"Why do I get to know of it just now and not months ago?!" Dark skinned man's hand struck the desk in front of him, breaking it apart. He had a large muscular build, blond combed-back hair, and a small mustache with a short goatee.
"I'm sorry, Raikage-sama. It's the latest update from our spy." Mabui, a beautiful dark-skinned secretary, replied, jotting down something in her notepad, "That is your 784th desk, Raikage-sama. Please cease the destruction of the village's property." Her dark-skinned face was decorated with bright green eyes. She wore very formal attire consisting of a long-sleeved, high-collared dress shirt and skirt, along with a pair of long earrings and high-heel sandals. Her light grey hair was pulled back into a bun with two bangs that fall on either side of her face.
"I have imbeciles for spies! Duck his payment!" A, the Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure [Village Hidden in the Clouds], growled his order, "I will need to send a message to Old Onoki, I'm doubling Kaname Uchiha's bounty."
"I... understand, it will be done, Raikage-sama. I will send the message to Tsuchikage myself." the woman nodded her head, noting the request.
Another dark-skinned man with a muscular build swung into the office. "Yo, Brother! Ya know my force, of course, from the source! No remorse from me, the one and only Killer B~♫" he sang.
"Ugh, I don't want to listen to your rap now, B! I have work to do! Leave us!"
Raikage's adopted little brother had a very similar hairstyle to his older sibling. On his right shoulder, he had a tattoo with the kanji for the word 'iron' - and on his left cheek, he had a bluish tattoo of a bull's horn. His top lip also had a slightly darker hue than his bottom one.
Killer B wore oval-shaped sunglasses and a white-colored forehead protector. He also had his village's standard one-strap-over-one-shoulder flak jacket, and a long, red rope belt tied around his waist, with the standard Kumo hand and shin guards, shinobi sandals, and a white scarf around his neck.
"Hello, Jinchūriki-sama, Hachibi-sama." the woman greeted the man calmly.
"Mabui-san, the eye of the beholder couldn't handle you, don't let 'em tell you're not, yeah~!"
"Thank you, Jinchūriki-sama."
"Ugh, and here he goes on his rapping spree..." A groaned.
"Bakayarō! Konoyarō! [tl. Fool, ya fool] What did the table do to yō!"
"Exactly!" Mabui exclaimed, "I have to switch them weekly!"
"... Kaname Uchiha happened. I'm rising her bounty again."
"Eight~o sang about her, Bakayarō! Woman, she is transcend, on behalf of beasts, a great friend. Konoyarō!"
"*Grr*... I have to protect our village interests B, you won't understand! She is weakened now - I have to act."
"She is pregnant." Mabui pointed out the fact.
"Brother?" Killer B dropped his sing-song voice for a moment, "Are we hunting down pregnant women now?"
"Did you read the reports? No? I thought so! All the rumors about Kaname Uchiha faded out last year - the woman disappeared from our radar. At the same time, someone implemented several reforms to Konoha's financial, educational, and military policies. If I don't eliminate the Kaname Uchiha threat, Kumo will sooner or later lose its position as the strongest Hidden Village! As the Fourth Raikage, I can't let that happen. Those folks from Konoha would start another war as they did with the second one! And it will happen again if she ever becomes the next Hokage, Kaname Uchiha is too warlike!"
"Let's bet, Brother! Eight believes in that woman. I do too! I know that nothing you do - will stop her cue."
[AN: Ffs... B's style is insanely hard to reproduce :-P Now, you can smear me in the comments :-D]
-----
"He is what?"
Naruto knocked on Kaname's oversized belly, waiting for any kind response from his siblings, "I said our client is a drunkard ~ttebayo!... Do they even work? Oh! Hey, I felt a kick!"
"Ugh, you woke them up, Naru-chan. Now what?" Kaname felt the unpleasant fluttering accompanied by her babies moving around in a cramped space of her womb.
"Hehe, I'm sorry, Sis." the blonde scratched the back of his head, grinning at the woman.
Utakata, seeing her face scrunching in pain, put his palm on her stomach and injected a tiny dose of his chakra. Feeling the closeby presence of their father, the babies calmed down instantly.
