[40] Departure! Land of Rice Fields! ❤️

[40]

Nikko yawned widely.

She was extremely tired, and as she sat up from her futon at the Hyuuga household, she groaned aloud. "Oh yeah. I have to get in that stupid getup."

The bags by her desk were filled with the disguise she was to use, as a decoy for the real Yuki Mizu. The Baroness of the Land of Lakes. Nikko was dreading going around in that ridiculously long kimono. It would be torture. Still, she was somewhat excited to be journeying out again. The prospect of spending time with Naruto helped, too.

As she began to put the damn thing on it quickly became apparent that she could not, in fact, put it on by herself. She redid it several times but there was always something hanging where it shouldn't, fabric sticking out, until she slammed open the door and growled. "Neji-kun!"

He walked to her in full shinobi gear. There was a scowl on his face as he grumpily asked, "What?"

She gestured to the mess that she was in. "This! Argh, it's so retarded! Help me!"

Together they went to her room. She slipped off the various layers of lining until down to her panties and bra. "I can't figure this thing out to save my life. And how am I supposed to pee?" She complained.

"It will be a measure of your tolerance." Neji replied. He grabbed the first layer. Nikko held out her arms and he slid it up them, "This one goes first."

"I know that much. It's the tying and stuff where I'm stuck."

"I see." He moved to her front, all business. His hands went around her waist and tied off the first layer, before helping her into the second. The fabric was a type of silk, and while beautiful, would be almost impossible for her to fight in. She would be relying on her team to keep her safe. Her backup would be the Time Altering Jutsu if needed.

She was thinking deeply about her tactics, until at last Neji leaned towards her face--"N-Neji-kun..." her lips whispered.

"Your hair is stuck."

So that's all it was. And here she thought he would be kissing her. Her spirit sank.

Wait, why am I disappointed? She asked herself.

They'd shared on kiss since that night Neji had sworn to protect her. She'd went with it at the time, but really had divided emotions about allowing herself to love him, too, as she was already overran with males. Yet...

Her eyes caught his. In them she saw focus and gentleness. His lips, which were silky smooth and beautiful, practically begged for her to caress. Her rebellious hand went up and--- "Don't." He said.

"!"

He caught her hand before she could touch him, and his moonlight eyes lowered. "We both know it would only complicate things."

"...." Nikko didn't know what to say to that. She merely nodded.

Once more he finished the remaining tying and adjusted here and there until she was finally done. It was a lot. Nikko could only hope she didn't have to wear it long, as it was extremely heavy. The tight sash around her middle cut into her airflow and caused a change in breathing. She now knew how corsets would feel. "Thank you Neji-kun."

"Let's go. They're waiting."

Just like that he was gone. Nikko gathered up her backpack of supplies, and eyed Gaara's shawl. She wanted to take it, but with her disguise as it was she couldn't. With a sigh she left the room and slid the door shut behind her.

The Hyuuga's were mostly gone. Hanabi was eating cereal at the long dining room table and stared at her as she opened the door to leave. The girl hardly gave her a seconds look, but today she was staring heavily. Nikko ignored her and put her clogs on, leaving the dining room.

Above her the sky was bright and sunny, and she hissed like a vampire. It was just too damn bright. She hurried off to find Neji when her long kimono got caught underneath her foot on the first step. She flailed, nearly touching the ground, when two stout arms swung around her waist. "This is no good!" The voice said. "I cannot let you get even once speck of dirt!"

The voice belonged to Rock Lee. He smiled down at her, teeth shining, "But might I say that never in my life have I saw such a beautiful person! Words do not do you justice, Nikko-san!"

Her cheeks reddened. "Rock Lee-san, how good to see you. Are you here to see Neji-kun?"

"No. I have business with you. You see, I'm going to fill the remaining spot for your team. You need only rely on me for this mission. I will keep you safe from everything!"

"Thank you, Lee-san. Well...I'm happy to work with you." Nikko bowed, "Please take care of me!"

Her milkers bounced out as she leaned, and Lee's nose spurted blood. "I--I have saw heaven!" His body wiggled as he fell over in shock, twitching.

Neji jumped down from somewhere and kicked his side. "Knock it off." To Nikko he said, "Learn how to walk or you'll have that outfit ruined before we even begin."

Nikko stuck her tongue out at him childishly. "Bleh! Maybe you should be the Baroness, then!"

"Hn. Don't joke. The only one suited is you." Neji turned, squashing Lee in the process.

