A/N: Another peaceful episode for your Christmas present.

Hopefully we're still up to par.

…

[Hokage's Office, Konohagakure no Sato]

It was quite the situation that Tsunade had found herself in.

Team Yamato was behind the so-called 'angel', while Shizune stood by her Hokage, watching as she was crouched before her, scritching Tonton by the ears. The pig didn't mind, and quite enjoyed the way this winged woman was handling her, cooing under her breath as she pet Tonton with gentle strokes.

All told, the mission was a success; Team Yamato had brought the angel to Konoha, killed the traitor Rokushō Aoi, and retrieved the Nidaime Hokage's Raijin no Ken. A mission complete, and a couple of extra objectives accomplished, which meant extra merits to the team…and all because the angel wanted something from them. Not a bad result, considering. The only problem was actually seeing the angel before her eyes: which meant that any hope of disputing Naruto's claims of other worlds aside from their own had been laid to rest.

As the angel, now identified as Eliana rose, allowing Tonton to get back to her master, Tsunade shifted uncomfortably in her seat, feeling a pang of envy towards the being across from her as she regarded her. Eyeball estimates put the angel to be around a head taller than herself, which was as attractive as it was intimidating. The way that she carried herself with confidence, discipline, and professionalism screamed 'soldier' even in repose.

It also allowed the Godaime Hokage to get a better look at her. Eliana had the physique of a spear-fighter: slim and streamlined, yet with all the power and grace of a heron, perfect for the weapon she favored. While she was not as voluptuous as Tsunade was, Eliana had enough curves to draw eyes without hindering her fighting ability. Smooth, avian facial features were streamlined like a magnificent bird of prey, her fiery red hair and intelligent amber eyes blazing against smooth, ivory skin. Were it not for those magnificent, gold-dusted white wings on her back that betrayed her otherworldly nature, the angel would have passed off for a very attractive woman radiating an ethereal beauty.

As far as attire was concerned, it was a far cry from the rags she'd disguised herself in. According to Team Yamato's reports, Eliana clothed herself in rags and bound her wings in order to make herself look like an innocuous beggar - a disguise she upheld when entering the village. The attire that was underneath was a modest, if simple, set of green and white robes that made her look less like the bard she claimed to be, and more a warrior-priestess of some forgotten faith. All in all, given her assessment of the angel's allure, Tsunade surmised that if she so wanted, Eliana wouldn't have lacked for admirers and lovers even dressed in the rags she'd disguised herself in.

For a being that was the apex of a so-called 'mana color' in the shape of a winged human woman, Eliana's form was sculpted from a life of discipline and battle. According to Naruto, she had slightly softened from finding her new calling as a songstress - but she retained the power and discipline from her days as a warrior. By Tsunade's own assessment, if Eliana were able to trivialize and humiliate Rokushō Aoi to such a degree, she had to be Jōnin in capability at the very least. This was no mere songbird, that much was clear.

Three things, Tsunade concluded, kept Eliana grounded and civil: her mellowing from her time as a songstress; her deeply ingrained soldier's discipline; and most importantly, her camaraderie with Naruto, who was present in the office with Team Yamato. Her easy comfort around the boy was the sort of bond one had with brothers and sisters in arms…the kind that was forged in the crucible of conflict, something that Tsunade knew all too well. And given what she'd read from Hiruzen-sensei's notes about the New Phyrexian Invasion of the Multiverse, she surmised that Eliana and Naruto had a bond of tempered steel borne from the fires of a most terrible war.

"What brought you here?" Tsunade asked, doing her best to prevent her envy from leaking into her tone.

"Exploration," she replied simply, her response the sort of crispness one would expect of a soldier, "I came to this Plane out of curiosity, possibly in hopes of seeing something new to inspire a new song, but mostly for exploration."

"Your thoughts on this world?" Tsunade continued.

"It is too early to tell," Eliana explained, her wings gently fidgeting, "But if you are asking for my opinion thus far, I can only say that this is a world of contradictions. It's quiet on the surface, but the undercurrent of conflict exists."

Tsunade peered into the angel's eyes…time to get a bit of a preview on what she was dealing with. "Tell me about the world you're from."

"Ravnica is a world-encompassing megacity ruled by ten guilds,," Eliana began, "Each Guild has a certain sphere of influence, and performs a different function in the city. I was once a warrior and law enforcer of the Boros Legion before I found my calling as a healing songstress of the Selesnya Conclave."

"I sense a hint of lingering pride for your past," Tsunade noted.

Eliana sighed, her amber eyes wistful. "I still believe in the spirit of the Legion's mandate to enforce justice, and I still have pride in my service as a Firemane Angel. It's just that I've come to see that there's a fine line between righteous fury and brutal oppression. Now, I have chosen to enforce justice in my own way by providing balm with my music as a healing songstress, and by protecting the innocent. Mind you, the warrior spirit from the Legion still burns; I simply choose my fights wisely."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, looking to challenge her…see what she was like angry. After all, much like getting drunk, one's true personality tends to reveal itself when angry. "Wisely enough to involve Team Yamato in Morino Idate's predicament?"

