Disclaimer: Well, despite my best legal efforts, Naruto STILL doesn't belong to me.  As such, I can't claim that I own him, Sasuke, Sakura, or any of their buddies.  According to American copyright courts, they belong to some random manga writer from Japan.  I don't believe it, but until my appeal goes through, I must abide by the decisions handed down by the honorable justices.  My legal action on claiming ownership of Rock Lee is progressing nicely, though.

 

 

            Chuunin

            By: Flashfyre5

            Chapter One: Exiles

 

            Naruto sat on his little porch and watched the sunrise, his legs dangling down over the edge of the teetering metal construct.  His jacket lay inside, thrown across his bed, leaving the blond-haired teen clad only in his orange pants and a black muscle shirt.  Before him, the sun hid behind a great billowing mass of clouds that had been white an hour before.  Now, with the sun behind them, the sky was covered in gold gilt.  Far to the northwest, storm clouds massed.  A huge thunderhead, the harbinger of a cold front, chased the golden-white clouds before it.  The sun shone on the gray mass differently, painting it in shades of blue and purple.  Occasionally, the flash of lightning could be seen arcing around the thunderhead.  As he watched, Naruto's left hand idly ran itself over his stomach.

            "The clouds look like I feel," Naruto finally said, shaking his head.  It was true; for now, Naruto had managed to collect himself.  Kakashi's funeral had been hard, as had Taka's, to a much lesser degree.  Sakura had been stopping by regularly over the past few days, ostensibly to comfort the blond-haired man.  In reality, they needed each other's company.

            Naruto was startled from his introspection by the sound of a ringing telephone.  He looked up, then back over his shoulder.  For the first time in his life, the blond-haired teen could afford a phone line, and had immediately indulged himself.  For weeks, the little beige thing had sat silently, on the far wall of his apartment.  Finally, it had rung.  Naruto pulled himself to his feet, careful not to upset the slightly unstable porch, then turned and re-entered his apartment.

            "Hello?" he answered, after picking up the phone on its fifth ring.  Naruto still hadn't been able to afford an answering machine, but was thinking about buying one.  Mostly, he had to admit to himself, as a way of keeping his mind off of. things.

            "Uzumaki Naruto?" a bored voice on the other end of the line asked.

            "Yeah.  Who's this?" Naruto replied.

            "Hokage-sama would like to see you at one," the voice said.  In the background, Naruto could hear papers shuffling.

            "All right," Naruto agreed, then pulled the phone away from his head.  The sharp buzzing of a dial tone issued forth from the little machine.  "Wonder what that's all about," Naruto mused as he replaced the handset on its cradle.  After a backwards glance at the sunrise, the blond-haired teen set to rummaging around for some cup ramen, as he had most mornings of his life.

 

-   -   -   -   -   -

 

            A pork bun in hand, the last remnant of a lunch on the go, Naruto made his way through the front doors of the central ninja offices.  He took a bite of the confection, which he had purchased at a street vendor's stall, and began his climb up the stairs that would eventually take him to Tsunade's offices.

            The pork bun hadn't been his first choice.  With no time to eat at Ichiraku, his normal haunt, Naruto had decided to pick up his lunch on his trip to the offices.  This had, however, proved to be more of a challenge than he thought it would be.  As he passed through the streets, people gave him a wide berth.  Simple religious wards against evil, something he hadn't had to endure since he was a child, were directed his way as he passed.  Street vendors, usually desperate to make money, refused to sell him anything.  Naruto bore this in silence until he finally found a vendor willing to sell him a few pork buns.  Even as he paid for them, Naruto knew that the vendor had made quite a markup on the original price of the confections.  Always with his now-red eyes cast downward, Naruto had hurried to the offices.

            Now, Naruto stood alone in front of the door to Tsunade's offices.  A little wall clock, placed next to the door for the convenience of visitors, displayed the time at 12:57.  With a shrug, Naruto opened the door and stepped inside.  To his surprise, Naruto found Sasuke and Sakura standing inside.  Tsunade was bent over her desk, a new metal affair, and was scribbling on a sheaf of paper.

            Sasuke stood at attention, and stared ahead hollowly.  Every now and again, his Sharingan eyes would visibly unfocus, as though he were lost in thought.  In contrast, Sakura was leaning against the far wall of the spacious office, and seemed relieved to see Naruto enter.

            "Hey," she greeted the blond-haired teen.  Naruto smiled a bit and crossed the room to join her.

            "Am I early?" he asked in a nervous whisper, taking up a position next to her.

            "No.  Tsunade-sama called us in a couple of minutes ago.  We were just waiting for you," Sakura explained as Tsunade stood up.

            "I guess that we can begin, now that we're all here," the fifth Hokage announced, dropping a pen to her desk.  Sakura and Naruto straightened, and Sasuke snapped his head up to focus on Tsunade.

            "As all three of you know, for one reason or another, I have a bit of a diplomatic hand grenade on my hands," Tsunade began at length.  "A sand jounin, the brother-in-law of the late fifth Kazekage, died in the Fire country while on a good-faith diplomatic mission.  Furthermore, he was killed by a Leaf shinobi.  You, Sasuke."  Sasuke's head drooped, and an array of emotions, ranging from regret to grief played out across the Uchiha youth's face.

            "We've given him what burial rites we can, but Sorano-san's ashes need to be returned to his countrymen.  This is simply not negotiable," Tsunade continued after a few moments.  "The Sand wants us to turn Sasuke over to them for trial and execution."

            "What?" Naruto exclaimed, stepping forward.  "We're not just gonna let them kill Sasuke, are we?"

            "No, we're not," Tsunade said firmly, then stared at Naruto until he calmed down.  "Considering his current metal incapacity, the Leaf has decided that Sasuke couldn't have known that using the Shijuukaigan Sharingan would cause harm to Sorano-san in any way, shape, or form.  Furthermore, a jounin as superior as Sorano-san should have known better than to enter combat with a shinobi that had just beaten a ninja that had beaten him."

            "But Tsunade-sama, it didn't happen that way," Sakura interjected, remembering the brutal manner in which Sasuke had murdered Sorano Taka.

            "I know that and you know that," Tsunade agreed with a sigh.  "And as long as the Sand doesn't, I won't have to turn Sasuke over to them."  A long moment passed as each person digested the varied meanings of Tsunade's last statement.  "Even considering this, the Sand is still demanding compensation, and I can't find a reason to refuse them while maintaining our current diplomatic ties."  Slowly, Tsunade sank into her chair.  For the first time, Naruto noticed how disheveled she looked, as if the woman had been working without sleep for days.

            "So here's what we agreed on," she continued, resting her head between her hands.  "A contingent of Sand shinobi will come to Himoto, the capitol.  You three will take Sorano-san's remains there, then meet up with Jiraiya.  I've convinced him to set aside his differences with me for now to keep this from escalating.  Then, you will meet with the Sand shinobi, and give them Sorano-san's ashes.  One of their number will join the three of you, and you will give him or her instruction on the fundamentals of Leaf fire jutsus.  They will also be observing Sasuke, to corroborate our story."

            "So this could still go sour," Sakura mused aloud.

            "Very much so.  As of now, none of you are to speak about the events surrounding Sorano-san's death," Tsunade confirmed.  "Regardless, you'll be leaving today.  Pack for a long trip, and be ready for a sunset departure."  Sasuke nodded crisply, and Sakura followed suit, albeit much more slowly and thoughtfully.  Her black-haired teammate turned and left the room, taking Tsunade's statement as the dismissal that it was.  The Hokage had turned back to her paperwork, a clear sign that the conversation was over.  Biting her lip, Sakura turned to leave, and Naruto followed her.

            "A word with you, Naruto," Tsunade called out, looking up.  Naruto, at the door to her office, glanced at Sakura, shrugged, and turned back.  At the Hokage's further prompting, Naruto slid the door shut as well.

            "Sasuke looks better," he commented, making his way over to Tsunade's desk.  She looked at the blond-haired teenager for a ling time before replying

            "We've got him stable, I suppose," Tsunade replied.  "We can't leave him unsupervised, though.  If he goes too long without something to do, he starts to cry again."  Naruto snorted at Tsunade's understatement.  Only days ago, Sasuke had been nearly catatonic with grief.  The blond-haired shinobi had been amazed to see his old friend moving around after so little time.

            "All of his intelligence is there," Tsunade elaborated.  "But he can really only process one thing at a time.  As long as you keep him active, he doesn't regress."  Naruto nodded, thinking.  In the last month, things had changed dramatically.  Even now, he sometimes had trouble wrapping his head around the situation that he'd found himself in.

            "So when we're out, I've gotta keep him training," Naruto surmised.

            "That's one option.  Have him patrol for you, or stand watch," Tsunade nodded in agreement.  "He's all right once he's asleep; as far as we can tell, he doesn't dream."

            "Okay," Naruto agreed.  After a few moments of silence, he asked, "Is that it?"

            "No," Tsunade replied, her face a mask of conflicting emotions.  After a minute, Tsunade seemed to make up her mind.

            "You, at least, deserve to know the truth here," she finally said, rising.  "About why you, in particular, are going on this mission."

            "Huh?" Naruto responded intelligently.  His face bore an expression of mild surprise.  It was mostly due to thought that he might be sent on a mission for a reason that didn't include, in his personal consideration, his great prowess in battle.  Tsunade smiled at his expression, finding comfort in the blond-haired boy's honest reactions.

            "Come on," she returned, slipping into a far more casual dialect than what she usually used these days.  "You must've noticed that people have been treating you different lately."  Naruto blinked at her a few times in surprise, then glanced down at the half-eaten pork bun that he still carried.  Self-consciously, he tried to hide it behind his leg.

            "Yeah.  So what?" he shrugged, looking unimpressed.  "It's nothing I haven't had to deal with before."

            "I suppose," Tsunade mused, then turned and walked over to a large pile of paper and parcels stacked behind her desk.  She began to rummage through it, looking for something.  Offhandedly, she tossed a letter, opened but still in its envelope unto her desk.  "Read it," she told him, still rummaging through the pile.  Hesitantly, Naruto pulled the little slip of paper from its envelope and scanned the short missive.

            "This guy wants you to kill me!" Naruto exclaimed, only half-done with the letter.  Tsunade nodded and stepped back from the pile, carrying a parcel wrapped in brown paper.

            "There are a few dozen others like it in that pile," Tsunade replied, returning to her desk.  "People are scared of you right now."

            "Because of the Kyuubi thing," Naruto harrumphed disconsolately.

            "Naruto, I think that a hundred foot tall effigy, in chakra, of the demon sealed within you qualifies as being a little more than a 'thingy,'" Tsunade replied wryly.  Naruto tried to look defiant, but Tsunade only shook her head.  "The real problem is all the people that aren't writing.  I'm afraid that someone's going to get drunk and show up at your apartment with a knife."

            "So?  I'd beat the hell out of 'em!" Naruto declared defiantly, anger from his lunchtime difficulties finally finding an outlet.

            "And then a lynch mob would form and come after you," Tsunade explained, exasperation in her voice.  Her honest concern pierced through Naruto's misplaced bluster, and he deflated a bit.  "Naruto, you're an excellent ninja.  Nobody in Konoha doubts that," she continued.  "People are just scared right now.  I'm sure that things'll get better in a few months.  Until then, enjoy an easy mission at a jounin's pay rate," Tsunade finished with a smile.  After a moment of indecision, Naruto smiled back, his shoulders sagging with relief.

            "Thanks," he said, turning towards the door, "For watching my back, Tsunade."  The fifth Hokage walked over to Naruto and wrapped him in a bear hug.

            "Be careful, all right?" she said, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.

            "Yeah," Naruto grinned.

            "Here," Tsunade said after a moment, holding out the paper-wrapped parcel.  "This was found in the Third's things shortly after he died.  There was a note attached.  It said to give this to you when you became a jounin."  Nervously, Naruto reached out and accepted the parcel.

            "Wow," he said after a minute.  "The old geezer must've had a lot of faith in me after all."

            "Sarutobi-sensei knew you were destined for great things, Naruto," she smiled.  Naruto blushed, but nodded at her.  After a slightly awkward moment, he left.  As the door to her office slid shut once again, she smiled in Naruto's direction.

            "But unless I miss my guess," she mused to herself, "That package is from someone a little closer to you, Naruto."

 

-   -   -   -   -   -

 

            A lonely, errant beam of light managed to reflect off of a slightly overlarge pair of spectacles.  It was odd how such a thing always managed to happen, despite the room's general darkness.  The head that bore the glasses shifted a bit, and the reflection faded.

            "Thank you for coming so quickly," a man was saying.  "You must have been moving very quickly."  He sat on an overstuffed leather chair.  It was, the bespectacled man thought, almost as pompous as the man that sat on it.  To his right and left, two others sat on slightly less grandiose than the throne-like monstrosity that the man in the center favored.

