Chapter Eight; Kitsune Trio
Two months after the Tea massacre.
Land of River; Tillion Town
Naruto swipes the blood from his kunai, standing over another body of a thug disguised shinobi and pulled out the papers from the corpse. A quick scan of them and he sighs behind his mask, glancing around to double check none had seen him, and before he noticed the little girl cowering in the corner. Long black hair, doe brown eyes, porcelain skin stained with bruises and clearly underfed. Sighing again, trying to ignore the super imposed visage of Haku over this child "So going to regret this." sighing as he approached the child.
In a warehouse on the far side of the freshwater port, the Kitsune mask wearing shinobi stands atop the crane looking down at the targets, several woman chained up and numerous missing ninja acting as guards for this business mongrel, Kieto Nashimi. Apparently the man took the bulk of Geodo's underground business after his death causing his own prestige among the underworld to spike.
His arrogance is only matched by a certain duckbutt Naruto knew, pride unmatched by all and thus he held a common belief that he was untouchable. Kieto thus, did not anticipate that one of his own being a double agent as they had been very thoroughly vetted but still this one agent had informed his superior of this position.
Thus Naruto had been deployed to River country, to support their spy and collect as much information on his entire business. A full task force of Luna, the Anbu of the new mercenary group White Dawn, had been spread across the network. Though their lack of numbers, means that the two full members of Luna haven't even returned to headquarters, nor the Hidden Sand in weeks.
As such, Naruto eyed up the long carriage arriving, out stepping a beautiful woman, long silver hair that reached down to the back of her knees, wearing a loosely fit black kimono to which Naruto swore he saw glints within her ponytail. Must be senbon. He also wasn't oblivious to the very discreet glance from this pale woman's purple eyes, she must be Anbu level or; no she was very much high sannin or low kage with control to match. Damn. This complicates things. He didn't even flinch at the nearly imperceptible tug on her lip that suggested that this was going to be nothing but trouble.
Six hours later...
At the mouth of one of the many rivers of the country, a kitsune masked kunouchi pulled out a similar masked shinobi from the bank, the male was cut up real bad and was barely breathing "You... are... a handful..." was heard from the woman who finally drops her comrade against a tree, "Well... I'm surprised you came."
"..." he sighed at her lack of response, it's been like this ever since "It wasn't either of our fault... I know you know this so why not just..."
"Who managed to get you this bad?" Ryūzetsu's monotone voice ground his already broken heart, it wasn't easy for either and their relationship was now so complicated it was vexing. Sighing hard again, Naruto pulled off his silver mask, revealing his blood leaking from his mouth and bloodshot left eye.
His partner dropped down and started going through the standard checks before performing medical treatment. Her glowing green hands, flickered with white in response to her naturally white dragon aura of her clan.
"I'm sorry..." her whispered word that he barely heard with his enhanced hearing, "...I just... need time... please..." sighing hard, looking down at his cracked mask from his left eye down to the mouth piece, "...I get it..."
Present
Naruto looks down at the grey/silver mask, running a finger down the repaired crack sealed with silver filling, in hand breathing hard as he never thought he be donning this thing again. The situation calls for it though. Standing from his cot, placing the mask on his face before he reaches the exit to the war camp he is currently commanding.
Strolling through the camp, the regular White Dawn members stiffen, his uniform was of dull greys and muted silvers, with nothing left to chance to avoid detection. The protection seals upon it allow wearers to 'shimmer' out of focus like a mirage, or a trick of the light as some refer to it as. Why not just make it invisible? Doing so creates a visible chakra trail around the user as it generally requires a lot more. The Shimmer feature has been perfected to the point that it leaves little to trace behind.
As Naruto reaches his command tent, he comes face to face with his two squad mates, also masked up and ready. He closes the fabric door, seals lighting up the tent walls and the masks come off to reveal Ryūzetsu and Kin in their Luna outfits that are reminiscent of leafs Anbu, but far less rigid as they lack traditional plate armour, relying on leather and engraved seals upon their cloaks and tight clothing. "Now that we're all here; let's confirm the situation..."
"We already have that down." Ryūzetsu commented whilst moving to help Naruto tie up his bandana, as Luna lacked the hoods their Hidden Leaf counterparts typically utilise, they have bandanna's to conceal troublesome and distinctive hair colours "Whilst Larne, Nagato, and Karin lead the third and fourth groups towards Waterfall, we are to by-pass them and head directly to the hidden leaf. Sneak in whilst the Leaf respond to Waterfall's support request." Kin looking over the map, ignoring the touchy-feely Ryūzetsu of her husband "Once inside, head directly towards Anbu headquarters and bust out Tayuya, then find Bashir, Kushina, and Rellahan. Blow up the monument or assigned targets as a distraction." Ryūzetsu states earning a nod from their squad leader "Sure you're ready for this? These were your people..." Kin asks Naruto who simply nods blankly, "They attacked and kidnapped our family. As a man, I will not stand for that, but as an Uzumaki, they have signed their death warrants." replacing his mask for added effect.
