Naruto awoke to the sound of birds chirping, and lay in his sleeping bag as his eyes adjusted to the light. "Boy do i hate long travel. Its so boring and Kakashi Sensei barely lets us break during the day" With great effort, he got to his feet and lumbered out of his tent to find that Kakashi was up already. "Morning..", they said without looking at one another. "Are we almost there?" Naruto asked absentmindedly, "It most be four days now since we left the Leaf Village". Kakashi squinted at the map, then held it up to the sunlight, "If we're on the right path, it shouldn't take much longer." "WHAT? DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHERE YOU"RE GOING?!" shouted Naruto. "Ughhhh Naruto, be quiet for just one minute" came Sakura's voice from her tent. "For once i'd like to go on a mission where we're not waking up every morning to your yelling." Sai emerged from his tent and yawned. "I agree with Sakura. Yesterday it was a bug in your sleeping bag..." "Hey!", Naruto interrupted, "You didn't see that thing! It was huge!" "... The day before that you had stomach pains..." "It's Sakura's fault for undercooking the Ramen!" "... and the day before THAT it was the rain dousing your Ramen." "Well maybe that's why it poisoned me!"
Kakashi finally rolled up his map and looked up. "Enough bickering, you two. I've found our route. We should reach our destination by about 3 o'clock this afternoon, granted we pack up camp and leave in the next half hour." "Finally some good news", Sakura groaned.
Naruto's stomach growled loudly in the silence. "Kakashi Sensei, don't you have anything to eat in your bag?I didn't get breakfast this morning". sakura scowled. "NONE of us got breakfast this morning Naruto. Something got into the tents last night and stole all the food". "Yes..", Kakashi said, "Pretty unlucky if you ask me... but then again you wouldn't KNOW anything about that would you Naruto?" Suddenly Naruto turned a bright red. "What? No! Uh.... i mean.. uh... no, why do you ask?" Kakashi shrugged "No reason. Alright everyone, stay sharp. We'll be entering the Land of Mounatins' borders in about-".
Suddenly a smoke bomb landed at their feet, taking them completely by surprise. "Form up! It's probably thieves!" Kakashi shouted, but it was no use. The smoke blinded all four of them and made breathing difficult. When the haze finally cleared, they were surrounded by no less than 10 Ninja, all bearing the sign of the Earth on their headbands. One in particular, with bandages covering his head, stepped forward. "You four are the invited guests of the Tsuchikage, so you will be allowed to enter out Land. However, you may not do so without escort. Either submit to our regulations, or turn back now." Naruto was restless, and itching for a fight, but Kakashi waved him down. "They aren't our enemies, Naruto. They're just being cautious. Stand down, all of you stand down.". He then turned to the mysterious ninja. "We are here by order of Lady Tsunade, Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. According to our mission criteria, we are to help you investigate an internal dispute between villages, and also to aide in the recovery of missing Ninja. Am i correct?" The man tilted his head forward, "Yes. We have been anxiously awaiting to see if anyone would heed our pleas for aide." Kakashi nodded. "I'm Kakashi Hatake, and this is my team: Sakura Haruno, Sai, and Naruto Uzumaki." The mans eyes passed over eeach one of them individually, stopping on Naruto for only a split second longer. "I am Shiku Hazano. welcome to the Land of Mountains."
Before long, Team 7 found themselves being led through a bustling town by Shiku and his team of escort ninja, which had now decreased to about a five person headcount. The others had run off after their first encounter, figuring only minimal security was needed. "This is the town of Yamagakure" Shiku said in a bored voice. "It is the largest village in our Land and home to the Tsuchikage." Naruto looked ahead and saw a structure that towered over the rest of the village, resting atop a high cliff. "Well i wonder where the Tsuchikage lives..." he thought sarcastically, as they began their trudge up the hill.
The stairs seemed to go on forever, and the walls all looked the same to Kakashi, even with his Sharingan. "This place is amazing", he thought, "It would be easy for someone to get lost in here". Suddenly they came upon a great wooden door, easily 30 feet high and half as wide. Shiku suddenly turned around and signaled for the group to stop. "Wait here", he said, and he proceeded through the doors, which seemed to open by themselves. Naruto broke the silence; "Say, Kakashi Sensei, what do you think the Tsuchikage is like?" Kakashi shrugged. "Probably overgrown and muscular, with an ego to match" Sai interjected. Sakura bit her lip "I've got a feeling that he has a temper. I mean LOOK out this place. Whoever built this isn't much for compromises". Kakashi nodded "I agree with Sakura. Just keep your tounge in check, nod your head, and we'll work out the details later. Ok?... Ok Naruto?" Naruto turned, "What? why single me out?". Kakashi sighed.