The angel's expression had hardened, her amber eyes intensifying with a slight glow - her tone was calm but held an edge. "Rokushō Aoi was a cruel, treacherous man who was at the heart of Idate's suffering; he was arrogant, but he was still well above Idate's capabilities, which was why I stepped in. And if I hadn't enlisted Naruto's help on the day of the race, Idate would've been dead, and the race for Degarashi Port would've resulted in a shameless victory for the Wagarashi clan. The dishonor of the Wagarashi clan to cheat the race was minor compared to outright hiring Aoi to assassinate Idate; it was for this reason that my surrender to Naruto's team was contingent upon their intervention on my behalf."

"Which is why you sweetened the pot with my granduncle's chakra blade." Tsunade added, a grudging approval of her actions. "That was bold of you."

"Maybe," Eliana agreed, an undercurrent of defiance in her tone, "Call me a meddler if you must, but justice demanded action—I couldn't leave without seeing the matter through to its conclusion, not after I'd saved Idate's life the first time. And it was thanks to Naruto's team that justice was served that day."

The two of them stared at each other, sizing each other up, Eliana's smouldering amber pools against Tsunade's piercing chestnut eyes. By the resolve she'd displayed in defending her actions, the angel was a true believer in justice, not a zealot. In that way, she understood why Naruto saw her as a true companion during the New Phyrexian Invasion…it was also very likely the reason why he was barely containing his desire to stand up for Eliana.

Still, she had a job to do. "Your presence has made quite a stir in the world."

"Unintentional." Eliana replied in defense.

"That may be, but your 'unintentional' feathers have been making ripples," Tsunade continued, "Quite frankly, I'd cause a commotion too, knowing how beautiful they are; a lot of people are vying to catch the 'golden bird' that left those feathers."

Eliana didn't miss a beat with her response, a wry smile on her face. "They'd need a very substantial cage for this bird."

Tsunade laughed, more sincerely this time. "And you're not the type to be caged - I imagine that if someone tried that, you wouldn't hesitate to break out and defend yourself. Nonetheless, I've been given orders to bring you back to the Daimyo - he wants to see this 'golden bird' that's been making waves. Though if I had it my way, I probably would've just expelled you; you are trespassing after all, that in itself is a serious offense…of which, I'm sure a former law enforcer like yourself would understand."

"Fair enough." Eliana replied, nodding in assent, "But I hope you realize that this is far from the last encounter with the multiverse you'll have."

Before she could ask what Eliana had meant by that, the doors to her office had burst open, allowing a distressed Shinobi entrance. "Tsunade-sama, we-"

The Shinobi in question walked in, and spotted Eliana, almost dumbstruck at what he was seeing; by the time he settled down, she was able to read 'speechless' and 'smitten' on his face. The meeting she was having with the angel was supposed to be private, and yet this happened…it had to be an emergency. "What is it, Miura?"

The now-named Miura shook himself back into reality. "Tsunade-sama, we've got a problem. Team Gai hasn't reported back."

Now that had gotten her attention enough to ignore the angel in the room. "It was an easy mission in the village! How can they just disappear!?"

"We're unsure about that," Miura reported, "All we know is that they vanished, and haven't returned since last night."

Tsunade thought fast…a missing genin team needed to be addressed. For that reason, it would require the aid of a tracking team. By her estimate, Team Kurenai would arrive today - it wasn't fair to put this upon them, but this was an emergency…for that reason, they would need every team with a tracker. She may even have to call upon the newly-recovered Team Kakashi as well.

"If I may," Eliana said, breaking Tsunade out of her thoughts, "If you are in need of a tracker, perhaps you can put Naruto on the case. He has skills and spells that may help you locate your missing team."

"It's true, Tsunade-sama," added Yamato, "While I can't speak to the 'spells' she speaks of, if it weren't for Naruto's insights, we may never have found Eliana. I have a feeling he could just as easily have excelled as an investigator."

Tsunade sighed. To have a Genin team vanishing within one's own village on a simple assignment was unheard of…it spoke to a hole in security if an entire team vanished without a trace. With her mind made up, she turned to regard Shizune. "Meet at Training Ground 7 as soon as possible."

…

[Unknown Location]

Team Gai wandered the sprawl cautiously. To avoid getting lost due to her new mouse form, Tenten was perched atop Lee's raccoon head while her other colleagues moved on foot as they explored the land they learned was called Bloomburrow.

While sitting on Lee's raccoon head, Tenten had a good look at the bustling streets of the city around her. The place they were exploring, 'Three Tree City', was a cosmopolitan mix of animals. Badgers were busy hauling freight to and fro, or assisting raccoons in building houses. Otters were either catching fish in the nearby pond, or experimenting with water manipulation with frogs, and fire manipulation with lizards. She even spotted mouse and rat families enjoying a nice cup of what she assumed to be tea with a cake on hand, being served by rabbit and squirrel waiters.

The buildings themselves even looked like something animals would build, using leaves, twigs, bark, and other natural materials such as rocks and dirt to assemble simple, yet surprisingly sophisticated buildings. From her observation, the buildings themselves reflected their residents; mice tended to favor homes in trees, frogs and otters understandably liked to be near water, and raccoons looked like they lived in houses made from scavenged materials.