The two Ladies nod and follow his example "How did they catch them in the first place?" Kin questioned as they were halfway to the camps exit, where Larne and Karin stood waiting "...they were heading to Suna, via Fang. We'll get the rest of the story once we get to Tayuya." Naruto informs as they reach the duo "Take care of my unit, Karin."
"Relax." waving her favourite cousin off, adjusting her glasses "Just bring our family home."
"Will do ma'am." speaking up as a group of samurai pass by "Good luck Team Alpha." Larne speaking equally as loudly as to infer just how important this mission was for those within earshot. Many had heard of the Luna forces, none more famous the founding team Alpha, who set the standard. The fact they were being deployed meant a lot. Many gulps were heard as the trio shimmered out of sight, their trademark exit.
Land of River/Fire Border
Slipping through the trees like ghosts, Team Alpha proved themselves worthy of their titles as they bypassed several hidden leaf Anbu patrols and a Jonin Garrison, a clear response to the build up of forces within the Land of Rivers.
"Looks like the Leaf is expecting a full scale attack." Ryūzetsu comments from her perch in the upper levels of a tree, just before a Jonin team passes beneath her without noticing her "They know the importance of whom they captured." Kin added from the branch over, getting a quick head count of the shinobi present "We need to keep moving. The longer we take… the deeper they get their claws into the kids."
"What about Tay?" Kin questioned earning an amused snort from the blond "She's probably pissing them off right now." Naruto leading them off deeper through the Land of Fire.
Hidden Waterfall
"Take cover!"
"Get the civilians to safety. Leave the fighting to the Chunin and Jonin leaders!"
"Where are the hidden leaf? I thought they were…"
"Almighty Push!" crash. Boom. Screams of pain and destruction rain down all over the Hidden Waterfall village, as even the mighty tree is dented by the wide area gravity strike. Landing beside her clansman, Karin reports "Yeah, they aren't here and the second wave has secured the jutsu scrolls."
"Then let's get out before they realise that Larne's group was a diversion army and cut off our retreat." Nagato instructs and Karin flares her chakra in a designated pattern, all forces withdraw, before dispelling revealing it was a shadow clone.
The real Karin received the memories and smirked, flaring her chakra for five seconds solid before tapering off rapidly. This was a signal to the Luna team of mission go, as she turns to her fellow commander "Nagato's unit is withdrawing. We just need to keep their attention a little longer."
"Right. The advance team might need a hand though so we will prepare to move a sedate rate, make it look discreet to add to their paranoia." Larne chuckles and Karin nods, a thin half smile "Right. I wish I could monitor them but that armour of their's diffuses their signatures."
Land of Fire; Hidden Leaf Village
"We have just received word that White Dawn has infiltrated Waterfall, and laying siege to it as we speak." Tsunade states stunning the council "What about their forces building in the Land of Rivers?" asked Tsume with a low growl "Last reports state that they were recently reinforced by another company."
"We have to send a company or two to secure the Hidden Waterfall." Hamura states "Indeed." Danzo reports "But why are they acting so aggressively? White Dawn typically is a reactive organisation, never proactive like this." Inoichi questioned earning a nod from Shukaku and Shibi "Well…" Tsunade getting the rooms attention, "…we managed to capture one of White Dawns Commanders and her children. She actually already has a record with us."
"Who did you capture?" Inoichi with a bad feeling, "Tayuya Uzumaki, she and a pair of children that we suspect are Uzumaki too, were found by Waterfall Shinobi. After a brief skirmish, they were able to subdue her and handed her over to us, along with her charges." Tsunade explained that's when Shizune walks in with a folder in hand, quickly passing it to her master before standing at her side "Oh… we were correct. Both children are Uzumaki, a son and daughter of one Naruto Uzumaki. Half siblings to one another." This caused a few mutterings to break out "Now we just need to capture the boy and transfer the Kyuubi and train them into our greatest weapons..." Danzo states coldly, his fellow elders nodding "I will take them into my…"
"You will not touch a strand on their red hairs, Danzo, or your head will roll. These are Uzumaki. One of the founding clans of this village. With them here…"
Meanwhile just beyond the walls of the village…
Three ghostly figures watch as another Anbu team leaves through the supposedly secret exit and now being used as an entrance by the trio who dart through the dark narrow tunnel. As they reach the Anbu barracks, unnoticed, the Anbu teams getting ready to leave had no idea they were never going to reach the frontline. The in-built claws made of chakra metal were standard issue but had a unique function. In an effort to distinguish themselves from regular Anbu, Luna used a composite chakra razor wires to slice through armour, flesh and bone equally.