Kaname narrowed her eyes at the smirking man, "Show-off..."
"They just like me more, Kana-chan." he teased.
Kaname rolled her eyes in exasperation, "We will see how you will like changing their diapers."
Utakata's face scrunched in disgust, "Kana-chan, let's go with them. It's our chance to slip through."
Naruto crossed his arms in front of his face, "No way! It's team six's first C-rank mission! You two won't spoil my fun!"
"Heh, Naru-chan, I promise neither of us or Torune-kun's team will act until you ask me. What? Do you not want to spend some time with your big sis before she disappears for 3 months? Let's do it for old times sake, okay?"
"Haa..." the boy sighed, "If it's your promise, then I think it's okay ~dattebayo. But why do you want to go through Wave Country, Sis? It's not exactly your direct way to Mizu?"
"Some of my smarter and more dangerous enemies may have connected the dots I left them and know where I'm going. They may have prepared some ambushes between the two countries. No one expects me to go so soon so far south."
"Utakata!"
"Yeah?"
"Protect my Sis."
"Pft," the jinchūriki snorted, "Who do you take me for, Naruto? I will not let anyone touch a strand of her hair."
"And who do You two take me for, morons? Am I some kind of damsel in distress? I can protect myself, thank you very much..." Kaname grumbled, "Whatever, I will go talk with Jiji about our departure." she gradually and carefully, holding her basketball-sized belly, began standing up from the couch.
Utakata stopped the woman by catching her shoulder and not letting Kaname move even a bit more upwards, "Sit back down. Naruto, you know what to do."
Kaname grumbled, reclining back into the couch, glaring at Utakata.
"Hehe. You have met your match, Sis. Utakata won't let you-" Naruto's voice trailed off, when Kaname's narrowed, glowing red, evolved Sharingan eyes turned to him, "Damn- that's scary. I'm off, good luck, Utakata!" he jumped out the window, laughing his ass off.
"I'm sorry, Kana-chan. We both know you need to rest as much as possible."
"Do you believe me to be so weak I can't move my body?" Her voice sounded dangerous.
"You never were weak, Kana-chan. I just worry you may hurt yourself or the babies."
"Hmm." Kaname's small tick near her forehead, shown Utakata how much he fucked up.
"Um, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that."
"I would do that, wouldn't I?" before he knew what's going on, his mind was pulled into Saiken's seal.
"Partner? What are you doing here?" the Six-tailed chakra being turned his eye-stalk to his host lying on top of the squishy forehead.
"It's a rather bad moment for a chat, Saiken."
Kaname was floating above them with two house-sized chakra red butterfly-like wings slowly fluttering behind her back.
"That's something new. What did you do to piss Kana-chan this time, partner?" the slug asked the gaping brown-haired jinchūriki.
"<Kai-no-mon: Aita>" dozens of space ripples opened around the trio.
"The heck did you do to piss her off this much, you imbecile?!" His mountain-sized partner's ripped Utakata out of his wandering mind.
"Shit, no time, Saiken. I need your help, lend me your chakra!" going through multiple hand seals, Utakata shouted out, "<Suiton: Taju Sekken no Bunshin>! [Water Style: Multiple Soap Bubble Clones]". Each projectile was intercepted by one of Utakata's clones. Kaname's barrage shot out with a vengeance, Utakata's duplicates started to quickly die out, releasing a thick vapor into Saiken's mindscape.
As he expected, Kaname used a round of balls of fire that exploded on his clones and turned the vapor into most. "Now!" Utakata shouted out, standing on top of one of the slug's tails. An instant acceleration of Saiken flicking his tail almost caused the jinchūriki to black-out.
Seeing Utakata flying straight at her, Kaname hesitated, protecting her stomach and letting him slam right into her with an audible huff.
"Let me go. No one will control my life, not you, nor this dead thing inside me. No one but me!" she growled out.
"I apologize, Kana-chan. I never meant it." he hugged her tightly.
"... How could you assume I would hurt my babies? You know-"
"Yes, I do. I spoke before I considered my words, Kana-chan, I'm sorry that I have hurt you - you would never harm a baby." Utakata tightened his hold.
"Ugh..." Kaname mellowed out, "I-I'm sorry as well - I may have overreacted a little bit."