Such an interesting place. And to think it was all because of a simple mission that they were brought here.

She and Team Gai had been given a straightforward mission to keep themselves busy while building themselves back up for more serious missions later: investigate the burglary that had occurred, strangely enough, at a supermarket in Konoha. The money was fine, every ryō was accounted for, every employee had been paid by the end of the day, and the rest was all kept under heavy lock and key if not already in the bank. The issue, however, was that the burglars focused their attention on the produce section, which ate into the store owner's money in the process. While they didn't take everything, they did take large numbers of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as dried goods like nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, and legumes, and perhaps a bit of dried pork and fish. These were things that didn't spoil easily in transport, which begged the question as to why the thieves didn't simply go for the canned goods, or the larger bags of grain.

This was, however, not the first supermarket that had been knocked over in the village - it was merely the second in a week. Thus far, a pattern had arisen whereby both of these supermarkets were within the vicinity of Senju Park, and yet nobody was able to spot the thieves.

Whatever the case, Team Gai had taken up the mission. This particular mission would likely have gone to a Genin team were it not for the fact that little bits of fur and strange little footprints were found at the scene. The burglars had hit the supermarket, and were quick and efficient about it and struck at the dead of night, and so the Shinobi police officers didn't have time to react. Team Kurenai evidently on their way back from their mission, and the Inuzuka clan was busy with a few dogs in need of immediate medical attention.

Given the pattern displayed by the thieves thus far, the mission involved a stakeout at another supermarket within the radius of Senju Park. Tenten, Lee, and Neji each took up a position in each location in an attempt to catch the thieves and figure out where they were taking the stolen food. With the pattern they found, the supermarket they were staking out the closest ones they could find.

What they knew about the thieves' operation was that they were very efficient. They knew exactly what they wanted, and were very careful to avoid being overburdened while maximizing their haul by taking only the freshest items. That they were able to enter through places that would take a child to enter indicated the diminutive statue of the thieves, which also helped to explain why, while they took a lot, they didn't take everything. For some reason, they were also able to get such detailed plans of the supermarket's interior, which allowed them to plan and organize their heists, choosing which stalls to hit carefully, then leaving quietly. All told, their operation was a well-oiled machine…which raised concerns should the thieves find the ambition to knock over a bank.

Tenten acted when she heard a noise in the supermarket she was staking out. Shortly after she made her report to her team, she made her way to investigate when she heard wingbeats and a series of little chittering sounds from overhead. The next thing she knew, she was distracted by a loud shriek noise that stunned her; she was able to recover quickly enough to find six comically-engorged sacks full of food scurrying away into the park on tiny legs. In her pursuit, she also saw small escorts running alongside the apparent thieves; regardless, she sprinted after them, keeping pace with the bagmen, who were fast despite their load. Much to her surprise, when she got close, she saw a few small figures climbing atop the sacks, aiming at her with tiny little bows in their furry little hands, before firing their metallic, pine cone-tipped arrows at her.

It really would've been cute were it not for the fact that the little sharpshooters were dead-accurate, nearly hitting her a number of times despite her speed and the archers firing from moving platforms. Add to that, the heads of the metal-coated pine cone arrows may have seemed ungainly, but they had enough heft to dent steel trash cans. She had a feeling that the archers were not actively trying to kill her, despite the fact that they were perfectly capable of hitting a fast-moving target like a Kunoichi in hot pursuit. Thus far, the worst harm she'd suffered was some minor, yet still embarrassing clothing damage from shots that clearly could have been more deadly. Thinking back on it, Tenten had come to the conclusion that they were shooting in an attempt to shoo her away…or at least to throw her off or slow her down to make their getaway.

Sadly for the archers, Tenten did not relent in her pursuit. She merely avoided the arrows, and continued to pursue them into the park as the archers ran out of ammo. She only broke off from the chase when she was stunned by another loud shriek, which knocked her back, before continuing her pursuit. As she recovered, she heard that her team was closing in on her position, to which she replied that she was still close, and that she was almost on top of the thieves.

Tenten quickly found a line of ridiculously stuffed bags in a clearing - there were originally six sacks, but there were three left. She watched as one hopped through a pentagonal rift in the middle of the clearing, and disappeared into it. The remaining thieves saw her, and made haste into the rift—she pounced after the last one in hopes of salvaging at least one bag and unveiling the identity of the thieves. It would've been generous to say that Tenten was too late, forced to break her fall as she overshot the thief she was pursuing - she then ended up rolling into the rift before being flung into a rock.

Next thing she knew, she fell unconscious and woke up in this land, transformed into a mouse, Lee turned into a raccoon, Gai-sensei a badger, and Neji -humorously!- into a lop rabbit. Surprisingly enough, everyone retained their bipedalism, and their hands were modified to be able to grasp things.

"Think we'll find our thieves here?" Lee asked.

"I don't know if we will," Tenten admitted, "I didn't get a good look at them; all I know is that they were running around with very full sacks on their backs. But seeing the way the people look around here, it's going to be hard to recognize them. For all we know, they might be any of the rats or squirrels we passed by without realizing it."