After Lee's recovery they left the clan grounds and met the rest of the crew at the gates of Konoha. Shikamaru Nara, Haruno Sakura, Inuzuka Kiba, Rock Lee, Neji Hyuuga, and Utsuri Nikko were all gathered.

Naruto couldn't stop staring at his girlfriend. She was the prettiest thing he'd ever saw. He was sad that when they got to the Land of Lakes her team would be leaving first. It wasn't fair. He remembered her weapons that Gaara had spent on all on and handed them over, "Here you go! They'll cut anything, believe me."

"Thank you Naruto."

"Everyone's here," Shikamaru said. "Let's go. If we don't make too many stops we'll be there by evening."

They left Konoha.

It was hot and sunny, and would be a great day for swimming. Which was what Nikko wanted to do instead of walk around in a heavy ass kimono that drug the ground behind her. She stopped to wipe sweat away. "So hot."

"Nikko-san!" Lee said. He ran back to her and dropped down into a squat. "Please, let me be your carriage! It would be an honor."

Immediately Naruto growled out, "NO WAY. If anyone's carrying her it's gonna be me! Ya got that bushy brows?!"

Shikamaru pinched his nose in aggravation. To Naruto he said, "You've got both her luggage and yours. Where exactly are you going to put her at? Your head?"

Naruto sulked. "Fine..."

It went unnoticed that Sakura, some feet behind, gave Nikko an icy glare.

"So, tell us some more about this guy." Naruto said. "Isn't he an old dude?"

Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah. He's old...and pretty corrupt. From all the rumors I've heard, that guy will do anything for a little coin to put under his pillow."

Sakura piped up. "Naruto, did you already forget that he's the one who let Orochimaru-san build that compound? Clearly this guy's a freak. I feel bad for the Baroness."

The group fell quiet for a time. As for Nikko, she was lost in thought due to the subject of Orochimaru. She'd put the past behind her as much as possible, but feared that it would come back to bite her at some point. But seeing that Naruto was there, well, it would work out fine. His plot armor would surely come through.

Minutes ticked by, turning into hours. Rock Lee was holding up well, supporting her weight and the long tail of the kimono with the ease of one who'd trained heavily. Nikko was just glad to not be sweating it out, and dreaded when the time came to put on the wig and makeup. As they passed by the forest, cutting a direct path under it's thick blanket, and the sun provided decent shadow and cooled everyone's sweat off.

"Let's take a break." Shikamaru said. He slung down his rucksack and pulled out a bottle of water, chugging it down in seconds. Everyone followed suit. Nikko looked through her backpack and found a protein bar, snacking on it and finishing it off with a strawberry juice. She wondered if she'd have to meet the daimyo and really hoped not. But seeing as she was Yuki Mizu it might see strange if she didn't. In that case, she would cross that bridge when she got to it.

"Thank you Lee-san, for packing me." Nikko said.

Rock Lee gave her the thumbs up. "Anytime there is a damsel in distress, I, Rock Lee, will be there!"

"Give me a break," Naruto cut in. He chomped into his protein bar and scowled at Lee. "She doesn't need YOUR help when she has me." Which caused Kiba and Akamaru to laugh.

"Enough you two." Shikamaru sighed. "I feel like I'm watching over a bunch of kids. What a pain."

His remark made Nikko giggle, imagining the group as Shikamaru's children. He caught her eye and gave the girl a secret smile, which brought to mind their time together and the ring of bruises after. Nikko flushed. The conversation then turned to the next waypoint between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lakes, and Shikamaru brought out his map to aid the narration. "We'll know we're close when it gets swampy. At that point we take to the trees. Got it?"

"Yeah yeah." Naruto said.

"Understood." Sakura said. She looked at Naruto, "Make sure you don't fall in this time."

"I'll be fine!"

"I kind of hope he does fall in," Neji said, "Maybe it will cool his head a little." His remark caused Kiba to laugh.

"What did you say!" Naruto stood up, "If you've got somethin' to say, say it to my fist!"

"Hn."

With a sigh Shikamaru told them both to be quiet. They packed up their food and bento boxes and burned the trash, before Lee offered to help Nikko again. She declined his offer, claiming that the shade trees helped restore her energy. In truth she just didn't want Naruto make a fuss. Her fox boyfriend was decidedly the territorial type.

Off they went again. This time Nikko kept pace with Naruto, who was right behind Shikamaru at the head. It was going quite well until they reached the marsh land. At that point her kimono began to become a hindrance, catching every tree limb and thorn vine as she leapt forward. She was concerned it would eventually get a hole, and stopped jumping to inspect it for damage.

