CHAPTER 27

Later that night

Lio didn't always appreciate that she could fly. She didn't have much of a chance to use her wings inside the Star Facility and even after she escaped, she lost them to Kushina a handful of days later and hadn't gotten them back for three years.

Now she had just realised how amazing flying was.

She could see the distinct curvature of the earth and the bumpy tones of the planet, which stretched down into the horizon with shifting colours of blue, green, and white. The delicate arc of the horizon loomed ahead of her, a clear divide between the vibrant planet and endless black outer space.

The air was thin but that didn't bother her much, as her body could produce its own oxygen, and the crushing weight of air pressure only slightly pressed against the thin sheen of pink chakra that formed a shell over her frame, protecting her from the combined heat, cold, and horrendous crush of hurtling at the speed of sound just underneath the void of space, staying within earth airspace. On the ground, it looked like a pink shooting star was streaking across the sky, moving from west to east.

Over her eyes were a pair of thick brown flight goggles, custom-made allowing her pink eyes to gawk at the sights above and below her.

It truly was beautiful; the elemental nations embedded with several contrasting tones, like the luscious green forests and rivers and waterfalls of the southeastern areas, the arid, brown and rocky regions of the west, the grey and black mountain ranges that populated Earth Country, the hail of snow and blinding white blanketing Hidden Chill, with hard winds and light snowstorms streaking down to Lightning, Snow, and Iron Countries. She even spotted the cluster of fog and mist lazily hovering over and around Water Country.

She looked above her, stunned. It was staring into the eyes of infinity.

Eternity.

The billions of stars burning lightyears away speckled her line of sight, prickling and fizzling mutely. Some winked out, snuffed unceremoniously, others bent within themselves and imploded, transforming into endless darkness that swirled inwards, others floated into these blackholes and others drifted away. Meteors streaked many kilometres over her, not close enough to the earth's orbit to be attracted but near enough that Lio could just about sense the dense pressure at the tail end of the meteors, burning past and hurtling into the darkness.

Then there was the sun.

It sat in space like a goliath, blazing red and white, radiating heat to everything around it. As incomprehensibly large as it was, Lio's senses thrummed nervously at the other behemoths nestled in the void, some of which were swaddled in other distant universes, some so close to their universe that they stood against the edge of her vision, and some even larger stars than the sun condensing gradually into dwarfs.

She saw all of this in a matter of moments, gasping when she remembered her mission.

Her massive, leathery wings flapped powerfully. She adjusted her body a little, trusting her inner instincts and correcting her course. She checked her watch, protected from the harsh elements by her pink chakra shell, and saw that she was right on time.

A shrill scream surrounded her form as she punched through the sound barrier, though her ears were protected by headphones. She began her descent, curling her wings close to her body and setting her arms close to her body, keeping her legs together and making her form as streamlined as possible, dipping into a shallow decline that gradually got steeper.

When she cut into the mesosphere, she took care to open her wings a little, slowing down ever so slightly and wincing when the heat and pressure of her descent pushed harder into her pink shell, nearly scorching her forehead. She rushed past the stratosphere and flapped again, spinning twice with her wings spread open, drastically slowing down and pushing away the cone of wind and fire that surrounded her.

Then, counting under her breath, she spun again and fully spread her wings, grating her teeth as she slammed through the troposphere, bursting through fluffy night clouds, dispelling the flames around her as well as her pink shell.

To those on the ground, it looked like the meteor that entered the earth's atmosphere had burned up. Fascinating to watch but nothing out of the ordinary.

Meanwhile, Lio lowered herself slowly and carefully, keeping her expansive wings wide open to catch as much air as possible, gliding over the Higashiyama fishing hole and gathering herself into a loose ball, stretching out again and bracing her feet with pink chakra shoes. She came down hard at the edge of the lake but the pink chakra at her feet only made her slide harmlessly, skidding into the hard grass and grinding to a stop before she could collide with a stump.