"A little?" he teased.
"Heh, a tiny bit."
"It's okay, Kana-chan, it served me right. I shouldn't tell you what to do or not." Utakata murmured back, slowly stroking her belly.
"*... You were worried. And I'm just cranky at the layer upon layer of protection you enact around me. Ugh, I have enough of pregnancy already... I tried to wear my favorite shirt in the morning, but it was too small for me. Somehow, the thought of being fat made me cry."
"It's just the hormones doing their diabolical things, Kana-chan. Nothing apparently is fitting right. Everything will make you think you look fat. Your back hurts, and your ankles have disappeared. It's perfectly natural. Remember, for me - you're as beautiful as ever."
Kaname blushed, melting into his hug, "Thanks, Utakata. You are more informed than I thought."
"Heh, Sachi-san gave me a crash course." he chuckled, "So, I'm not relegated out to a couch?"
"Nope, I was in the wrong." Kaname smiled back at him, "I just want not to feel as useless."
"You never were, Kana-chan. It was a mistake. I'll try to let off a little bit, I promise." Utakata replied, "But it does not mean I will stop being overprotective. If anyone threatens you, I will eradicate the danger with full force."
"Heh, yeah, I know. It's not a problem. You're hot when angry." Kaname smirked.
"Oh, really?" Utakata's husky voice sounded next to her ear. Kaname purred back at the man as a pleasurable tingle traveled through her spine.
-----
"Hello, Nee-san."
"Hi, kids. Ready for your first C-rank mission?" Kaname waved to Hinata and Sasuke. The experienced kunoichi tried to but wasn't able to hide her seventh-month belly. Kaname clothes consisted of a flowing one-piece black skirt and a small backpack containing all of her scrolls.
A drunk old man looked at an unannounced team of six people, "Who are they, Ninja-san? I hope they're not going with us? *Hiccup* A group that big may produce a problem." He was a grey-haired, bespectacled man with a large beard and dark eyes. The drunk wore a sleeveless v-neck shirt with an obi, pants, and a pair of sandals. He also carried a towel around his neck and wore a pointed hat on his head.
"I didn't know of them coming with us, but I doubt they would endanger our mission, Tazuna-san. I assure you, team six is perfectly able to fight off bandits." Kakashi replied.
Tazuna took a swing from the booze in his hand, "Remember that I'm a super expert bridge builder! My life is super important, but if you are so sure of it, Ninja-san, all I care for is a safe journey back home."
"Yes-yes, Tazuna-san, team six won't let harm their client. If you could wait for a moment, I need to inquire about her presence." Kakashi pointed at Kaname. He walked towards the group and waited a respectable distance away from Kaname and her mother.
"Are you sure you took everything, Little Butterfly?"
"Mom... It's not my first mission," she grumbled back, "Yes, I have everything I need."
"Utakata!" the blind woman called out.
"Yes, Sachi-san?"
"Bring my butterfly and her baby back any means necessary, is that understood?"
"... I promise."
"Mom, we have a small, hmm, gift for you." Kaname interrupted them.
"Yes?"
"It may get dangerous in Konoha. I asked Aniki to take you with him to Hot Water Country for a three-month all-inclusive trip to a spa. How unfortunate - you will have to miss the chūnin exams..." Kaname joked.
"Heh, you know how to spoil your mother. Thank you." Sachi smiled.
"You should thank Utakata. It was his idea." she pulled Utakata arm, entwining it with her own.
"You have my gratitude, Utakata. I always wanted to go there at least once in my life."
"You're very much welcome, Sachi-san."
"Take care, see you soon." the woman waved towards the duo, and being led by Hamimaru, she walked away.
"You didn't tell her?" Utakata whispered.
Kaname turned her head sideways, "I want to see her face when I bring them back." she smiled sincerely.
"Didn't tell what?"
"Sorry, Doofus-kun, it's a secret."
"Sure," the silver-haired jōnin shrugged his shoulders, "You couldn't let those your kids go alone, could you, Kana-chan?"
"Nah, team seven will only act if it's unavoidable. We will leave the C-rank to you. And who knows? Maybe your C-rank is one of those, and you will need some help."