Neji, who had been behind, stopped beside her. "What is it? Why did you stop?"

"This damn kimono. It keeps getting stuck every time I jump."

"I see. In that case it would be better to just climb on my back for now." He knelt down, taking off his backpack.

"No, no, I couldn't. You're already carrying that heavy thing."

"I'm used to it's weight. Hurry, we're getting left behind."

With a sigh Nikko climbed onto his shoulders and clung on. Neji lifted his pack in his right hand and took off jumping. It would have been hard for anyone to carry that much weight at once while jumping, but he managed it smoothly. His sandals never slid once. "Wow, Neji-kun, you could be spider man," Nikko teased.

"Spider man?"

"Oh, right. That's..." she leaned to his ear, saying, "a character from a television show where I'm from."

"I see."

Neji's brows knit together in thought. He knew Nikko wasn't truly who she said she was--having died in her old world and resurrecting in this time, but it still struck him sometimes how vastly different they were. She was from a different place, maybe a different world altogether, than he. Just what had her life been like there? He'd never asked, but he was quite curious.

twp

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The time passed by. Eventually Neji was able to put aside his curiosity and instead focus on the present once more. But something large had struck him. By large, it was of course the two melons bumping his back with every jump. How he'd not noticed before he had no idea, but now that he had, it would be hard to feel anything else.

"Lean back some if you don't mind," he said to Nikko.

"Oh. Sure. Didn't mean to smother you. It's just...a little scary when you jump."

"In that case don't bother. You're fine." He glanced back at her to make sure she knew he wasn't just saying that.

"Thank you Neji-kun," Nikko replied. She leaned and hugged him tightly. Those two things mushed to him and he nearly missed his next jump.

Thankfully he was a shinobi who was quite good at focusing, and thus set aside the perception of his body to regroup his attentions on his group. All in all it took them three hours of jumping to reach the end of the marsh.

"Whew. Finally!" Sakura said. She sagged against a tree trunk, wiping her forehead off. "I thought it would never end."

"Yeah, I'll say. How're you holding up, Ni--?" Naruto turned, not seeing his girlfriend. When Neji jumped from the marsh to dry ground, Nikko aboard, he growled. "Hey! What're you doing with my girlfriend!"

"Idiot. If you'd paid attention you might have noticed that her kimono was getting torn." Neji replied with a glare.

While Naruto seethed, Nikko walked over to him and grabbed his hand. "It's okay, Naruto." When she pecked his cheek he quickly forgot all about his anger. "Gosh, Nikko, you're so darn pretty in that," he gushed.

Nobody noticed that inner Sakura had emerged. She turned from view and mocked, 'Gosh, Nikko, you're so darn pretty' as her fists clenched angrily. She was beyond over hearing about Nikko this, Nikko that, and would be happy if Nikko just vanished entirely. The only reason she could think of that anyone cared about her was those two THINGS sticking out, like two swollen ticks! Sakura had tits too--they just hadn't developed yet, that's all. One day she would have bigger breasts than Nikko. She had to. Sakura had to beat her at something!

While Sakura had a meltdown, and Nikko clung to Naruto, Kiba and Akamaru began to sniff around the area. Akamaru barked a little, Kiba saying, "It's all clear so far. We're not being followed."

Sakura blinked. "Why would we be followed?"

Neji, Naruto and Shikamaru glanced to Nikko. It took Sakura's brain a second to catch up, recalling the attack on Konoha. So that's what they meant, she thought. Yet another reason Nikko should just go back to whatever hole she crawled out of and stay there.

After another rest they checked the map and their supplies.

Nikko quietly walked over to Shikamaru and said, "Shika-kun...I need to use the ladies room."

She was dying to piss after drinking that juice, and really regretted chugging it down now. It meant she'd probably have to take off her kimono or risk it getting soiled. How annoying. Shikamaru asked Sakura to go with her, who quickly said she didn't need to go and would be fine. Which left Shikamaru rubbing his temples in thought, not wanting Nikko to go off by herself even for a minute despite Kiba saying it was all clear. Gaara would literally kill him if she got hurt, he thought grimly. What a drag.

"Akamaru, go with her," Kiba said. His pup yipped.

Nikko and Akamaru left together. "Thank you Akamaru-san," she said to the dog. His tail began to wag. "*ruff*"

A good distance away from the group Nikko finally felt free to pee. She grabbed a stick, dug a hole, and maneuvered her kimono to a tree branch so as not to be pissed on. As she squat, rather uncomfortably, something strange happened.

