Kapitel 36: 36. The First B-Ranked Mission
"So I take it Karin's here. We're finally going to be on the way to Uzushiogakure." Tayuya exclaimed.
"Yup. The Old Man sent us a message to pick you up and meet him at the front gate of the village. Our cousin is here." Naruto nodded his head in affirmation. A grin developed on his face as he mirrored the red-head's excitement. "It's about time we visit the village of our clan!"
The walk to the entrance to the village did not take long for the group. Naruto, Tayuya, and Jiraiya all walked at a silent, quick pace as they hurried to meet up with the Hokage.
When they finally arrived, they saw the Hokage talking with another person: a girl with red, short hair around Naruto and Tayuya's age. She wore a red t-shirt with a brown jacket over it. She also wore a pair of black shorts and a pair of black boots that went up her legs to her knees. The girl also wore a pair of glasses over her reddish-colored eyes. She also had a forehead protector on that had the symbol for Kusagakure.
Both the Hokage and the girl noticed the approaching group. The girl seemed to shrink behind the Hokage. Hiruzen, on the other hand, simply smiled at the sight.
"Naruto-kun, Jiraiya, Tayuya: I am glad to see you all got here so quickly." He chuckled as he stepped aside to put focus on the other girl. "This is Uzumaki Karin. She just arrived."
"Uh…" Karin mumbled, not enjoying the spotlight. She knew precisely why she was here in the village: to meet the people in front of her – her family – and go on a mission with them. However, she still was not used to meeting people for the first time. "Hi-"
"You're my cousin too? I can't believe I've gotten to meet so much of my family in such a short time!" Naruto exclaimed, interrupting her greeting. He then rushed forward and grabbed her hand excitedly. "I'm Naruto! It's so nice to meet you-"
"Oi, Naruto! Calm down! You're gonna make the poor girl piss herself!" Tayuya exclaimed with a laugh.
Naruto stopped shaking Karin's hand to notice the look on her face. She was breathing very heavily and was looking at him nervously. Sheepishly, Naruto let go of her hand and placed distance between himself and the girl.
"Sorry about that. I, uh, just got excited to meet another Uzumaki." Naruto commented with a nervous laugh. "It's nice to meet you, Karin-chan."
"It's fine." Karin replied quickly. She took a deep breath before she finally started to speak again in a more relaxed tone-of-voice. "I'm sorry about that myself. I'm kinda a loner in Kusa, so you startled me. It's nice to meet you too, Naruto." She then turned her attention to Tayuya and smiled. "And it's nice to see you again, Tayuya."
"You seem a lot more upbeat than the last time I saw you." Tayuya noted with a smirk. "That's good. It's good to see you again."
"I am glad that there is a family reunion going on and I encourage you all to really get to know each other." Hiruzen chuckled as he watched the three Uzumaki cousins interact. "However, I ask that you all do so later. As of right now, I feel I should send you off on the mission."
Naruto, Tayuya, Karin, and Jiraiya gave the Hokage their full attention immediately.
"As I mentioned earlier, your mission is to travel to Uzushiogakure and return with a report of the village's conditions. I would like to learn more about the destruction and what areas are still surviving. Any secrets that you learn there is up to you three to disclose. You can inform me and the village or keep the secrets to yourself." Hiruzen turned his attention towards Karin. "This also includes you, Karin. If you wish to share anything with Kusa, you may. All that I ask is that you three manage to report back about Uzushiogakure's condition in detail and return with traditions that you can either reveal to others or keep within your clan. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Old Man/Hokage-sama." Naruto, Tayuya, and Karin spoke immediately in near unison.
"… Old Man?" Karin repeated the word choice of Naruto and Tayuya.
Before they could elaborate, Hiruzen proceeded to cough, getting their attention once more. "Jiraiya will be leading this mission and, whenever he is able to present with you all, will have authority over the mission. When you are in areas of Uzushiogakure that he is not able to be present in, then Naruto will be treated as active leader. Is that all understood?"
Once again, the Uzumaki cousins nodded in understanding. Jiraiya made a gesture as well, indicating his agreement.
"Then it is settled. Jiraiya, I trust you know the way. I recommend you head out right away." The Sandaime Hokage recommended.
"We shall." Jiraiya commented as he faced the three Uzumaki shinobi. "You all are ready, right?"
The three nodded their heads once again in affirmation. Naruto, in addition, proceeded to give a thumbs up gesture to his godfather.
"Let's get this show on the road dattebayo!" He declared.
"Heh." Jiraiya smirked as he started to walk forward. "Alright, let's go!"
The door to the village opened up. Jiraiya started to walk out of the village, followed closely behind by Naruto, Tayuya, and Karin. Hiruzen smiled as he waved goodbye to the squad. He waited until they were out of sight before he started on his path back to his office.