"We have been searching this city for hours to no avail," Neji said, "We'll have to find a way back."

"True," replied Gai, "Though we're going to need a bite before we do. It's pointless to leave on an empty stomach."

…

[Somewhere in Kaze no Kuni]

More bandit rabble.

And as before, not a single true warrior among them.

Being a warrior, Cao would not have hesitated to kill dregs. Whether they were lowly enemy conscripts in a war or bandit scum beating their chests, if they were weak and unskilled, and they were in his way, he would've simply eliminated them with professional efficiency. Only skilled warriors deserved the honor of a fair fight, for they warranted more of an effort from him. That said, he also had a grudging respect for soldiers who were individually weak, but disciplined and led by a skilled and intelligent commander; enough to show them and their leader the respect of giving it his all even if their commander had abysmal fighting skills. If they had the wisdom to break and flee knowing they were outmatched, that'd be the end of it, he wouldn't have pursued them - if they had the audacity and ingratitude to re-engage, then mercy was off the table.

However, these desert bandits, like the ones before, were drunk on bullying the weak. If their actions were for survival, he would've understood, and perhaps some of them would've lived. But these men and women were addicted to their sadism - they didn't stop at the taking of valuables, as they took the lives of their victims as well. That they were able to hide away this far out in the wilderness and survive meant that they could escape justice, hiding away from the law as they continued to fuel their addiction to needless cruelty. Thus, it fell upon him to show them how it felt to be powerless—to finally face judgment as they were exterminated to the last man by a being that they could not break, let alone kill.

Such was the code he'd lived by during the chaos of the Blood Age…the era of turmoil and constant warfare that tore the world of Arcavios apart as two planes merged to form one. It was a time where the strong were allowed to bully the weak without consequence, as warlords did battle with each other for dominance. By no means was Cao a saint during this time - but he could not abide warlords bullying their own people, not for survival nor to establish dominance, but for the mere pleasure of it. For that reason, while Cao was praised as a mage-warrior and duelist par excellence, he was also dreaded and reviled as a highly dangerous renegade as he swore no oath to any warlord…he was also particularly feared for his merciless execution of entire bandit clans who were addicted to sadism.

He wasn't there to see the end of the Blood Age, having been killed in battle at least a century prior, but Cao was resurrected as a spirit just in time to see Strixhaven University rise from the ashes as peace overtook the world. As a teacher, he'd watched as Strixhaven grew to be the educational beacon of hope on Arcavios it became today; his warrior spirit hadn't been extinguished, it had simply been tempered with patience as the years went by. He also had enough pride in the university to defend it when the Phyrexians came and defiled the world of Arcavios.

As he sat on a rock in his musings, he'd come to realize that the land he'd set foot was not unlike the battlefields he'd traversed. In that way, it brought up feelings of nostalgia for his life in the Blood Age. By his observation, the people of this world were in a constant state of battle even in moments of repose. Their individual warriors were not unlike his student Naruto - they were agile warriors who took the battle in three dimensions; in front and behind, to the sides, even striking from above. Interestingly enough, he'd also noted that the warriors of this world made heavy use of a casting art that utilized nothing but somatic commands.

For the past three millennia, Cao had been patient as a blade history teacher, hoping to teach the student that would one day let him cut loose and dance to his heart's content as two of them dueled to the death as fellow warriors. He was hoping that one of them would grow to become a warrior of such a caliber that they'd be able to grant him his second death in that duel, and he'd be allowed to pass on to whatever afterlife awaited him, even if it was oblivion. With this second death, the one who slew him honorably in this duel would become his successor.

Perhaps in this world, there'd be no need to teach a student; he'd find that warrior he'd been looking for.

…

[Training Ground 7, Konohagakure no Sato]

Naruto waited with his team at the meeting place for the search party to assemble.

As he did, inspected his creation Yami-ō with an appraising eye, thinking of the things he could've done to make the blade stand out. With its blade unsheathed, its namesake dark purple sheen gleamed in the sunlight, its oni motifs clear on parts of the sword's fittings. The cloying, swirling tool and nickel steel 'shell' was dark enough that it ate light like the dark of midnight, contrasting with the lighter spring steel edge. It was slightly longer and broader than a regular katana; the characteristic lanyard ring through the butt cap was a dead-ringer for a tachi blade. The shobu-zukuri grind traded the thrusting power characteristic of the normal shinogi-zukuri blades for consistent performance throughout its length and excellent cleaving power. Its balance and weight were suitable for both mounted and dismounted combat; to that end, the wreath of prayer beads was secured to the lanyard ring with strong rope in order to prevent the blade from flying out of its master's hand during a cavalry charge. Truly, it lived up to its title as a 'dark king' before lesser swords.

He'd made this blade as part of his personal tradition in the multiverse; anytime he traveled to an unfamiliar plane, he'd create at least one non-commissioned weapon to commemorate his first arrival. One such weapon he'd crafted was Jotunnfella, a magic greataxe he'd crafted to commemorate his first arrival to the plane of Kaldheim, its head empowered with rune words he'd learned in the plane. That being said, he still constructed Yami-ō with the same exacting standards he would have for any other functional blade; it hadn't been enchanted yet, but it could still perform well on its own merits.