"*Sigh* I hope not. Hmm, your presence is a little problematic, Kana-chan, especially after taking note of your bounty, but beggars can't be choosers - if your team can back us up, then it's all I care for. Who takes command of this mission? I have a longer experience, but you easily rank me out."
"It's your mission, Doofus-kun. Team seven is only going the same way as your team does. We have someone waiting for us in the Wave."
"Ugh, I hoped you would take over," Kakashi replied glumly. "Okay, let's go!"
-----
"Am I gonna be safe with those brats?" Tazuna pointed at Naruto's back, "How much did you pay for an escort from the experienced team, girl?"
"When was the last time you showered? You smell." Utakata stood between the drunk and Kaname.
"I'm sorry, Tazuna-san. But I did not pay a single Ryo for those kids. I'm their team sensei - they're not for hire at the moment. You should stay close to team six - they can't protect you effectively if you stay far away from them." she explained.
"A bunch of kids-" Tazuna groaned.
"Hey, old man!" Naruto shouted out, "Don't mess with ninjas! We're awesome! One day I will become Hokage ~ttebayo!"
"A loudmouth like you?" he took a gulp from his booze, "I honestly doubt it. Dream on."
"Shut up! I will show you how awesome I am! Sooner or later, the Konoha's villagers will acknowledge me, and I'll become Hokage ~dattebayo!"
"Hmph, at least you do know you need to be acknowledged before becoming a leader, brat."
Kaname watched the two bickering each other - staying, next to Utakata and her team, twenty steps behind Kakashi.
"Kaname-sensei."
"Yep, they noticed it too." Kaname nodded to Torune, the chattering among team six hushed up when they walked next to a puddle of water.
"Do you require us to act?"
"Nope, stand down, Torune-kun. It's interesting who they're after."
"As you wish, sensei." the masked Aburame confirmed, flickering away towards the treeline.
"If they are after you-" Utakata whispered.
"I doubt it. It's a low-level Water Release - I'm pretty sure we deal with shinobis from Kiri. And this bum is hiding something. Did you see Tazuna's face when Kakashi mentioned protection against bandits?" Kaname replied, muttering back into Utakata's ear. She and the team stood at the side, watching the show unravel in front of them.
When team six passed around an obvious trap, two masked young teens' silhouettes rose from the puddle and jumped at Kakashi.
"One..." the chūnin from Kirigakure bound the carefree jōnin's body with a chain fixed to his and his partner gauntlets.
"... Down." His partner pulled on the steel chain, making Kakashi's body explode in a rain of gruesome decapitated body parts.
'Not bad, they're low-level chūnin, they're moving from one body to another without hesitation. Mei-chan may have overworked Kirigakure's education system.'
"Kana-chan?!" Utakata pointed at the chūnins charging at Naruto, just because the boy stood between Kakashi's wooden remnants and Tazuna.
"Easy there, Utakata," she reassured.
"Two..." Naruto scratched the back of his head, looking bored at the chūnins.
Nine chains shot out from the blonde's back, tangling his chakra chains with the steel one and yanking it forward. The unexpected counter-attack made the Kirigakure chūnins faceplant on the cold hard ground.
"Hehehe, got you ~ttebayo!"
Before they were able to get up, Hinata stood above one of them, aiming her two fingers above the chūnin's heart. Sasuke crouched next to his partner with a kunai put at the neck.
*Clap*, "Okay, good enough, team six!" Kakashi jumped down from a tree branch.
"Still alive? You like to be flashy." Sasuke smirked.
"The Demon Brothers, Meizu, and Gōzu. Chūnins from Mizu, also known as Konoha's allies, can I know why you would aim at this old man?" Kakashi eye smiled at the two disabled shinobis.
"Tools can't spill the secrets. How did you read our movements?"
"Are you kidding us? A puddle of water, after a week of perfect sunny weather?" Sasuke noted out.
"Hmm, the kids are better than I hoped for." Tazuna joined in, "But I thought you wouldn't let someone endanger your client, Shinobi-san?"
"I could have killed them, Tazuna-san. But I wanted to know who they're after. So, why are they after you?"
"W-what do you mean?" Tazuna took a step back in fright.
"We did not know there are other shinobis after you, Tazuna-san. Our mission was strictly about protecting you from gangs and bandits while you build a bridge. This is no longer a C-rank mission." Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the sad old man, "If it was known there are shinobis after you, it would be classified as an expensive B-rank at the least. You maybe had your reasons, but it poses a problem when you lie about the mission, Tazuna-san. Now, we're operating outside our duties- Ouch! The heck?" a small stone hit Kakashi in the back of his head.
"Stop scaring your client, Doofus-kun." Kaname smiled back at him, tossing up another stone in her hand.
"Tazuna-san, can you tell us what's going on?" Hinata inquired good-naturedly.
The old man sighed, "It all happened when a shipping-magnate Gatō came to our country..."
"Huh!? Gatō?" Kakashi's head turned to Kaname in an instant.
"Yes, officially, he runs a large shipping company. But secretly, he sells drugs, humans, etc. Gatō owns all the gangs on the eastern coast of this continent - he is a very nasty man."
"Yes... I do know him." Kakashi scratched the side of his face.
"He controls all shipping industry in the Wave Country, with a lot of violence in the play he became a dictator of those poor lands. He makes heaps of money on imposing a horrendous tribute on all traffic in-and-out of the country."
"Then he is scared of you building the bridge, huh? You're standing in his way." Hinata questioned.
"Yes, young lady."
"So you didn't have enough money to request a B-rank, Tazuna-ojisan?"
"I would understand if you quit your mission now," Tazuna laughed out, "I mean, I would surely die if you quit now. But don't worry about that! If I die, my cute 10-year-old grandson will cry for a few days. Oh! And my daughter will live her life in hate for Konoha's Shinobis. But it won't be your fault. Not at all!"
"..." Team six deadpanned at the old man and his guts.
'Uh, Gatō came here because of Kaname, and me. But this time, we will not be attacked by some chūnins...' Kakashi dropped his head, "Okay, team six will help you, Tazuna-san."
-----
"You failed?!" Gatō pointed at a tall and muscular man holding a massive bastard sword. "Zabuza, you said that the Demon Brothers are enough to eliminate that old bum! Our deal is off! I don't need incompetent ninjas - get out of my sight!"
Zabuza swung his legendary sword, Kubikiribōchō, aiming it at the multimillionaire's neck. But it was deflected by another shinobi flickering in front of Gatō. One of the last few Seven ninja swordsmen of the Mist looked disgruntled at the burly man with a Kumogakure forehead protector, "Stop your bitching, Gatō. I will go there myself to finish the job."
"Hmph, why should I care? You just tried to kill me!" Gatō growled out.
Zabuza swung his hand, bisecting a hornet flying towards him, "If I wanted to, you would be dead already, little bitch. Your boy toys from Kumo and Iwa could harm me, but they wouldn't leave the fight intact themselves. I'm going to finish my mission. When I come back, I want the swords prepared." he stood up from the couch and walked out of the room.
"Kamizuru, is that true? Is Zabuza that strong?"
A bald, wrinkled man with an Iwagakure protector flickered next to Gatō, "Yes, he is known as a Demon of Hidden Mist. Neither of us can be sure of how a confrontation between us would finish."
"Yes, I wouldn't want to end up fighting him. You're paying us handsomely, but I would need a raise to do that." The man with a short goatee added.
"Two, shinobi commanders of their own respective villages are scared of Zabuza?"
"Gatō-san, we're no longer shinobi commanders - we were demoted. And Zabuza is easily an elite shinobi, in a class of himself. Do not ever underestimate him." the bald one advised.
Here we go, a short Wave Arc is in front of us (maybe 2-3 more chapters). Kaname's decisions will change it, two additional high-level players are in :-) If you still do not understand who are they, eleven-year-old her spared Kamizuru's life (Minato caught him for her), and the ninja from Kumogakure was lynched by the Hyūgas thanks to Kaname :-P. The two may hold some griefs with her :-) And Zabuza? He is a wild card here - he always is :-D
As always I'm waiting for your comments/ideas/reviews - each bit helps :-) Show some love for the story, send some PSes :-)
If you found any mistakes, please inform me :-) I don't like mistakes :-)