Kapitel 1332: 37
Itachi – Just where the hell are those guys? We have a chapter to introduce.
–
(Meanwhile, stuck in traffic.)
Shikamaru – I told you the highway gets backed up at this hour, but no, you just had to wait for that barista to go on break. All so you could embarrass yourself.
Kisame – Shu… Shut up!
–
Itachi – Whatever, I'll do it myself. Here's PHD's chapter 37, please enjoy.
Trail of Snow
Naruto's only experience with the sea had been during the short trip to Wave Country over a year ago, but the blond could not recall the smell of sea salt being this intoxicating or the rocking of the ship being this unsettling. "I guess… My other senses are already becoming heightened…" He joked to himself as he brought one of his hands to his face, his fingers tracing one of the seams of the bandages that wrapped around his head, covering his eyes.
After being blinded during his fight with Honda, Naruto had been examined over by the doctor working for the filming crew. Fortunately for the genin, the man had been a retired medic-nin, who had actually seen similar cases during his days in the field.
According to the former ninja, the flash bang that he missing nin had use was meant to burn both the retinas as well as the chakra pathways that led up to boy's eyes, taking away not only his Sharingan, but also his sight.
In that regard, the doctor said that Naruto had been lucky, as his eyes were still somewhat responsive to visual stimuli, indicating that his sight should come back over time. However, the Leaf genin knew it was not really luck, but instead it was his accelerated healing, courtesy of the fox's chakra, that had prevented the damage from being permanent. Now, all that the young man could do was wait for his sight to return and pray that his healing abilities will also help him regain his Sharingan, since the doctor had say that there was no way for him to tell what kind of injuries his chakra pathways had suffered.
Walking towards the edge of the ship's deck, Naruto placed one of his hands on the rail and simply listened to the sound of the sea as their ship cut its way through its waters. Now was not the time to worry about his eyes, the fight with Honda had already been a couple of days ago and there were far more pressing matter to deal with, like storming a ninja fortress in Snow Country filled with technologically advanced shinobi in order to rescue his friends and a real life princess. Not to mention that the bad guys had a considerable head start.
A sigh escaped the blinded boy as he thought back on how things had quickly escalated following his encounter with the missing nin mercenaries and his reunion with Shino and the movie crew.
Flashback
"What do you mean she's the heiress to Snow Country?!" Naruto shouted. Despite, the boy's blindness, he was still able to grab Fujikaze Yukie's manager by the collard of his shirt and slam him against a wall.
With the help of Shion, the spiky haired genin had found Lee and then they had made their way back to the hotel were Shino had taken the rest of the movie crew. Without wasting any time, the blond immediately searched for answer among the staff for as to why a group of highly trained mercenaries were hired to capture a, granted very famous, actress.
"Naruto…" There was a barely discernible edge in Shino's voice, though the blond was not sure if it was there because of his actions against the manager or if the Aburame was as full of anger with their situation as the Jinchuuriki.
For his part, Yukie's manager struggled to find his words. "Se… Several years ago, Snow Country's daimyou was betrayed by his brother, Doto… During the attack a… A Leaf shinobi managed to get the daimyou's only daughter to safety…" Sandayu explained. "That girl is the person you know as the actress Fujikaze Yukie… Her real name is Kazahana Koyuki." He revealed.
"And what? She has been hiding in plain sight all this time?" The blond genin asked, not relenting his hold on the older man's collard.
"Pretty much… She changed her name and stayed away from any contact to her past life… She doesn't even know that I was one of her father retainers." The bearded man answered.
A growl escaped the blinded boy. "Then why now? Why suddenly send missing nins after her? Did you know this was going to happen?" The young man demanded to know. For a second, Naruto felt that he was back during his first mission outside the village and was half expecting the Demon Brothers of the Mist to suddenly jump out of a puddle of water.
"No! Of course I didn't know anything about this!" Sandayu immediately exclaimed. "I admit… I was planning to eventually reveal myself to Kazahana-sama and convince her to return home and reclaim her birthright… but like I said, she doesn't even know who I really am!" He said. "We really did just hire you for a routine security job!"