A part of him wanted to see what would happen if he'd simply performed the ritual of binding mana to the blade. He was curious to see what kind of life it would've taken if it had been infused with raw mana…what kind of shape or properties it would have taken depending on the mana color that became dominant after the ritual. Or perhaps to inlay metal runes in the face of the blade or perhaps the tang, wondering what would be appropriate rune-words, and especially the appropriate runic language, would be perfect for the sword…perhaps elven runes. The possibilities on how this blade could be finished abounded.

The problem was the agreement with the Sandaime Hokage. Naruto was legally prohibited from taking commissions for, or selling any magic weapons to any customer or client who did not come to his shop with a permit. A frustrating, but understandable clause later enforced by the Godaime Hokage herself to ensure the controlled distribution of magic weapons within the village - after all, there'd been multiple attempted thefts on his forge for a reason. There was, however, a loophole: while he was forbidden from selling any magically-enhanced gear to any customer that didn't have a Hokage-authorized permit, that didn't stop him from keeping said magically-enhanced gear in his possession until he found a suitable buyer. In the meantime, perhaps he would find inspiration on how to finish this blade in his work as a Shinobi.

But before he could even enchant the blade, he needed to give it a little test…to make sure that everything was working properly. He sheathed the blade, and placed a thick log on top of a large stump.

Remembering the techniques he'd learned in Kamigawa on how to handle a katana, Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath to clear his mind, adjusting his movements for the slightly increased length and girth of the tachi in his hands. There was no need to boost his movements with Red mana, as it was not a battlefield, he just needed to test it at its baseline. Confident that the target was in his mind, his moves were fast before ending his movements by resheathing his blade.

Once he'd opened his eyes, Naruto saw the results of his iaijutsu draw. The log had been reduced to twelve pieces with clean five cuts within a few seconds…not a bad speed for dueling in other worlds, but probably needs to be faster for this world. But given the length and weight of this blade, it was within parameters for a proper battlefield implement, especially one that was originally intended for cavalrymen.

"Tameshigiri?" barked Hanabi's voice, "What are you, a samurai?"

He looked off to the side, and found Team Kakashi arriving. Naruto's relationship with the genin team was a mixed bag: his relationship with Hyūga Hanabi was fine - their relationship had improved after their date.

The transactional relationship he had with her sensei was pretty good. Kakashi had proven to be a very reliable client, making sure to pay Naruto for the work he did on his father's tantō promptly - first for the restoration work, and then for subsequent sharpening appointments.

Haruno Sakura, he had a feeling would take the side of her crush Sasuke, though she looked like she'd been served a slice of humble pie after the Chūnin Exams, her hair was cropped shorter than when he last saw her to accentuate this.

Speaking of Sasuke, the boy hadn't changed much…he'd always looked like he wanted to take on Naruto, to prove his superiority over him. Naruto was not likely to oblige him unless the boy came to his shop to engage in a sparring match for a new weapon.

"This one needed to be put through its paces, might as well bring it along," Naruto countered, regarding Hanabi, "'sides, with the quality of my work, I'm pretty sure it'd be overkill for the usual tatami wrapped on a bamboo pole."

Hanabi simply walked closer. "And I'd like to feel the arms behind those cuts."

"As would I." Hinata said, walking in from the opposite side, wrapping her arms around his.

Team Kurenai had arrived. Much like Hanabi, Naruto's relationship with Hinata improved after that date they shared. It was quite the experience; he hadn't dated before, let alone two girls at once, but it was still a memorable one.

As far as Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino, Naruto didn't know where he stood in particular, though he did sell hunting knives and axes to the former's clansmen. Kiba, like the rest of his clan, was accompanied by his dog Akamaru, who was large enough to ride.

Shino, however, remained an enigma, having never encountered an Aburame clansman until today - though given that he was Hinata's teammate, he probably wasn't a bad sort.

Their sensei, Yūhi Kurenai, however, carried herself as a very capable individual; a brainy sort, though she clearly had the physique for combat if necessary. Still, it was interesting to see what she was capable of if she had to engage in combat.

"We're here for business, ladies," Yamato said, snapping everyone's attention.

There was a look of recognition in Kakashi's eye as he regarded Yamato, before letting out a huff of joy. "Well, didn't think you'd make it to Jōnin."

"Naruto graduated, but he needed a Jōnin sensei," Yamato replied simply, "So Tsunade-sama put a Genin together to make actual use of him. Not bad for a kōhai, eh senpai?"

"Not bad indeed. I'd have congratulated you, but that's the first I've heard of this."

"While I'm hesitant to break up a reunion, would you mind telling us what kind of business we're here for?" Kurenai asked.

…

[Three Tree City]

Team Gai sat around in the teahouse with animal-people surrounding them, having ordered almost as soon as they entered. The sound of chatter mingled with the mixed aroma of many dishes filled the air as everyone relaxed over a nice, warm meal after a long day's work.