"… Anko?" Hiruzen called out to the newly-appointed jōnin.
When the Hokage returned to his office, he was expecting nothing but an empty room with a few piles of paperwork that needed to be completed. Instead, Mitarashi Anko was currently sitting down in his chair, reading a file.
"Ah, Hokage-sama." She turned her attention to the file and proceeded to stand up from her seat. "Forgive my intrusion. I was just waiting here for you so I could discuss something with you. Your secretary, er, let me in."
"… You snuck in here, didn't you?" Hiruzen deadpanned. He noticed Anko sheepishly rub her head, confirming his suspicions. He immediately sighed. "It used to be only Jiraiya and Kakashi that would come in like this, but it seems I have to add your name to that list as well. Please: don't make a habit of doing this."
"I won't. Promise!" Anko declared with a chuckle. Her face then proceeded to turn serious as her eyes returned to the file in her hands. "I just needed to ask you a few questions about something I just learned that's been bothering me. It won't be long."
"Go ahead." Hiruzen encouraged.
Anko proceeded to toss the file in her hands directly at Hiruzen. The Hokage caught it and proceeded to look it over. He immediately noticed the name 'Uzumaki Tayuya' printed on it.
"… I almost want to ask how you got your hands on this file, but I suppose you would have the rights to having them. You are the second-in-command at the T&I Department, after all." Hiruzen sighed.
"Yeah, but I still had to do some digging to find this." Anko admitted with a shrug. "Regardless, Naruto mentioned to me a few days ago about having a cousin that was formerly a member of Oto. No big deal at first to me. I already knew about that Dosu kid and his role in the invasion, so I figured she was somebody like him and turned her back on Orochimaru. But curiosity got the best of me and I actually went to look for something about this 'cousin'. I end up finding a report that reveals that she was a part of the Sound Four: Orochimaru's personal bodyguards. She was no turncoat; she was a fucking commander of that village that worked directly under that snake bastard!"
A frown crept onto Hiruzen's face. Anko was trying to appear indifferent and calm but she was getting progressively angrier with every second.
"What exactly do you want to know or hear from me, Anko? Why I didn't kill Tayuya?" Hiruzen questioned.
"Or why you don't have her in prison still? You just put her on a mission with one of my students for fuck's sake! Why are you ignoring her history with Orochimaru? How do we know we can trust her? What if she tries to take advantage of Naruto and try to kill him? What then?" Anko growled.
"… I have not forgotten about Orochimaru's relation with her. I will remember that with every action I make in regards to Tayuya. She will always be under surveillance and suspicion. And she will be eliminated if she ever gives us a reason to distrust her." Hiruzen explained. "Jiraiya went alongside Naruto and Tayuya on the mission and he is instructed to personally kill her if she does anything that he believes is threatening to Naruto or Konoha. Believe me when I say this: I will not forget and we will act appropriately if she reveals any form of treachery in her character."
"Then why send her out on the first place? Why try and give her a chance?" Anko continued to question. Her voice quieted slightly, but she still contained an angry look in her eyes.
"… Guilt. I may have very well caused the situation why she went off to Orochimaru." Hiruzen answered, his eyes looking downward for a moment.
Anko's anger seemed to fade as she became aware of the Hokage's mood. She opened her mouth to question him about his feelings, but her words died on her tongue when he let out a deep, sorrowful sigh.
"I should have done more. Konoha should have done more. Instead, we let our ally suffer and die. We were too caught up in our own conflicts with Iwa, in trying to prevent the Third Shinobi World War from growing that we let Uzushio fall and all of those brave, innocent men and women die…" Hiruzen shook his head, clearing his thoughts for a moment. He wasn't going to allow himself to ramble on about the topic. "… I'm getting off topic. My point is, I feel guilty towards the survivors of the Uzumaki Clan and feel that, if I had done more during the time of the invasion of Uzushiogakure, I could have prevented their suffering. I have every right to kill or punish Tayuya… but I don't want to. I don't want to cause any more harm to an Uzumaki. I may have already done too much to that clan…"
"Hokage-sama…" Anko mumbled to herself. She was starting to feel uncomfortable, having brought back these feelings of regret to the surface. She knew what it was like to have done things that she wanted to forget.
"… I hope that helps you understand. I'll never forget what Tayuya has done with Orochimaru… but I want to give her a chance to prove that she could have been a good person. I just don't want any more Uzumaki blood on my hands anymore…" Hiruzen sighed.
"I… understand." Anko sighed. She still was going to have grievances about Tayuya and, in her eyes, the lack of punishment she was receiving, but she was going to understand the Hokage's judgment. "… I didn't mean to bring up these memories, Hokage-sama."