Finally, Shino stepped in. "So there were no clues that Snow Country forces may have found her out and were moving to capture her?" The brunette asked.
The bearded man shook his head vigorously. "No, of course not! Sure she received some hate mail just like any other celebrity, but nothing that warranted suspicion and I never received any warning from my contacts back home."
Begrudgingly, Naruto let the old man go. "Then what about my friends? Why would this Doto have them captured as well?" He asked.
"That is certainly a peculiar decision." Shino injected. "It's one thing capturing a civilian, even if she is a diplomat in disguise, but capturing ninjas from a foreign village could be considered a declaration of war."
Sandayu pondered over the matter for a few seconds. "I do not really know why your teammates were taken." He admitted. "But the only thing I can imagine is that Doto wants them as his test subjects." The man said gravely.
The three Leaf ninjas immediately tensed up at the man's words. "Tes… Test subjects?!" Lee exclaimed. "What are you talking about, Sandayu-san?" He asked.
"Before his insurrection, Doto was always pushing for a stronger focus on Snow Country's technology and weapons divisions." The manager explained. "Snow ninjas might not be as well known as those from the Five Great Nations, but you would be hard press to find other shinobi that are better equipped… If I had to guess, I would say Doto wants your teammates to try out whatever new toy his science division has cooked up."
Another growl escaped the spiky haired teen after hearing the older man's words. "We have to go get them back." The blinded boy stated.
Shino took a step forward. "I hate to be the one who says this, but you have to remain calm, Naruto." The Aburame stated. "In a situation like this, we should inform the village of what happen first."
Naruto immediately turned his head towards his fellow genin. "We don't have time for that! It would take us days just to make it back to the village!" The boy shouted.
The brunette remained unfazed by the volume of the blonde's voice. "So what? Are you suggesting we simply go after them just the three of us?" He asked. "First of, Lee is injured and you are blind, any effectiveness the two of you would have on the battlefield has been severely reduced. Second, Snow Country is across the sea, how do you expect us to follow them?"
The sound of someone clearing his throat caught the Leaf ninja's attention. "I believe I can help with that regard." The movie's director suddenly said as he stepped forward. "Our production company's ships is anchored at the harbor, give us a day, two at the most, and it will be ready to pursuit these villains." He declared.
Lee was taken aback by the man's offer. "Seriously… You're willing to volunteer your ship?" He asked.
A wide grin appeared on the director's face. "But of course!" He exclaimed. "This is the kind of real live drama every director dreams of witnessing! The movies that this adventure will inspire will be the stuff of legends!" The man dramatically proclaimed, receiving a round of applause from the rest of his crew.
For their part, the three Leaf genin sweat-dropped. "I still think it is foolish of us to go after them in our state… And even worse, without informing the Hokage." Shino restated his issues with their apparent plan.
Sighing in exasperation, Naruto made a series of hand seals and bit down on his thumb, drawing a bit of blood. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" He called out as he slammed his palm on the floor, creating a puff of smoke.
Soon enough, the smoke cleared, revealing a small, orange toad wearing a vest. "Yo! Naruto, what do you want? You're cutting into my snack time." Gamakichi complained as he hopped onto a table and took a better look at his summoner. "What's wrong with your eyes?" He asked.
"There's no time for that, Gamakichi, I have a very important mission for you." The blinded boy stated.
The small toad grimaced. "A mission?" He whined. "I thought you call me to hand out or to train like how you do with Gamaken." The amphibian added as he folded his arms and look away.
Letting out another sigh, the spiky haired boy shook his head. "Oh well, I guess I'm going to have to summon Gamatatsu instead." He commented. "I'm sure he'll be happy to help me out and, besides, he is far more reliable." Naruto added, certain of what was going to happen next.
"What?! Gamatatsu!" The orange toad exclaimed. "You can't call my little brother! He'll just screw your mission up!" He said in alarm. "Fine, fine! If you're so desperate, I'll do your stupid mission."
A knowing smirk appear on Naruto's face. "I knew I could count of you." The young man said before explaining what the mission was about. "We are going to need you to deliver a very important message to Konoha… It's a long journey and you have to travel faster than you ever have before, but I know you can do it." He said as he gave the orange animal a smile.
