Author note: This chapter post in the wrong spot. This is the reposting. Auto correct has messed it up. Will proof read in 24 hours. Next chapter will follow around that time.
"Alright team, listen up. This is Tazuna, the bridge builder we are escorting. The priority is making sure he lives, and completes his bridge project. That understood?" Kakishi said.
"Of course." Naruto and company said togethor.
"Due to some circ.u.mstances, another team will be going with." The Hokage said. The door opened to reveal Kai, Arianna, Nines, and the Quints.
"Hi there." Kai said. "I will just be around so to speak. Kinda going on a family outing." Nines and Arianna were smirking. "They have never been, soo yah know. Good as time as any."
"We are gonna travel all over!" The Quints said togethor." They were the most excited to leave with Kai. When Tsume came with, things were always boring. She took care of any danger before they could act. Tsume was protective of them more than people knew.
The fact she let them travel with Kai, was to give them a little independence. To the village, the Quints were just rambunctious 6 year olds. In fact they were about that age. Until they grew a bit more, Kai and Tsume thought it best to keep them in the current time setting. After this mission however, they would go to a special dimension the same as some of the others that had a faster timeline.
"Yeah big cousin Naruto, you better not screw up your first big mission. If you do I am telling TenTen on you." Nines pointed to Naruto with a grin. "But Sakura will keep your booboo all healed I bet." She made a kissy face at the two.
"Heh!" Sasuke smirked.
"Why you little stinker." Natuto grumbled at his little cousin. He didnt say anything else as he folded his arms.
"Hehe," Sakura chuckled. "See Naruto has grown up. He wont take the bait that easy."
"Uh huh, he has gotten a little kooler." Nines smiled agreeing.
"This is the group that is going to protect me? A bunch of kids?" Tazuno grumbled. "I need better than this!"
"Tch." Nines jumped over and held her hand at his throat drawing blood. "Ara, what a stupid old man. Grumbling despite not knowing things."
"Gulp!" Tazuno took a swallow as he then wet his pants. 'Those eyes are dangerous.' He stared at Nines blue eyes that shined with malice. "It was just a joke is all."
"You didnt even notice you were in a illusion. A man of your age should be more careful. You might loose your head." Nines stepped back. "Even a non ninja can detect some traces with enough willpower. Your willpower, happens to be lacking old man."
"An illusion?!" Tazuno watched as the area turned wavy before returning to normal. "When did that happen?"
"You should not underestimate our ninja." The Hokage said with an edge in his voice. "We would not assign kids as you put it. Everyone that is going, is from a strong clan. As well as top in the fields."
"Right. I am sorry forgive me." Tazuno bowed in apology. The rest of the conversation went smoothly afterward. They took tine out for the man to go change his pants as well. They all left to go to the main gate and move out.
"So what can we expect on this mission?" Naruto asked Sasuke.
"A few rogue ninja I imagine. Maybe two or three ambushes at best." Sasuke said. He reached in his bag and pulled out a book. "Let's see.. ah yeah there are a few rogue ninja that operate around this area till our destination. The lowest is around chunin. Highest is anbu."
"Haa sounds like a difficult mission." Sakura sighed. "Ah well, more practice." She was the closest to Tazuno with Naruto in front of her. Shino remained a good bit off the bath communing with bugs getting info as they moved. To the side, was Sasuke about even with Naruto. "I will do a little recon." Going through the hands signs, she created a shadow clone to scout the area up ahead.
"Wait, let me send some with." Naruto went through the signs and created 4 clones. The clones then turned into 4 random ninja with Mist headbands. "That should help."
"Oh you have been studying." Sakura smiled. "That is good."
"Humph he still needs better attacking skills." Sasuke added. "You should come over and learn some. We can make a bet out of it."
"You gamble to much." Naruto waved his hands in front of his face. He was tired of losing his money and new skills he picked in wagers. "No thanks."
"Woosh!" The clones then took off to do recon.
'Leader,' Gemini transmitted from Kai's shadow. "..we are finally going to destroy that smuggling operation and drug facility?'