Suddenly the doors began to open before them, and a booming voice from within echoed into the hallways. "STEP FORWARD!". They obeyed the rootless voice and made their way into the room, which was underwhelming to say the least. While the rest of the building was large and spacious, The Tsuchikage's office was cramped by comparison. "Lord Oonoki, these are the Ninjas from the Village Hidden in the Leaves you requested as aide.", Shiku said from the side. Naruto looked around the room for a man to fir Sai's description: Large, Muscular, Pretentious. But none of the ninja in the room seemed to match the description. There was one standing in the back of the room who was larger than the others, but he looked more muscle than fat. When, from behind the desk in the center of the room, a tiny man barely as tall as three feet emerged. "Yes, yes, i can see that Shiku, i'm old not blind.". The Tsuchikage looked nothing like Sai's imaginary description. He was short, his hair was thinning, and it was clear that he had been alive for at least ten times as long as any of them. He eyed all four memebers of Team seven warily. "So you're my aide from the Land of Fire, eh?", he said, "Hmph. Three Children and a Cyclops. How unimpressive." It was all Naruto could do to keep from bursting out at this outrageous assessment.
Despite this, Kakashi bowed. "It is a great honor to meet you Lord Tsuchikage." Naruto, Sakura, and Sai all reluctantly followed his lead and bowed as well. "Bah," said Onooki with a wave of his hand, "Spare me the pleasantries. i've no use for them. Let's cut right to the chase. You've been briefed on our little... situation i suspect." Kakashi straightened up. "We were only told of a dispute between villages, nothing more." Onooki chuckled. "Dispute... well i suppose that's a polite way of putting it. I'll start from the beginning, so you young ones with your short attention spans dont get confused and ask too many questions."
"Three months ago, a respected clansman in a neighboring village, Matsui Yama, was abducted from his home. The top suspect was immediately the Tsurugi, a clan with which the Yama have been rivals with for years. With his father gone, Matsui's son Komo is now the man of the household, and had demanded retribution. When i denied him this, saying there wasn't enough evidence to support his claim, i suspect he went a bit off the deep end. Now just two weeks ago, the Tsurugi's only daughter, Katsui, has also gone missing. The two families are on the brink of all out war, each being wealthy enough to hire their own private armies of mercenaries and pirates. Pbivously this cannot be allowed to happen. What we need you to do is unravel this mystery, by any means neccesary, and prevent this Civil war that looms ahead."
Kakashi nodded curtly. "Understood. And what of the missing ninja?" Oonoki scratched his head. "The what-now? OH yes of course. In the recent weeks, Ninja we have been dispatching to try and deal with the problem have been disappearing. Five in the last three days, i believe. We're hoping you have more luck in deterring the assailant and locating his captives."
Naruto could hold himself back no longer. "You mean to tell us that you're sending us into a certain trap?! Are you crazy, Old Man?!". In a second, he knew he had said the wrong thing. The Tsuchikage was an inch from his face, with a snarl that would scare off a full grown wolf. "You've got quite a mouth on you, boy. You'd do well to keep it shut, otherwise you might lose it." Oonoki made his way back to his desk still snarling angrily. "You're dismissed, Leaf Ninja."They all bowed, except for Naruto, and made their way for the exit. The gravity of the situation began to some to Kakashi. "This isn't good. Naruto was right, he's sending us right into a trap. I just hope its one we can handle better then the ones before us".
Next time: Chapter 3- A Crack in the Sky!
Kakashi finally rolled up his map and looked up. "Enough bickering, you two. I've found our route. We should reach our destination by about 3 o'clock this afternoon, granted we pack up camp and leave in the next half hour." "Finally some good news", Sakura groaned.
Naruto's stomach growled loudly in the silence. "Kakashi Sensei, don't you have anything to eat in your bag?I didn't get breakfast this morning". sakura scowled. "NONE of us got breakfast this morning Naruto. Something got into the tents last night and stole all the food". "Yes..", Kakashi said, "Pretty unlucky if you ask me... but then again you wouldn't KNOW anything about that would you Naruto?" Suddenly Naruto turned a bright red. "What? No! Uh.... i mean.. uh... no, why do you ask?" Kakashi shrugged "No reason. Alright everyone, stay sharp. We'll be entering the Land of Mounatins' borders in about-".
Suddenly a smoke bomb landed at their feet, taking them completely by surprise. "Form up! It's probably thieves!" Kakashi shouted, but it was no use. The smoke blinded all four of them and made breathing difficult. When the haze finally cleared, they were surrounded by no less than 10 Ninja, all bearing the sign of the Earth on their headbands. One in particular, with bandages covering his head, stepped forward. "You four are the invited guests of the Tsuchikage, so you will be allowed to enter out Land. However, you may not do so without escort. Either submit to our regulations, or turn back now." Naruto was restless, and itching for a fight, but Kakashi waved him down. "They aren't our enemies, Naruto. They're just being cautious. Stand down, all of you stand down.". He then turned to the mysterious ninja. "We are here by order of Lady Tsunade, Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. According to our mission criteria, we are to help you investigate an internal dispute between villages, and also to aide in the recovery of missing Ninja. Am i correct?" The man tilted his head forward, "Yes. We have been anxiously awaiting to see if anyone would heed our pleas for aide." Kakashi nodded. "I'm Kakashi Hatake, and this is my team: Sakura Haruno, Sai, and Naruto Uzumaki." The mans eyes passed over eeach one of them individually, stopping on Naruto for only a split second longer. "I am Shiku Hazano. welcome to the Land of Mountains."