Gamakichi grinned. "Of course I can! Don't forget who you are talking to." He proudly stated.
Now it was Shino's turn to sigh as he started to write down the message they were going to give the toad.
Having taken care of that problem, Naruto turned his head towards the direction Taruho was standing. "Taruho-san, I trust that you'll be able to see Shion safely back to her temple." He said.
The attendant immediately nodded. "Of course, Naruto-san, I would ensure that…" However, his words were abruptly cut short.
"What?! You are sending me home?!" Demon Country's priestess shouted as she started to make her way towards the blinded boy.
Lee moved to intercept the young woman. "Shion-san, you have to realize that things have gotten serious and the situation is probably going to become more dangerous." The taijutsu user tried to explain.
The girl shook her head. "I have to go!" She repeated. "Wasn't your mission to be my bodyguards? I have to stay with you!" The girl exclaimed. "I have to go too, otherwise… Otherwise…"
A loud sound silence the girl and immediately, everyone turned their attention towards the spiky haired boy who had just put his first through the wall. "We don't have time for your temper tantrums!" Naruto snapped, leaving the girl completely speechless. "Taruho-san, would you please?" He addressed the older boy again.
Gently, the priestess attendance guided the young girl out, Shion being too shocked to fight back this time.
End Flashback
It had already been a couple of days since the reveal of Fujikaze Yukie's real identity and they should be arriving at Snow Country's coast sometime tomorrow.
Naruto took a deep breath of the sea air. Despite the strong front the blond kept up, the reality was that he was a mess of nerves and worry at the moment. Sure the mission to rescue Sasuke had been just as dangerous, but being in constant peril then had come with an unexpected benefit of not allowing the blond any down time to think over his circumstances. Now, on the other hand, the Jinchuuriki had nothing but time to think. Not only was the young man confined to the ship, but his lack of eyesight further trapped him within his own mind, forcing him to face the situation.
By convincing Shino and Lee to chase after the Snow nins, Naruto had place himself as the de facto leader of their group. Not only was he responsible for his teammate's safety, but he was also responsible for their captured friends as well as the lives of the movie crew that was helping them out, and there was no Kakashi-sensei, Shikamaru, or Neji to fall back on. The weight of it all seemed to pile on top of the genin. "I did use to say that I wanted to be Hokage…" Naruto muttered to himself with a half smile.
Suddenly, Naruto sensed a presence behind him.
"You can come out from there." The blond called out. "There's no point in eavesdropping on a blind person." He added.
Hesitantly, Shion stepped out of a group of barrels and shyly made her way towards the genin until she was standing next to him by the rails.
"Couldn't sleep?" The spiky haired teen asked.
The Demon Country priestess started to shake her had in responds, but caught herself as she remembered the boy's condition. "I… I was just thinking…" She said.
"About what a colossal idiot you are?" Naruto questioned further with, perhaps, more edge than he had intended.
On other hand, the blond girl deserved that and far worse. The production company's crew found her hidden in their cargo hold during their second day out to sea. Apparently, Shion had managed to give Taruho the slip and gotten onboard the ship without anyone noticing. To make matters worse, a huge storm had hit Demon Country's coast as soon as they had set sail, preventing them from turning back to drop the girl off. Now, Naruto had no other choice but to add Shion's name to the list of people he was responsible off.
The girl flinched at the Leaf ninja's words. "Again… I'm sorry about sneaking in onboard…" The blond said meekly.
At this moment there was not even a small trace of the firecracker priestess the Jinchuuriki had met at the start of the mission. Despite himself, Naruto sighed as he felt a sense of guilt welling up within him. "It doesn't really matter now…" He commented. "After all, you did promise to obey what I say until we can take you back to your home, right?"
Shion nodded before answering. "Yes… I will." She said.
"So then, what are you doing awake?" The boy asked again. "Tomorrow is going to be a long day. You should make sure you are well rested while you still can." The Leaf nin pointed out.
The priestess wrapped her arms around herself. "It's too cool… I'm finding it hard to fall asleep when I fear I'm going to freeze to death." She commented.