The other part was Kin's favourite technique, one she worked on with Tayuya and their only true collaboration to which even earned her the respect of kyuubi no yoko himself. Outwardly a supplementary technique, when utilised with prepared allies, it easily can turn the tide on any close-range encounter overwhelmingly so. Vibration domination; A-rank Kinjutsu, Allows user to seize control of vibrational frequencies in their immediate vicinity as long as they continue to channel chakra. Chakra usage is tied into size of the controlled space, the concept used in the field, and the knowledge one has in said concept.
For Kin Tsuchi, this allows her to seal off all sound in its totality which inadvertently cuts off those within from their sense of balance and distance. Naturally this all happens silently, the only downside is that she can't move whilst performing this Nin/genjutsu hybrid at anything approaching twenty percent of its full power. Though only she, Naruto, and Tayuya know its limits and as no one who has been subjected to its might has survived, there are no counters outside the Luna forces.
The Fox within Naruto did the math, his kits mate of Sound could cover most the leaf, about eighty percent and hold it for a minute before passing away from chakra exhaustion, assuming she was unaided. Naruto could cover the village in its entirety, training grounds and all, and hold it for four minutes before passing out. He, the mighty Kyuubi no yoko, could cover the entirety of the land of fire for shits and giggles almost indefinitely. Though he keeps giggling about the panic that would set in as he flicked the sound on and off, as if a light switch, randomly just to screw around with those stupid pink simians.
By the time the three had left the barracks, nothing but blood covered the walls, floors, and even ceiling with the bodies of over fifty Anbu operatives. Moving through the Anbu headquarters, the trio keep to the shadows which only enhanced their shimmer.
It took ten minutes, and another twelve Anbu dead, before they found Tayuya's cell. A quick paper bomb pops the lock, overpowers the sealing matrix, and allows the door to swing open with the red head smirking from the metal slab assigned as a bed "You sure didn't waste any time." As the masked operator fades into view, throwing her a scroll "Gear up. Time is short." The voice was masked but the cracks on the mask tell Tayuya who exactly came to her rescue, standing up she approached him "A little help, shit head?" Turning to expose the seal on her neck leading down her back to several more "Suppression seals, mind destruction… loyalty sea…" Naruto sounded genuinely confused, angry, and somewhat hurt at the actions of his former village, the guilt of striking down the Anbu quickly evaporated at the sight of one of his family being subjected like this.
Moving to deactivate each one as per his speciality in this team, his mind was going a million thoughts a second, they are no doubt aware by now who she is and her current employer. Him. Yet they are willing to go this far to attain a Uzumaki for their weapon. His kids. A malice laced growl erupted from deep within his core, the three ladies were unsure if that was Naruto or his passenger, unaware it was both.
"They will be raised in the Senju compound…" Tsunade states firmly, pinning the civilians with a glare so fierce, that a few may have peed themselves "…and that's final."
"…shouldn't we be wary of a counterattack? Surely, we all know how protective of their family the Uzumaki are, much like my own pups." Tsume reminds with a warning, a nod from Inoichi "If the kids are Naruto's, no doubt he will come for them."
"Thankfully…" Hamura speaking up again, unnecessarily inserting himself, "…the White Dawn believe that it was Waterfall who attacked and captured their people. Thus…"
"We are safe for now." Tsunade states going to standard, "Now, if you'll excuse me. I have a pair of children to calm down. Council dismissed." and she made haste back to her office, unaware of the blood being spilt in the shadows nearby or the betrayal of four so close.
Tayuya finishes arming up, the dragon mask was a spare from Ryūzetsu's pack for when she goes solo hunting as she was the only permanent member of Luna, Naruto being its commander doesn't count as he is rarely permitted to undertake most assignments and his other duties keep him tide over more than he liked or would admit too.