In Three Tree City, the animal-people ran on a simple barter economy—not a sophisticated economy by any means, but a simple one that worked for a very simple and laid-back community. Oftentimes, fish were the currency of choice, Tenten having witnessed a few otter-people trading minnows with raccoon-people in exchange for wooden tools or scavenged nicknacks. She'd also noted acorns and nuts being traded more frequently by mice and squirrels for smaller tools.

Everyone had a career that was fitting for the natural abilities of their respective species. Otter fishermen brought in the day's catch, which largely consisted of minnows and guppies. Rabbit farmers wheeled in their best produce on carts full of vibrant fruits and vegetables. Raccoon scavengers sold their wares on the streets, trading scavenged treasures and hand-made tools to Squirrels in exchange for acorns.

However, other more specialized professions existed. Mouse bakers were hard at work kneading dough and turning over loaves of bread. Birds zipped through the sky carrying missives and packages alike as couriers, or serenading listeners on the streets as bards. Lizard blacksmiths toiled away at their forges, churning out a variety of tools and armaments, unbothered by the sweltering heat. And, oddly enough, Rat librarians and scribes tended their collection of books and scrolls, their insect companions commanded to send finished documents to their appropriate locations.

The bats, however, remained an enigma to Tenten. She had no idea what function they typically served in this community, hanging upside-down and understandably asleep high up in the treetops during the day. Though she didn't doubt that they did something important in the dead of night if the people of this city were okay with their daytime siestas.

It was there that Tenten posed a question to herself: if life in this place was so relaxed, why did the thieves go to such trouble to rob those supermarkets near Senju Park? Why steal when this community, free from the complications of money, was already doing fine without it?

"Here we go!" chirped a golden brown lionhead rabbit waitress, arriving at their table with their orders, placing each item in front of them. Lee and Gai both shared a steaming fisherman's pie, Neji had a carrot cake, Tenten was given a loaf of walnut bread, and a cup of chamomile tea for all four.

"Enjoy!" tittered the waitress, flashing a wink at Neji before leaving with a cheerful bounce in her step.

Tenten suppressed a giggle watching Neji blush at the waitress flirting with him.

After taking a moment to compose herself, Tenten turned her attention back to their table. The simplicity of Bloomburrow's animal-folk society was juxtaposed by the well-developed culinary culture. Along the way to the teahouse, Team Gai spotted a number of dishes likely to cater towards the varying species that lived in Three Tree City…probably brought by the chefs that came to live in the city. The typical diet of the average Bloomburrow native was largely vegetarian, though dishes incorporating animal proteins tended to incorporate fish and insects. And while daunting to their originally-human palates, even the insect dishes watered their mouths given the appetizing way in which they were presented.

Every menu item that they each picked out for teatime would've been palatable even for humans, and would've been a welcome addition in a Konoha restaurant's menu. Their piping hot cups of tea smelled of dry-roasted chamomile, the pale green infusion promised to help cut through the richness of their dishes while providing a remedy to stomach aches.

The fisherman's pie Lee and Gai had agreed to share was a feast for the eyes and the nose. It was topped with a textured, steaming, mashed potato crust that had been browned to perfection. Buried beneath the mashed potato crust was a bubbling filling of fish, herbs, and vegetables swimming in gravy, threatening to burst at the slightest puncture.

Neji's carrot cake was to die for, being a very sweet-smelling cube of spiced bread, hints of nuts (though it was possible that nut flour was used as well) and carrot pulp and shavings. It was decorated with carrot-shaped icing to indicate what sort of cake it was.

Tenten took in the aroma of her walnut bread, enjoying the scent of the sugars, the spices, and the walnuts. Turning into a mouse had enhanced her senses, particularly her sense of smell—a boon for a creature known for its audacious raids on rice stores and bread boxes. A single bite in the corner was an explosion of flavor…she had to control herself so as to savor the loaf without gulping it down as if she'd been starved for months.

"Bah! That's just a load of gossip!" bellowed a patron nearby, disturbing Tenten from her walnut bread.

She looked off to the side, and found a grey rat and a brown otter at the adjacent table, a steaming plate of minnows in front of each of them. The rat wore a necklace of beetle shells and wings around its neck - it wore a pair of purple pants tied around its legs, but wore a black cloak over a dark blue tunic. Its eyes were framed by a pair of beetle wing spectacles.

The otter, on the other hand, wore a sleek, sleeveless indigo turtleneck and a pair of leggings to reduce drag while swimming, its body festooned with clear blue gem pendants and mud clam shells. It was almost comical how the otter towered over its companion while seated, looking down at the rat, though Tenten noted that the otter wasn't a mean sort; just loud, but otherwise friendly.

She was so engrossed in her treat that she hadn't caught the earlier part of the conversation.

"Well that's what I heard, Gaul!" replied the rat, with a sharper, feminine voice.

"C'mon, Sable! The food stores aren't gonna run out!" the otter chuckled in a masculine baritone, "The Squirrelfolk would've been in a panic if that were the case! And even if it were true, they probably wouldn't have let it stand!"

"Excuse me," Tenten said, getting the duo's attention, "I couldn't help but overhear…you said something about food shortages?"