A short laugh escaped the spiky haired teen. "Well, that tends to happen when you are sailing towards a place called Snow Country… The temperature tends to drop." He joked.
Shion's cheeks puffed at the other blonde's teasing. "And what about you? What are you still doing up?" She asked after a while.
Naruto turned his head back towards the sea. "I'm not going to lie… The nerves are keeping me up." The blinded boy admitted. "As I said, tomorrow is going to be a hectic day and, even if I still had my eyesight, I doubt thing are going to be easy… I'm going well into the deep end."
The two blondes remained quiet for a couple of minutes. "I'm sure that… Everything is going to work up." Shion eventually broke the silence. "I… I'm sure you are going to do great." She added.
"Yeah…" Naruto responded. "Thanks…" He added in a low voice before suddenly turning around, startling the priestess. "Come on, we have to at least get some sleep." He said as he started making his way back towards the cabins. "And if you're having so much trouble with the cold, I could always stay next to you and keep you warm." He added with a smirk.
A violent blush appeared on the young woman's face. "What…?! I would… I would never…! How dare you even…?!" The girl was so flustered she tripped over her own words and failed to produce one coherent sentence.
Naruto simply laughed at the other blonde's predicament. "Let's go… You are going to be left all alone on the deck." He said.
"What?! Wait, don't leave me here all by myself!" Shion called out, finally out of her stupor, as she chased after the young man.
Her body felt heavier than it ever had, her limps were so rigid that she could not even move them, and she must have fallen off the bed since the girl found herself lying on a freezing floor. Slowly opening her eyes, Sakura saw the inside of a dark cell. Immediately, the pinkette's eyes widened in alarm and she tried to stand up. However, she soon realized that she had some sort of rope wrapped around her body, restraining her movements.
"Sakura…!" At the sound of Tenten's voice, the younger girl turned her head around to find her fellow kunoichi at the other side of the cell, a metallic bracer tied around her body as well. "Thank goodness. You been unconscious for days and I was beginning to worry you were never going to wake up." The brunette commented.
The pink haired girl found herself too weak to stand up, so she had no other choice but to drag herself towards her teammate. "Days?! Tenten, what happened? Where are we?" She asked.
"Don't you remember? We were attacked in the movie set." The older girl responded. "You must have seen the explosion after you and the others ran after Yukie and Shion." She said. "While we were trying to get the injured out, we were attacked by a weird Hidden Grass missing nin. Neji told Shino to get everyone out while we engaged the man, but after we defeated him, we were ambushed by a group of Snow ninja who knocked us out… When I came too, we were on a ship with these things strapped to our bodies and you were unconscious next to us." The girl revealed.
"Us?" Sakura asked as she looked around but failed to find anyone else in the cell.
"Neji." Tenten clarified as she pointed towards the cell's bars with her chin. Across from their prison, the Haruno could see the Byakugan user lying unconscious on the floor with three of the weird bracers wrapped around his body. "He was able to break free from these things with his Kaiten, but they were on him before he could do anything and put more restraints on him… He has been unconscious since then." The brunette explain, her voice carrying an obvious touch of worry.
Sakura looked down at the metallic contraption around her body. "What are these things?" She asked.
"They're some sort of chakra absorbing bracers that the Snow ninjas put on us. They are the reason why you must be feeling unnaturally weak right now." The older girl informed.
The pinkette nodded. "Yes, I feel exhausted…" She said. Suddenly, the genin's eyes widened. "What about Naruto and the others? Do you know what happened to them?" She asked.
Tenten shook her head. "No, I have no see Naruto and Lee since they ran off from the movie set with you, and Shino after he led the movie staff to safety."
A pensive look appeared on the younger girl face as she tried to recall the details of what happened. "After the explosion we were attacked by a missing nin too… Naruto and Lee stayed behind to fight him while I led Yukie and Shion back to the set… But then another missing nin show up…" The girl recalled. "I tried to hold him off while the girls escaped, but… I guess he must have knocked me out." She muttered.
"They made sure to capture us alive, that means Lee and the others were not defeated." Tenten pointed out.
"What about Fujikaze Yukie and Priestess Shion?" Sakura asked. "Those missing nins were after Yukie."