Before long, Team 7 found themselves being led through a bustling town by Shiku and his team of escort ninja, which had now decreased to about a five person headcount. The others had run off after their first encounter, figuring only minimal security was needed. "This is the town of Yamagakure" Shiku said in a bored voice. "It is the largest village in our Land and home to the Tsuchikage." Naruto looked ahead and saw a structure that towered over the rest of the village, resting atop a high cliff. "Well i wonder where the Tsuchikage lives..." he thought sarcastically, as they began their trudge up the hill.
The stairs seemed to go on forever, and the walls all looked the same to Kakashi, even with his Sharingan. "This place is amazing", he thought, "It would be easy for someone to get lost in here". Suddenly they came upon a great wooden door, easily 30 feet high and half as wide. Shiku suddenly turned around and signaled for the group to stop. "Wait here", he said, and he proceeded through the doors, which seemed to open by themselves. Naruto broke the silence; "Say, Kakashi Sensei, what do you think the Tsuchikage is like?" Kakashi shrugged. "Probably overgrown and muscular, with an ego to match" Sai interjected. Sakura bit her lip "I've got a feeling that he has a temper. I mean LOOK out this place. Whoever built this isn't much for compromises". Kakashi nodded "I agree with Sakura. Just keep your tounge in check, nod your head, and we'll work out the details later. Ok?... Ok Naruto?" Naruto turned, "What? why single me out?". Kakashi sighed.
Suddenly the doors began to open before them, and a booming voice from within echoed into the hallways. "STEP FORWARD!". They obeyed the rootless voice and made their way into the room, which was underwhelming to say the least. While the rest of the building was large and spacious, The Tsuchikage's office was cramped by comparison. "Lord Oonoki, these are the Ninjas from the Village Hidden in the Leaves you requested as aide.", Shiku said from the side. Naruto looked around the room for a man to fir Sai's description: Large, Muscular, Pretentious. But none of the ninja in the room seemed to match the description. There was one standing in the back of the room who was larger than the others, but he looked more muscle than fat. When, from behind the desk in the center of the room, a tiny man barely as tall as three feet emerged. "Yes, yes, i can see that Shiku, i'm old not blind.". The Tsuchikage looked nothing like Sai's imaginary description. He was short, his hair was thinning, and it was clear that he had been alive for at least ten times as long as any of them. He eyed all four memebers of Team seven warily. "So you're my aide from the Land of Fire, eh?", he said, "Hmph. Three Children and a Cyclops. How unimpressive." It was all Naruto could do to keep from bursting out at this outrageous assessment.
Despite this, Kakashi bowed. "It is a great honor to meet you Lord Tsuchikage." Naruto, Sakura, and Sai all reluctantly followed his lead and bowed as well. "Bah," said Onooki with a wave of his hand, "Spare me the pleasantries. i've no use for them. Let's cut right to the chase. You've been briefed on our little... situation i suspect." Kakashi straightened up. "We were only told of a dispute between villages, nothing more." Onooki chuckled. "Dispute... well i suppose that's a polite way of putting it. I'll start from the beginning, so you young ones with your short attention spans dont get confused and ask too many questions."
"Three months ago, a respected clansman in a neighboring village, Matsui Yama, was abducted from his home. The top suspect was immediately the Tsurugi, a clan with which the Yama have been rivals with for years. With his father gone, Matsui's son Komo is now the man of the household, and had demanded retribution. When i denied him this, saying there wasn't enough evidence to support his claim, i suspect he went a bit off the deep end. Now just two weeks ago, the Tsurugi's only daughter, Katsui, has also gone missing. The two families are on the brink of all out war, each being wealthy enough to hire their own private armies of mercenaries and pirates. Pbivously this cannot be allowed to happen. What we need you to do is unravel this mystery, by any means neccesary, and prevent this Civil war that looms ahead."
Kakashi nodded curtly. "Understood. And what of the missing ninja?" Oonoki scratched his head. "The what-now? OH yes of course. In the recent weeks, Ninja we have been dispatching to try and deal with the problem have been disappearing. Five in the last three days, i believe. We're hoping you have more luck in deterring the assailant and locating his captives."
Naruto could hold himself back no longer. "You mean to tell us that you're sending us into a certain trap?! Are you crazy, Old Man?!". In a second, he knew he had said the wrong thing. The Tsuchikage was an inch from his face, with a snarl that would scare off a full grown wolf. "You've got quite a mouth on you, boy. You'd do well to keep it shut, otherwise you might lose it." Oonoki made his way back to his desk still snarling angrily. "You're dismissed, Leaf Ninja."They all bowed, except for Naruto, and made their way for the exit. The gravity of the situation began to some to Kakashi. "This isn't good. Naruto was right, he's sending us right into a trap. I just hope its one we can handle better then the ones before us".
Next time: Chapter 3- A Crack in the Sky!
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