Gaul looked at Team Gai with an assessing eye. "Are you guys new here?"

"Just visiting," Tenten replied, "Now then, about food stores running out?"

"Pay no heed to my friend, Sable," Gaul retorted, waving a paw in dismissal, "She's always got an ear for gossip!"

"Well, it's still a serious concern, Gaul!" Sable insisted, her whiskers twitching excitedly.

"Maybe it's nothing." Tenten pressed gently, hoping to get more information.

Gaul sighed, shrugging. "Well, if you must know, there's a rumor going around that a major food stash has been destroyed by the recent Calamity Beast attack. But like I said, if the Squirrelfolk managing that store were panicking, they're doing a really good job of hiding it."

"I'm sorry, Calamity Beast?" asked Lee, a bewilderment on his raccoon face.

Gaul and Sable looked at Lee as though he'd grown a second head.

"Please humor us," Tenten interjected smoothly, acting fast, "We came from far away."

Not really a lie…they did come from far away, she simply omitted how far.

Gaul and Sable shared a glance at each other…the way they looked to each other for the next course of action spoke of a friendship between species.

"Calamity Beasts are titanic elemental embodiments in the shape of animals," Sable supplied, "They're not animalfolk like you and me; they're non-sapient, and they behave very much like the wild animals they look like. When they appear, all we can do is hide from the destruction they cause, because once they show up, the seasons change."

"Sable here's a librarian and a scholar," Gaul explained, "Her specialty is Calamity Beast research."

"To be fair, her research may be more helpful than you think," Gai-sensei remarked gravely.

Tenten nodded appreciatively before regarding her team while taking a cursory bite out of her walnut bread, savoring its sweetness before downing a sip of her chamomile tea. After swallowing her bite, she moved closer in order to whisper to her team. "Well, we have a possible motive on the thieves now."

"Agreed," Neji whispered back, taking another bite of his carrot cake, "If that rumor about the lost food store is true, then those raids on the supermarkets makes perfect sense."

"Given the situation these people are probably going to face, the motive behind the thefts is understandable," Gai replied, nodding in assent as he scooped up another bite of his fisherman's pie, "However, justified or not, they have still committed theft, and so we're going to have to capture the culprits eventually. "

"The problem is that our thieves would very likely have gone to ground," Lee whispered back, a spoon digging into his half of the fisherman's pie, "And if they know Tenten followed them back, then we probably won't be hearing from them in the near future."

"But we still have to try and find them, at the very least." Tenten urged.

"And we will," Neji assured, washing down his carrot cake with a swig of chamomile tea, "We just need a lead."

Tenten sighed in frustration. They were back at square one.

As she continued her progress on her walnut bread, she was inwardly disturbed by the implications of what Sable had told her team, regarding the subject of her research. These 'Calamity Beasts' sounded very much like the Bijū that once terrorized the Shinobi Nations before they were sealed away - her mind was brought to the Kyūbi Incident sixteen years ago. She was too young to remember that incident, but she knew that a lot of people were killed when the Kyūbi no Yokō suddenly appeared out of nowhere and laid waste to the village. If it weren't for the efforts of many Shinobi and the sacrifice of the Yondaime Hokage that day, the beast would've continued its rampage with impunity.

She prayed that she would never have to find out the sort of damage these creatures could inflict firsthand.

…

[Senju Park, Konohagakure no Sato]

Team Yamato had fanned out with Teams Kakashi and Kurenai, scouring the entirety of Senju Park. Any other day, Naruto would have been here with Konohamaru and his friends, teaching them all the fundamentals of magic and mana. Today, their mission was to search for the missing Team Gai.

There was a reason that three Genin teams were sent to the mission. If Tsunade had sent the entirety of Konoha's military forces searching for one missing team that disappeared within their borders, it would have resulted in a public relations nightmare. Not only would the village be defenseless due to the distraction, but if word were to get out that a genin team disappeared within their village, it would have been an embarrassment that nobody would be allowed to live down. It was for this reason that twelve individuals were to handle this mission; nine genin and their Jōnin commanders.

Each member of the search party wore a throat mic set to a unique channel so as to avoid eavesdroppers as they investigated what had happened to Team Gai. Naruto's use of Archaeomancy bolstered his investigative skills, allowing him to determine Team Gai's movements, as he reconstructed the scene of the crime using the knowledge of the discipline.

The mission that Team Gai had undertaken had led them to Senju Park, that much had been certain. According to Tsunade, it was supposed to be a straightforward job to ease them back into work before letting them handle more challenging work and hopefully another chance at a promotion. Rumor had it that the next Chūnin Exams would be held in Sunagakure…which meant that challenging missions needed to be undertaken in order to qualify. However, several of their members were made to stay in the hospital for a time due to injuries from the previous Chūnin Exams, and so they needed to demonstrate that they were in good enough condition to handle more complicated missions.