"Don't apologize." The Sandaime shook his head. "It's probably important that I recall things more often. I need to recall my mistakes so that I never do anything remotely similar to them." He walked over to his chair and took a seat at his table. He then reached for a particular file on his desk. "Although, I would like to change the topic, at the moment. I do have something that I would like to talk to you about."
The newly-appointed jōnin nodded, encouraging the Hokage to continue.
"I have a mission for you." He informed her as he presented the file towards her.
Jiraiya, along with his squad, made quick progress through the path towards the ruins of Uzushiogakure. The three Uzumaki cousins were eager to see the village and, therefore, encouraged each other to travel faster. The Sannin thought it was going to take roughly a week before they arrived in the village. At the pace they were moving, it appeared that they would arrive within four days instead.
In addition to being eager to visit the village, the three Uzumaki shinobi were also eager to get to know one another. Naruto and Karin had chatted non-stop since they started on the journey, asking questions about their lives and details about their personality. Even Tayuya, despite her anti-social tendencies, chimed in with a few comments and questions for her cousins.
"So, what's Kusa like?" Naruto asked Karin out of curiosity.
"It looks kinda similar to Konoha, actually. The whole area is surrounded in forest. Kusa's forests, however, have a lot of variety to them. There are bamboo trees and giant mushroom forests all over the area."
"Giant mushrooms?" Naruto gave her a confused look.
"Yup. And a lot are poisonous." Tayuya commented nonchalantly. "That's how your village is protected, isn't it? A lot of the poisons in those mushrooms could kill a shinobi if they aren't careful around them."
"Yup. That's Kusa's defense!" The glasses-wearing shinobi replied with a giggle. "But yeah, Kusa is a nice place. The people are nice, if a little weird. Everybody is so analytical there.
"Fuck that place then. I hate those little shits that overanalyze every damn conversation." Tayuya rolled her eyes. A scowl developed on her face as she recalled her interactions with a few of the other shinobi in Otogakure that could be described as 'analytical'. 'Kidōmaru, Sakon and his weird ass brother, Kabuto… seriously, fuck all people like them.'
"I wouldn't say 'fuck them.' Like I said earlier, they are nice for the most part." Karin replied, still giggling at Tayuya's word choices. "… But I guess I can't say much than that. I'm not too close to anybody in Kusa: not even my own teammates or my sensei. It's just, well, a place I live. I don't think I'd really call the place my home, honestly."
"Yup. Understand that sentiment exactly." Tayuya commented with a sigh. "After my parents died, no place really felt like home to me. Everywhere was just a place to lie down and sleep at."
Naruto frowned at the direction of the conversation. He didn't want to bring up any bad memories or thoughts for either Tayuya or Karin.
The blonde opened his mouth to say something, but he was stopped when he noticed that Jiraiya stopped moving. The conversation between the three Uzumaki's ended as they turned their attention to the Toad Sannin.
"The sun's already setting. We've been traveling for a while today. I suppose this is a good place to stop for the night." He shrugged as he placed his traveling bag on the ground. "Is that fine with you all?"
"No complaints here." Naruto said.
"It's probably for the best." Karin nodded her head in understanding.
"I could probably travel all night, but whatever. If you all want to rest, then rest. I don't give a shit." Tayuya shrugged.
"Good. You all can get your sleeping bags and stuff ready while I go collect some food for us to eat." Jiraiya suggested. He was about to walk into the forest to look for some animal to hunt when he stopped himself. He quickly opened his bag and pulled out a balloon and tossed it towards Naruto. "When you get your sleeping bag set up, go somewhere by yourself and practice stage three. I have a few more balloons in my bag, so feel to take more out when you inevitably pop them."
"Ah! Awesome!" Naruto exclaimed as he caught the balloon carefully, making sure not to pop it. "And you don't have to worry about me popping too many balloons. I'll get it down soon!"
When Jiraiya had first described the Rasengan, the blonde Uzumaki knew it was a jutsu he had to learn as fast as he could. Once Naruto managed to summon toads, they spent their time focusing on the jutsu. Naruto breezed through the first stage and managed to finish the second stage after some extensive training. He only had one more stage of training before he would have the jutsu prepared and ready to use.
"Stage three? Whatcha working on?" Karin asked out of curiosity. She adjusted her glasses for a moment as she stared at the balloon intently.
Naruto opened his mouth to answer her question, but Jiraiya spoke up first and interrupted him.
"Just something he's working on. Don't put much thought into it please." He stated before he walked off to look for food.
Karin frowned at the answer, but seemed to accept it. She and Tayuya focused on preparing their sleeping bags and setting up their own section of camp. Naruto similarly frowned at Jiraiya's answer, but didn't question it either. He simply laid his sleeping bag down before walking off to a nearby clearing to practice the jutsu.