The older kunoichi gave her teammate a troubled look. "They captured Yukie." The brunette revealed. "I saw her when they were bringing us out of the boat… Although they were referring to her as Kazahana Koyuki…" The young woman commented.
Sakura looked down. After all that, she had failed and their attackers had gotten their target. Months of training as she was just as useless at protecting anything as when Sasuke knocked her unconscious in the park. "And… Where are we now…?" The pinkette asked after a few minutes of silence.
"As far as I can tell, Snow Coutnry, probably Yukigakure." Tenten answered.
"That explains the cold…" The Haruno commented. "Have they said why they capture us alive?" She asked. Not that she was complaining about not being killed, but that was a fact that was bothering the young woman. Ninja died in missions all the time, it was expected, but if they were captured alive it gave the village a chance to get them back, and Sakura could not imagine why a small village like Hidden Snow would want to inquire the wrath of Konoha.
Tenten shook her head. "I don't know…" She admitted.
Another extended period of silence among the two girls followed. "So then what do we do now?" Sakura finally asked.
"I… I don't know that either… They took away all my tools and these things prevent us from using chakra." The brunette said in defeat. "Lee and the others should have made it back to Konoha by now… I guess all we can do is wait for the village to hopefully sent a team to rescue us." She said.
A pair of emerald eyes looked at the older kunoichi. "Tenten-san, think about it… Do you really think those guys went back to the village?"
The young woman paced back and forth in her room… No, in her cell. This had been her routine for the last couple of days since her arrival. She would pace the room, sit for a couple of minutes, scream in frustration, bang at the door, and then return to the pacing.
Sitting on her bed, Yukie thought back at the events that led her here. After the explosion, they were attacked, so the blond and brunette ninjas stayed behind while the kunoichi led her and the priestess back to the movie set. Unfortunately, on their way back they were intercepted and the Leaf nin told her and the blond to run.
It was at that moment that the actress decided to take matters into her own hands. She knew that their attackers were after her, so she turned around and went back to where the pink haired girl was fighting and offered the enemy herself in exchange for her bodyguards and the movie staff's safety.
Yukie had thought that the entire ordeal had been simply for money, and that the missing nins were after her as a hostage that they could then hold for a sizeable ransom. However, that idea was shattered the moment that the Snow ninja showed up. "I guess… I'm back to being Kazahana Koyuki…" The real life princess muttered to herself.
Afterward, the Yuki nins had taken her, Sakura, and some of the other Leaf ninja, boarded them all off into a ship, and set sail. She did not need to ask where they were going, because she already knew; she was going home.
Once they had arrived at Snow Country, they had led her to the room she was currently in, and told her that the Daimyo would see her soon. So, here she was, several days latter and still waiting for her uncle to show his face.
As she sat there on the bed, frustration started to bottle up until it exploded and the young woman found herself charging at the door. "How long are you going to keep me in here?!" Koyuki screamed as her palm slammed against the door. "What do you want from me?!" She asked. "I'm not a threat to your rule! Just let me go back and live my life in peace and away from this wretched place!" Again and again the girl hit the door as she demanded some sort of responds.
"Koyuki…" The voice that answered form the other side of the door was enough to freeze the actress in her place and sent shivers down her spine.
Slowly, the princess step away from the door. "Uncle…" She barely managed to call back.
A soft chuckle was heard. "I am very glad that you recognize my voice, Koyuki." Kazahana Doto, current Daimyo of Snow Country said. "It's been quite a long time since you left… I have to say I have become an avid fan of your movies." The man commented. "You have grown into an exceptionally beautiful young lady."
There were so many questions in Koyuki's mind, so many things that she wanted to say. Why had he betrayed her father? Why was she captured and brought back? Why take the Leaf ninjas? And what was he planning to do now? "Why…?" It was the only thing that the actress was able to say in her state of fear and anxiety.
One more chuckle came from outside. "You will see soon." Her uncle answered. "I am almost done fixing my brother's vision and, once that is finished, all of your questions will be answered." Shuffling sounds were heard from behind the door. "Until then, just sit tight." Doto added before he was heard walking away.