'Correct. With Tazuno coming for aid, it is the perfect chance to go in officially.' Kai answered back. 'As well see what has happened in the Mist Village. For some reason the fog the covers the places is way thicker than normal. And talks of strange chakra beast in the area leave much to be d.e.s.i.r.ed.'
'Do you think it has something to do with disappearance of the Mizukage?' Gemini asked skeptically.
'I do not know. But we will find out.' Kai said ad he stroked his chin. He felt a pair of eyes on him and looked down. "What is it Nines?"
"When do I get put on a ninja team?" She had her hands on her h.i.p.s. She tried to look demanding but it failed. "I mean, I know the Quints are having to wait, but why do I have to."
"Because I rather you wait." Arianna answered. She stared at her daughter intently. "Right now the only ones I feel comfortable on the same team as you are the Quints. The rest not so much. And they have a good cohesive unit already. You cannot join TenTen's squad. They are mile's ahead of the others."
"But it would be great to be with them." Nines said. "I just think I could provide a lot to their team."
"No." Kai said sternly. "The difference in skill would be to much. You just learn to become a ninja really. Your first kill was supervised and against a chakra beast at that. Killing a person is different. If you have not grasp that yet, then maybe you should not be a ninja just yet?"
"No! I inderstand!" Ninies yelled. Covering her mouth she released she should not have done that. "I.. am going to join them on recon to make up for the outburst just now."
Her mother gave her a nod and Nines made 12 clones and shot off.
"Thank you for that." Arianna grabbed Kai by the sleeve. "Always playing the bad guy. It makes things so much easier. She is so different from Arietta. So eager to prove herself."
"Yeah.. I can not understand why though? We have given all the support we can, as well as restrict from things she is not ready for mentally. Hmmm..." Kai wanted to be sure of something. "Jaws go ahead and tail her. Gemini keep an eye on the Quints."
"Woosh!" A blur left his hair and shot off.
"Bwoom!" Gemini left his shadow and shot off towards the Quints.
"Expecting trouble?" Arianna asked.
"No. but never to careful." Kai assured her. Everything went smooth for the next few hours. Once they stopped to make camp, Kakishi came up to Kai. "Yes?"
"So about Hana..." He rubbed the bottom of his neck. The man was nervous. Despite thinking of several ways to break it to Kai. "We have been dating awhile. A few years to be exact and.. Ugh. This id harder than I thought. I wanted to let you know we got married on the mission we took to the Land of Tea."
"Ok." Kai said flatly.
"Ok? That is it? You are not angry?" Kakishi asked to make sure. He was expecting the man to at least yell at him. "Well.. I don't know what to say."
"Me neither." Kai said either disappointment. "You are both grown and she defintely dod not trust me enough to tell me. No matter, it is done now. Best of luck with your marriage." Turning to the side and peering into the distance, Kai saw a few Stone ninja. The Quints had a few traps not to far from the location. "I wonder if we will have to eliminate all of them?"
"I hope not." Kakishi said. His voice was grave as he spoke. Something about what was going on bothered him. Only time will tell though. "So the reports are true. The Stone village is trying to take over the Land of Waves in its entirety. With the leaders mostly missing, the place is ripe for the picking."
"Yeah..." Kai droned out. "But it is fine. It is not the Leaf Village's concern. Anyway, I have something to do."
"Tut!" Kai kicked of the ground and disappeared into the distance. He went about 30 miles in one direction then 200 in another. His target was waiting for him.
"Hum?" A Rain ninja was their waiting. The man's build was quite the thing to see. A very buff ninja with long hair that was jet black. In his mouth was rebreather to prevent others from taking in his toxic fumes. "Back in the day, no one could sneak up on me."
"It is not sneaking up Hanzo." Kai landed right in front of him. "It is just speed. Sneaking requires skill. I used none of that." Kai stretched his hand for a fist bump.
"Pat!" Hanzo tapped it creating a small shockwave.
"Good, the treatment has made you even stronger. Well worth the investment."
"All I had to do is give up my village position." Hanzo lamented. "Small price to pay. For my health and the return of my sanity. To think the poison sac I placed inside was slowly changing me."
"Well... who the hell told you to do that anyway? Some crazy cakamany shit right there. But it worked. Kind of." Kai gave a quick check over Hanzo's body. The man was ok and brimming with chakra among other things. "How goes your test and infiltration."
"Good. The poison I developed can destroy those cell samples you gave me with ease. I am also making another higher tier one." Hanzo passed over some papers to hand over. "Most of the data is there to make a few techniques with the medical info you gave me."
"Thanks. You have finished everything I have tasked you with. " Kai said simply. Hanzo slightly flinched as his heart sped up. "You ok?"
"Well, usually is when the betrayal happens. I rather not kill you ky friend, or you kill me."
"Ummm you are safe. Why the hell would kill you? Never mind that nonsense. The intel on that brat Nagato, what do you have for me?" Kai shook the idea of killing Hanzo away. Why do that, when the man worked hard. He even taught Kimimaro some things about peace. Helping to get the child away from the idea of pacifism.
"Right. Embedding myself as a Jonin after faking my death work better than I thought. Nagato has met with a masked man more frequently. From what I understand, the man is injured. If what you said is true, I really wish I could have tried my new poisons on him." Hanzo gripped his hands tightly in anger. "But the intel was more important. They have located a few promising ninja to recruit. As well as a wandering samurai from the Land of Iron."
"Hmmm, that is more than enough." He grabbed the scroll and dropped it into a pocket dimension inside his pocket. "I am pulling you out from there altogether. Change yourself up and help with some things. The Village Hidden in the Mist may be under attack soon."
"Eh, so you are going to do what exactly?" Hanzo gave a nod and changed his attire. His clothing resembled that of someone much younger. Sporting a chunin vest with the Senju symbol on it. "These clothes are very comfy."
"Haha, yeah. Hold on to your lunch." Kai grabbed him and sped off. It took only a few seconds to make back to the others. "Not so bad right?"
"My ears hurt you maniac!" Hanzo yelled. "Is that brat one of yours?" He pointed to Nines. "She looks danngerous."
"Because I am." Nines gave the man a smile. "I am a ninja, therefore dangerous. Don't let the cuteness fool you." Kao gave a look around and noticed a few of the Quints were missing. "Where are your brothers?" She gave a shrug.
"They are at the lake filling up the water supply." Arianna said. "We found a few merchants fleeing. The biggest things they said was the country was doomed. They were heading to the Leaf Village from what I gathered."
"I see. I will go check on them. This is odd to say the least." I did not pass anyone when I ran through earlier. Either I completely over looked them, or they are really good at disguising themselves from us." Kai scanned the direction of the boys. They were playing in the water with Shino on lookout. Peering furthur he saw people badly injured heading towards them. People dressed like those from the land of Waves. They were pretty far from the border still.
"I thought so to. I let a clone follow them to check them over in detail. It has not vanished so it may be fine." Arianna said while tapping her chin. She thought over the people again and did not find anything that stuck out. "They were just in a rush, it may be nothing."
"Yeah." Kai nodded and moved towards the lake. "Han, try not to get in a fight with my daughter. She is a bit of a scrapper."
"Fwoosh!" In a burst of speed, he arrived just in time. The boys had weapons at the ready and were getting ready to strike. Sasuke and Naruto were standing over the water watching.
"Ok ok, stand down boys." Kai said firmly. "Theybare not hostiles. Well not all of them."
"Fwip!" Kai threw a kunai directly at woman in the back. Effectively ending her life.
"Shino, take the body back to Kakashi to look over. Be careful of any traps on her." Kai said as a command. Shino nodded and picked the body up. "Naruto, Sasuke guard him." They both nodded and took off.
"Lord Senju, terrible news." The mist civilian said in front. The entire group worked for him. how the woman snucked into their fake refuge group was to be discussed later. "The Stone Vilaahe has made their move. What do you want us to do?"
"We begin the operation." Kai said. He looked at his sons and smiled. "Try to curb your excitement for now. It will be slow at first. As for the rest of you, are your families ready for this? Speak freely Shibati."
"No. The elders are hesitant." Shibati said almost defeated. "They want to find another way." Kai looked at them incredulously. If they did not fight for their freedom, then he surely wouldn't. Seeing their leaders face, the "refugees" grimaced. "Do you still intend to help?"
"Haaaah!" Kai sighed. "I gave a few people.my word, so I will. We will provide evacuation for those who want it. The rest are on their own. Try to convince them in the next months. It will only get worst from here."
They nodded and sprinted back to the various towns full speed. No need to disguise anymore. From Kai's facial expression, they knew it was serious this time. They would receive no more help after this.
"Pops!" Runt called.out. He wanted to ask what was on his brothers minds. "Did you send the others away since it is a family affair?"
"Yes. As you know, Kari told me to stay alive no matter what. This is just one of the methods I have chosen." Kasi said to them. "Just training my own forces would not be enough. I can recruit people who have a lot at stake. They have what they call heart. Fighting with a resolve that is hard to train up. Another village that is under my control or helping us, is for the best."
"Hmm ok." Runt nodded as well did the others. "I think we are going to have trou le on our hands. A lot of trouble. The history between the Stone Villahe and our family is not something small. Should we get the other surviving Uzumaki's involved?"
"No. They have their own problems. Also, they have appointed a new Kage to lead them. Whay happens to them now has nothing to do with us." Kai shook his head in dismay. The Uzumakis had banded togethir and restarted their own thing against his advice. He told them to arm themselves better than before. They refused his advice adamantly. Setting up in the Land of Iron, they themselves safe. "Time to head back."
-Land of Iron-
"Are you sure about this?" A chunin asked. He was speaking to the Lord Of Iron and his Kage Karsu.
"Yes." The Lord of Iron said. "A small group of you will participate in the Chunin exams. You will show the technques you have perfected here. If you do well, a larger division will be allowed to join the ranks."
"Hehe," Kage Karsu chuckled. "The way of the Samurai supplemented by Whirlpool swordsmanship. A beautiful combination I say."
The man was very flamboyant looking. C.h.e.s.t exposed from his robes and dervish look in his eyes. He unnerved a lot of people, but skill with the sword was quite something.
"But to fight against you cousin's forces, are your people up to it?" The Lord of Iron asked.
"They will be. They know Kai-La is to blame for the massacre of our people. Saving a few of us was not enough to wipe away his sins." Karsu voice was laced with chakra as he spoke. A weird power in his words that helped boost his charisma. "We have given out enough of information to fool the masses. The chunin exam we will shine."
"The methods better not embarrassed the Land of Iron!" An aide said from the side. Next to him a very stoic man have a nod agreeing. "This is already borderline problematic."
"Oh, should we withdraw our support for your clansmen in the outer areas then?" Karasu threatened. "Far be it from us that your honor is blemished."
"Enough!" The Lord of Iron said sternly. "We are in this togethor. With those villages fighting amongst themselves, their is no telling when they may turn this way. We need to be prepared. Everyone is dismissed."
Sending them all out, The Lord of Iron thought about his backup plan. In his hand was a kunai that he kept close. 'Kai-La told me to be careful a decade ago. Maybe I should have sent them away.' Grabbing his drink, he took a small sip. "Haaaa, these old bones cannot take much more."
"Crash!" Throwing his cup down, he sneered. Another poison attempt to kill him. It did not work the same as before. Theis was 37th attempt.
"Fools! If not for me they would be dead already!" As he fumed the poison exited his body and burned away. 'A little longer and I will not wait, I will just finish the work the others did against your people. Karasu, you are just another little upstart waiting to die.'
-Uzumaki Compound Land Of Iron-
"Achoo!" Karasu sneezed and felt a shiver. Next to him, his aide smiled. "Do not say anything Daseo. It is not the way I dress that is the problem."
"Whatever you say." Daseo was a pure blood Uzumaki. A direct member of the founding group of the Village of
Whirlpool. "It is not to late to change."
"No. I will prove to them, they should have let me command the forces during the attack. Father was wrong as well as the Council." Karasu said. "Soon with the help of my Ally, things will change for us all."