Just as her pee was ready to release--

A warmth flooded down below. It followed a prickling pleasure that ran up her spine and to her face. "What...is...this?" She asked, looking around for Akamaru. He wasn't to be seen.

The warmth was slimy, and as it flooded her body she gasped and fell to her hands and knees--

It's Akamaru, she thought, I'm being molested by a dog!

She would have shrieked aloud but didn't want to be caught looking like that, on all fours, so she hurriedly scuttled away, taking the kimono from the branch as well. Her panties that were still down her thighs made the motion harder to do and she ended up tangled in her own dress. "Ah..ha...you, you silly dog...what are you trying to do?" She asked, trying to lighten the otherwise humiliating experience.

There was a ruffling noise from her dress, and she saw it moving back and forth.

"Get..get out of there, Akamaru!" Nikko said, scuttling on her back to put some distance between them. She'd never had a dog do this before and was lost as to how to stop it.

She could feel his breath. He was sniffing her pussy, delving his nose in it like it were his treat for the day. She froze; for the sniffing turned to excited lapping noises that tingled her clit. "Ahn...Akamaru...stop...you're...a dog..." she whimpered. Her body shook with trembling pleasure, wanting to push him away but stiffly immobile.

His long slippery tongue invaded within her vagina. Nikko's legs buckled as her head fell back. "No...not there..."

With the persistence only a dog could have, Nikko's pussy was at the mercy of Akamaru. She whimpered out weakly, clit throbbing and swelling from the relentless invasion. At last she could handle no more. Her thighs parted and she moaned to the forest above.

I'm so humiliated, she thought in a daze. A dog is really making me orgasm--

"Ha...ah..." she bit down onto her lower lip to silence the louder moan. He was alternating between licking and pushing, and the tension in her clit was spreading to her womb. Soon, she'd really have an orgasm just from this.

"No...Akamaru....you're...a dog..." she groaned, panting to keep up with his intense lapping.

With even harder licks of his slippery tongue she could no longer hold back the orgasm. The rush flowed through and she squint her eyes, "Ah--ah--haaa--"

It was over, or should be. But the little pooch hadn't finished his deed. He climbed onto her pelvis and began thrusting his tiny dog dick into her pussy. That's when Nikko rose and pushed him down and away. "No! Don't!"

"*Grrr*"

Akamaru bit into her inner thigh. Nikko shrieked and kicked him away, but he kept coming back. She shrieked again and ran from him, smacking right into Kiba.

"Hey--! Are you okay?" Kiba asked, righting her.

"Uuu...." Nikko took one ragged breath then another. "...Akamaru---Akamaru--"

"Slow down."

Kiba sniffed. His eyes widened. "...Did he...hurt you?"

She didn't get to answer because the group ran over to her. Nikko couldn't admit what happened around them, so she shook her head. "No...I'm fine. Just...A-Akamaru got spooked. T-There was...a crow." She pointed to the tree beside her, seeing the black bird sitting on it.

Everyone calmed down. Except for Shikamaru, who didn't tell them his suspicions. Crows weren't native to that particular area, he knew, as the Land of Lakes was home to birds of paradise and parrots, not crows and that likely meant someone had indeed been watching, using the crow to see with.

Neji looked at him and nodded. Both knew danger was lurking somewhere. The only question was, where? And for whom?

"Let's go." Shikamaru stated.

Neji went Nikko's left side, signaling for Kiba to go to her right. That left Naruto at the front and Shikamaru, Sakura and Lee at the back. The formation would have to do, as Shikamaru didn't want to put everyone on guard and thus let the enemy know they were onto them. He just hoped he could spot them in time and stop them with his Shadow Possession Jutsu.

Nikko kept tripping in her kimono. Luckily for her she had fast reflexes and was able to right her footing before getting dirt on it, but only barely. "You should have waited to change until we got there," Neji rebuked, shaking his head.

"I thought we'd be taking the road to get there, not the marshland," Nikko replied, "And using a Norimono..."

"You'll be in a Norimono when we leave the Land of Lakes," Shikamaru said, "Konoha doesn't have any palanquin."

She nodded. Behind her Sakura rolled her eyes; Nikko didn't even know that much. Why would Konoha have carriages?

"I would happy to help her again," Lee said brightly. "It would be great training!"