As the echo of her uncle's footsteps faded into silence, Koyuki felt all her strength leave her body as she numbly sat back on her bed.
The sky had started to turn orange as the boat was rocked ever so slightly by the waves. From the deck, Shion could already see Snow Country's coastline. "You're going now? Is about to be nighttime." The blond commented.
"Precisely." Shino responded. "It would be easier for us to move in hostile ground under the cover of night." The bug user pointed as he pushed his sunglasses up.
"Also, you are coming with us." Naruto suddenly added.
"What?!" The priestess exclaimed at the revelation. The girl had expected the Leaf ninja to go in first, while she would go to the harbor along with the studio staff.
Lee placed a reassuring hand on the young woman shoulder. "I know is strange to take you with us, but is the only way we can keep you safe." He explained.
Shion gave the taijutsu user a confused look. "What do you mean?" She asked.
"This ship will not be docking in the harbor." Naruto revealed instead. "They will sail along to coast to draw Snow Country's attention, giving us more freedom to move towards the village."
The priestess' eyes widened in shock at the revelation. "But… But that would mean…"
The blinded blond nodded in responds. "If Snow Country is as hostile as Sandayu-san says it has become, they will most likely be attacked by the country's coastguard forces." Naruto stated.
Immediately, the young woman turned to look at the movie staff and the ship's crew. Surprisingly, all of them offered the girl a smile. "Do not worry, Shion-dono. I'm not planning to die before I see this adventure become the greatest film this world has ever seen." The director said as he gave the girl a thumps up.
"Thank you for all your help, Director-san." Naruto offered his gratitude, while Shino nodded in approval, Sandayu bowed in thanks, and Lee mimicked the director's thumps up and smiled.
Shion, however, remained unsure and simply looked down at the wooden floor of the ship.
"Ok, let's go." The spiky haired teen's declaration snapped the priestess from her trance. Immediately, the young woman turned towards the ship's lifeboat, but she soon realized that the Leaf ninjas and Sandayu were walking towards the opposite edge of the ship. "Guys… The boat is this way." She pointed out.
A small scoff was let out by the blinded boy. "We're not taking the lifeboat." Naruto stated. Before Shion could ask how they were going to make to the shore, the other blond formed a series of hand seals. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" He called out before slamming his palm on the ship's rail.
There was a large cloud of smoke next to the ship and immediately the vessel swayed up and down as water was displaced around it. Once the smoke dissipated, Shion was greeted with the sight of a colossal aquamarine toad, almost the size of the ship itself, with a pair of swords strapped to its back. As the giant animal starred at the people in front of it, the priestess found herself at a complete lost for words.
"Gamahiro, could you please take up to shore?" Naruto requested his summon.
Instantly, the toad nodded, opened its mouth ridiculously wide, and stuck its tongue out, forming a bridge for its passengers.
"What?!" Shion exclaimed again. "There's no way I'm going inside a giant toad's mouth!" The priestess declared.
Sighing, the spiky haired boy turned to towards the taijutsu user. "Lee…" Naruto simply said.
"Excuse me, Shion-san." The spandex-wearing genin apologized before he effortlessly picked up the girl and followed Shino and Sandayu into Gamahiro with her over his shoulder.
As she struggled in vain to get out of the brunette's hold, the priestess saw the director walk towards the spiky haired boy. "Best of luck, young man." He said with a smile.
Naruto returned the gesture. "To you too." He said before turning towards the others already inside Gamahiro's mouth. As he stepped into the tongue, the genin brought one of his hands up to bandages around his head. "Now… Let's go get our guys back." He declared as he ripped the bandages form his eyes.
Itachi – (On the phone) So let me get this straight. You guys missed the chapter because Kisame got the hots for a barista who publically shut him down, which let you to be stuck in traffic where your car died out in the middle lane of the highway.
Shikamaru – Yes, that pretty much summarizes this sad, sad story.
Kisame – I told you, she was sending me signals!
Itachi – Sigh, I don't have the patience to wait for you guys to remember you are ninjas and you could easily pick that car up and bring it here yourselves. See you guys latter. (Hangs up) Anyways, thanks everyone for reading this chapter and hope to see you next time.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein