chap 15: The Rescue
Shikamaru, Shino, Hinata, Kiba, Choji, and Ino stood near a forest clearing, Kiba sniffing the air while Hinata used her Byakugan to look out on the field, the two looking and smelling into the forest. Kiba wore a gray jacket with a hood over his head hiding his headband that sat around his forehead, from view, wearing brown pants with his shuriken holster on his right thigh and his kunai pouch behind his waist. While Hinata wore her violet hair sat around her head, reaching the base of her neck, her bangs covering her forehead as two strands on either side of her face reached her chin, wearing a tan jacket with the hyuga symbol on the arms, wearing blue capris pants paired with her shuriken holster on her right thigh with her kunai pouch on her back waist. Looking around the forest with her byakugan. Continuing to try and locate the teams.
"What's going on Shikamaru?" Choji asked walking forwards, his red hair in poofs on either side of his bandana holding his leaf headband, his white scarf sitting around his neck with his green shortsleeve haori sitting overtop his tan shirt with the kanji for food on the front. Wearing black cargo shorts on his legs with bandages on his shins going into his blue ninja sandals. Looking towards the boy,
"Yeah, are we able to join with the others??" Ino asked from behind Choji, her teal eyes looking towards Shikamaru her platinum blonde hair was in a ponytail behind her head, wearing a purple outfit consisting of a high-collared blouse and matching apron skirt. With bandages on her abdomen and legs, small hoop-earrings, her forehead protector worn as a belt.
"Lee's started running again… actually they all have, they seem to be headed this way. So maybe?" Kiba said his hands in his pockets as he looked around, Akamaru standing next to him. Barking as if to confirm his words
"Is TenTen with him?" Ino asked and Kiba nodded,
"They all are." He said in return before Sasuke Sai jumped down in front of them,
"Kyoto, Sakura, and Miho are trying to help Tenten calm Lee down… We thought we should fill you guys in on what we know so far." Sasuke commented, jumping down looking towards the group in front of him, wearing his black hair spiking behind his head wearing a blue short-sleeve shirt with tan shorts, his shuriken holster on his right thigh, with his blue headband tied around his forehead. Wearing tan arm warmers on his forearms, and blue sandals on his feet
"Did you find the sensei and Hinami?" Shikamaru asked looking over and Sasuke hummed in response,
"Sort of…" Sasuke said in return, looking towards the team of genin before him
"What do you mean, sort of?" Ino said in return, the boy caught the others up to speed about the chakra they'd seen in the village up to Naruto and Neji's disappearance, the group humming in response,
"Well, now we know they're likely being held inside the village. So lets head there. Man, they're on the same team, but I'm betting Tenten's having a hard time keeping up with Lee. Not to mention Kyoto, Sakura, and Miho." Shikamaru said crossing his arms in front of his chest,
"He might be faster than Naruto." Sasuke commented in return,
"Let's get back to the village to mount a rescue. Come on." Choji said in return, ready to head out before a man jumped from the bushes,
Neji used his byakugan to see through the jutsu he was currently standing in. looking towards his friends who'd met up together
"Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, Kiba, Shino, Hinata, Sasuke and Sai, they're comrades from the hidden leaf village." Neji said in shock a moment, looking just past them to the man lurking in the shadows
"See what they're really like." The man said next to him, Sasuke walking towards Sakura, confusing the girl, who asked him about it, being told to be quiet. His eyes trailing towards the treeline behind him, when someone jumped out into the open,
"Is it the others?" Kyoto asked and Sasuke turned around jumping, moving his hands rapidly
"Firestyle Phyoenx flower jutsu!" Sasuke said sending fire bombs towards the grassy area causing fire and explosions to occure, a man stood in the middle of the flames, a similar hat to Hidan, with a red cloak over his odd body paired with a cloth over his mouth. The genin all ready for a fight.
"Had you pegged as a brat who can't sit still and loves showing off." The man started, his voice grainy, and low, as he glared forwards, looking towards Sasuke who tched in response,
"Well… I don't like to wait, so lets get this started already." He said walking forwards, ready to fight the genin,
"Who are you?" Sasuke demanded, tensed, the others with him tensed as well,
"I am a gatekeeper. I won't let you go any further" the man said, the genin tensing for a fight, Sasuke sent six kunai forwards, Shikamaru accompanying them with two of his own, paper bombs attached, the man blocking them with what looked to be an imitation of the chakra chains, though with more of a spine design, and they were silver,
"Annoying flies, shall I get out my flyswatter?" The Gatekeeper said, glaring forwards, before jumping forwards, the chains moving behind him like a tail. Before launching forwards towards the genin
"Poison? Guys! Don't let him cut you! That blade is laced in something." Hinata said and the man chuckled darkly,
"Gai sensei! Neji! Naruto! Hinami! Team Captain's! Where are you!" Lee yelled before stopping on a tree branch, TenTen, Kyoto, Miho, and Sakura stopping nearby, Lee having stopped due to the paper like weapons lobbied at the tree just in front of him, TenTen not having seen them, asked about Lee's sudden stop. While Kyoto was just glad to have finally caught up with the boy, catching his breath from the tree. Lee turning to warn her as weapons flew towards tenten as well, she jumped to the side to avoid them. The five jumping to avoid the weapons, Tenten looking at the papers in front of them before swearing grabbing a confused lee before the papers exploded, sending the two flying forwards.
"Whoever's attacking may have been responsible for Gai sensei's abduction. We must capture them." Lee said as Tenten kept a tight hold on his wrist
"We need to put some distance between us and move to an area suited to close combat." Tenten said, Kyoto, Sakura, and Miho jumping with them, nodding in agreement. The weapons kept coming towards them sporatically, seeming to follow them in an odd way. Something that Miho picked up on, raising his suspicions.
"Their movements have become erratic, I agree, Akamaru." Kiba said looking towards his dog a moment as they continued to fight against the dozens of puppets from the guy,
"What's that mean?" Shikamaru asked,
"Could be a coincidence but they're making their way towards us right now." Hinata said Ino hummed as she blocked an attack, Miho echoing what was said from the other side of the field.
"Think they could be being herded?" Shikamaru said
"It's likely." Kiba commented, looking over towards the man. Kunai were proving to be unsuccessful against the 'gatekeeper', Sasuke trying a firestyle jutsu, only succeeding in burning away the cloak revealing a red like face on the guys back where the bars were coming out of, his left hand holding a metal like contraption.
"Is he even human?" Ino asked freaked out
"Human? Why so boring? I'm my own masterpiece." He declared, sending the chains forwards once more, the chains blocked by a kunai, forcing them to be knocked off course from Sasuke, Neji went to move, intent on helping his friends, the man stopping him, telling him the future was resting on this, and his promise they would not be killed. Neji glaring over before looking forwards as the man walked forwards towards the group.
"Annoying brats. I'll kill you all." The man said, crouching in front of Sakura with the chain raised in the air,
"Remember the mission. You're ordered to only uncover their true selves not kill them." The masked man said and the man in front of the group tensed a moment before tching,
"Yeah yeah, this is a test right. Keep watching, there is no future for shinobi." the man said turning his head, as Hinata began runningshe dodged the spikes he lobbied at her, flipping, and jumping around to do so. Before she jumped into the air, prepared to end the fight with gentle fist, hitting the thing on the guys back caused it to crack, before he jumped into the bushes, Hinata panting from what she'd just done, before grabbing her hand. TenTen and Lee made it to an open clearing where the attacks stopped, confused they looked around a moment, confused as the attacks stopped before noting the fighting that was happening
"Hey! Lee, TenTen, Sakura, Kyoto, Miho!" Kiba yelled over looking towards the group who'd jumped down
"Hey Kiba." Tenten said looking at the boy, still a bit confused, the person that'd been attacking them, they'd left, though it looked like they were in the middle of another fight.
"So, you caught up with us." Shikamaru said as he stood with his hand in his pocket, a kunai in his other hand as they stood ready to defend against the so-called Gate Keeper.
"I was able to see that you two were being pursued and attacked by someone." Hinata said, and Tenten hummed, she wore a pink sleeveless top, with blue capris pants, wearing her brown hair in chinese buns, her bangs parting over the headband on her forehead. Wearing her shuriken holster on her right thigh and her kunai pouch on her back waist.
"Thing is, soon as we got here, all signs disappeared." She said and the others hummed in response,
"Disappeared?" Shino asked and Lee nodded
"It was like we were being herded here." Lee said and the group hummed
"You guys are fast…" Kyoto said with his hands on his knees, he wore a black shirt with a large Uchiha collar wearing tan pants with his shuriken holster on his left thigh, wearing a kunai pouch on his back waist with his black hair falling flat around his head like Kuhina's, wearing his headband around his forehead.
"Seriously, we almost couldn't keep up." Miho said in agreement, his red hair sat flat around his head, wearing a red ninja outfit, his shuriken holster on his left thigh with his kunai pouch on his back paired with his headband on his left bicep, his protector around his forehead.
"Sorry about that." Lee said in return,
"We need to train our stamina more…" Sakura commented her salmon hair sat brushing her shoulders, wearing a red sleeveless yukata with black shorts, her shuriken holster on her right thigh with her kunai pouch on her back waist.
"I found you." The man said as the group looked over, ready to fight looking towards the man with determined looks on their faces, standing on the field spread out slightly,
"I wasn't able to inflict a fatal hit before." Hinata said standing at the ready, holding her hand in gentle fist, her violet hair sat around her head, reaching the base of her neck, her bangs covering her forehead as two strands on either side of her face reached her chin, wearing a tan jacket with the hyuga symbol on the arms, wearing blue capris pants paired with her shuriken holster on her right thigh with her kunai pouch on her back waist. Miho standing next to her, prepared to attack as well.
"We'll work together this time." He said and Hinata nodded in agreement, looking towards the puppets that were coming towards them, the man looked towards them, speaking in his grainy voice.
"There's a limit to life but art…art is forever. My everlasting army, secret red move, performance of a hundred puppets." The man said, his left lower arm and hand missing, the cloth that'd been around his face also missing. This person.. This person was a puppet, the wooden slats on the mouth giving proof to this notion. As he stood before the genin,
"So there are hundred puppets and 12 of us. I like those odds." Sakura said before Akamaru barked at her
"Whoops, sorry Akamaru, I mean theres 13 of us." Sakura said rubbing the back of her head a moment,
"So what's the story?" Kyoto asked turning his head, looking towards the group
"Guy calls himself the gatekeeper, he dragged these things out to create a blockade." Sasuke said glancing over towards the puppets a moment before back at the group who'd just jumped down,
"Where'd he go?" Tenten questioned, noting the aforementioned man, nowhere to be seen.
"Waiting to see what we do." Shikamaru commented looking out towards the puppets
"We should have lord fourth send another team for rescue. To complete the mission we don't have a choice." Sasuke said and the group hummed looking towards him a moment,
"We're not going back to the village yet. We were authorized for a rescue and even if we weren't we aren't going to abandon our captains, not to mention Hinami too." Kiba said, he wore a gray jacket with a hood over his head hiding his headband that sat around his forehead, from view, wearing brown pants with his shuriken holster on his right thigh and his kunai pouch behind his waist. Akamaru yipping in agreement. "You would abandon the mission?" Sasuke asked questioning the group. wearing his black hair spiking behind his head wearing a blue short-sleeve shirt with tan shorts, his shuriken holster on his right thigh, with his blue headband tied around his forehead. Wearing tan arm warmers on his forearms, and blue sandals on his feet
"No, that's not it. The reason is, there's an option to break into two teams: One goes to the village to update lord fourth again, the other stays here and locates the captains and performs a rescue." Shino said in return, his brown hair curled over his head, wearing black sunglasses on his face with a gray jacket zipped up to his nose, with black pants, wearing his shuriken holster on his left thigh with a kunai pouch on his back waist.
"No way, it's a better idea to stick together and work as a unified team." Shikamaru said his black hair was in a spiked ponytail behind his head, wearing a short-sleeved grey jacket with green-edged sleeves and the rudimentary Nara clan symbol on the back, under which is a green-lined mesh armour T-shirt. Along with brown pants, a pair of his clan's traditional silver hoop earrings, and his blue forehead protector around his left arm
"What are you guys on about come on!" Kiba said
"Initially I thought splitting into teams would be good, but, now… we have to take into account the longer this takes the smaller our chances become at finding the missing jonin." Shikamaru said sharply,
"Simply put, we don't have time to return to the leaf. It puts their lives at risk to do so." Kyoto said, humming looking over towards the group.
"And if we commit to fighting the puppets we'll exhaust our remaining time." Shikamaru said looking towards the puppets. Sasuke tched, before turning in order to fight the puppets.
"We brought the leaf genin together, but… things aren't looking good." Yahiko said as he, Konan, and Nagato stood on a rocky cliffside overlooking the genin, his orange hair falling over his headband as his brown eyes looked down,
"Friction between them?" Konan asked, her orange eyes lookng at Yahiko, her violet hair holding a small flower as it fell near her shoulders, falling overtop of her headband amost obscuring it from view
"Why would they…" Nagato asked, glancing down with his Left eye, that held a rinnegan, his red hair completely obscuring his right eye and most of his headband.
"If they choose to attack the puppets, it means they're stcking to the rules and prioritizing the mission," Yahiko said and Nagato hummed
"And if they ignore the puppets and instead go to find their comrades," Nagato started
"It'd mean they made the choice of their own free will. Since saving their friends was their priority." Konan finished,
"When they stop arguing and coalesce into a united group of Leaf Shinobi, I wonder which direction they'll go with." Yahiko said looking down from above,
"When they make a choice that's when the true Nature will be revealed." The masked man said, his voice distorted, and Neji hummed looking out at his friends,
"So you'd all ignore the rules of the village?" Sasuke said, rounding on the genin, seeming to want to fight them as well,
"Damn right. We can't return to the village with our friends in danger." Kyoto said, his right fight near his face, looking towards Sasuke with a determined look on his face, and Sasuke tched before throwing paper bombs forwards towards the puppets the so called gate keeper bringing his hand up to block the smoke, as he glared forwards,
"Sasuke! Wait!" Ino said as Sasuke ran forwards towards the puppets, through the smokescreen with his hands behind his back as he ran forwards
"He used the smoke to create a blindspot for the puppet user." Shikamaru said his eyes wide, looking towards Sasuke,
"Reckless…" Miho commented, tching as she looked towards the boy,
"Damit, he's gonna get himself hurt, or wose." Kyoto said before jumping into help him, jumping over and slicing through puppets, taken them down as they approached Sasuke, Sakura joining him, the three taking down puppets one by one, jumping and weaving through them, Lee jumping in to help as well, kicking the head off a puppet coming towards Sasuke, destroying the wood.
"Our intentions may be different, we still cannot ignore our friends in need." Lee said his black hair in a bowl cut over his head, wearing a green jumpsuit with orange leg warmers on his shins, wearing his protector around his waist. Wearing his shuriken holster on his right thigh and a kunai pouch on his back waist.
"Oh man, this is just perfect… Follow lee everyone." Shikamaru said, the rest of the genin moving into action, fighting against the puppets, the groups went on a full on frontal attack against the puppets, hoping to help Sasuke out, since they could not leave a comrade behind. Dozens of puppets surrounded them, the gang going through them as fast as they could, confusing the trio of rain ninja.
"You see, not even the young ninja coming from the leaf can avoid the curse of following rules. A caged bird is a caged bird…" The masked ninja said as he stood next to Neji, who hummed
"Is your Byakugan clouded? They're not fighting for the rules, they're fighting for their friend!" Neji said seriously, looking at the Masked man who seemed taken aback
"Unbound by the rules of the village, they've made the choice of their own free will to fight to save their friend." Neji continued as the man gasped, seeming to just realize that.
"They've decided… there is no future for Shinobi, that much has been made clear." The gatekeeper said, standing behind the dozens of puppets that were attacking the genin
"How about showing you an artistic and eternal hell!" He continued, thousands of puppets launching from his back as everyone turned
"He had puppets in reserve! Shit!" Shikamaru yelled
"Not good." Miho commented,
"Fire style! Fire lotus bombs," Kyoto commented sending fire from his mouth towards the puppets,
"There's too many." Tenten said, looking around
"Need some help?" Naruto questioned from the air, he had 2dozen shadow-clones with him, each in a group of two, creating a rasengan, which Shikamaru made note of. Before they crashed into the puppets and completely destroyed them.
"Naruto, I never knew you could do that, talk about unpredictable." Sakura said and Ino nodded,
"Right." She agreed
"Damn you! How dare you ruin my masterpieces." The gatekeeper said walking from behind the bushes
"So, you the puppet user behind this?" Naruto asked, looking forwards, as the puppet user huffed out a laugh before opening his mouth dragging one of the puppets close to him, before creating a smokescreen and disappearing.
"He got away…" Naruto said holding his hands out as he stood on the field, laughing embarrassed before Sakura ran forwards
"That was amazing, Naruto!" She said, her salmon hair sat brushing her shoulders, wearing a red sleeveless yukata with black shorts, her shuriken holster on her right thigh with her kunai pouch on her back waist.
"Nice cousin. I haven't been able to master the Rasengan yet but you've got it like it was nothing." Miho said looking over and Naruto looked around at his friends a moment, putting his hand behind his head,
"We were really struggling with those puppets, but you handled it like it was nothing." Shikamaru said
"Yeah, but seriously don't go too hard at training… I mean, you're gonna make the rest of us look like we aren't doing anything." Choji said laughing,
"I may have been underestimating you all this time, Naruto." Lee said grinning,
"We shouldn't be surprised, why? The reason is, he's the kid of the fifth hokage. But more than that, Naruto is known as the leaf's most unpredictable ninja." Shino said with his hands in his pockets
"Exactly, I'd expect nothing less" Hinata said almost gleefully,
"Gotta acknowledge you, you two did something we couldn't have… I'm uh… I am never making you mad, like, ever again." Kyoto said causing the group to laugh
"By the way, idiot, we're going to save our friends, even if we didn't have authorization, because, you don't leave a comrade behind. It's what we've all decided." Shikamaru said and Naruto nodded, looking over,
"Right! I feel the same way, Obviously! You know" Naruto said, the others nodded before turning towards Sasuke who stood on the outside of the group,
"Sasuke. With this much fighting strength you can tell us that the rescue is impossible anymore." Shikamaru said turning his head to the boy standing about a meter away, refusing to acknowledge Naruto. He closed his eyes and looking down, drawing his eyebrows closer together
"Sasuke, come with us, ya know!" Naruto said looking over, Sasuke groaned
"Fine! Whatever" He said lifting his head
"It's decided." Naruto said with a wide grin.
"Theres no need to continue this farce any longer, I think it's shown conclusively that they deemed the bonds of friendship more important than the rules of the village. So, will you release the shinobi you've captured? Father." Neji said looking at the man who's eye widened, having not expected to be found out,
"Let's get going!" Naruto said as he jumped away
"Hold on!" Shikamaru said
"Why? We're gonna rescue them, right?" Naruto said looking back
"Yeah, but we don't know where we are and I can't search for them," Ino said,
"We need to slow down and come up with a plan of action first." Shikamaru said
"Unless you have intel we don't Naruto?" Lee asked and Tenten agreed,
"Uhh… no… I don't think so." Naruto said the group groaning,
"Your fighting's improved but your brains yet to catch up." Sasuke said before being grabbed by his collar, Naruto in his face as he met the boys energy, as Sakura yelled at them to stop fighting.
"Guess it's time for us." Kiba said as Akamaru barked, before Hinata turned with her Byakugan activated
"I don't think you'll be needed…" Hinata said causing Kiba to hum and look over,
"What do you mean," He asked and Miho gestured to the rock before them to the right of Shikamaru, much to Kiba's initial confusion, before Neji jumped next to Shikamaru who was standing on a rock looking down at everyone,
"Neji! I'm glad you're safe." Hinata said looking over towards the boy who looked towards the girl,
"Sorry for worrying you." Neji responded to his cousin looking towards the genin on the ground before him, Shikamaru jumping off the rock to give Neji the floor to speak about his experience and what happened.
"So what happened? You take the enemy down, or wait how'd you get out of the jutsu, do you know where… ack Miho.. Why?" Naruto said, Miho having grabbed the back of his collar, stopping his advance,
"Let him get a word out." He said simply as Naruto dusted a light shade of pink, Neji filling the group in.
"It was a test?" Tenten questioned and Neji nodded in response,
"So, Gai sensei and the others are safe, right?" Lee asked and Neji nodded
"Hinami's okay?" Naruto questioned and Neji nodded once more,
"That's what I was told. He also promised to free the captives and lead us too them." Neji said simply,
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Sasuke said before tensing as Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato jumped down where Neji and Shikamaru had been forcing the two boys to jump down, in the middle of the group, the three led the genin to the jonin.
"Hey Hinami!! Wake up!" Naruto yelled in the girls face startling the girl enough for her to jump up from the ground, before she blinked slowly, looking over,
"Where the… what happened anyway?" She said as the ropes were cut from her back, the same thing happening to the other jonin. Who were just as confused, Hinami wore a maroon-purple sleeveless cropped top zipped up to her neck with a cropped sky blue jacket overtop, wearing black shorts with a skirt stopping mid thigh. Wearing her black hair in two braids with light blue ribbons at the base, a yellow strand going through the braid on the right side with a lilac purple strand going through the braid on the left side. Wearing her headband around her left thigh, her bangs falling over her face wearing black arm protectors on her forearms, wearing shinguards on her shins going over her black sandals.
"Hinami! Are you okay?" Naruto said knocking Hinami into Kakashi, before letting her sit up and dusting her off, wearing an orchid pink shortsleeve cropped shirt with a black skirt that stopped mid-thigh. Wearing mesh armor underneath the skirt as shorts, wearing a black/orchid pink jacket with detached sleeves over her shirt. Wearing her shuriken holster on her right thigh with her kunai pouch on her back waist. Her black hair in a half up bun on the right side of her head, wearing an orange flower at the base as decoration, her protector sitting around her forehead, the girl wearing black fingerless gloves on her hands.
"Yeah, we're uninjured…" Hinami said before Naruto jumped in their faces
"Are you guys okay? Kakashi sensei, Hinami?" Naruto questioned, looking over, before his collar was grabbed,
"What's the deal with yelling in my face, huh?" Hinami said, Naruto feeling sweat drop on the back of his head,
"S..sorry bout that.." He said in return,
"How embarrassing.." Kakashi said as he stood, rubbing his head his white hair up above his head, wearing his headband diagonally over his face, hiding his scar and his left eye, wearing a blue mask on his face hiding his mouth and nose. Wearing a blue ninja outfit with blue sandals and gloves on his hands. Gai hugging Lee, claiming to be overcome with emotion, His black hair was in a bowl cut around his head, wearing a forest green jumpsuit with a his protector on his waist underneath his jonin flak jacket. Wearing orange leg warmers on his legs sitting overtop his blue ninja sandals.
"Are you okay sensei?" Sakura asked Rin who nodded in return, his brown hair brushed her shoulders as she wore a dark blue ninja outfit with a janin flak jacket overtop, her headband around her forehead, wearing her shuriken holster on her right thigh with her kunai pouch on her waist. She held two purple rectangles on her face, sitting on either cheek, a symbol from the Nohara clan.
"You figure out who was behind this?" she asked and Sakura hummed in response
"I think Neji did." Kyoto said in response, looking over, the woman nodded in return, before a masked man jumped onto the stage, Neji jumping in front of him,
"Wait, he's not the same masked man we've been fighting." He said before looking back for the man to reveal his face. Which he did, revealing a reanimated Hizashi.
"Uncle Hizashi? But… But how? You were killed when we were three." Hinami said as she stood next to Hinata who looked equally as shocked. The man explained that Anko and Kabuto had brought him back before releasing him to see the shinobi world having not changed, Which was the reason behind the test. Neji talking to him before he dispersed. The group waiting outside the small cavern.
With the mission completed and all the villagers back in their homes, the ninja dispersed back to their villages. Upon reaching the hidden rain, Konan was knocked out and taken from behind, Nagato and Yahiko looking back towards her, before meeting what seemed to be one of Hanzo's men. His wore a white cloth over his eyes, with holes cut for his eyes to see, his brown eyes looking over. His mouth and nose were covered by a gray respirator, his headband around his forehead, as his brown hair flowed and spiked around his head, wearing a long sleeve tan jacket with black pants.
"Where's Konan? What've you done with her?" Nagato demanded, his red hair sitting flat around his head, covering his right eye, wearing his headband around his forehead as his rinnegan looked forwards, he wore a black ribe that was secured with a gray belt. Looking towards the man who'd just appeared, Yahiko looked over as well, his orange hair spiked around his head, wearing his headband around his forehead, his brown eyes meeting the shinobi's own. Trying to mediate the situation as he wore the same robes as Nagato.
"If you want her back meet Hanzo at this address." He said passing forwards a note before disappearing, not giving the teens time to react in any way, they looked towards each other, before dining a serious look.
"Let's go." Yahiko said and Nagato agreed immediately, their team of Akatsuki going to meet them there to help out once they sent word out. Upon reaching the clearing, they noted Hanzo standing up on a cliff with Konan held prisoner by him and his men. The man himself spouting about their group being too dangerous for the hidden rain and demanding a sacrifice… When Nagato tried refusing, Yahiko ran into his blade. Killing himself, telling him and Konan to live on, before he fell to the ground, dead. Seeing his friend on the ground, Nagato snapped, the akatsuki took on a darker meaning from that day, with the masked man operating in the shadows.
"Man, that mission was kinda hard, but I'm glad everything turned out okay." Kyoto said as they walked back to the village, his hands behind his head a moment, as they walked, Hinami looked over,
"Right… that was kinda scary though." Hinami commented, looking towards the group of genin teams and jonin heading towards the village.
"Yeah, so what exactly happened while we were… out of commission." she said in question, Naruto filling her in, in a loud and abrasive manner, leaning in her face as he spoke in excitement, detailing what happened.
"Interesting, well thanks." Hinami said pushing his face away the group walking up towards the hokage's mansion, walking down the main road with every one of the jonin that'd been missing in order to give the mission report to Minato who sat behind his desk. Taking a breath as he was filled in on what happened.
"I see, so that's what happened… But they left without incident?" He questioned and the groups nodded, after giving their report of the incident. Minato sighed a moment before nodding, thanking the teams, before sending them off.
"How'd your mission go?" Nawaki asked as the twins returned home, taking their shoes off in the foyer, she turned to face him a moment,
"We solved the entire thing." Kyoto said looking over towards the man, grinning a moment,
"Good. I got captured but Naruto and the rest of them really helped out, found the missing jonin and solved the entire case." Hinami said in response, Nawaki had his brown hair sitting behind his head, wearing a green longsleeve shirt with black pants as Ikumi ran over, his half white half black hair spiking around his head, wearing a light blue poncho with the senju clan symbol on the front paired with a white shirt and black pants
"Elder sister." He commented before hugging Hinami's waist, Hinami placing a hand on his head a moment,
"Hey, hold on, what's up." Hinami said in response, hugging him in return,
"Come on, I helped mom make dinner." He said as he jumped down, pulling Hinami with him, and Hinami just shrugged,
"Alright." She said in return, following the boy into the dining room.