sensor present was too high. Not that Kusagakure no Sato had a decent shinobi force. Thus, they wore hair dyes, glasses, and civilian attires. Even their weapons were hidden in a scroll on Anko's person. Each person had been allowed one weapon for personal defense.
Satsuki had her mother's dagger. Naruto had a fistful of exploding powder. Hanabi had kunai.
As they neared their destination, Anko raised a hand signal for them. It was the one for spreading out and conducting recon discreetly. Naruto, having a tremendous chakra, discreetly sent shadow clones into the woods to flank the outpost and observe from afar. Their earpieces soon crackled with sound,
"Fox to Team 9. Scouts are in place and monitoring. No sign of enemy activity." Naruto reported.
"Noted. Rose, keep me posted." Anko said and she acknowledged.
"IDs." a bored-looking guard asked and Anko handed him a pile of documents.
"Mako?" He asked and Anko cheerfully nodded.
"And who are the brats? What is your purpose of visit?" He asked.
"These are my children. Rose, Nina, and Toka." She said. "I work as a trader and will be representing Arasaka Corporation. The children will be tagging along with me for the visit."
The guard looked at their documents for a while.
"He is pressing some sort of a button beneath the desk," Satsuki whispered as she observed his physical movement with her Sharingan.
"I see people gathering in the woods around us," Hanabi reported.
"Confirmed. I see people in the woods. Don't look like Shinobi but they're armed." Naruto said, confirming Hanabi's view. Anko didn't reply but they were sure she had heard.
The guard stamped their documents with a big red "Application Denied." And stared at her. "Sorry. Can't let you through."
"I beg your pardon, Mister," Anko said. "Everything is in order. We have permits."
The guard shrugged his shoulders and Anko placed her hands on the table. "Arasaka has direct connections in the Daimoyo's court. We are an important representation of his will. A denial to us is a direct affront to Fire Daimoyo and by extension, its associates."
The guard sweated a bit once he realized what the word "associate" here meant. This time around his clicking of the button grew more rapid and audible.
"They are unsheathing their weapons. We need to act now." Naruto said. She turned to the kids behind her and tossed them a scroll.
"Go get the cart under a shade someplace. Don't set off the firecracker, eh? Now scram, Mister Guard and I here need to intimately work over a few things." Anko said. Hanabi and Satsuki nodded to each other and immediately cleared off the area.
Anko turned back and leaned over the desk, hoping the guard would get an extra look at her chest, "You will find everything to be in order, Mister Guard. So why discriminate, eh? I am sure we can work out a deal here."
"I-uh but – uh." The guard stammered, obviously flustered and not used to such a voluptuous woman's attention.
Meanwhile, behind the cover of trees, Team 9 rapidly armed themselves with weapons and armor.
"I will engage on the west. They have archers with a clean line of shot on sensei." Naruto said and departed.
"We should take the right side," Hanabi said and Satsuki nodded in confirmation.
"Enemies are fastening their bows. Moving to engage." Naruto said. He threw a kunai at one of the kneeling men and it went straight to his skull. The man couldn't even choke in pain and simply dropped dead. His colleague tried to scream but Naruto was behind him in an instant and stabbed him in the lungs. Blood filled the man's throat as he lay dead gurgling.
"Two down. 5 to go." Naruto said.
Hanabi got up close to the ambushers near them and with a few palm strikes to their throats, left them gagging to death on the ground. Meanwhile, two men rushed at Satsuki with machetes who dodged the two clumsy strikes and threw two shuriken at the men farther from him. One struck at his shoulder and the man dropped his weapon. The other was his knee and he kneeled over in pain.
The last remaining man attempted another strike at Satsuki's back, but she vanished in a plum of smoke and reappeared at his back. She unsheathed her sword and swiftly slashed it at the back of the man's knees. He knelt down screaming in pain.
"You left him alive," Hannabi said. "You're getting soft."
Satsuki snorted at that and sheathed her blade. "Anko-sensei will want one of them alive."
Back at the checkpost, Anko smirked as the screams reached them and Mister Guard started turning pale. He attempted to bolt but Anko stabbed a kunai through the man's hand and nailed it to the table below.
She glanced back to see Naruto and Satsuki dragging a sobbing, barely conscious man to her.
"Uh, we caught one alive, Sensei. In case you wanted to question them." Satsuki said.
"Aw, dear, how thoughtful of you," Anko said and patted Mister Guard on his cheek. "Now he a friend to keep him company."
Anko turned to him again,
"Well mister guard, your buddies are now all out of commission. It's just you, me, and him now." She gently hugged the man as he kept yelling in pain, "Shush now dear, it's just a few bones."
The three turned to walk away before Anko asked, "Where do you think y'all are going?"
They looked at each other in confusion.
"Stay. Watch and learn. Any who flinches, looks away, or does any other lame shit, will face dire fucking consequences." Anko said. "And remember, you chose this life."
The three looked shaken but stood firm.
She then took a knife and started peeling at Mister Guard's skin as he screamed before she stopped, "I am gonna ask this only once, chump and I expect a straight answer!"
"This place isn't half bad," Anko remarked as she cheerfully skipped over and dropped her bags. The genin followed behind, still shaken by the macabre sight of Anko interrogating the duo. There was also the fact they had spent a lot of time digging up ditches to hide the bodies.
Anko turned to Naruto, "All right team, scoop the place up for bugs and then secure it. Blondie, lead the charge. I have a few errands to run and will be back."
The team lay plopped on the bed, the usually cantankerous team didn't care for their proximity to each other right now. It had been a right chore setting up cameras around the house and replacing the locks. Traps too had been set up to blow the face of any never-do-gooder who tried his luck with Team 9. The ceiling fan rotated in a hypnotic rhythm as it threw hot, dry air at their faces.
Anko burst into the room looking haggard, "All right brats! Downtime is over! Gather around!"
The team immediately scrambled to comply.
"All right brats, here's the deal. We are here to clean a mess. A mess that was created by another team. Team 7 being more precise kind." Anko said and grinned as their ears perked up. The team had a personal grudge, completely unknown to the receiving party, against Team 7. Team 9 viewed Team 7 as spoiled aristocrats who had no place playing ninjas on a battlefield full of blood and guts. To their great resentment, Team 7 in all honesty didn't even know Team 9 existed. Much less that they hated them. All this was something Anko was all too eager to exploit for her operational needs.
"Team 7 failed to eliminate the crime lord of Wavy Country, Gato. The little bunny then fled here with whatever money he could stuff in his pockets. Since then, he has set up shop here and decided to use Kusa as his new base of operations." Anko said.
"Why haven't the local shinobi strung him up by now?" Satsuki asked.
"Why would they? Gato is paying them more in a month than the local government could in an entire fiscal year." Anko replied. "Now then, any questions?"
"Can we expect Zabuza Momochi to show up as well?" Naruto asked, surprising everyone by choosing to speak up for once.
"No, if it was, I would have aborted the mission. Luckily for us, Zabuza was confirmed KIA by Kakashi." She said and muttered something under her breath about overly gifted prodigious bastards.
"What's our play then, sensei?" Hanabi asked.
"Right now, we need to locate where Gato is. The local population is terrified, so they aren't an option. We need to do this the ninja way. Drop in, sweep the intel, and escape into the night." Anko said. "As per my recon, these should be your ideal targets. I want you to hit them ASAP."
Uchiha Satsuki
Satsuki scowled internally while a faux smile was plastered on her face as she prepared traditional teas. She was ecstatic when she realized that she wouldn't have to do any of this frivolous trash after graduation. Unfortunately for her, life had a way of coming full circle.
She bowed as the rich ladies around her clapped in admiration after she poured the beverage. It had taken three agonizing days of begging the owner to let her have this job. The café was frequented by Gato's mistresses who preferred to throw their wealth around when not slobbering all over him. Fortunately for her, Gato had never beaten "loose lips sink ships" in his ladies and their gossip was invaluable.
Still, every time they giggled over tasteless, overpriced tea – Satsuki wondered what they would like with a kunai through their heads.
Regardless, Satsuki kept her expression serene, the fake smile never wavering as the chatter around her grew more intriguing. She served the teas with practiced grace, her movements fluid and deliberate, ensuring the ladies felt pampered and important.
"Ugh, he was in such a foul mood this week," the lady in red lamented, her pout exaggerated for dramatic effect. "He didn't even look at me, and I wore my best lingerie! Now I don't even have my pocket money because we didn't fuck."
The lady in yellow nodded sympathetically. "I heard he was furious. What could have happened?"
"It's those Earth people," the lady in white chimed in, her voice dripping with disdain. "They aren't paying their share to Gato."
Lady in Red looked confused. "Earth people? Who are they?"
The lady in white shrugged. "I don't know exactly. Just that they're causing him trouble."
Yellow leaned in conspiratorially. "I heard it's people from Iwa. They had some sort of deal with Gato, and now they're refusing to pay up. Without his cut, Gato can't keep bribing the Kusa shinobi to protect him."
Lady in Red let out a dramatic faux wail. "Those savages from Iwa! And my poor necklace! I was going to pay the security deposit to the jeweler this week."
None of the ladies noticed Satsuki's discreet movements as she made coded notes on a hidden register beneath her kimono.
Naruto
Naruto, his hair dyed black (ick) and slicked back (ick x2), approached the bank. This was no ordinary bank; it was Gato's front for his criminal operations, and today, the usual order had been disrupted by the heatwave inside. It was also the place where Gato was suspected to have his main office. Anko's sabotage of the HVAC system had made an already tense environment explosive. Rumors buzzed about how Gato's rage had reached apocalyptic levels, causing him to lash out indiscriminately at his subordinates. Those same bruised and battered employees had provided Satsuki with invaluable intel while drowning their sorrows in local bars.
As Naruto stepped into the stifling lobby, he was greeted by the sight of a young woman with her legs propped up on a table, her eyes glued to a distant TV. She fanned herself aggressively, trying to stave off the oppressive heat. Without even glancing at him, she muttered in a bored tone, "The bank's closed. No deposits. No withdrawals. Come back in a few days."
Naruto stammered, trying to explain himself, "But I'm not—"
She cut him off, still not looking at him. "The bank's closed. Unless you're a VIP client, scram."
She swung a few times before adding, "And judging by how you smell, you're definitely not a VIP."
Naruto's nose twitched in annoyance, but he kept his cool. "I'm here to fix the HVAC."
Her bored expression didn't change at first. "Uh-huh," she said dismissively. Then, as his words sank in, her eyes widened. She sprang to her feet with a squeal, practically leaping at him and enveloping him in a hug that took his breath away.
"You're our hero!" she exclaimed, her previous boredom replaced by fervent excitement. "Kid, if you fix our AC, you'll be worth more than fifty VIPs put together!"
Naruto blushed at that. "Just show me where to go."
The woman practically dragged him through the bank, her energy a stark contrast to her earlier demeanor. Employees they passed looked at Naruto with a mix of desperation and hope, their eyes begging him to bring relief from the sweltering heat. She led him to the back, where the HVAC system lay in disarray, clearly suffering from Anko's handiwork.
Naruto surveyed the damage, rolling up his sleeves. He might not be a professional HVAC technician, but with his skills and some creative thinking, he could get the job done. He glanced back at the woman, who was watching him with an almost childlike hope.
"Don't worry," he said with a confident grin. "I've got this."
"Whatever you need, kid, just holler at me." She said.
"Uhm." Naruto said, "Now that you have mentioned it, could I have the keys to the power room? I will need it to check for breaker faults."
The woman nodded aggressively at that, "Whatever you need. I don't care if you need to break the damn door down, do it!"
She left Naruto alone and that probably was a fatal flaw in her end. None noticed as the cameras turned off without power or any backup. Naruto swiftly crawled through the vent and placed various microphones near the opening to pick up any chatter. As predicted by Anko, Gato's office was the most opulent one with the whole shebang. Expensive Liquor? Check. A life-size portrait of himself? Check. Mahogany floors? Check.
Naruto scrolled through his documents and frowned as he came upon various technical details. High-frequency radios? Long-range radios? Amplifiers? Cryptographer? None of these were things that a crime lord would need to operate. These were high-tech, top-of-the-line, communication equipment. They cost a pretty penny too. It would most certainly explain Gato's profanity-laden comments on the "monkeys slinging mud."
He heard footsteps outside and quickly made a copy of the paper and climbed back into the vents. He came back to the power room and quickly restored things, repairing the sabotage that Anko had done. With a massive thrum, the HVAC system came to life and Naruto departed.
As he exited the building, he noticed the receptionist being berated by a short, furious man. Despite the tirade, she spotted Naruto and called out to him.
"Oi! Did you fix the AC?"
Naruto turned and nodded. "I promised I would, didn't I?"
The lady grinned widely. "See, boss? I told ya I was getting it fixed." She turned back to Naruto and gestured towards the short man. "This here's Gato. Boss, this is the guy who saved us from melting."
Naruto feigned ignorance and extended his hand. "Nice to meet you, sir."
Gato eyed Naruto up and down with a scrutinizing glare, ignoring the outstretched hand. "Clearly, your technical skills didn't teach you fashion. Who wears orange?" he sneered. He pulled out his wallet and tossed a few hundred ryu towards Naruto. "Get yourself a tasteful jacket," he ordered before turning on his heel and walking away.
Naruto caught the money, managing a polite smile. "Thank you, sir."
The receptionist gave him an appreciative nod before hurrying back to her post. Naruto pocketed the money and strolled out of the bank, blending back into the bustling street.
The Marketplace
The marketplace was bustling with exotic goods and strong food aroma yet neither Hanabi nor Anko could enjoy it. Anko had been in this situation countless times before and her instincts roared at her that they were being trailed. The same man who had been lurking near their hideout disguised as a window washer was now trailing them, posing as a bread seller. He was close enough that Hanabi's Byakugan picked up his distinct chakra signature, recognizing him from the day before. She subtly reported this to Anko, who immediately became more alert, though they maintained their composure for the benefit of the civilians.
They needed to make a stop soon so that Anko could scout out the rapidly shifting threat environment around them. They stopped at a BBQ vendor, ordering two sticks and Anko glanced around. She couldn't turn about and march back lest their pursuers become belligerent and attack. With a genin at her side, Anko wasn't sure of her odds to fully commit to the fight without collateral. No, it would be better if they vanished by blending in the crowd itself.
The nearest alleyway exit was obstructed by another food vendor's cart. However, there was something strange about him. He was clean. Too clean. Either he set up shop yesterday or this was the most proficient chef in the world serving in the worst possible area. The suspiciously clean vendor with unnaturally pristine knives, cut the food in an awkward manner and seemed displeased at the prospect of customers. Anko's instincts screamed that he was a shinobi. She nudged Hanabi slightly towards his direction and directed him to use her Byukagun on him.
Hanabi, keeping her voice low and her movements casual, whispered back, "His chakra levels are too high. He's most likely a shinobi."
Anko merely nodded and nibbled at her food. This entire mission had suddenly become more complicated than it had a right to be. With foreign shinobi's presence, it immediately went from C-rank to A-rank.
"What's the play here, sensei?" Hanabi asked. "Are we about to fight here?"
"No, I don't think they know just who they are trying to find," Anko said.
"How? They have cornered us here, don't they?" Hanabi said.
"No, the vendor has made eye contact with me several times but still scans the crowd. I doubt they know what we look like. In all honesty, they must have found the bodies of the civil militias we encountered on the guard post." Anko said. "We must regroup immediately and try to find a way out of Kusa. Before that, we need to figure out what the hell is going on or this all is useless."
"Right, how do we escape?" Hanabi said and Anko paused for a while as a dark look passed over her.
"I am not going to lie kid. We are going to have to get real nasty here. If we don't, we will be captured. What these people will do to us…." She trailed off before finishing, "Death will be mercy."
"Whatever you need, Sensei. I am right behind you." Hanabi said and Anko smiled at her.
Better You Than Me
The outpouring of strangers had really taken things up a notch here. He had more clients than he could handle. He had hired help, a homeless young woman as an additional cook. Hopefully, it would empower her to get back on her feet. Initially, the woman had misread his intentions, and that had led to some embarrassing moments. After a few moments of awkwardly pushing off each other, the young lady had quietly settled into her job. He had just finished serving two other ladies, whom he had strangely never seen before but just chalked it up to there being more tourists. He sharpened his knives in anticipation of the coming rush hour. Soon his restaurant would be teeming with hungry customers.
So, imagine the cook's surprise when he felt something warm dribble down his leg and looked down to see a kitchen knife had embedded itself in it. With adrenaline now racing through him and his pain manageable he glanced to see his new protégé glaring at him with red hands.
"Y-you stabbed me!" He muttered in horror. The woman didn't respond but reached for his cash register and withdrew a chunk of money.
"You fucking little whore!" He shouted before pouncing on her. Meanwhile, Anko pushed the real waitress, towards him as Hanabi withdrew and let her henge fall away. Luckily, the man in his rage and shock didn't notice the switch and was beating the tar out of the woman.
"Help! Guards! Help!" Anko shouted as she turned the gas to full and spilled oil all over the hot oven. A crowd now gathered around and tried to pry apart the fighting duo. It included the fake vendor from before. Fortunately, nobody noticed Hanabi and Anko quietly slipping away into an alley and escaping.
Shifting The Blame
The house had become the center of their attention after strangers had moved in a few days ago. Now, under the cover of night, Kusa shinobi prepared to raid the premises. Their K9 dogs strained at their leashes, eager for action, but the shinobi held them back with firm hands.
"Hold," the squad leader whispered, his voice barely audible over the rustling leaves.
Moments later, the order was given. "Go."
With ninja-like precision, the shinobi split into two groups. One group leaped onto the rooftop and barged in through the upper windows. The other group stormed through the main door, breaching it with a swift kick. The dogs rushed with blood-lusted glee to tear into fresh meat and blood.
They entered the hideout only to find it empty. The silence was embarrassing, broken only by the panting of the dogs and the cautious footsteps of the shinobi. Was their intel wrong?
"Search the place," the squad leader ordered. "Leave no stone unturned."
The shinobi tore through the house, upending furniture and rifling through drawers. Cabinets were ripped open, carpets rolled back, and walls tapped for hidden compartments. The dogs sniffed furiously, their instincts guiding the search.
In a dusty corner, one shinobi discovered a small wooden crate. He pried it open to reveal packets of white powder. "Over here!" he called out, drawing the attention of the others.
As they examined the packets, another shinobi found a hidden compartment in a false-bottomed drawer. Inside were several letters, meticulously sealed and addressed to various individuals. The squad leader opened one and began to read, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the contents.
"These letters detail a conspiracy against Gato," he said, his voice grim. "It involves his concierge. They're planning to overthrow him."
The squad continued their search, uncovering more packets and letters, each piece of evidence adding to the picture of betrayal and intrigue. The shinobi quickly realized they had stumbled upon a major plot, one that could destabilize Gato's entire operation.
"We need to get this back to headquarters," the squad leader said, gathering the evidence. "This is bigger than we thought."
The squad leader headed out to present the evidence to the watch commander. As soon as he left the premises a rapid beeping sound went off. He realized too late, his reflexes a bit too slow as the house exploded into a large ball of fire and debris.
"NO!" The squad leader howled as the magnitude of the event set in. His entire team had been killed in just a span of minutes. Soon his adrenaline wore off and the pain of a burnt and broken body set in, his brain immediately chose to turn off to protect him from the worst of it.
Soon, another series of explosions went off that caused a transmission tower to fall amid vast electrical arks in a vista of lethal blueish and purple light.
From afar, Anko watched the scene through her binoculars and smirked. She smacked Naruto on the back, "Damn son! You just took out half of the Kusa shinobi force!"
Naruto didn't respond but stared at the fiery house below him. Anko tossed him the binoculars and Naruto gingerly caught it.
"Come on, gaki. The night is still young, and the job's not done yet." She said and Naruto trailed behind her.
The Verdict
Team 9, now in their full battle uniform, gathered around Anko as she kneeled on the ground below.
"All right team. This is it. The moment of truth." Anko said. "From all the information y'all have brought me, it's obvious Iwa has set up a listening post right here under our noses."
The team glanced towards each other and Anko continued, "Given the proximity of Kusa and Fire country, they can easily hack our military and civil comms and send the report back to Iwa without that great of hassle. They don't have to strain the signals too much and risk getting picked up by our guys. It's the perfect location."
"And we just made them aware of our presence here by blowing up the house. Was that really necessary, Sensei?" Satsuki asked.
"We would've inevitably been discovered. With the explosion, Naruto-chan here has dealt the enemy a significant blow. Without local help, the would-be warlords from Iwa are now running blind. They have two options now. Either they call it a day and scurry back to Iwa. Or chose to stay and defend the station, and risk getting captured and killed." Anko said.
"Whatever option they chose…. The listening station would be deactivated regardless." Hanabi said and Anko nodded proudly at that.
"Don't forget, we have knocked down the power station too. Listening stations are very energy-intensive. Even with its backups, it won't last long." Anko said.
"So do we leave for Konoha now, sensei?" Hanabi asked.
"That would be unwise." Naruto chimed in and the three turned to him. "Even if the station's days are numbered, it is still active and can hear our communications till it runs out. We should move in and destroy it. We can easily triangulate its location by looking over the power consumption in key areas."
Satsuki shrugged at that, "Beats me, I just want to fight."
"Now you are talking!" Anko said.
"But sensei, won't they have Jounin-level shinobi defending the place if it's that important?" Hanabi asked.
"For one listening station and risk getting captured? I doubt it. It betrays every Iwa SOP since the third war. Why risk lives when you can remotely shut the base and scuttle into the night?" Anko said and Hanabi reluctantly nodded at that.
"Ok then, let's hit the station and then race towards Konoha." Anko declared and they all followed suit.
The Best Laid Plans
A flurry of shuriken flew at her with lethal precision and Anko dodged it but couldn't retaliate. Her assailant pressed his attack with a brutal barrage of lethal strikes from his sword.
"Doton" Anko heard the cry of an Earth jutsu and gritted her teeth as hardened rocks smashed into her tossing her to the side.
"Leave her to me. Get the others." She heard the Iwa shinobi order her companion and the man chased after her genin. She spat out blood on the ground and glared at the masked figure above her.
"You overplayed your hand kunoichi. You should've quit while you were ahead and left for your village." She commented but Anko didn't respond. Anko lunged for the woman's throat with a kunai in hand. "Now when I send you to hell, tell me that it was Sasumi who sent you."
Right hand. Left hand. Over and below.
Kunai clashed against Kunai as Anko fought desperately to finish off this Kunoichi so she could rush over and save her team. Anko feinted with her right and as Sasumi took the bait she leaned back and kicked Sasumi right in the stomach. Before it could connect Sasumi substituted with the earlier rocks that struck Anko. The rocks crumbled under the force of Anko's chakra-enhanced kick. There was a slight change of wind towards her right and Anko moved her arms in front of her vital organs.
The kunai penetrated her arm like a hot knife through butter and blood liberally poured out. Sasumi tried to back away to create room for another strike, but Anko wrapped her arms around her back in a mighty bear hold. Sasumi detected a series of strange chakra spikes from Anko and stabbed her arms several times, but her grip remained strong. Strangely enough, Anko began chuckling and Sasumi felt something very wrong had just happened. She gasped as she Anko's face was covered in several dark seals and her eyes blazing yellow.
Anko was now laughing maniacally at Sasumi's feeble attempts to break free.
"Let me go you psycho bitch!" Sasumi screamed as she desperately stabbed Anko but to no avail. Anko's mouth grew snakelike fangs and she sang, "My turn!"
Anko's neck grew several inches and plunged into Sasumi's throat and ripped it out. A fountain of blood spewed as Anko's curse seal lapped it all up. She licked her lips to clean the blood off them and looked up to see an explosion go off.
"Oh," Anko said, "I suppose we can feed one more for the day."
The seal's ink darkened further and Anko's eyes grew more malicious by several degrees as she raced towards the sound of fighting.
Team 9
Hanabi closed the gap with the large man and struck with a series of palm strikes which were countered. The man's reflexes were faster than Hanabi's strikes, and he struck her wrist to redirect the attacks away from himself. The two stepped apart before reengaging.
Hanabi launched another barrage, but the man sidestepped this time and struck in the face launching her into a tree behind.
"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" Satsuki yelled and blew a large fireball at his back. The man activated his Doton jutsu and sunk into the earth to dodge it. He re-emerged a block away and immediately swore as he took in his surroundings. Balls of dubious black lay all around his exit point and the Iwa shinobi had a suspicion they were chakra sensitive. Meanwhile, Naruto didn't give him a chance to think and activated all the explosives.
Silence filled the night as the smoke started to dissipate. Satsuki walked to Naruto and remarked, "Nicely done. Looks like we got the bastard."
Naruto didn't respond but started to walk away. Satsuki turned on her Sharingan and looked at the mess before immediately pushing Naruto out of the way. A few seconds later, a pair of shuriken flew over where he was earlier. The shinobi emerged from the shadows; his body was covered in an armor of rocks, and only the left side of his bloodied face was visible.
"Clever little brats." He grunted, "Nearly got my me back there. Playtime's no-" He didn't get to finish as Naruto uncovered his senbon launcher and shot a dozen needles toward the man's eye. He brought a large arm to cover himself. Meanwhile, Satsuki retaliated with another fire jutsu and it enveloped him.
Naruto turned to stare at her in annoyance and remarked, "He is covered in rock armor."
Satsuki replied without bothering to turn towards him, "Rocks get hot. Heat stroke will take him before we do."
Naruto nodded, unable to begrudge her logic. However, their chitchat was cut short as the man raced with a freakish speed towards them. With a shoulder thrust, he sent Naruto crashing into the night. He launched a backhand towards Satsuki but she ducked and tried to punch him in his ribs. Unfortunately, the man's armor stood strong against her and she winced as her fist protested against the strain. He threw a soccer kick at her, launching her into a concrete wall behind her.
Satsuki couldn't help but gasp as she felt pain flare all over the backside of her body. But the Iwa shinobi wasn't done, he raced at her again but instead of smashing, stopped just before her. He took a loose boxing stance and started throwing jabs. Satsuki dodged the first but didn't have enough room to dodge a lower-body shot that lodged itself in her stomach. The man then grabbed her by the neck and slammed her once again in the wall behind.
He tried to do the same again but felt a sticky substance attack itself on his back. He turned around just in time to see Naruto make a handseal and a series of sticky bombs went off on his back. The man roared in anger to see his armor gone from the entire left side of his upper body. Naruto moved in to finish him off but the Iwa shinobi wasn't done. He tossed Satsuki at Naruto and the two were tossed away from him.
He turned to follow them, but a pair of shuriken raced at him from the left. He harmlessly let them collide against his armored side and boasted, "Shouldn't your brats learn by now? Such tiny weapons won't do anything against me!"
Suddenly, he felt a stinging feeling on his left arm and to his horror saw ninja wire wrapped around it. He whirled around to see a smirking Hanabi holding the other end of the wire. Hanabi had gambled that the man would let the shuriken deflect rather than dodge. Thus, entrapping him in ninja wire would be easy.
"Didn't they teach you it's better to dodge than block in the academy? No wonder we won two wars against you mud dwellers." She tugged at the wire from her end and the man screamed as he felt a brief pressure before his entire arm was sliced off. Credits to him, the Iwa shinobi was far more durable than he looked. He made a punching motion towards Hanabi, and rock hurled itself at her with lightning-fast speed.
"Dodge this you brat!" He yelled at her as several rocks struck her, knocking Hanabi unconscious. He staggered as he felt his vision blur, the blood loss was too great. He most likely won't live past this day. He took a needle and injected himself with it.
Death was not an issue. As long as he got to take several Konoha shinobi with him into oblivion.
"One brat dead. Two to go!" The Iwa nin boasted as he leered at Hanabi's broken form. His eyes caught a glint of metal from the corner of his vision and raised his rocky arm in time to block a wakazishi. He turned to see it was the girl again, but her eyes were different. She was weeping but instead of two times, her eyes had three.
Satsuki Unleashed
She raised her blade and struck the man several times over. Even as tears stung her eyes she struck at the man in a variety of strikes, forcing the bleeding man to exert himself. The man had killed Hanabi. She had no love for the Hyuga but the girl wasn't his to kill. She was her teammate. She belonged to Satsuki.
With each passing strike, time seemed to get slower and slower for Satsuki. The man's movements become more cumbersome. Soon he brought his hands in a downward strike that was pathetically slow. Satsuki easily sidestepped it and with a diagonal strike, sliced the man's throat from ear to ear. At first, the shock of what happened didn't register before he tried to stop the bleeding but fell gurgling to the floor instead.
Satsuki didn't relent, she let out a primal shrike of rage as she stabbed the man over and over again. A pair of arms wrapped around her, and a familiar voice whispered, "It's done, kiddo. Let it go."
Satsuki let the Wakizashi fall from her hands as her fatigue finally caught up to her and she joined her teammates in the realm of unconsciousness.
1 Week Later
Konoha | Analysis Division | ANBU
Yugao Uzuki, furrowed her brows in concentration as she stared at the black box before her. Beside her, Tenzo, supremely bored, tapped his fingers on the table. Team 9 and Anko had brought the black box back from their latest mission to Kusa, which was already causing waves in the gossip vine due to the sheer carnage it involved. The details were still sketchy, but the sight of the Iwa shinobi fighting to the death to defend what appeared to be a simple listening post was baffling. Such installations, despite their financial costs, were not considered significant enough to justify such extreme measures.
"It doesn't add up," Tenzo muttered, breaking the silence. "Iwa's SOPs have been clear since the Second Shinobi War. They wouldn't risk two Jounin shinobi for something like this."
Yugao nodded in agreement, her eyes never leaving the black box. The ANBU team had scouted and collected evidence from the site under the cover of darkness, and what the technical team had uncovered was alarming. The black box had been in the midst of sending a large data packet back to Iwa. It had sent 99% of it before Anko had brought the place down, interrupting the transmission.
"We're missing something," Yugao said, her voice tinged with frustration.
Suddenly, something caught her eye. A faint shimmer around a part of the machine, almost imperceptible but there nonetheless. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized what it was. "Captain, look here," she said, pointing. "There's a genjutsu obstructing part of the machine."
Tenzo's eyes widened. "I see it. Let's dispel it."
Together, they performed the necessary hand signs and channeled their chakra into the black box. The genjutsu dissipated, revealing a hidden compartment. Inside, they found a small, intricately wired device. With careful hands, Tenzo extracted a transcript of the very last part of its last record sent to Iwa.
He pressed play, and the voice of a woman filled the room, clear and urgent.
"Sparrow's nest to mountain, over. Sparrow's nest to mountain, do you hear me, over?"
There was a pause, then a muffled, highly distorted voice responded, though the words were unintelligible.
The woman's voice continued this time with a note of desperation. "The Yellow Flash is alive. I repeat, the Yellow Flash is still alive."
A brief moment of silence follows before Tenzo grabs a few more coils from the machine and then breaks in a single karate chop. He tries to leave the room in a hurry before Yugao interrupts him.
"Captain wait!" Yugao said, her mind racing. "What's this about the Fourth being alive?"
Tenzo sharply cut her off, his voice a low, urgent hiss. "Not a word."
He grabbed the black box again, but Yugao interrupted him again. "This doesn't make sense—"
"Silence!" Tenzo furiously whispered, his eyes flashing dangerously. Yugao straightened, taken aback by his sudden shift in demeanor.
Tenzo stepped closer, his face inches from hers, and raised a knife-hand. "What you just heard is beyond top secret. If you breathe a single word of this, you will be immediately killed without a trial. They won't even find enough pieces of you to bury."
Yugao felt a cold shiver run down her spine, her shock and fear visible for a moment before she forced her face into a neutral expression. She straightened and saluted. "Yes, Captain. You can trust me."
Tenzo stared at her for a long moment, his eyes hard. Then, his gaze softened slightly. He patted her on the shoulder, his voice gentler. "You're a good shinobi, Yugao. All will be clear to you one day. For now, you just need to follow orders."
Yugao nodded, the gravity of the situation sinking in. "Understood, Captain."
With that, Tenzo took the black box, and together they moved swiftly through the night.
The Clinic
Kabuto watched and smirked as he watched at the hacked security feed below him. Several heads of the so-called Operation Millennium could be seen hurriedly leaving their building. Soon they would find out about the scope of Orochimaru's deception. The Sanin had overplayed his hand in trying to get backroom support for his coup against the reborn Yondaime.
Kabuto had conveniently leaked information about Kusa until the operations wing had decided to assign a mission to it. The fool Anko too had played her part perfectly. He couldn't wait to see how Orochimaru would react when he learned that his favorite pet had failed him in such a spectacular manner. Delivering the object of his demise right in Minato Namizake's hands.
It would serve the prick right for treating him worse than a scurvy dog. Kabuto turned the feed off and swiveled on his chair. He felt like celebrating today. I mean, how many men could stab a Sanin in the back and live to tell the tale about it?
"I think, I will try the red wine today," Kabuto said to himself and happily whistled away to his storage.
The End.
Author Notes: Please read and review.
Apologies for the late update. was down for me for a very long time.
Also, this will now be an Explosive Release Naruto fic. Fuinjutsu is, on God, the lamest plot device away. And I say lame because using the words I really want will get my account deleted.