"So, where to next?" The flute player asks to which Ryūzetsu responded with "We need to locate the children as soon as possible. Splitting up is our best option…"
"But not our only option." Naruto cutting in as he knows how uncomfortable Ryūzetsu is around Kin and Tayuya, especially Kin, but the kids rescue is paramount "If I had to guess, the council no doubt had a meeting to 'discuss' their next move in regards to our seiging of Waterfall. No doubt that bandaged elder, commander of Root, will try assuming custody of them…" blasts of killing intent from, surprisingly, all three ladies that was squashed by Naruto's pulse to calm them, but the damage was already done so he skipped to the end "Great… alarms." Spoken so dryly, even Gaara had to take a sip of juice afterwards, the two non-Anbu konuchi flushed red whilst Ryūzetsu seemed unfazed.
Sighing as he returns to the corridor "We need to get to the Senju Compound on the eastern side of the village. The safest place the current hokage will think of." and the next moment the four were gone, shimmering into the shadows just as a chunin team arrive at the underground cell block "Shit, go alert Ibiki that the prisoner's escaped!" and one vanished in a plume of smoke, unaware he was being tailgated, masking the intruders escape from the numerous seals within the crypt like structure.
Once topside again, the four detached from the running Chunin and make a beeline across the rooftops toward the old sense grounds that was just being reinforced with the patrolling Anbu, this is also when the alarm for Anbu headquarters went off confusing many said operatives and the kage as well.
A few minutes earlier…
Shizuoka steps into the office "Lady Tsunade… the children have been escorted to your home in the senju compound."
"Thank you Shizune. Danzo won't be able to get to them there, and I can spoil them rotten as their auntie." Tsunade with a crooked grin though Shizune was unconvinced that things would be that straight forward "Lady Tsunade, I don't think that it will be that easy."
"Oh?" The Senju matriarch questioned with a raised eyebrow "Do tell?"
"I have been with them since they've arrived, and they haven't even said more than two words to me. I've overheard them talk between them in hushed voices, so they are not mute or scared just…"
"Trained not to." Tsunade comments and her apprentice nods earning a sigh from both. It is then they both sense several very potent killing intents from Anbu headquarters until a much larger one subdued the others. It was only a moment, but that was most definitely a kage level burst of intent. "Anbu…!" called out with those selected solider appeared before their commander "…go check in with the Anbu headquarters and report back to me. I'll be at the Senju compound." Standing up, Tsunade grabs her coat and noticed that the four masked shinobi still standing there "Dismissed!"
The medical duo strolled with purpose towards the Senju manor, her apprentice a step behind but at the side "…Shizune… do you feel that?" was whispered by the elder of the two, "Feel what, mi'lady?" a frown upon the Senju's face as an uneasy feeling began to feistier in her gut. Doubling her speed to a fast walk, it soon evolved into a light jog before finally reaching the shinobi roof hopping and reaching their home within minutes.
Senju Battleground
Landing before the massive wooden gates, what caused the gasp to escape the black haired kunouchi's lips was the fact that the doors were blown open, yet the required explosive yeild for such a feat would have alerted the whole nation. "Impossible..." but Tsunade did not hear her apprentice, rushing thrugh the broken frames into the clan compound only to witness the aftermath of a massacre.
Looking around at the normally abandoned streets lay numerous Anbu teams, both regular and Root alike, though it was clear that the majority of the Root ones were dead at a higher percentage over her own. Members of the security force lay on the floor, in growing pools of blood, smashed into walls, maimed or stabbed through, though a few had been decapitated.
This assessment only took a fraction of a second as her eyes landed on two figures standing watch, one directly ahead of the door to the main house and the other on the roof. They had unique dull grey masks, light silvery grey leather armor covering their torso, shoulders, forearm, and the front of their legs. Beneath the dark leather seemed to be a tight uniform of grey's silver, and dull whites, if that was possible, and even still Tsunade feels that if wasn't paying full attention, she would not notice them. A kind of Anbu if the masks are to be believed, and with the blood splattered across their uniforms, the ones who had disabled or killed these thirty-six Anbu, and twelve Root. Mental note to deal with Danzo later.
Stepping forward with a blank expression, the fifth hokage stepped over the bodies of her soldiers whilst her apprentice began to work on those in her immediate vicinity "Who are you? And how dare you come into my home, my village, and attack my people." she bellowed but got not even a twitch as a response from either standing sentries that both watch her approach slowly, "ANSWER ME!" roared the last Senju. Tsunade was surprised when a second figure seemed to appear at the side of the one standing in front of her home, a quick glance up shows that the one standing up there was still there. The duo looked to one another for a long time before looking back at the Godime and in unison shook their heads, not wasting their voices to tell her not to approach.
This enraged the kage, who promptly threw her gamblers jacket off and unleashed her full, unrestricted killing intent upon the two impudent shinobi which also alerted every ninja in the village something was going on in the Senju estate and made best speed there. "Fine..." the blonde taking a very threatening step forward, the mud and dirt splitting from her chakra pressure alone, her pigtails flying every which way in the fluttering wind "...don't speak. I'll be sure to pry your jaws apart and make you swallow it!" leaping forward like a snapping line on a docked ship.
The two small hopped aside, evading the earth splitting punch before attacking from both sides in perfect unison in ti-jutsu with enough speed and force, that it was pretty easy to see that Tsunade was on the back foot.
As the fight progressed, Tsunade was taking hit after hit, every one of her counter attacks were redirected at the forearm or wrist before she could land a solid hit. Just as she tries to leap back, a double roundhouse from behind sent her face first into the dirt, sliding to a stop near her apprentice who was still trying to save as many Anbu as she could "Lady Tsunade!"
"Gah... I'm so rusty..." the Senju lifting herself up only to find herself pushed back down by a foot, a blade resting against her neck but before she could begin to break free, her eyes met the form of her apprentice in a similar position and froze.
After a full minute of silence, Tsunade broke it with a very simple "What do you want?" but got no response as the two unknown shinobi kept them in place even as reinforcements arrived only for "STAND DOWN!" from the blond kage, halting the Jonin team that had just arrived to see their Hokage, and apprentice, at blade point whilst surrounded by numerous downed Anbu. These two enemies were clearly skilled enough to fight on even footing with a kage, without sustaining any injuries themselves despite fighting at least ten squads of Anbu before.
"I ask again..." Tsunade's voice was cold, resigned yet somehow murderous "...what do you want?" but got no response again, and her irritation bled into her chakra and felt by her captive. The response? A seal that shut down her chakra network. As soon as her chakra slipped from her fine control, the Kage panicked yet for some reason, a cloak fell over her head and covered her aged form. Despite the darkness, Tsunade felt... at home... within the confines of this article of uniform but it would be an hour later before she realised why. It smelled like Naruto.
A few minutes before Tsunade's arrival...
Ducking beneath a rapid lunge, Naruto sliced the under arm of outstretched and the acheelies beneath as he twirls around and slices through the side of the Root Anbus neck with his cutting wires. Without breaking his step, he flips over another tipless tanto, grabbing the owners shoulder, claws digging in firmly as he then proceeds to throw the operative overhead directly into the path of one Kin, who roundhouse kicks them through a wooden wall of the house Naruto just lept off from.
Landing before the head house, all four swiping off the blood from their claws, kunai, or sword in Tayuya's case "You..." Naruto pointing to Kin "...get the kids ready for transport."
"Right." Kin says before rushing into the house as Naruto turns to Tayuya "...get to the basement and build the reverse summoning seal to get us back to HQ. If, and only if, you finish early, feel free to pillage the sealing stores you come across. Any Fuinjutsu scrolls you find are to be prioritised, but the reverse summoning is your first port of call."
"Got it." Tayuya rushing off as he then turns to his oldest teammate "We, for old times' sake, hold the line just like we did in Tillion Town." Ryūzetsu snorted "First or second time I had to pull you from the river?"
"First." Naruto chuckled "Oh? But I thought the third time was..."
"I'll cover the rooftop and spread a few clones out." Naruto then shimmers out but Ryūzetsu's keen eyes followed him as he leaped to the roof in one leap, created only three clones that promptly spread out of her sight as she lets out a discreet sigh and turns back to the front, recalling her extended claws as she meditates whilst standing to recover her chakra and thus, just like Naruto but not his clones, dropped the shimmering effect of their armour.
Not even two minutes later Tsunade and Shizune would arrive "Who are you? And how dare you come into my home, my village, and attack my people." the hokage spoke and Ryūzetsu wondered if anyone had actually answered that honestly. She's wearing a mask for logs sake. Clearly, she doesn't want to be recognised.
"ANSWER ME!" yelled the slug sannin with chakra laced and a healthy amount of killing intent. Too bad her man... Ahem; Naruto's is far denser and more menacing. Going at him in full contact spars was always adrenaline rushing. Naruto dropped down beside her suddenly, using low voices whilst staring at the Kage before them "She's a frontline fighter, chakra explosive punches, and will charge at us believing us to be slower than she is as despite being a brawler, her speed catches most off guard enough to enable her to get that single punch to end the fight."
"So, evade the first strike and maintain the assualt?"
"Deflect or dodge, never parry. That's how to win this one."
"We can't go toe-to-toe with a..."
"We don't need to. Capture her apprentice and I'll take care of her." Naruto spoke and just in time too as Tsunade charged them.
After the fight...
Out of nowhere, Kurenai Yuhi was pushed to the ground, appearing from an invisibility genjutsu behind Tsunade and the man holding her hostage, now the Jonin too was held at claw point with cutting wires clearly visible around her neck via another masked shinobi "I said stand down..." Tsunade voice was subdued but had correctly guessed that someone tried to free her and was caught.
Abruptly, the strange shinobi pushed their prisoners forward and released them before shimmering out of sight. Immediately the Hyūga's activated their eyes but simply watched as the now four visible assailants, a fourth spotted further off as overwatch, shimmered out of their enhanced sight too. The cloth over Tsunade puffed away, along with the seal that was suppressing her chakra and she jumped up to check on her apprentice.
She was shaken but unharmed. Her attention then turned to the house and she blitz into the house to find it void of life. The Anbu stationed within were under powerful genjutsu, she broke in passing, and the trail of chakra led down to the sealing room. Upon reaching the sealed off room, she found half her stocks gone, and a burning seal on the floor as it was erasing itself. "A reverse summoning. Flashy." she murmured.
Stepping outside, she confronted her ninja who all come to attention, the ones not tending the wounded at least"The captive?" she asked airily as an Anbu stepped forward "Escaped."
"Casualties?"
"High. A quarter of our Anbu force, those stationed at headquarters, are all dead, crippled, or maimed." Anbu Captain Goat reported solemnly, "How did they even get in?" questioned Kakashi, glaring at the Anbu nearby "We..." several eruptions drew attention to now bellowing columns of smoke, flames and debris "MOVE OUT! I WANT A DAMAGE ASSESEEMENT ON MY DESK WITHIN THE HOUR!" Tsunade roars and those not tending the wounded body flickered away. Sighing heavily, the hokage turned to her assistant "Get them to the hospital. We'll have an emergency meeting to get to."
Flashback Tillion Town - a week after Ryūzetsu arrived
"You really are a persistent little nate aren't you." a dark haired, kimono wearing yakuza like woman spoke from her golden throne as her best hitman lay bleed at her feet, Two silver masked shinobi stand among numerous bodies of her minions "I must say, if you weren't so silent, i would have accepted you to lay beside me."
"..."
"Come now... aren't you going to grace me with your voice, silver fox?" her dark eyes shift to the newcomer "What about you, silver dragon? I wish to know whom I wage war against." her voice dripping with sultry intent "..."
"No fun at all." closing her Tessen shut, the sound echoing around the large chamber foretelling of her raising from her seat as the two shinobi drop into their combat stances "Well, I guess we should end this little game of tag, no? You must understand that this land belongs to us, the golden tigers, and not that pathetic excuse of a daimyo." the two masked shinobi charge in unison, caring not for their foes ongoing monologue. A wall of flames erupts between the two parties, temporarily blinding the two Luna operatives which allowed their target to escape a third time though her cackling continued to echo as her final words "This isn't over silver shinobi. We will meet again."
The fires die down and the fox masked shinobi growled audibly, before attempting to give chase only to be dragged clear from the needle like blade of the Nuibari, an eerie screeching cackle as a mist settles in "My... my... how wonderful..." a tall man could be made out through the chakra laced mist but neither Luna operative brought into the bait, and instead turned the tables as they too began to shimmer out of view and senses of their newest opponent, their new inbuilt claws gleaming with malicious intent.
Flashback end
Land of Rivers/Fire Border
"...and with the damage to their water purification plant, warehouses, and Anbu; they shouldn't be so keen to start another conflict with us." Naruto reports to his fellow commanders, Nagato, Karin, and Larne in the forward camp of the White Dawn. He was still in his Luna uniform, minus the mask, as he leans over a map of the Hidden Leaf with black crosses over their sabotage targets.
"I thought this was meant to be a simple snatch and grab..." Larne chuckled light heartedly but the three Uzumaki glance at him with hardening eyes "They messed with our kids." Naruto began, "Kidnapped one of our own..." Nagato continued "...and no doubt wanted to turn them into their pawns." Karin unusually firce, borderline angry as her finger pushes up her glasses "A message needed to be sent." Naruto looking back down at the page "This was that message. The Hokage will back off, if she knows what's good for her village..."
"What about Danzo?" Nagato brought up as he has previously had the misfortune of running into the cripple earning a nod from Naruto "Yeah, no doubt he will be dispatching his Root to locate us now that he is aware that A; I have young Uzumaki children that he can 'mold' into his perfect tools. B; That we have skilled operatives that are a threat to his plans. C; If any of them saw our gear, the Hyuga for instance, and report it, he will want to secure some for himself."
"Fat chance of that happening..." Karin snorted at the thought, she had worked incredibly hard on the shimmer seals engraved in the armour of the Luna operatives. The fact they refract light around the wearer, even whilst moving, at such a high rate of refresh was one of her crowning achievements. No way was she letting some old crippled mummy anywhere near her seals.
Larne sighs before locking gazes with his friend, "Mifune is not going to like this. We attacked a minor nation for no reason."
"They kidnapped our people." Naruto replied sharply, "We made a conscious effort to keep civilian casualties to a minimum." Nagato adds looking to the samurai commander "The property damage makes it look worse than it actually is. I assure you."
"Still, I would try get ahead of this political nightmare if I were you. The fact that we were able to raid a hidden village with seemingly little build up time, and with such overwhelming force, will put a lot of the smaller nations on edge."
"Kumo might try use this as proof of our terrorist moniker they placed upon us." Karin confirmed with a nod "Iwa might too."
"Fine. I'll head to Iron Country after we have finished compiling our reports." Naruto sighed hard, folding his arms before glaring at his fellow commanders "Speaking of, where are all of yours?" none made eye contact with him until Karin whispered out "You see... with everything going on... I figured... I could go to... the hot spring and..."
"I want them on my desk before the camp is packed up tomorrow noon. Am I clear?" Naruto ordered and they all sigh heavily, shoulders slumped but nodding none the less and he smirked his foxy smirk "Dismissed."
Land of Fire; Hidden Leaf Village
A wary Tsunade arrives first at the council room and promptly takes her seat before letting out a tired sigh. It took a good six hours to tend to all the injured and now the rest was in the hands of her shinobi. It's hard to believe that three shinobi could cause this much damage to the village, truly she hadn't seen such proficiency since maybe the second shinobi war, maybe the third. It goes to show that the Leaf had gotten sloppy and lax in their reign at the top of the preverbal shinobi Foodchain.
Her thoughts briefly wonder to the cape she was doused with when her chakra was sealed, it felt familiar and that's when she recalled the chakra laced within it and the scent. She is no Inazuka but that scent was something that caught her attention which meant she must have spent significant time with the person, as all humans have innate base instincts about things like that. The only people she spent enough time with for that to be a factor was her former teammate, Shizune, Sakura, and maybe Ino. Though that makes no sense as none of them are working... her mind locked up "...Naruto..." whispered beneath her breath as a cough brought her attention back to the now full council room. Thankfully no one heard her though the Hyuga and Inazuka were staring at her oddly. Maybe they noticed her slip up.
Coughing lightly "Status report!" the kage ordered and the reports were explained to everyone present. Just over a full quarter of active Anbu were cut down, the headquarters had been cleared out and left a ghost building, two of the purification plants suffered extensive damage, three food warehouses, two material stores, and an equipment factory were leveled by high grade demolition charges in the case of the factory and Material stores, but the food warehouses were hit by, what our technicians are calling a Hydrothermal explosion." Anbu Turtle reports earning raised eyebrows from the civilian side, but the Shinobi side narrow their eyes "Explain the last one." Tsunade questioned as one lab coat wearing non-descript man stepped forward "Due to the lack of explosive residue, an excess of superheated metal and water present, we surmised they somehow created an explosive that utilizes the rapid expansion of liquid to gas." the man states before looking down at his clipboard "In this case, according to our preliminary tests, Dihydrogen Monoxide was used as the liquid."
It took a second. A very long second. More than a comfortable second before "Troublesome." was heard "You could have just said water, you know?" Shikaku groaned causing the lab rat to blink owlishly at the room, "I did."
"So, some kind of water bomb in our food stores? No doubt to cause greater damage than regular explosives." Choza moving the debriefing along earning a nod from the Anbu commander "Indeed. Whoever these people are, they did a thorough job. If they weren't against us, I'd draft them immediately."
"Speaking of which..." Hiashi looking to the Kage "...do we know who they are?" yet it was Inoichi who answered "Yes and no." with all attention on him, he sit up straighter to continue "We have two alias; the Kitsune Trio, involved with an underground assassin war with forces of the Golden Tigers and the Crimson Tide."
"The three way war?" Tsunade with a raised eyebrow to which he nodded "Though we don't have specifics, we know that this trio went toe to toe with both sides and liberated the Land of Rivers from their control." Inoichi explains earning nods from the room "And the other alias?" questioned Shibi, which earned a sigh from the T and I head "It's from Kumo's bingo book."
"Is it reliable?" Tsunade questioned immediately, the blond shrugged "They've had more contact with them apparently. They do call them terrorists after all."
"Go on..."
"Well, according to the Kumo Bingo book, they are also known as the Silver Kitsune Trio together but have been known to work individually at times. Together they are an SS-class threat, capable of inflicting damage on a large scale against any number of opponents as they seem to 'Fade' in and out of view." he gives the hokage an intense look "You've seen it yourself, no?"
"Yeah..." Tsunade nods recalling how easy it was to lose sight of them briefly, "...they just kind of shimmer as if they were mere mirages."
"My clansmen reported as such too." Hiashi mentioned bitterly, a tough pill to swallow as his clan prided itself on being 'All seeing' yet here comes an enemy that can hide even from their visual prowess. "It is rather unpleasant knowing there are enemies out there with such capabilities."
"We must find and capture one." Danzo speaking up for the first time, "We must learn how to defend against such a foe."
"Sure, you just don't want their ability for yourself?" Tsume snorted earning a stoic gaze from the old timer "Our Anbu would benefit greatly from such capabilities." Anbu Commander Dragon states earning a nod from the blond kage "I agree. Anything else Inouchi?"
"Kumo apparently has them labeled under 'Luna' with their allegiance to the White Dawn."
"So, they are like our Anbu?" one civilian council member questioned earning a nod from the Yamanaka clan head "If the kind and benevolent White Dawn is the public face of the group, then Luna is the shadow beneath the full moon that strikes at the enemies that hide there." Tsunade surmises earning shaky nods from the clan heads, though it was Danzo's reaction that caught everyone's attention. He smirked, no doubt seeing this as a direct challenge against one such as himself "Interesting."
Land of Lightning; Kumogakure
Ay glared at the book placed before him, a Konoha bingo book, open at a certain page causing those within the gulp nervously. After sometime he finally looked up, "It seems that those silver demons have returned, attacking the hidden leaf now. It means that we have to be careful not to draw their attention. Reinforcing our borders."
"Surely our Bolt can..."
"Did you not read this entry?" the Raikage roared as he jumped up, the desk flung forward with several people jumping clear of it, "They slaughtered a portion of their Anbu. Our Bolt, are just of as elite or perhaps more, they may still take casualties."
"Should we perhaps up their training?" Durui, one of the Jonin leaders, spoke up "Naturally! Double it!" Ay roared out that shook the entire tower before he began pacing back and forth. "Wait, perhaps we should reach out to the Leaf make an alliance to hunt them down?"
"Not yet..." Ay mumbled, finally calming down, "...we wait for the next move. Prepare for the counterattack. This time, when we spot them, we'll crush 'em."
Land of Earth; Iwagakure
Kurotchi couldn't contain her laughter upon the report she had just received from her spies within the hidden leaf. The Luna forces had infiltrated the Leaf, blasted several strategic targets, beat the hokage down and at blade point threatened her forces before escaping. All without taking a single casualty.
After getting the laughter under control, she eyed the newest issue of the leafs bingo book that said spies packed up with the report. Resting her head atop interlocked fingers, smiling all the while, "Well, I guess we could invite them over for tea, biscuits, and ryo." Giggling, she looked up at the operatives before her "Let's give 'em a call, eh?"
Land of Rivers/Fire border
Naruto looked on from the tent door at the sight of his kid's sleeping safely within the arms of their mothers. Unaware of the soft smile donning his face, he was a jolted from his musing by Ryūzetsu's appearance his side "You seem heavy hearted right now."
"What kind of opening is that?" Naruto equally as soft before releasing the flaps, turning to white-haired kounchi, who was smirking at that before it fell upon glancing back at the family moment longingly "Do you think we..." she was cut off by Naruto kissing her, the two locking lips instantly becoming infinitely more passionate with before they both vanished in a shimmering mirage like after image, the full moon's light the only witness of the reconnection of a distant
A/N; Now before you all raise a stink at Naruto and Ryūzetsu's easy defeat of Tsunade, think about this differently as they didn't beat her straight up just cornered her then threatened Shizune forcing her to submit. She wasn't 'beaten' just subdued.
As for the amount of destruction they wrought, the Anbu are usages to massive amounts of support from a village where as Naruto and Ryūzetsu have not. Thus had worked in the dirty underbelly of the Shinzo I world constantly. They lack any 'honour' and not above 'dirty' strikes either. Pair that with the Uzumaki grade explosive notes.