She paused for a moment, not moving and catching her breath, straining her ears to see if her re-entry had raised any alarms. Her True Spatial Awareness didn't alert of her any humans in the immediate vicinity, only a cluster of people in a village some distance away. Her head moved up and her eyes flicked to the left, panting through her nose and heaving. She swallowed gratefully and snapped her flight goggles over her brow, tugging her beanie over her ears and patting down her dark jumpsuit. She blended into the night.

She checked her watch again.

8:41 PM

"Good," she breathed silently. She cracked her neck and stretched her wings, stifling a groan at the satisfying click she felt. She brought her left wing around her and looked at the end, seeing wisps of smoke ebb from the end. She winced at the subtle heat.

This was her first suborbital flight, and it went better than she expected.

Yes, she had to listen to her innate instincts on flying more than she liked but it went well either way.

She stole quickly toward the cluster of people she sensed seconds ago, folding her wings on her back. Those massive appendages stuck securely in place, their ends almost trailing on the ground as Lio began a steady jog. She breathed evenly from her mouth, still constantly watching around her with her senses and making steady progress to her target. The welcome sign came up fifteen minutes later, nearly unseen in the night if not for the sparse campfires alight in the village.

Welcome to Higashiyama Village

Population: 305

Motto: "Where Metal Meets Hard Work"

She stopped at the signboard and leaned heavily against it, panting heavily and shutting her eyes.

Lio was normally a walking nuclear reactor, though this level of physical exhaustion was justified; she had made three long-distance flights in the last twenty-four hours, including the suborbital flight she had just entered with, and all of whom had swallowed large chunks of her chakra just to keep herself from burning up in the upper atmosphere. Not only that, she was carrying precious cargo on two of those three trips.

She felt a tingle at the base of her skull and she scoffed, then a split second later, a gentle hand settled on her shoulder.

Lio readily turned into the person, circling her arms around him and sinking into his embrace. Her face wedged into his neck, breathing with her lips parted against the fabric of his turtleneck. His winter parka crinkled audibly as her fingers locked at his back. Her form fit against him like a missing puzzle piece, instinctively unfurling her wings and coiling them around him.

His chest vibrated with a laugh and she smirked into his neck.

Her wings fizzled out into flecks of pink light, leaving her wingless but unafraid.

Thirty seconds later, she hesitantly released him, though not stepping back. She looked up at him, seeing his dazzling smile and the laughing crease at the corners of his eyes. He raised his eyebrows expectantly.

"It went well," she answered. She pulled at the left sleeve of her jumpsuit, exposing a storage seal. She unsealed a giant storage seal, which dropped heavily on the snow-covered ground.

Naruto's smile dazzled Lio, who preened happily at his enjoyment. His hands came up to the sides of her face and he cupped her cheeks, squishing them playfully. She pouted at the gesture but didn't push him off.

When he was satisfied, he picked up the scroll and hefted it onto his shoulder. He was just about to turn into the village but he stopped himself, groaning at something; he couldn't yet reveal his identity to the people of the village. Not just yet. They had to be fully integrated into Whisper Group before they could find out who he truly was.

"I've got it," someone said, jogging from the village and waving their hand.

Naruto's smiled in relief when he saw that it was his sister, One. She was still in her samurai attire and katana, though this time also with a ninjato she had been gifted by her uncle, Genji Takayama. She was smiling.

The boy readily gave her the scroll and she carried it on her shoulder with a grunt.

Inside the scroll was the first investment from Whisper Group. Ten million in new forging equipment, iron ore, raw copper, gold and silver, as well as two million ryu in hard currency. Since the Kaska Valley was compromised, the route through Fire Country was inconvenient, and the Iron Country was far too slow and tedious, Lio was in charge of flying the investments in once a year. She had to fly at a higher altitude than normal because of the possible chakra trail the storage seals left behind, making her journeys nearly untraceable.

"Thanks." Naruto nodded to his sister.

"No problem." She pointedly ignored Lio, and the other girl made it a point to sidle close to Naruto, nearly making it difficult for the boy to sign. One's lips threatened to pull back into a snarl.

"Festival?"

One snorted, distracted from lashing out at Naruto's friend. "No. Just a small welcome party for your accountants." She turned, looking out at the brightly lit village, with the numerous campfires and the chattering coming from the centre. The people milled around Genji's family house. Two men and one woman were seated on a bench at the front of the house, smiling stiffly as the people gawked and spoke to the nicely dressed people. An elderly woman hobbling on a walking stick eagerly shook their hands, almost rattling the woman Whisper Group member at her vigorousness. "They really don't get visitors much in this village. It's like your people are some sort of big city hotshots."

"I'm guessing word got out that we're investing in the Takayama Forge."

One's brow furrowed. "Is that bad?"

Naruto shrugged, shaking his head. "No."

One hummed.

Lio smirked, amused. "They really don't blend in."

The two accountants and one auditor were dressed in the finest silk kimono, wearing heavy winter coats, gloves, sandals and woollen socks. The men wore top hats and the lady, a pink-haired woman with stern features, kept a parasol umbrella across her lap. One of the men had a cane, which was held tightly in his right hand as if he suspected it would be snatched from him at any moment. They were swarmed with people who wore animal furs and leather clothes, most not cut so neatly, and who smelled like they didn't take frequent baths.

It was a village that had seen better days.

One snorted, glancing at her brother. "Didn't you tell them that they're coming to a backwater village?"

Naruto smirked. "I told them to expect worse than when they first went to Little Whirlpool." He shrugged carelessly, with Lio looping her elbow against his. "I guess they didn't believe me."

One gaped at the mention of Naruto's fortress town in Snow Country. "Was Little Whirlpool really that bad?"

Lio answered, "It was bad. Like a ghost town." She shook her head at the memory of the place that used to be called Izu-Ken village, now known as Little Whirlpool. "Everyone and everything was dying. It was tragic."

Then Whisper Group breathed life back into the village.

One nodded her head in understanding, turning to look at the village again, no longer feeling the weight of the scroll on her shoulder. "I guess, with your people dressing all fancy, they're hoping some of the money going to Takayama goes into the village as well."

Naruto nodded.

"And you won't abandon them, will you, brother?"

Naruto's lips pursed and he looked at his sister, exasperated. He was getting tired of explaining that his intention to restart Higashiyama's metalwork industry was true.

One smiled, satisfied. "Thank you." Her expression became prideful, yet somewhat guarded. "I've got a family to protect, you know. A real-life uncle, auntie, and cousins." She made a flippant gesture at him. "You won't understand."

Instead of feeling offended, Naruto sniggered, rolling his eyes. "What? We're not good enough for you."

One punched his arm, her eyes sparkling with her laughter. "You guys are different."

Like spirits melting out from the night, Naruto's other siblings joined them, looking over Higashiyama as the village readied for a new start.

Razor and Sandy were at Lio's side and Sam slid in between One and Naruto. The samurai smiled shyly at Naruto, and the other boy grinned and tossed an arm over his reluctant brother. Lio didn't react, holding firmer onto Naruto.

Razor's brow twitched but she didn't say anything. Sandy's half-lidded eyes stared with disinterest at the village he almost put into a permanent coma.

A comfortable silence slipped over them, until Sam hesitantly asked, "What's your goal, brother? What do you hope to gain from all of this?"

Naruto smiled wryly, looking at his brother. His answer was frank and ominous. "Corner Danzo so he gives me answers."

His answer seemed to give Sandy's red eyes some alertness, and the sleepy Uchiha cautiously turned to Naruto, tilting his head and squinting his eyes. "How…do you plan on doing that?"

"World domination." Naruto's face was unreadable.

"You're serious?" Sandy's face twisted with confusion. He rubbed his nose, trying to hide his rising panic. Sleep was the last thing on his mind; the mask of cruel indifference that slipped over his brother's face was worrying him. "What does 'world domination' even mean?"

"It means exactly that." Naruto closed his eyes and inhaled. "One day, Whisper Group will be everywhere; the food you eat, the water you drink, the clothes you wear, your transportation, your architecture, the money you hold in your hands, and even public safety. We will surround Danzo before he even sees it coming." He smiled, a shark-like expression that drove an icy chill into the air. "He'll be trapped, every path blocked and every ally compromised. By then, he won't see me coming."

"How are you going to do that?" Sam asked.

Naruto scoffed. "I can't tell you the details." Lio sighed in relief. "Danzo might suspect something, and who knows what he'll do to pull that information out of your heads. He might throw you into the Loyalty Program, pull your mind apart just to get his hands on these words I'm telling you."

Sandy's brow creased in disbelief. Razor shook her head, saying, "Master won't do that."

Naruto looked to his left, at One and Sam, and to his right, at Razor and Sandy, simply signing, "Do you honestly think so?"

Their lips jammed shut.

Even now, after Naruto's escape from Konoha, their master had taken drastic measures to ensure his protection; at least twenty CORE Operatives constantly stayed in his immediate vicinity at all times. He instated severe measures to prevent the siblings from sharing mission details with each other.

He also put Fuu Yamanaka in charge of the Loyalty Program. Any ROOT Operative that showed even the slightest bit of suspicion was thrown into the program and had their minds rearranged. Quite literally. It was a cruel method of programming and reprogramming ROOT members but not for CORE.

They couldn't be certain that their master wouldn't toss one of their siblings into the Loyalty Program any day now.

Sandy swallowed thickly. He had already been through his Atonement, barely, and now there was a chance he was going to have his mind picked apart and put together in heaven knows what condition.

"You know what Fuu is capable of. You know what Danzo is capable of."

Razor pinched the bridge of her nose.

Sam clenched his eyes shut and tried not to cry. He opened his eyes when Naruto snapped his fingers, drawing all of their attention again.

"My best advice is that you lay low. For now."

"You want us to run away like you?" Razor spat, her voice strong and harsh, putting her foot down. "I don't run away."

"I didn't say run away. I said lay low." Naruto strongly emphasised each word he signed. "Go back in a few weeks and when he asks you, tell him you tried tracking me down in Suna, or something."

"Okay," Razor said, cooling down. "Let's say that works somehow. Do you want us to lie to the others? Tell them that we don't know where you are or what you're doing?"

Naruto looked offended at the suggestion. "Tell them why I ran."

Another silence draped over them, this one less homely and more introspective. Tense.

"Can't we join your group?" Sam asked quietly, wringing his hands and looking up at his brother, nervousness ebbing from his hunched posture.

Naruto smiled sadly. "That'll mean cutting off contact from the others."

Sam's lips pressed together, displeased and shakily nodding his head, his eyes going down to his feet.

Naruto cheekily pointed at One, snapping the girl's attention up to him, "I can't say the same if someone is only here just to spy on my operation."

The others simultaneously turned to One, and the girl had the decency to blush. She stammered, "I-I don't know what you're talking about, brother."

Naruto snorted. "I've already resolved myself that you willingly want to stay in Higashiyama to work with your uncle. Just be careful what you send back home. You have a family now, you know."

One hummed, facing Higashiyama and chewing on her tongue. Naruto's words weren't a threat, they were a warning. For her sake. For Genji's family's sake.

If One slipped up and whoever she was writing to became careless, Danzo would swarm Higashiyama in days. Then the situation would be critical.

"Morty won't say anything."

One breathed out the words and a collective chill ran through the other siblings. Not Lio though, who confusedly looked up at her rigid friend, feeling the goosebumps prickle up the back of his hands. She looked at Sam, Razor, and Sandy, and saw that they had the same reaction, petrified on the spot and utterly silent.

"He won't," One assured them, nervously waving her hand. She sounded like she was trying to reassure herself more than she was trying to reassure the others. "Master hardly meets Morty face-to-face, so it's fine."

Razor gulped. "Let's hope so."

One and Morty were close. They had a book club with just the two of them in it, and their meetings would either be them reading their books in silence outside, away from their other siblings, or of One yammering away into Morty's ear about one thing or the other. The stoic boy listened. A patient marble statue that occasionally nodded and shook his head.

As much as Naruto hung out with Morty three times a week, it wasn't always a social interaction, with him sparring against Morty's puppets, offering input on the constructs, and advising his brother on mission tactics. After their meetings, Naruto went off to do his own thing, often kept busy by Danzo with missions. Sometimes when Naruto's solo missions became too much, Morty volunteered without prompting to accompany his brother. Also, during breakfast, lunch, or dinner, if Naruto was in a bad mood and didn't want to be bothered, he sat with Morty and the others stayed far away from them. Except One, annoyingly enough.

The other siblings went out of their way to avoid Morty.

That fact calmed the others down somewhat.

"Good thing I'm meeting Boomer in Kiri," Razor said, stretching her arms up and placing her hands behind her head. She smiled thankfully. "Us being here was just to investigate why our bases in Lightning and Snow went dark. From what I've seen, we didn't see anything out of place, right Sam?" she looked conspiratorially at her samurai brother, and the boy eagerly bobbed his head, agreeing with her lie. "What about you?"

"I'm stationed in Iron Country until next month." A reserved smile spread on Sam's face. "After that, I'll get another assignment from Konoha."

Sandy heaved a great sigh. "Seems you two have your stories straight."

The others looked at the Uchiha boy pitifully, even Lio. The boy clicked his tongue in annoyance, both at their looks and at his situation; he had been sent from Konoha via direct orders from his master to meet with Razor and Sam and investigate the ROOT blackouts across the northern regions (Hidden Chill, Lightning and Snow countries). This was Sandy's mission. The death of one of his Sleeper Agents in the Kaska Valley and the reports he got from the other sleepers alerted him to One travelling to Iron Country.

Sandy looked at Naruto, his red eyes sunken. The hood of his cloak was off, showing his buzzcut hair and his anxiously twisting Mangekyo eyes. His lips were set into a terse frown, pale and cracked. His hands clenched and flexed at his sides.

"I'm scared, brother."

Naruto's heart sank.

It was similar to a child returning home with bad school grades from school, only much worse. A tongue-lashing was the least of Sandy's fears.

Sandy had already been through a lot, having survived his Atonement. His elbows and knees hadn't even fully healed and he was once again sent out into the field to get results.

They could only imagine what lay in store for Sandy.

He wouldn't be able to survive another Atonement, or worse, the Loyalty Program.

Naruto's lips screwed to the side and he closed his eyes, craning his neck back and thinking. The others watched him quietly, not wanting to interrupt his brainstorming. A long silence passed, filled with the gradually reducing bubble of conversation in the village, with the people settling in for late dinners, coming over to the Takayama household and offering food to their esteemed visitors.

Then, Naruto snapped his fingers.

"I've got an idea."

"Yes?" Sandy looked at his big brother hopefully.

A broad grin cracked across Naruto's face. "Stay with Five-Hundred. Danzo isn't crazy enough to fuck with the Nature Boy."

The others agreed with Naruto's crude words. Their eyes lit up when they remembered their big brother, who was so independent that he moved out of the ROOT base and openly disobeyed their master, opposing him at every step of the way. The only reason Five-Hundred lingered around the base was to be with his siblings. He was among the few CORE Operatives that were collectively referred to as 'Big Brother/Sister', and they coincidentally made-up Danzo's top fifteen strongest shinobi.

Naruto was among the fifteen. Then there was Tenzo, Boomer, Razor, Wheelie, Morty, Sam, One, and seven others (author winks at the reader. Winks with the other eye. Blinks both eyes).

Five-Hundred was a natural born Senju on a league of his own. The man couldn't control the boy. Not in the least.

There was a whispered saying among their family that spelt honest disaster to those who preferred not to listen to sense.

Don't fuck with the Nature Boy.

Naruto's proud grin stretched wider. "In fact, I'm going to Konoha tomorrow to stay for a few days. I'm meeting him there. I'll hand you over to brother myself."

"Thank you, brother." Sandy clutched his chest, nearly falling onto the ground in relief. Razor grinned audaciously, holding him up and shaking him by his shoulder.

"Lover boy to the rescue, am I right?"

Naruto swore under his breath.

Lio's eyes darkened. The air became heavier and all of the sound from the village slammed to a quiet. Naruto's friend slowly turned her neck to Razor, a dangerously vacant look in her eyes as she stared at the oblivious, partly confused speedster.

"What?" Lio bit through her clenched teeth, shifting her head to the side as if to better hear what Razor had just said.

"What?" Razor asked, bemused that Naruto's small, soft-spoken friend had her teeth grit.

The two girls stared at each other, one smirking with bewilderedly furrowed eyebrows and the other hauntingly emotionless. Lio's body tensed and her pink eyes crackled with energy—

Naruto clapped his hands, shattering the killer intent and laughing breathily, he pulled Lio firmer into his side and ruffled her hair. "Let's not do that."

Lio threw one last scathing look at Naruto's boisterous sister before she was distracted by Naruto's embrace.

"You must be hungry, Lio," Naruto gestured, chuckling as he patted his friend's stomach, savouring her harsh red blush and how she slapped his hand away, but not before he felt an empty gurgle in her gut. "How about we all have dinner before we part ways?"

The girl gnawed on her bottom lip, pulling her beanie down and spitting in defeat, "Fine."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

At the same time

Fire Country

CORE Operative Ten, also known as Tenzo, raced out of Konoha's western gate, moving in a blur of speed and motion. He sprinted up a tree and dextrously bound from branch to branch as he made his way in the general direction of Wave Country but not keeping to the path. The wind whistled past him, scarcely able to see the twelve-year-old as he blitzed deeper and deeper into the dense forest. He deviated further from the path to Wave, immersing more into the trees and shrubs, listening intently to the muffled noise of insect life that clicked and chirped from their hideaways.

A distant hoot drew his eyes to the left, and he diligently shifted the trajectory of his run toward the owl. Then the slow, moaning creak of a tree dragged him back on course, speeding breathlessly into the woods, huffing and puffing through his Tiger ANBU mask.

He hoped his Wood clone would last until he returned.

Tenzo came to a hard stop on a long branch, placing a hand on the trunk to keep himself balanced and looking around with squinted eyes.

He swore to himself, muttering, "Off the Wave Country path, fifty metres forward, turn right to the owl, left to the Groaning Tree, forward ten metres and then…" he scratched his head and groaned, trying to remember. "And then…" he knew he was getting closer, since there was now bioluminescent moss at the base of the trees in this section of the forest, with a few fireflies flitting in the branches. The soil was damper than usual, as if it had rained recently, and the scent of wet soil and wildflowers was pleasantly thick in the air. He stood up and stretched his neck, grumbling when he couldn't see through the dense thicket of branches. "It's around here somewhere…"

A shrill whistle brought him out of his stormy thoughts and he turned his eyes down to the source of the sound.

On the ground and illuminated by both the softly glowing moss and the fireflies was a boy with scruffy brown hair and dark green skin, beaming up at Tenzo with deep brown eyes and a pearly white smile. He was in a plain white t-shirt and blue shorts, treading barefoot on the damp ground. He waved up at Tenzo and the other boy allowed himself to fall off the tree branch, landing easily on the balls of his feet.

"Do I have to come out and guide you to my place every time you want to visit?" the green-skinned boy scolded good-naturedly, harmlessly shoving Tenzo with a glinting smile.

Tenzo bashfully scratched the back of his head. "At least make the directions clearer."

The other boy rolled his eyes, but he didn't answer. Instead, he leaned a little to his right and a young sapling, twice as tall as the boy, creaked toward him. The green-skinned boy hummed and nodded as the tree creaked motionlessly, clicking and rustling its branches.

"That's very interesting, Barker," the boy remarked, and Tenzo tried not to look creeped out that his brother spoke so animatedly, not knowing that the tree was talking about him until the other boy shot him a laughing smirk. He said to Tenzo, "You went right after you heard the owl? You're supposed to turn left!"

Tenzo didn't answer. The other boy cackled, leaning into the tree and giggling. The tree trembled and shook, seemingly also laughing at Tenzo's expense.

"Heavens, your way off-course!" the boy cackled openly, tearing up and pointing at his brother. A chorus of trees and shrubs shook and creaked, bending into a slight breeze that passed through the luminous section of the forest.

"Yeah, yeah," Tenzo mumbled sourly.

The sensation of a whole forest laughing at him was strange.

The sight of the green-skinned boy hopping from one foot to the other, sticking out his tongue and taunting him dug under Tenzo's skin, and he snapped, "I get it, brother. Next time, I'll get it right."

"Left," the Nature Boy corrected him, chortling.

"Sure."

Tenzo's brother hooted, wiping his eyes. He waved his hand, ushering the chattering, laughing trees to settle down. They did so after a few seconds, now only rustling a little in the slight wind. "Lucky for you, Woody doesn't mind moving. She needs some exercise anyway. All that CO2 she's been eating all day is going straight to her roots." He sniggered, calling into the woods, "Fat birch!"

The trees rustled and creaked, once again delving into fits of laughter.

Tenzo's brother sniggered, before he sniffed and rubbed his nose, smiling apologetically at a bemused yet amused Tenzo. He held up his finger and a deep, extended rumble shook the earth as if the entire planet was yawning and stretching, then the green-skinned boy grinned and bounced on his feet, defying the earthquake by dancing on the spot. "That's a good girl! A little bit to the right!"

Tenzo, meanwhile, was struggling to stay on his feet, stumbling to one of the trees and clinging onto the trunk for dear life. A wild branch slapped him off and Tenzo planted face-first into the damp soil, grumbling angrily when he heard his brother giggling at his expense.

A pair of right hands helped Tenzo to his feet, with the green-skinned child suppressing his laughter as he scolded the tree that knocked Tenzo away. "Maple Lee, that's bad. We don't do that to my people, okay?" the offending tree swayed petulantly, groaning and creaking, but the boy shook his head, jabbing a warning finger at the tree as Tenzo irritably dusted himself off, rubbing off the clump of soil on his face. "Apologise now, Maple Lee."

The branches of the tall tree shivered and the tree groaned.

"Good." The boy smiled at Tenzo, raising an expectant eyebrow. "Do you accept her apology?"

Tenzo grumbled, saying something incoherent and awfully rude under his breath, before he muttered a strained, "Yes" between his teeth. "Whatever."

"Perfect!" the boy declared, happy. He ushered Tenzo forward, keeping an arm over his shoulder as they strode ahead. As they approached a shrub, the plants parted for them to pass, and only when Tenzo glanced down did he notice that the soil his brother tread sprouted vibrant plants, leaving tufts of grass, mushrooms and coiling greenery wherever he walked.

A cluster of vines clung onto the trees where they tread through, mingling with the luminescent moss, and Tenzo could hear the faint rustle inside trees, suspecting that some animals that had made their homes inside the trees were settling in for the night.

"I'll ask her to move back when you're gone." Tenzo's brother looked at him apologetically. "Where we were is less likely for all those pesky loggers to find us, you see?"

"I understand."

The boy beamed. "Good ol' Tenzo." He gestured between them. "You always get me. That's why you're my favourite!"

Tenzo scoffed. "Mhm."

The boy waved his left hand and a different sapling whined, bending away for the two brothers to clamber past. "I'm serious."

"What about Sandy?"

"He's my favourite lil bro!"

"Don't let the others hear you. They'll riot."

"Oh, they won't. Stop being so dramatic." They approached a curtain of vines and Tenzo tensed, passing through, and was immediately amazed by what was on the other side.

It was a wide glade with a slim stream running through, bubbling peacefully over rocks and stones. Tenzo was sure that there used to be trees and no stream in this part of the forest, but he pushed that aside; the entire glade was draped and shrouded with bioluminescent moss, with soft purple and blue flowers springing from the edge of the river, soft grass spread across the whole area, and the trees kept a wide berth, forming a natural border for the glade.

At the very middle of the glade was the God Tree.

Or, as the Nature Boy called her, Woody.

It was a colossal tree that stretched so high, it was as if its branches and leaves were holding up the sky, with the trunk being a pillar connecting the heavens to the earth, and its giant roots digging deep into the planet, weaving through the ground like a hydra swimming through the ocean. Some sections of the roots burst from the ground, taller than both boys and far broader. The tree itself was so large it could swallow Konoha, though now it mysteriously could not even be detected outside of the glade.

"Woody's nature chakra covers her with a genjutsu, making her impossible to locate," the Nature Boy explained. "Unless I show you the way, that is."

Tenzo nodded dumbly, still marvelling at the sight of the ancient and ageless tree, which had lush green leaves and massive branches stretched far across the sky like a hand blocking out a sizeable portion of the night sky.

This wasn't Tenzo's first time beholding the God Tree. It wasn't even his twentieth time. But still, every time he was here, he couldn't help but be amazed by the sheer size and age of the tree. The air was thick with the sweet scent of flowers. The atmosphere in the glade was abnormally pure, as if Tenzo was truly breathing for the first time in his life. The oxygen rushed into his lungs and cleared out any sickness, weakness, and tiredness, rejuvenating Tenzo as if he had just come out from a wonderful afternoon nap.

The ache at the back of his neck was gone and his tired calves from running before were nicely relaxed.

"Thank heavens she's still dormant." Tenzo's brother whistled, shaking his head. "Right now, she's working her heart out, giving us oxygen and whatnot. If she's merged with the nine beasts and the Gedo Statue, and she wakes up…" The boy shook his head again, more vigorous, as if casting the thought out of his head. "Pluck. That."

Tenzo gaped. "She's sleeping?"

"Relatively speaking, yes." The boy lilted from side to side, trying to think of another way of describing Woody's wakefulness and sleepiness. "She's like…sleepwalking. Sort of." He waved his hand. "Doesn't matter."

"Sage," Tenzo shook his head, once again realigning his thoughts on why he was here. The mention of his other nickname, aside from Five-Hundred or The Nature Boy got the green-skinned boy's attention, stopping his aimless ramble and blinking raptly at Tenzo, "Brother Nine-Nine is coming for the Hokage's swearing-in—"

"Wonderful," Sage unwound his arm from Tenzo's shoulder and clapped his hands pleasantly. The trees at the edge of the glade shook and twisted, as if tousled by the wind, though Tenzo suspected they were sharing in their master's good mood. The God Tree croaked, shaking its trees but not so much as dropping a single leaf. Sage smiled at his brother. "You know Nine-Nine owns a tree farm in Kumo? Now those are some cold sons of birches." Sage whistled, speaking to Tenzo and the assembly of plant life that thrived around him. "Temperamental bunch. They're secretive too. Won't tell me a single thing about brother, can you believe that?"

"We'll talk about you gossiping with trees later. Focus." Tenzo snapped his fingers, pulling Sage's eyes. "Brother will be here for Minato's swearing-in. He'll want to see us and the others. I need you to make sure to have an escape route open for him in case Master Danzo finds out. Can you do that?"

Sage saluted. "Sir yes, sir." He pointed behind Tenzo, and said, "Bark Twain," an elderly oak tree rustled in acknowledgement, leaning forward as if it was bowing, "You remember my brother, right?" the tree trembled, shedding some leaves and Sage's brow creased, shaking his head, "Not Tenzo. Nine-Nine. Blonde hair, byakugan, voice of an angel." Some trees shook and vibrated after Sage said that, laughing quietly. Tenzo grunted, not too pleased with his brother's joke about Nine-Nine's disability. Sage coughed into his fist, seeing Tenzo's displeasure. "You'll know when you see him. Tell your kids to help him escape."

Tenzo looked confused. "His kids? Shouldn't you tell the whole forest to help brother escape?"

Sage clicked his teeth, shaking his head in disagreement. "Thing is, Bark Twain over there is the forest flirt. His seeds are plucking everywhere, bro." the tree Sage was referring to swayed and groaned, but Sage snapped, shaking his finger. "It's not my fault you're a shameless sapling chaser, you old timber. You're lucky you're not on some sort of watchlist." He chastised the old oak tree, wagging his finger at it, "Do better."

Tenzo's befuddlement had reached an all-time high.

He was starting to second guess bringing his brother into the fold.

Sage was stark raving mad.

Authors note

This chapter was fun to write. From starting with Lio skimming outer space to ending with CORE's crazy sibling, I feel like I enjoyed myself a little too much. It was 1.5k words longer than my usual 5k word limit, but no less fun to write XD.

What do you think about this chapter and the story so far?

See you when I see you.

Foy.