Naruto glared at Lee most heavily. Shikamaru, not wanting the two to argue quickly said, "Kiba-kun, take a turn."

Thus Nikko was once more packed as the group entered the Land of Claws. She looked around the familiar area, remembering the last time she was here, running from Sunagakure. At least this time she wasn't afraid of Gaara closing in and killing her because she'd ran from her mission. Her head fell down a little. It had been hard to survive those days--facing down the bear, and learning how to walk across water with her feet chakra--and without Aponi's help, she wouldn't have lasted.

She laid her head down onto Kiba's furry collar, replaying the embarrassing experience with Akamaru. She'd really...been molested by that tiny, innocent looking puppy. Her eyes blurred and she tightened her hands on Kiba's shoulders.

"Tired, huh." Kiba said. "Just rest. You're in good hands."

Nikko nodded. "Thank you Kiba-san."

She daydreamed some more. Idate Morino was gone forever--and it had been all her fault--and she had to live with that the rest of her life. If only she hadn't thought that by running from Sunagakure she could escape her fate. It had been foolish. The curse had found and killed Idate, and he hadn't even been her true love. That alone was the worst of all. He'd sacrificed himself for absolutely no reason, and done it with a smile.

"Idate..." she whispered to the air. It was like she'd been transported back in time, and at any second, they'd cross the lake and there she'd see him running down the dock to save her.

"You say something?" Kiba asked, looking back at her. Nikko blinked away tears and shook her head. "Just thinking out loud." He frowned but didn't say anything.

Only Naruto had understood the change in Nikko's mood, and he gave her a sympathetic look. Maybe they should have just used the road, after all. At least that way Nikko wouldn't have to come through this way.

Finally they reached the Land of Lakes. The lake shimmered vibrantly, a clear contrast to how Nikko and Naruto felt inside. Both were reliving the time spent there, and Sakura walked forward, saying, "It's been so long since we've been here."

Naruto and Nikko fell silent.

"Ma, let's get this over with. The Baroness lives to the South of here," Shikamaru said. He was once more looking at his map.

Off in the distance a crow cawed, and Neji and Shikamaru looked behind them sharply; waiting for an attack that never came. It appeared that they were, in fact, just being watched. Maybe a ninja clan was hired to keep tabs of them, the genius deduced.

Utilizing their feet chakra the group began the trek down the lake and towards the Baroness' castle---called Azuchi-jo. Set one hundred meters above the Land of Lakes, it was a massive castle made of primarily stone, the facade painted with beautiful tigers and dragons of every color. As they spotted it, all stopped and gaped. The structure walls were at least five meters in thickness, and the unique tenshukaku, or keep, was seven stories tall and placed at the outer walls instead of the center. The roof of the peaked castle was octagonal in shape, also different from all the castles around.

"Woah!" Naruto shouted. "It's HUGE!"

"Indeed," Neji said, "Take a look around," he said.

All did as Neji said and saw that Azuchi-jo was a strategic placement. All one needed to do was go to it's donjon, or high tower, to see all around. It was perfect in that the enemy would be seen coming from any direction. Clearly, whoever designed the castle was a mastermind at war.

"You can see everything," Sakura said. "And look! There are houses down there."

Dotting the shoreline were a number of homes. All looked well built and protected with a high wall enclosure, similar to the castle. All in all, Azuchi-jo was a sight to behold.

Finally the group of shinobi grew close enough to see watchmen from the high tower standing on guard, some walking around. "Up there! We are being watched most carefully," Lee said.

"I can see now why the daimyo really wants to marry the Baroness," Shikamaru stated. It would be a great military move to have that castle alone.

Sakura nodded in agreement. "No kidding."

At last they walked to the outer steps, leading right up to the castle walls on both sides, with forestry growing to aid in hiding troops from eyesight, Nikko looked at the beautiful walls. Whoever painted them did a wonderful job.

Their arrival was interrupted by a man hopping down from nowhere. He had long dark hair, three swords, and a bandaged torso. The kimono he wore was open in the front and his arm was hanging loosely out of it. His face was handsome and young, but the glint inside his golden eyes spoke of danger. A black crow landed on his shoulder. "Kuro, you're back. So these must be the ones...we've been expecting." He smiled darkly. "..My name is Tengu Yokai."

He spread his arms. "Welcome to Azuchi-jo."

Kiba's grip on Nikko's legs tightened. He was getting a bad, bad smell in his nose. Whoever this Yokai guy was, he was seriously powerful. The only question was, was he on their side?