From what he understood beforehand, the mission Team Gai was handling was centered around supermarket thefts that had occurred in Konoha twice, and nobody was able to catch the thieves. This culminated in a third supermarket raid, and a stakeout that ended with Tenten chasing the culprits towards Senju Park, which then led to her disappearance, along with that of her team. He had no idea what was waiting in the park that led to the disappearance of an entire Genin Team, but he was hell-bent on finding out what happened to Tenten and her team.

"Everyone, we found something," announced Hinata from the throat mic.

"What did you find?" asked Kakashi from the transmitter.

"I think it's best for all teams to converge on our location to see it for yourselves," replied Kurenai, "We're in the middle of the park, meet us there."

Naruto shared a questioning glance with his teammates before bringing their attention to the task at hand. Team Yamato sped towards the center of Senju Park, finding Team Kurenai waiting for them in a clearing just as Team Kakashi had arrived.

What he saw in the middle of the clearing elicited no shortage of shock from Naruto. Hovering over the patch of grass was a pentagonal rift glowing with a swirling void of energy.

"Holy…" his breath hitched, the word trailing in his amazement.

"Team Gai's trail ends here," Kiba began, "We don't know what happened exactly, but we do know that Team Gai chased their thieves this way. Picked up traces of a weird mix of animals along the way too; badgers, raccoons, rabbits, squirrels, and I think Shino said something about finding traces of bats."

Naruto inched towards the rift, studying its shape and its size. He'd felt the mana signatures of many planes now - the ordered chaos of Arcavios; the thrumming energy of Kamigawa's Neon Dynasty; the corrupted aura of New Phyrexia; even the cold stillness of the ten realms of Kaldheim. These mana signatures helped him to navigate his way through the multiverse as each gave him a sense of where he was and where he was going. But the mana signature coming from this portal was different, coming from a place he'd never been to before.

"Now this is interesting." he mused to himself.

"Something you'd like to share, Uzumaki?" asked Kurenai, interrupting his thoughts.

"As it just so happens, I know what that thing is," Naruto explained, "It's an Omenpath, a literal pathway to another world."

"How do you know that?" Kiba asked.

"I've traveled through one before," Naruto explained, "It's a bridge between two worlds. No fancy Jutsu needed; just cross that threshold, and you'll instantaneously traverse the chasm of time and space to get to your destination."

"You're talking about interdimensional travel," Shino noted, contributing for the first time since the first encounter.

Naruto nodded, mildly impressed. Shino struck him as the brainy sort, and his ability to grasp the concept of what he was talking about confirmed this. "The good news is that judging by how we've had interdimensional guests coming into the village thrice now, that means this Omenpath is stable enough that we can make a return trip," he continued, "The only problem is that I have no idea where it goes, because I'm not detecting anything familiar from that portal."

"Are you sure this is the way that Team Gai went?" Kurenai asked.

"The trail doesn't lie, Kurenai-sensei," Kiba replied, "Team Gai went into that threshold, and didn't come back."

There was a contemplative silence as Yamato turned to regard Kakashi, the question on his mind obvious. "Senpai?"

"Are you sure that Omenpath is safe to go through, Naruto?" asked Kakashi.

"The Omenpaths themselves are safe," Naruto replied, "Whether or not the destination on the other end is a death-world on the other hand, is another story. However, considering we've had three incidents involving this Omenpath thus far, I think it's safe to say that the world on the other side can't be that bad."

"We're going in," Kakashi announced, "We have no idea how Team Gai is faring on the other side of that portal…for all we know, they could be in need of medical aid. Either way, we'll need to report this to Tsunade-sama, so once we go through, we'll need to send someone back to report to her on our status. Understood?"

Everyone in the search party nodded in agreement, words of acknowledgement filling the air.

With one final command by Kakashi, the mission to rescue Team Gai began in earnest. "We're moving out."

…

A/N:

Now we get to the Bloomburrow Arc more seriously…it probably won't be a long arc, but it'll be an arc.

That said, I'm curious as to what you think everyone will turn into as soon as they set foot in Bloomburrow. As it is, it's the final boarding call for speculations for the next chapter…but as I figure out what the search party will turn into, I'd like to hear what animals you think anyone else from Naruto-verse will turn into. Who knows? I may have Tsunade turning into a honey badger, and Jiraiya turning into a porcupine in the future.

And with that, I bid you happy holidays.

…

Vocabulary/Translations/Notes:

Happuri—this is the mask with the t-shaped visor that samurai wear; it's also worn by Senju Tobirama, and of course Yamato.

Tachi—this is an older style of Japanese sword, the precursor to the katana if you will; it's a bit bigger and has a more pronounced curve than a katana, and it tends to have a lanyard ring to keep the blade from flying out of your hand when cutting during a cavalry charge.

Shobu-zukuri—this is a type of edge grind for a katana; unlike the shinogi-zukuri that normal katana have, the shobu-zukuri has no yokote line near the tip, meaning that the grind is the same throughout the blade. This means that the tip is not as well-polished for stabbing, but it has consistent performance throughout the edge for cleaving targets apart.

Tameshigiri—this is the practice of testing out a katana. Normally, this would've been done with a bamboo pole that is wrapped in a tatami so that you can go ham on it for cutting practice; technique is still important, as is the sharpness of your blade.

…

Cards used:

None yet.