            "I'm sure that you understand the reason that we've called you here," the figure to the center man's right added, her aged voice a stark contrast to the first speaker's fat, watery wheeze.

            "How could I not?" the bespectacled man replied, his voice calm and steady.  "My mentor is dead.  That puts you in a position of weakness."

            "I wouldn't say that." the first man countered, his fat gurgle taking on an almost comical tone of offense.

            "I'm no idiot.  The Leaf is a powerful country.  We would be no match for them if they turned their full wrath upon us," the bespectacled man returned, adjusting his glasses.  He allowed for a significant pause, and couldn't restrain a small smirk of satisfaction.  /These pompous pricks are no substitute for true leadership,/ he thought to himself smugly.  "I'm sure that they've approached us with an offer of peace, and possibly allegiance," he continued, pressing his advantage.

            "How could you know of such a thing?" the central man exploded, pushing himself to his feet.  The aged woman to his left placed a withered hand on his arm, and leaned forward herself.

            "Your insight is great.  You do your late master proud, Kabuto," she said slyly, calmly reminding her colleague that the bespectacled ninja had survived at Orochimaru's side for over a decade.  Few others could claim such a feat.

            "I am a medic by training, but I have always been a spy by preference," Kabuto replied with a mocking half-bow.  When he rose, the fat man had taken his seat again.  The bespectacled jounin tried not to laugh out loud at the idiot's bluster.

            "In that case, I'm sure that you know why we've called you here," the fat man sneered.

            "You're going to dismiss me," Kabuto replied smoothly.  "If you are to seek an alliance with the Leaf, having one of their missing-nins running around under your nose is. unacceptable."  The elderly woman nodded slowly, and Kabuto continued.  "Since I am also a former student of Orochimaru-sama, my presence is not ignorable."

            "Very good," the crone complimented him.  Kabuto allowed himself a faint smile of satisfaction.

            "I am mildly surprised that you didn't make a token effort to capture me, though," Kabuto added, watching the three carefully for a reaction.  "I'm sure that handing me over to Tsunade would cement an alliance quite nicely."  A long silence descended upon the room as Kabuto's words reverberated through the minds of those present.  Finally, the third figure, silent until now, leaned forward to speak.

            "To be honest," he said, his voice barely more than a whisper, "we considered doing such a thing for quite some time."

            "And?" Kabuto prompted, subtly readying himself to fight.

            "The Sound is still small.  Of those shinobi that we have, you are the greatest that yet remains," the man replied, rising to his feet.  "We could capture you, undoubtedly, but we cannot afford to waste the lives of those few jounin that we do have so lightly."

            "Leave, Kabuto.  Leave our country to grow without Orochimaru's taint," the fat man interjected.  Again, the old woman placed her hand on his arm.

            "We will not pursue you, now or ever," the woman added.  "So long as you do not return."

            "Heh," Kabuto chuckled, then shrugged dramatically.  "You leave me no choice.  I'll be gone by night."

            "Good," the fat man gurgled smugly.  Kabuto restrained the urge to rush forward and spill his fat across the floor.  Instead, he bowed graciously, then turned and left the dark room.  Office workers scurried to avoid the skilled man as he left the small administration building.  Kabuto stepped out of the small front door and closed it behind himself.  After taking a step away, he stopped and adjusted his glasses.

            "Very nice," he said honestly.  "I almost didn't see you coming."

            "Thanks," a muscular man behind him said.  He had short-cropped brown hair, and wore a white muscle shirt.  Neither too tall nor too short, he was well-built.  His muscles were much the same; notable without being exceptional.  On his arms, he wore simple gauntlets, which were complimented by a set of light greaves that were strapped to his shins.  An odd metal breastplate, surrounding only his stomach and cushioned by thick leather padding, surrounded his midsection.

            "So, since the Sound couldn't bring me down on its own, they hired you?" Kabuto wondered aloud, his voice as smooth as ever.  "Where are you from?  The Stone, maybe?"

            "Originally," the man replied.  Slowly, Kabuto turned around and came face to face with the brown haired man.

            "A missing-nin.  Interesting," the bespectacled man observed.  "What's your name?  Few ever escape the Stone Anbu.  I've probably heard of you."  Even as he spoke, a tic of recognition pulled at the corner of Kabuto's mind.

            "My given name is Shubino Shinkon," he replied, resting an arm on the hilt of one of his swords.  "But some people call me 'Gladius.'"  Kabuto's eyebrows rose in mild surprise, and the tic of recognition had grown into full-fledged caution.

            "'Gladius' Shinkon," Kabuto mused, trying to buy time.  "The infamous Stone traitor who gave his general's battle plans to the enemy on the eve of what would have been a stunning victory over the Rain country.  Because of you, the Stone routed, and had to sign a peace treaty on unfavorable terms to save face."  Meanwhile, Kabuto's mind raced.  Aside from his infamy, Shinkon had a very well-deserved reputation as a deadly shinobi.  His style was simple and effective, a no-frills form of combat that left few witnesses to its effectiveness.  Shinkon was a trained soldier as well as a ninja, and was one of the few known members of the Akatsuki organization.

            "We were wrong to invade," Shinkon countered confidently.  "It was nothing more than a political land grab."

            "Who am I to judge?" Kabuto shrugged, smiling.  He had readied himself to fight to as great a degree as possible without provoking the other missing-nin.

            "You can relax.  I'm not here to kill you," Shinkon said after a minute.  "I'm just here to talk."

            "Oh?" Kabuto asked, not letting his guard down.

            "Yeah.  After all, it's not every day that one of us comes recruiting," Shinkon replied flatly, moving his hands away from his weapons.

            "Akatsuki?  I think I'll pass," Kabuto replied, watching Shinkon reaction carefully.  "I never liked Masako, and she hates me."

            "Not Akatsuki," Shinkon returned, his face betraying nothing.  He tapped a small plate, bolted to his breastplate.  On the rounded rectangle, a circle was engraved, with a line through it.  "We've done a little. reorganization lately.  One part of it was disbanding the Akatsuki."

             "She'd never stand for it.  You should know me better," Kabuto said, clearly dubious.

            "Masako doesn't have to stand for it," Shinkon stated, a satisfied smirk on his face.  "She's lying in a shallow grave a little way outside Konohagakure's Eastern gate.  One of her over thought plans finally failed her.  Lethally."

            "Is that a fact?" the bespectacled man asked, arching an eyebrow.  Shinkon nodded once, and the each studied the other's reactions carefully again.

            "Want to come and find out for yourself?" Shinkon finally asked, offering a lopsided grin.  It was the sort that soldiers give when they've won and are congratulating their comrades.  Kabuto was immediately distrustful, but hid the fact well.

            "Why not?" he shrugged, relaxing his guard for show.  "It's not like I have any particular entanglements here."  Shinkon's grin faded as he nodded once.

            "Do you need to get anything for the trip?" he asked, his guard also relaxing.

            "I can buy whatever I need on the way," Kabuto replied nonchalantly, and Shinkon nodded again.

            "Good," he said, brushing past the healer.  Kabuto turned and followed the soldier.  Soon, they were well out of town, and on the first leg of what would prove to be a long and. interesting journey.

 

-   -   -   -   -   -

 

            Even for a long journey, Naruto had few belongings to pack.  Clothes, mostly.  He only had a single spare set of his favored orange jumpsuits, and had to substitute several pairs of more casual clothing for when the old standbys were too smelly to wear another day.  On his bed, behind and to the side of his sturdy backpack, the brown package sat, unopened.  Even as he packed his bag, he discovered that the underarm seam had ripped out of the jacket portion of his spare jumpsuit.  He sighed in exasperation; the damage was repairable, but he didn't have time to do it now.  Naruto dug the pants half of the outfit out of his bag and tossed it on his bed near where he had thrown the jacket portion.  Doing so, he noticed the package, which he had forgotten.

            "Wonder what's inside," he said to himself.  A glance at the clock confirmed that he had an hour before sunset, so Naruto sat down to open the parcel.  Carefully, Naruto undid the tape that held the heavy brown paper in place.  Without tearing the wrapping, Naruto flipped open the parcel along its seams.  Inside the paper was a white box, with a small not taped on the top.

            "To my son, on the day of one of his greatest accomplishments," Naruto read, his heart seizing up.  "My son?" he wondered aloud.  Mentally, he counted backwards seventeen years, and pictured Sarutobi as he probably would have been before Naruto was born.  It was to no avail; the blond-haired ninja could only picture a wrinkled, balding man in the ceremonial robes of the Hokage.

            "Wait a minute," he remembered suddenly.  "The Third's wife died a long time ago, a few years after Asuma-sensei was born.  What the hell does this mean, then?"  Naruto puzzled over the note for a few minutes, his face screwed up in concentration.

            "Maybe the old goat was just holding this for someone he knew," Naruto finally reasoned, mentally praying that he was right.  The idea of a sixty-year-old Sarutobi and some lady he'd just met was disturbing, even for Naruto.  Especially for Naruto, perhaps, as this was now a possibility for his lineage.

            "Ugh," he shuddered, and put the image out of his mind.  A second's further thought prompted Naruto to decide that, though the matter was important, it wasn't important enough to risk another thought of the Third naked.  Without further ado, Naruto opened the square, thin box.

            "Wow," he breathed, looking at the contents.  After a moment, and in a whirl of white, red, and orange, Naruto walked over to his dresser and began to change.

 

-   -   -   -   -   -

 

            "Looks like rain," Sakura commented, looking up at a series of great, gray thunderheads that were bearing down on the shinobi village slowly and inexorably.  Every now and again, a flash of purple heat lightning would zip around the outside of a cloud, the hallmark of Konoha's temperamental weather.

            "It's coming in from the northwest," Sasuke commented, also looking at the clouds.  "It'll hit pretty hard."

            "Yeah," Sakura agreed, another flash of heat lightning illuminating the sky.  Shaking herself from her reverie, she continued, "We'll have to move pretty fast to outrun it."

            "It's coming in at about fifteen kilometers per hour," Sasuke confirmed with a bit of a nod.  Sakura turned to look at the raven-haired chuunin incredulously.  "Saw it on the weather channel," he explained.  Sakura rolled her eyes.

            "Hey, guys," Naruto called walking up to join them.  For once, he had passed on his usual, rather orange fare in clothing.  When Sakura turned to face him, her surprise was clearly written across her face.

            "Naruto. you look. different," she said, her eyes wide.  The blond-haired jounin was dressed simply; a black sleeveless t-shirt and black pants.  What he wore over them, however, was not.  A long jacket of pristine white hung from his shoulders.  Then hem, which hung near his calves, was embroidered with unfathomable skill.  Fire, depicted in shimmering variations of red, orange, and yellow, licked upward onto the rest of the jacket.  The neck had been starched just enough to stick up a bit, and give Naruto the type of distinction that he usually lacked.

            "Thanks," he said, blushing a bit.  With it, the illusion of strength and distinction was dispelled.  Suddenly, Naruto was again just a small ninja trying to fill very, very large shoes.

            "Is there anything on the back?" Sasuke asked, the slightest indication of interest rising through his usual mask of indifference.

            "No.  Why?" Naruto asked.  Sasuke shrugged, and Naruto grinned.  "Hey, hey, I get it," the blond-haired teen said, sidling over to Sasuke.  "You're jealous, aren't you?  I'm a real babe magnet in this."

            "Idiot," Sasuke scoffed dismissively.  A moment later, Sakura smacked the blond-haired teen on the back of the head.

            "What he said," she growled.  Naruto just laughed, and Sakura eventually broke down and joined him.  Sasuke sighed and walked over to the western gate.  Carefully, he sifted through his thoughts, taking care not to think about anything in the past.  He'd learned that, once he started, it was. difficult to stop.

            He knew that he had mixed feelings about Naruto.  One part of him was grateful to Naruto; the blond idiot had come after him long after he had stopped deserving it.  Another part resented him, for being so effortlessly strong.  Mostly, though, he felt. indifferent.  Admittedly, he felt this way about most things since he'd been rescued, but it was different with Naruto.  Naruto was simply there, like a lamppost, or the air.  He didn't ask for much, if anything, but had nevertheless become a fixture in Sasuke's life.  If pressed, Sasuke would have explained that Naruto was there, and would always be there.  Why care about something like that?  Footsteps intruded on Sasuke's musing, and he looked up.  A chuunin, carrying an urn and a scroll, approached the group.  Naruto walked up to meet him.

            "Here you go," the chuunin said, handing the items to his blond-haired compatriot.  "The scroll contains your diplomatic credentials.  Any questions?"

            "When's the meeting?" Sakura asked.

            "Three days from now.  You'll have to move pretty fast," the chuunin replied.

            "Speed isn't a problem for us," Sasuke said quietly.  Naruto added a confident grin, and Sakura sighed at the rampant testosterone.

            "Good luck," the chuunin offered, chuckling.  The three turned and walked out of the gate.  Naruto tucked the urn, sealed with wax and silken bands, into his pack, then tossed the scroll to Sasuke.  The raven-haired chuunin tucked the item into a scroll pouch on his jacket.  As one, it seemed, the three disappeared into the trees, racing in a southwesterly direction.

            Overhead, the first true bolt of lightning struck a tree on the far side of the village.  The thunder echoed through the village as the guards manning the gate swung the gigantic portal shut.

 

-   -   -   -   -   -

 

            Rain thundered down upon the land.  Overhead, massive clouds obscured the evening sky almost from one horizon to the other.  Only the occasional flash of lightning provided illumination in the midst of the massive thunderstorm.  Aside from the sound of fat raindrops striking trees and now-soft dirt, the forest was completely silent.  In this sort of weather, even the hardiest of animals found shelter and waited anxiously for the end.

            A branch, blown hard by the wind, wavered suddenly, as though the wind had changed directions for a moment.  Then again it shifted, and immediately again.  A dozen feet forward, another branch did the same.  Another branch wavered, but sagged instead of bending again to the wind.

            Lightning flashed, and momentarily illuminated the forest.  Crouched on the branch was a lanky, muscular man.  Gray hair was matted against his head from the wind and rain.  It was splayed chaotically around his crown, as if the man had made no effort to control it.  Wrapped around his mouth and nose was a hitai-ate, emblazoned with the sigil of the Stone.  Most unnervingly of all were his eyes.  Without irises or pupils, the flat white orbs stared out at the world from their deeply sunken position in their owner's head.  Even in the darkness of the storm-wreaked night, as the lightning's light faded away, the eyes seemed to glow in the darkness.

            A second flash of lightning followed the first, and behind the man had appeared two others.  A second man, with gray hair like his companion's, crouched above the others.  He was shorter, however, and his hitai-ate covered his eyes.  To his left stood a woman, almost waif-thin.  Her hair seemed to be a little more orderly than was the hair her companions shared, but it too was gray.  A hitai-ate was tied under her chin, and wrapped around her head to cover her ears.  Her eyes, too, were without pupils or irises.

            "Finally.  The Fire country," smiled the man with his eyes covered.

            "Let's go.  We can't wait too long," the woman said, shifting uncomfortably.  The larger man, saying nothing, nodded and sprung forward.  His companions followed quickly.  Together, they moved toward Himoto, the heart of the Fire country.

            "We can't be too early either," the smaller man said after a while, a flash of white chakra passing between him and his female companion.  "We don't want to arrive before our targets, Shizuka."

            "Shut up," the woman snapped, well before her companion had finished speaking.  She glared at the man for a moment, a flash of chakra slipping back towards him.  "We'll do what we need to do, and no more."

            "Aww, you're no fun," the unseeing man returned, chakra again flashing.  Before Shizuka could respond, however, both of the bickering companions stiffened and were seized by a flash of chakra.

            "Be quiet, both of you," they said simultaneously, their voices having dropped an octave.  "We have a lot of ground to cover."  After a moment, each seemed to relax a bit.  Before they continued, however, the two shared a glance of unease.  Soon, however, all three were speeding onwards through the night.

 

--- Author's Notes ---

Hey, everybody.  Here I am again, writing for your personal amusement.  Anyway, I just want to take a moment to thank everybody for their support for Genin.  That fic was incredible to write, and the response I got for it was even more so.  Thank you- everybody.

            I've also got some good news for all you R&R people out there.  As much as possible, I'm going to try to get back to the point where I respond to every review you give me.  However, the setup of Fanfiction.net is prohibitively difficult to get around, for one desiring an e-mail address.  As such, if you review on ff.net and wish me to respond, include your e-mail addy, substituting "at" for the at symbol, which ff.net won't display in any case.  Example: Flashfyre5atmsn.com.

            Well. yeah.  We'll see what people think of this chapter and I guess we'll go from there.  Good to be writing again, people!

 

            ~Flash (Flashfyre5atmsn.com)

 

Mood Music:  This section has been renamed because I honestly didn't use music as much as I thought I would in Genin.  So it's called Mood Music now.  So there.

"With Heart and Soul," by Sir Nuts and Sadorf.  This is a great remix of the FF7 battle theme.  It's really got the kind of feel that you wanna feel when someone's getting ready to go out into the world, a la the scene where Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura leave.  Find it at vgmix.com.

 

Translations:

Himoto: Literally, "the origin of fire."  Sounded like a good name for the capitol city of the Fire country.  ^_^


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