The rest of the evening went by quickly as the group proceeded to eat some meat from a deer Jiraiya managed to hunt and cook for them. Once they finished, the sun had officially set. The group proceeded to lie down in their sleeping bags and attempt to fall asleep.
Naruto tried constantly to relax his mind and fall asleep, but he could not. He had a singular thought on his mind that was preventing him from getting sleep.
'Hinata…' He thought about his teammate.
It had not been too many days since he came to the realization that he had feelings for his friend that went beyond simple friendship. He had intended on talking to her as soon as possible, but each time he had attempted to meet up with her privately, he was interrupted by somebody or something. During the week leading up to his mission, he had tried multiple times to visit her at the Hyūga compound, but the blonde was sent away by various Hyūga clan members, claiming that Hinata was busy with personal training with her father and cousin.
Naruto was not somebody to get nervous about anything. This was especially true when the topic of concern was about something that he felt. However, the longer his conversation with Hinata was put off, the more nervous he was becoming.
'What if I'm wrong about my feelings? Is this really what it feels like to like somebody?' Naruto questioned. '… What if I'm wrong about her? What if I'm reading things wrong and she only sees me as a friend?'
"Ugh, I need to talk to her already…" He grumbled to himself as he tried to close his eyes again in another attempt to fall asleep.
"Holy shit, you're awake!"
Naruto's eyes shot wide opened and he pulled himself out of his sleeping bag. He looked to his left to see Tayuya wide-awake in her sleeping bag. He shook his head for a moment, pushing his thoughts of Hinata to the side for a moment.
"Why are you awake, Tayuya-nee?" He questioned.
"I'm the one who said I didn't need us to stop as early as we did. I'm wide awake." Tayuya scoffed in response. "The real question is why are you awake? You were mumbling to yourself a second ago."
"… I'm just thinking about some stuff." Naruto answered with a sigh.
"Like what?" The red-haired Uzumaki questioned as she pulled herself from her own covers. She proceeded to sit on her sleeping back with her legs crossed.
"I'm thinking about a friend of mine in Konoha… and my feelings for her." Naruto admitted.
"Really?" Tayuya rolled her eyes. "Something that fucking trivial is keeping you up?" She made a gesture to Naruto, urging for him to lie back down. "Go to sleep. You can think about that shit when you get back to Konoha."
"I will, I will." Naruto mumbled in response. "Just… I'm confused, dammit."
"About what?" Tayuya rolled her eyes. "You either love this girl or you don't. What's so damn confusing?"
"Love?" The blonde Uzumaki repeated the word in confusion. He then shook his head. "Look, I just am. I've never liked someone before or had these feelings in my life. I'm just confused about what I'm supposed to do or if she feels similarly. I just don't know. I don't even know what love really is like."
"What do you mean by that?" Tayuya questioned. "Don't know about love? What does that even mean? Even I know what love is like! I saw my parents interact enough to know about the concept."
"I never met my parents or really interacted with anybody that showed love like that me." Naruto answered with a sigh.
Tayuya's facial expressions softened at Naruto's response. She had a tendency to project her own thoughts and experiences and others and, therefore, tended to forget facts about some people's lives. She really did forget what she had learned about Naruto; that he was an orphan since birth and had nobody to properly care and love him the way a parent should.
A frown developed on her face as she closed her eyes, trying to come up with something to say to the Uzumaki.
"… I guess love is just the feeling that you get when all you want in life is for the other person to be happy." Tayuya finally started to speak. "You care more about them then you do yourself. They mean everything to you and you would do anything for them. Sure there are different types of live, like romantic or familial love, but I think they all share those general ideas with each other. When you love somebody, they're important to you and you don't want them to leave your life."
"Important to you… don't want them to leave…" Naruto repeated Tayuya's words. "… Maybe it's more than like. Maybe I do love her."
"Maybe. Or maybe you don't. I don't know. I don't know the damn girl nor do I know what you really think about her or what you've gone through with her." The red-headed Uzumaki stated with a shrug. "Don't put much thought about it and just talk to her the next time you see her. I'm sure your feelings will come out naturally and you'll know then what you really feel. But again, I wouldn't stress out much about it. She seems like somebody important to you and, no matter what your feelings are and what she feels for you, you'll probably still be close. So… don't worry about it and just see what happens with her."
For a moment, there was silence between the two cousins. Tayuya seemed uncomfortable, having said so much on the topic of love and relationships. Naruto, on the other hand, was in silent thought, trying to process what she had told him. Nearly a minute passed before Naruto finally pulled himself from his thoughts. A wide smiled developed on his face as he stood up, walked over to the former Sound Four member, and gave her a hug.
"Thank you, Tayuya-nee." He said quietly, yet sincerely. "That helped out a lot. I really needed to hear something like that. I think I can just relax and wait until I talk to her next and just see what happens."
"… Don't worry about it." Tayuya replied as she awkwardly returned the hug. She wasn't using to show physical signs of affection and really disliked them. Still, she maintained the hug. She didn't really know why, but there was something comforting about Naruto's hug…
The two cousins remained in silence for another minute before they broke their hug. They then returned to their sleeping bags and lied back down.
"You know, I'm glad you talked to me about your questions about this girl instead of someone else like Jiraiya. The damn pervert would have probably given you some really crappy advice." Tayuya mentioned with a chuckle.
"Pervert?" Naruto repeated the word in confusion. He didn't understand why his cousin would think of his godfather in such a way. He almost asked something to her about it, but he proceeded to push the thought away in favor of another topic. "By the way, since you were able to listen and help me out with my own problems, you can talk to me about anything you are thinking about, Tayuya-nee. Are you sure you aren't awake because you have something on your mind?"
Tayuya, unlike the last time Naruto asked, didn't seem to immediately scoff and reject the idea. She remained quiet for a few seconds before she spoke up quietly.
"What… do you think we are going to find in Uzushiogakure? Do you think it's going to be… disappointing?" She questioned him.
"… I don't know what we are going to find there, honestly. Maybe some scrolls and some secrets about our clan." Naruto answered honestly. "But disappointed? I don't think so. I think it's going to be a really powerful feeling to be able to walk on the land where our families were years ago."
"It will be, yeah." Tayuya sighed in response. "It's just… look, our clan and finding the scattered members is literally all I have been thinking about for the past couple of years. I can't help but be anxious about finally visiting Uzushiogakure… and I'm just worried that the condition of the village is going to be so bad there's going to be nothing there. I just don't want to see something that'll make me think our clan really is gone for good."
"It isn't. You, me, and Karin-chan are all Uzumaki and still alive, and there has to be more out there. And as long as we are all here, we will be able to keep our clan alive!" Naruto declared.
"… Heh." Tayuya snorted in an attempt to stifle her laughter. Ultimately, she failed and the laughter came pouring out of her mouth. "Hahahahaha! That sounds so fucking cliché."
"… I'm not cliché." Naruto frowned in response to her laughter.
"N-Not you. Just what you said." Tayuya continued to laugh. She wiped away a few tears from her eyes and calmed herself down before speaking again. "But you are right. We're all here, and therefore, the Uzumaki Clan is alive. And one day, it'll return to its rightful place as one of the leading clans in the Elemental Nations!"
"Damn straight." Naruto nodded his head in agreement.
With those words, Naruto and Tayuya bid each other goodnight. Both had previously had concerns that were keeping them from following asleep. After talking to each other, their worries were pushed to the side and the two cousins joined the other members in the group in peaceful sleep.
When the sun rose the next morning, Jiraiya and the Uzumaki cousins promptly got up, packed their bags, and continued on their path to Uzushiogakure. They maintained the same pace that they moved at yesterday.
Tayuya and Karin continued to chat in the back about various different topics related to their lives. Naruto normally would participate, but he was walking a little ahead of them this time and closer to Jiraiya. The blonde's eyes were focused solely on the man leading the mission as he continued to think about something.
'Tayuya just had to be insulting him for no reason last night. He's not a pervert. He hasn't done anything to make me think that!' Naruto concluded in his head.
He was about the topic to rest in his head when the Sannin called out to him.
"You aright Naruto?" Jiraiya questioned. He waited for Naruto to catch up to him so that they could walk side-by-side and talk. "You were just talking over-and-over again with the girls yesterday."
"Oh, I'm fine. Don't worry about me!" The blonde declared immediately. "Just been wondering how you are doing. You haven't talked too much with everyone, so you have to be kinda lonely and wanting to talk to someone."
"Ha! I just haven't been talking much because I don't have anything to say in your conversations. You all are basically getting to know one another, after all. I don't want to intrude." The Sannin declared with a shrug. "Besides, I've been using the quiet time to really think about a project I'm working on."
"What kind? A new jutsu?" Naruto looked at his godfather in curiosity.
"Nah. Nothing practical like that." The man chuckled. "I'm thinking about the next book in my series and what direction I'm going to take it." He then brought his right hand to his chin as he stroked it in thought. "Trying to find the right balance between plot and sex-"
"You write?" The Kyūbi jinchūriki interrupted his godfather with an excited look in his eyes.
"You didn't know?" Jiraiya asked in surprise. He immediately opened his bag and pulled out a small, orange book and handed it to Naruto. "That's the first book in the series that I'm writing right now. Surely you'll recognize it. It's a best-seller, after all!"
'First Old Man Rōshi and now Jiraiya! I can't believe he's a writer too! I wonder what his book is about?' Naruto wondered as he excitedly turned the book over to see the title.
Immediately, his excitement died.
"Icha… Icha… Paradise?" He mumbled the name of the book.
"It's the one I'm most well-known for, but it's probably the book with the worst quality." Jiraiya admitted as a smile developed on his face. "Still, I have fond memories writing it. Getting the research for that book was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life-"
"You're the author of the Icha Icha series?" Naruto questioned, interrupting his godfather again. "I… I always thought the books were written by some random, lonely pervert."
"Hey! I'm not a random pervert, nor am I lonely." Jiraiya declared defensively. "… I'm a super pervert!"
The blonde Uzumaki remained quiet as he tried to rationalize everything he had just heard his godfather say. With every thought that was being processed, more and more respect for the man was fading. A few seconds passed before Naruto finally rationalized everything. He immediately pointed his finger at the white-haired man as a scowl developed on his face.
"Ero-sennin!" He shouted.
Silence filled the area. Karin and Tayuya stopped talking to each other as they stared at the two Konoha shinobi, in confusion. Jiraiya's eyes were wide in surprise at the name his godson had just called him.
"What… did you just call me?" He questioned quietly.
"Tayuya-nee was right; you are a pervert! Ero-sennin!" Naruto declared again.
Jiraiya opened his mouth to retort, but he was interrupted by the sound of laughter. He turned his head in the direction of Tayuya and Karin. Both girls were nearly on the ground from their laughter.
"Holy shit!" Tayuya shouted as she struggled to compose herself. "That's, hehehehe, fucking perfect! Hahaha!"
"It's, hehehehe, really fitting!" Karin declared between her giggles.
"Hey Naruto! Want to talk with us for a bit or do you want to keep talking with Ero-sennin?" Tayuya jokingly asked Naruto. Immediately after she asked, both she and Karin started to laugh even louder.
Jiraiya said nothing for a moment and stared blankly as Naruto went back to his cousins and started talking about him. He really couldn't think of anything to say at first. Then, as the three Uzumaki cousins continued to talk to each other, he kept hearing that word.
"Ero-sennin!"
"Ero-sennin!"
After hearing that word a few more times, Jiraiya's blank stare turned into a scowl. His face turned red in anger and he tightened his hands into fists.
"STOP CALLING ME THAT DAMMIT!"
Much to his chagrin, this only resulted in more laughter and more usage of the name.
"Really Anko-sensei? This is our mission?" Shikamaru grumbled.
Anko, Hinata, and Shikamaru were gathered at the entrance to the village. After her conversation with the Hokage during the previous day, Anko was assigned a B-ranked mission and asked to bring along three shinobi with her. She immediately recruited both Shikamaru and Hinata.
The three were standing amongst a crowd of civilian merchants who were chatting with each other. A few of them were in carriages and a few more were standing next to horses. They were all wearing bags filled with merchandise and the carriages were filled with even more goods.
"This is literally what our first C-ranked mission was: escort a merchant to a foreign country. Only this time it's a caravan of merchants." Shikamaru continued to complain.
"Hey: I didn't pick this one." Anko defended herself. "The Hokage just asked me to go on the mission and bring along a few back-up shinobi. You should be honored that I chose you two!"
"Why are you complaining about the mission anyway, Shikamaru-kun?" Hinata questioned as she looked at her teammate in confusion. "If we're repeating a similar mission, wouldn't that be good for you? It would mean a little less work, because you are familiar with what you have to do."
Shikamaru didn't give an immediate response. He just sighed and mumbled something to himself. Anko seemed to mentally piece something together in her head and a smirk developed on her face.
"Wait, don't tell me: our little lazy ass is starting to become less lazy and wanted a mission that would actually challenge him. Ah, that's precious!" The jōnin commented teasingly.
Her joke caused Shikamaru's cheeks to brighten red slightly. This earned a giggle from Hinata and a loud laugh from Anko.
"… Troublesome teammates." Shikamaru mumbled to himself. He wasn't going to actually admit that she was correct.
"Well, I wouldn't worry about the difficulty of the mission, anyway." Anko mentioned after composing herself and giving him a serious look. "We know how that C-rank mission turned out and ended up having something else happen to us. Believe me, there's a reason this one was placed as a B-rank mission. We are escorting the merchant caravan to a village in Mizu no Kuni, and there's a very high chance of something happening in that country. So be prepared for anything."
Both Shikamaru and Hinata nodded in understanding. Silence fell over the group for a moment. Hinata finally broke the silence with a sigh.
"It's a shame Naruto-kun couldn't be here with us on our first B-ranked mission." She said quietly.
"Yeah, but he's on his own B-ranked mission as well." Shikamaru shrugged in response. "We can exchange stories with him when we are all back in the village."
"Yeah… I was just hoping to get the chance to talk to him…" She mumbled to herself.
"What was that?" Her teammate questioned.
"N-Nothing! I didn't say anything!" Hinata shook her head immediately. She then turned to her former jōnin-sensei and looked for a change of topic. "S-So, do we know who is going to be joining us on the mission?"
"You all know him, yeah." Anko replied with a frown on her face. "He should've been here a few minutes ago, though."
"My apologies for being late."
As if on cue, the fourth member of the team arrived at the entrance to the village. Both Hinata and Shikamaru looked at their teammate in surprise. Standing before them was the former Otogakure genin, Kinuta Dosu.
The former Oto shinobi was wearing an entirely different outfit than either Hinata or Shikamaru remembered seeing him in. Dosu was wearing brown, tight-fitted pants and a dark green jacket. The sleeves on the jacket covered his hands completely, but both Shikamaru and Hinata could see the metal sticking out of his right sleeve, showing that he was still wearing the sound amplifier on his hand. The boy also had on a green scarf of similar color to his jacket that went down to his chest. He still had on bandages that covered most of his face, but he was now wearing a Konoha forehead protector.
"I was expecting you about ten or so minutes ago." Anko commented sharply at the boy.
"Again, I apologize. I will not make a habit out of this." Dosu informed her as he bowed his head.
"You better damn well not. I don't want to deal with another Kakashi." She grumbled. "Anyway, Hokage-sama recommended I take you on this mission and give you a chance to see what missions as Konoha shinobi would be like. I trust his judgment, so I trust you. I'm very interested to see what you can really do as a shinobi, Dosu."
"I trust I will not disappoint you, Anko-taichou." Dosu replied.
"Heh, I like you already. It's been a while since somebody called me –taichou." The jōnin smirked. "Anyway, now that you are here, I'm going to inform the leader of the caravan that we are ready to begin."
With those words, Anko walked over to talk to the lead merchant. The B-ranked mission to Mizu no Kuni was about to begin!
After four days of traveling, Jiraiya, Naruto, Tayuya, and Karin finally arrived at the outskirts of Uzushiogakure. Upon arrival, the three Uzumaki cousins looked out in surprise.
While the village had been described as ruins to them, they were not expecting it to be as bad as it was. The village itself was filled with rubble. Broken stones, brick, and wood were scattered throughout the area on top of each other. A few piles of bricks and stones that were stacked on each other in specific patterns suggest that they were buildings before, but there was nothing left except for the foundation. Only a few, scattered buildings seemed to be still intact and standing. Everything else around the area was completely destroyed.
In the distance, they could see that a river divided the village into two halves. The metal bridge that connected the two halves was surprisingly standing, but was covered in rust. The river itself was also filled with wood and bricks that rolled into it from nearby buildings.
"… This is Uzushiogakure?" Karin was the first of the three Uzumaki to find her voice.
"Yes. It used to be known as the Village of Longevity due to the long life expectancies of Uzumaki." Jiraiya mumbled with a sigh. "… It's one of the most ironic and depressing thoughts you can think about when you look at what's left of the village."
"I heard about everything… my parents managed to get out of the village in time before the invasion." Tayuya mumbled to herself as she looked at the remains in shear awe. "… I still never imagined it being this bad. This… this is…"
"Horrible." Naruto finished her sentence.
"… If you all ever wanted to know what war causes, it causes this. More than anything else in the world, this is the effect of war." Jiraiya commented darkly.
Naruto, Tayuya, and Karin didn't say anything in response. They simply continued to look around at the ruins.
"Anyway, there's a few things here for us to report on and for you all to look at. Come on. Let's actually get into the village." Jiraiya suggested as he walked forward.
The three Uzumaki cousins nodded wordlessly as they followed Jiraiya into the village. Their eyes continued to wander as more and more of the destruction became visible to them.
… In the midst of their looking, they did not notice a large mole watching them. They also did not notice the mole immediately dig a hole in the ground and descend into the earth…
"Dammit! Another mistake!"
An older, red-haired man continued to curse to himself as he crumpled up a large parchment and tossed it aside. It joined a large stack of similar papers that had suffered the same fate. The room he was in was a dilapidated mess. It was covered with bricks and rubble that looked untouched for decades. The room's green-tiled floor was stained red and black. The stains seemed to cover up a variety of different inscriptions and seals that were illegible to anybody who was just viewing them. The room was also very dark. A sole hole in the ceiling was the only source of light in the room.
The man did not seem to either notice or care about the darkness. His physical appearance suggested he didn't care. His face was haggard and he had many scars and burn marks all over his visible body parts. He was wearing black sweatpants and a dark blue shinobi jacket. The clothes had many tears and were covered in dirt that seemed to permanently stain the clothes. He also wore a headband that had the symbol of the former village, Uzushiogakure, printed on it. Even the pen in his hands that he was using on the parchment seemed to have faded. It was a metallic pen that was showing heavy signs of rust.
"Are you alright, Masakado-sama?"
The man turned his attention to the ground as a hole seemed to develop from one of the tiles. A large, grey mole climbed its way out of the hole. The mole was clothed in black, shinobi mesh armor and wore a mask that covered its face.
"No, Choropū. I'm really fucking annoyed. The seal failed again." The man, Masakado, grumbled to himself. He glared at the stack of papers in the corner of the ruined room he was in. "I'm starting to get pissed. I've been working on this damn seal for the past twenty-five years, uninterrupted, and still can't get it done. I was considered one of the best seal masters the Uzumaki Clan produced and even I can't manage this."
"… But you're getting closer. Surely you know that. You demonstrated to me recently that advancement you made in the fūinjutsu!" The mole, Choropū, declared quickly.
"Eh, I suppose. But close isn't good enough. 'Close' didn't save my clan…" Masakado's voice started to trail and his eyes seemed to fade off into the distance. A moment passed before he returned from his thoughts and gave his full attention to the mole. "Not that I don't appreciate the company, but I know you and the rest of the Mole Summons Clan. You usually have a purpose whenever you come visit me. What's going on?"
"There are shinobi that have entered Uzushiogakure." Choropū stated.
Masakado's face stiffened immediately and he gripped the pen in his hand tightly. "What village?"
"There are four of them. There is one from Kusa, one that doesn't have a forehead protector, and the last two are from Konoha." The mole answered with a frown on his face.
"… Bah." The red-haired man scoffed. "If it was an Iwa or Kumo shinobi, I probably would have gone out into the village and ended their lives personally. But Kusa? And a couple of Konoha dumbasses?" He proceeded to shake his head and relax slightly. "I'll let them dig at some of the buildings in the village. They'll find nothing but rubble and they'll return back to their 'precious' villages empty-handed."
"Are you sure they won't find anything? I know how important it is that you keep the secrets of the Uzumaki clan protected from outsiders…" Choropū commented.
"I'm positive. The only place that possesses anything of worth is in this temple right here. And the only way someone can actually enter the temple and get past the seals I put on the building is if they either have my permission, like you and the rest of your clan, or if they are of Uzumaki blood." Masakado declared. He pulled out another parchment and seemed as if he was getting back to work on his experimental seal. "They won't get in."
The red-head seemed convinced of his own words, but the mole summon seemed to feel otherwise.
"Sometimes I wonder what would happen if another Uzumaki one day appeared in the village." The mole mumbled. "The clan was scattered after the incident. There is a chance that maybe one of these people could enter-"
"Not a chance! The Uzumaki clan was wiped out during the invasion! All of my kin are dead! Anyone left alive is no true Uzumaki!" Masakado hissed loudly. "My parents, my siblings, my friends, my neighbors… my wife and children… THEY'RE ALL DEAD!"
The man immediately crumpled up the parchment and tossed it into the pile of papers. Still angered, he made a hand sign and the papers were immediately lit on fire. A few seconds passed before the fire died out and the papers turned to ash.
"… Although, you bring up a fair point. Unfortunately, there is a chance that some people could enter the temple of Uzushiogakure if they were fortunate enough to be born with Uzumaki blood. They have the blood of traitors: men and women who fled the village and didn't try to help while our village and the clan were destroyed. Anyone that steps foot into this temple has the blood of these traitors…" Masakado tightened the grip on his pen once more as he looked at the mole summon with bloodlust evident in his eyes. "… If any of these shinobi have this tainted blood in their bodies and step foot in this temple, I will make sure that they all die by my hands! They will know the fury of Uzumaki Masakado!"
Quick Notes:
1: I mentioned it once in brief description and I did it again this chapter: Naruto is learning the Rasengan, but I am kinda mentioning the training in passing. I'll mention specifically when he gets the jutsu down and ready for use, but I'm not going to mention the training in detail. In my personal opinion, I find reading about the training for the Rasengan rather tedious. The overall process is the same with the canon method and I usually get bored when fanfic equivalents try to 're-invent' how Naruto learns the jutsu. So, I didn't want to waste time going over the process of Naruto doing the stages. I hope that makes sense. If I get complaints or, for some reason, anybody really wants to see something, I can edit the last two chapters and add segments in. I just don't really think I have anything to add about the process that you all haven't read before/seen before.
2: Recall that Karin is not the same person as she was in Shippuden. She hasn't had prolonged interaction with Orochimaru and is still younger. Therefore, she is going to have a different personality at the moment. Signs of her personality will develop over time, but she's going to be an overall different character in this story than she is in canon. Just giving a brief explanation about why she is O.O.C :)
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein