Obstacles are a part of the shinobi life
Above everything else, travelling was boring.
They had spent the first night without permanently resting somewhere – that excluded the small break they had every eight to ten hours, which really wasn´t many. The nearest secure place where they would be able to finally calm down for a real rest was a small civilian village that already made aware of their arrival in less than fifteen hours.
The forest was left behind them as the sun started rising once again. The first night had been quite, with no attacks or assassination attempts so far. The occasional rest had allowed most of them to take a small nap, and those who didn´t took the guarding shift. It was a rotation system that allowed each of them to rest.
Naruto on the other hand stayed awake the entire time. Sleep hadn´t come easy to him in a long time anyway, seeing as he could go a few months without it if he wasn´t actively fighting against a literal goddess, so he would be fine.
It had been Hikaku and, surprisingly, the kunoichi Kasumi who had expressed their concerns, since it had been their turn with guarding shift when Naruto had been supposed to rest. He´d brushed them off, saying it wasn´t that big of a deal and he was used to staying alert for long times anyway, having no one else to rely on as Kitsune, an individual shinobi.
They took it for what it was, an excuse, but didn´t bother him much after it.
During their second break, Hikaku and Naruto once again feel into easy conversation about fuuinjutsu. He´d explained the seals on his arms and had explicitly warned him not to try it himself, seeing as it could likely damage his chakra coils to a point that the damage was irreversible, or he could potentially blow a limb of.
Hikaku, much to Naruto´s relief, heeded his warning and seemed to show more sense and restraint than Kagami, if Tobirama´s stories were to be believed. Naruto certainly did, since the Senju wasn´t one to exaggerate in the first place.
Naruto sighed and closed his eyes once again. This journey certainly was a long one, but at least Izuna and his squad had managed to stop the others from throwing glares at him every now and then, which was a small relief, but Naruto would take what he could get.
Suddenly, a whisk of chakra made its way to his senses. His features twisted into a frown and Naruto opened his eyes once again, taking his hands out of his pockets.
He´d sensed them before. Bandits, he assumed, that have been on the path in the mountains that they were supposed to cross. He registered them, cataloged their signatures and went back to ignoring them, seeing as they had still been far away and hadn´t showed any signs of hostility. Now however, they still hadn´t moved from their position hidden in the stone walls.
With a determined scowl, he stretched his senses further out. A low buzz told him that they were actively trying to suppress their chakra, but not enough for him not to notice – never enough for him not to notice. Judging by their reserves, they were at least low jonin, going up to high jonin.
Twenty-five of them. A surprisingly large group consisting of rather skilled shinobi, dominated by earth primary natured users.
Naruto internally groaned. He was sure now those people were waiting for an ambush. Their signatures had been harmless at first, but now it was suspicious, seeing as they hadn´t moved and were currently laying low on the road they were supposed to pass in around thirty minutes.
Still, thanks to his sensor abilities, they had enough time to prepare. Naruto would rather like to avoid a confrontation, seeing as the risk for anyone being injured not only through the enemy, but also because of the chance of falling off the narrow road that was way too high up for Naruto´s liking was too high. It was early enough for them to make a detour.
Naruto´s eyes scanned the area and he tried to reach out a little. There was indeed a second and a third road, but both seemed to be going back into the woods, making their detour much longer than their initial route. Not to mention, they would have to go around the mountain instead of using the pass. Strategically speaking, the place for ambush was perfectly placed by the enemy. Personally speaking, Naruto would have very much liked them to screw off.
With a low growl he let his eyes wander around the group. They were a lot of people, too many for his liking. Not only the two Uchiha squads, but also the six Samurai, the daimyo and his daughter, as well as the five servants that were next to their group on horses, here on the daimyo´s order to keep them tended to. Too large of a group to protect altogether should they be caught in an ambush. It would be a lot easier to go by himself and take them out before anyone would notice them even being there in the first place, but Naruto wasn´t sure how well that would be perceived.
So instead, he turned to Izuna, carefully as to not alert the others just yet.
“Lord Izuna,” Izuna had allowed to call him by his name after seeing how easily he got along with Hikaku, but the title remained, seeing as the man was a clan heir. Said Uchiha turned to Naruto, throwing him a sideways glance. Naruto on the other hand kept his gaze straight on the road.
“Kitsune?” he asked, head tilted back in question.
Naruto nodded towards the road. “There´s an ambush waiting for us up there. Twenty-five shinobi. Judging by their positions, I´m guessing at least seven archers hidden in the stone walls right above the road. The road´s narrow, so if we meet the only option is to fight. Our mobility is going to be restricted and having a higher vantage point they have the advantage.”
The Uchiha clan heir´s eyes widened at that and he swiftly turned to the road, activating his sharingan in hopes of seeing or confirming what Kitsune said. When he didn´t, he frowned and turned back to Naruto, sharingan still pinning him with three tomoe spinning in them.
“I don´t see anything. How far out?” His voice was stern, sterner than Naruto had heard him before, and he had to make an effort to regain himself as soon as possible. Izuna´s chakra was spiking in various different emotions, too many at once for Naruto to properly discern him, so he flooded the space around them with his own, calming chakra, hoping to get Izuna to calm down a little.
“At the pace we´re going?” Naruto hummed, contemplating, “Around thirty minutes. Possibly thirty-five. I checked, and we can make a detour. It´s going to take us two days longer, but we´ll avoid a fight at least. What do you think?”
Izuna´s brows furrowed and he basically glared at the road in front of him. Naruto could practically feel his mind working a mile a minute with the information he had presented him. Naruto let him. As he stated when he´d first arrived, he trusted Izuna to do the right decision in this situation, seeing as it was his team´s life on the line. Naruto would adapt as far as possible and only really intervene once he thought it necessary.
“Anything else? Can you distinguish where they´re from?”
Naruto gave a curt nod and spread his senses once again.
The perks of having been friends with at least one member of every clan in Konoha, and the perks of having fought with a lot of different clans during the war were that he could easily make out the difference. So far, he was sure that it was none of the clans of the land of fire, at least none that he knew. Not only that, but the fact that most were primary earth and wind natured was what also a factor that. As the name suggested, the land of fire had people with the most fire primary natured users, lighting and water coming to a close second. Wind was rather rare in these parts of the land. Most of the wind users were either from the Akimichi or the Sarutobi clan as far as Naruto knew.
“Not from the land of fire at least. Their mostly earth and wind natured, so there´s a high possibility for that at least. And seeing as we are still too far in the land of fire and just nearing the edge of the Land of grass, I´m guessing it´s not people from the Land of stone either. If they are, they´re here on their own accord, not as an assassination unit.”
Izuna hummed, listening to the information, before his frown deepened further. “A valid theory. It could be the rebellion fraction of stone. I heard of tension between the daimyo and some clans in that Land, so they might take matters into their own hands.”
Well, it was good to have someone updated on the political situation when Naruto absolutely had no clue.
Izuna, oblivious to Naruto´s thoughts, simply continued, “It´d be best to avoid conflict. But we need to ask the Lord before taking any detours.”
Naruto blinked, surprised. “Really?” he had thought that informing him of the threat would make him understand at the least. The possibility that they had to seek permission in order to avoid an ambush was something he hadn´t even considered.
Then again, Naruto had never escorted a daimyo before, so he had no idea how the standard procedure with things like this was. The few clients he did escort, not only during this time, but also during his own, where he had been completing official mission as a Konoha shinobi, mostly listened to his or Kakashi´s advice regarding things like that.
Izuna pinned him with a look that was a mixture between disbelieving and deadpanned, perfectly conveying his very clear opinion of Naruto´s question having been stupid.
Naruto sweat-dropped and sheepishly looked away.
“So, who is going to tell the daimyo?”
Izuna sighed and ran a hand through his hair, brushing the loose strands back into their place. “I´d like to ask you to do that, Kitsune. In the meantime, I´ll inform the others of the situation. Report back to me.”
With a determined nod, Naruto shunshinned back to the carriage, seeking out the daimyo.
.
This fucking bastard.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me, Kitsune. And I do not like to repeat myself.”
“I´m going to punch him. I´m going to take him by his throat and throw him down that mountain, I swear to Hagoromo. I might not kill him, but I´ll maim him real god, trust me on that.”
It took every last bit of Naruto´s self-control to not immediately snap at the arrogant man in front of him. The daimyo was looking down at him with a haughty and arrogant look in his face, entirely too pleased with himself considering the situation they were in.
Naruto was clenching his fists tightly, so tightly that they started to turn white at the tips with the pressure. His nails were digging into his palms and were threatening to break skin and draw blood, but that wasn´t what the Jinchuuriki´s focus currently was on at the moment.
Through gritted teeth, Naruto tried to bargain with the man one last time, “But my Lord, the route we´re supposed to be taking is guarded by assassins who want to take your life. Within the mountains, we´re at a disadvantage.”
The daimyo only looked at him like he was the most disgusting and defiant child in the world and had the audacity to simply wave him away without another word.
The request had been denied.
And the reason?
“Listen here, Kitsune. The reason you and the Uchiha were hired was to ward off attacks. If there is an obstacle, I expect you to take care of it, not laze around and go around the threat. If you lose your lives, then that will be due to your own incompetence and lack of skill. I will not postpone my arrival simply because you are scared. Now leave and do not bother me again unless you have something important to tell.”
Naruto was angry. Really angry. Because this wasn´t just a matter of fear – Naruto wasn´t scared, what should he be scared of? – there were lives on the line, and not even necessarily those of the shinobi. The servants, the daimyo and his daughter and the samurai were at risk as well, and Naruto couldn´t protect them all without risking a slip up.
That blasted man was a headache and he was arrogant, but he wasn´t stupid. He knew the risks this entailed, Naruto could tell by the entirely too satisfied smirk on his face, but he disregarded them either way. All because he wanted Kitsune to apparently prove himself and his skill in that kind of situation.
Bastard.
With an angry burst of chakra he shunshinned back to the group. By now, Izuna had gotten together Hikaku, Rasa and Kasumi and had mostly explained the situation. They were only waiting for Naruto´s input on it before Kasumi would go to the others and warn them beforehand.
This time around, Naruto´s appearance startled no one, but they did turn their head in curiosity when his chakra flared, mirroring his mood. So far, only his calmer emotions had been displayed but seeing the rather light hearted man fume was a surprise for them.
“Kitsune, what did the daimyo say?” Izuna was the first to approach him, concerned look on his face since he could feel the turmoil in Naruto´s chakra as well. It send his hairs on the back of his neck upright and he suppressed the shiver that threatened to run down his spine.
He wasn´t necessarily intimidated, but he still had to get used to feeling an emotion so vividly like he did Naruto´s.
Naruto tsk-ed, trying to calm his chakra and suppressing it back so that they would relax. “He told us to get ready and prepare as we see fit, because he´s not tolerating a detour. Since we know what´s awaiting us and have enough time, he left us to our own devices.”
That caused Kasumi to let out a muttered curse and Hikaku and Izuna to frown. Rasa´s chakra swirled in annoyance, but as ever his features were rather hard to get a read on.
“What do we do?” Kasumi asked, looking to Izuna. Normally, Hikaku was the captain of their unit, but with Izuna having taken the place of their teammate that was on medical leave, he also overtook the position as a captain, seeing as his rank was higher than Hikaku´s. The clan heir simply put a hand on his chin in thought, face serious as he thought about their options.
Before he could answer though, Naruto perked up. “I could go and scout ahead. I´ll take out their archers too, since I know exactly where they´re hidden.” And the rest of their group as well, Naruto thinks, but doesn´t say.
The only answer he got were the incredulous looks on their faces.
“Alone?” Hikaku echoed, looking at him like he was a ghost. Naruto tilted his head in confusion, not exactly understanding their concern.
“Yes? In such a narrow space, the less people the better. Taking them out before they can do any damage is the natural course of action, is it not?”
There was only stunned silence as his answer and Naruto shifted a little, still rather confused why they seemed to think it was such a bad idea.
“Taking them out before any fighting can break out is well and good, but going up alone against twenty-five shinobi? It´s a stretch, no matter how strong you consider yourself to be. It´s reckless. If you fail and they discover us knowing of their presence, the rest has to suffer the aftermath. Right now we have the element of surprise.”
On one hand Naruto bristled at the implication that he would fail, pinning Rasa, who had been the one to explain his concern, with a slight glare. He could very well take twenty-five measly jonin by himself, thank you very much.
On the other hand he could see where they were coming from and allowed himself to fall back with his idea. They had no idea how strong he was and he wasn´t planning on revealing his entire strength either, but still. Being underestimated like this certainly was a blow to his pride.
“Then, what do you suggest?” Naruto grumbled slightly, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
“We prepare. If we know how many and where exactly they are, we can adjust. If we shift formation so that the long range attackers are at the front, taking out the archers and other long range attackers, the rest can deal with combat,” Hikaku suggested, making Izuna nod.
“Precisely. Going in with a strategy is the key. We´ll discuss the details and then Kasumi,” he turned to the kunoichi who straightened at being addressed, standing to attention, “You will inform Akito.”
She nodded and bowed her head ever so slightly. “Understood, Lord Izuna.”
Naruto sighed, accepting it, and carefully listened as Izuna explained the following plan.
.
In the end, Naruto´s suggestion hadn´t been for nothing.
They had come to the conclusion that him taking out the first few people he came across wasn´t a bad idea at all, but during that time it had simply been too early. Instead, Naruto would soon take off to the cliffside and stay hidden, observing the group. As soon as they sprung to attack when the daimyo came into view, Naruto would spring into action and throw them off their formation, giving Akito´s and Hikaku´s squad the opening that the needed to go from there. Naruto would then join the fighting as well, making sure that none would be able to advance too close to the daimyo.
The samurai had been notified as well and changed their formation, narrowing in on the daimyo´s carriage in order to protect him. They agreed to stay on defensive and partake in the shinobi´s strategy.
Before he took off, Hikaku stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder, frown on his face and chakra swirling with an emotion that Naruto couldn´t quite decipher.
The blonde patiently waited as Hikaku paused, seemingly wanting to say something but not knowing how to. He tilted his head to the side and put his hand ever so slowly on Hikaku´s wrist, snapping him out of his hesitation without startling him too much.
“Hikaku-san, is everything alright? You seem worried.” In this situation it was natural to be worried, but the plan they had come up with was solid, and with Naruto´s and Izuna´s skills, there was no doubt they would come out of this unharmed. “Everything will be fine! Trust in your comrades.”
Naruto smiled brightly and reassuringly and even under his mask it was obvious for the Uchiha in front of him. He purposefully leaked his chakra, wrapping Hikaku in it so that it worked like a security blanket, keeping him calm and giving him a sense of security to bask in.
Hikaku seemed to appreciate that, because the prior tenseness in his frame disappeared and he relaxed a little, the hand on Naruto´s shoulder loosening its grip.
“Kitsune, make sure you stay hidden.” Something like worry flashed across his eyes and Naruto tilted his head to the side, a frown overtaking his features. Hikaku hadn´t seemed like a worrier to start with, but now the emotion was clear as day to Naruto.
Naruto supposed it made sense. This was the first time they were working together and neither Hikaku, nor anyone else really had a grasp on his skill. Worrying about whether or not Kitsune would be able to fulfill his part of the plan in order to not make the others suffer the repercussions in case he failed was understandable.
( Naruto failed, for all his emotional understanding, to notice the way the crease between Hikaku´s eyebrows got deeper the more relaxed Naruto seemed to be. He failed to notice the way the grip on his shoulder wasn´t meant as a warning, but more as hesitance, set on keeping him there for a second longer.
Hikaku knew of loss. And of course he was scared to lose his comrades. But so far, to him, Kitsune had been nothing but kind. He had taught him of seals and made him understand. Kitsune could have kept quiet about the ambushers, could have not warned them and let them walk blindly into the attack, but he didn´t. And that´s what had puzzled Hikaku, but it was also something eh appreciated greatly.
He might not grief for Kitsune like he would for family or maybe even a good friend, but knowing that they were sending Kitsune out on their own was sitting heavy in his gut, making him squirm and feel uncomfortable.
And Naruto could feel that. But knowing when someone was worried, and knowing what they were worried about were two different things. Sometimes, Naruto doesn´t understand that. )
Hoping to comfort him, Naruto gently pried Hikaku´s hand of his shoulder and gave a short squeeze before letting go. “I will, don´t worry. No one is going to know I´ll be there, so you can rest assured!” He smiled brightly again, making his stance as open and friendly as possible.
There was a pause before Naruto could pick up a quietly muttered “Good. That´s good.”
Before Naruto could finally take off, Izuna joined the two of them, expression set with determination and a hard look in his eyes. His sharingan was still deactivated, but Naruto could already feel the electric and heavy chakra humming underneath. They had about ten minutes before the passed the place.
Izuna walked up to the two of them, putting a hand on Hikaku´s shoulder and fixing Naruto with a look. It wasn´t unkind, but unlike Hikaku, there was no clear worry on his face either. It was the look of a shinobi on a mission, fully knowing the risks and ready to carry out whatever he had set into his mind. His normally light and easy chakra was now dense and hard, more on alert than at the start of their journey.
“Kitsune.”
“Lord Izuna.”
They held each other’s gaze, neither wavering. Naruto could clearly see that in Izuna´s eyes, there was a challenge for him. The challenge for Kitsune to just try and betray them on this mission, then he would see what happened. But Naruto didn´t retaliate. His eyes were still kind, patient and understanding as cerulean blue clashed with onyx black, conveying the silent promise of not doing anything that would make harm come to them.
Even when the sharingan swirled to life, glowing in its full beauty, Naruto didn´t look away.
His resolve seemed to be honest enough for the clan heir, because the hard features on his face softened ever so slightly and the protective surge of his chakra ebbed down.
“You know what to do.” It wasn´t a question, but Naruto nodded in confirmation nonetheless.
With that, the heavy atmosphere lifted itself and Naruto beamed through his mask. “I´ll get going then! Ja ne!”
With a short burst of chakra, Naruto was gone, shunshinning towards where he knew the attackers to be.
Hikaku looked after him, gaze hard, and Izuna didn´t miss the way the younger man´s hands clenched at his sides.
He threw him a sideways glance, raising a dark eyebrow in mild surprise. “Worried?” Was all he said, but he didn´t need do say more. Both of them knew who Izuna was talking about.
Hikaku let out a deep sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to massage the stinging feeling that wouldn´t leave him alone away, with no success. “Was it smart to send him out alone? We´re here as a group, but if they find him…” The sentence wasn´t finished, trailing off into silence, and Izuna hummed in understanding.
Just to tease his cousin, the clan heir feigned ignorance, asking “Are you afraid he´ll jeopardize the plan?”
In response, Hikaku pinned him with an annoyed and vaguely unsure stare, not quite certain whether Izuna was being serious with misunderstanding his worry or not. “No, that´s not it.”
With a quiet huff of laughter, Izuna patted his shoulder twice before turning around and stepping back to his position. He lazily waved a hand behind him to prompt Hikaku to follow. “I know what you mean, but you shouldn´t worry. Kitsune volunteered in the first place. No one forced him. Besides, I have a feeling that he will manage. Now come, we´re almost there.”
With one last glance back to where Naruto had stood, Hikaku sighed and followed.
.
Naruto made three observations while he was hiding right behind the group, crouched on the walls and looking down at the shinobi still blissfully unaware of his presence.
Number one; they were bounty hunters. Most of them had heard of the daimyo being guarded by the Uchiha, specifically Uchiha Izuna, and had gathered together to not only assassinate the daimyo, but also the Uchiha clan heir, using the chance that Madara was not with him. That made Naruto suspect that there was a leak somewhere in the daimyo´s palace, because that information was strictly secured.
The second observation only confirmed his suspicion of a leak, because the route had been a secret as well. Trying to get as much attention away as possible from the daimyo´s planned departure was the smartest way to proceed, but the secrecy had been breached and somehow they knew where to attack in the first place.
Number three; none of them were aware that Naruto had also been hired. Which was good for Naruto, because that meant that none of them would expect the rumored Kitsune to show up and ruin their plans.
“Hey, are you sure they´re going to be here?! We´ve been waiting for hours!” The one closest to Naruto hissed incredibly annoyed.
Another one, perched on the ground a few feet below rolled his eyes, thoroughly done with the nagging. It seemed to be a constant, judging by how many groans echoed through the group.
“Would you shut your mouth? They´ll be here in a few minutes.” The man groaned.
A third one perched on the bottom right next to him perked up in surprise. “Already? Can you sense them?”
Another annoyed roll of his eyes. “Obviously, idiot. I´m a sensor, that´s my job.”
“Well,” Naruto mused with a very smug look on his face, trying his best to keep his chuckles to himself, “despite that being your job you seem to be pretty bad at it, huh. I´ve been here for a while now and you still haven´t noticed me.”
Granted, Naruto had hidden his presence exceptionally well, but it was very amusing to hear him complain about him getting angry with people underestimating his sensory skill when that´s exactly the case.
“Quiet, all of you.” Another spoke up. This one had more of a presence than the others, even with his chakra being suppressed. There was a large x-shaped scar on his face, running from his hairline to his jawline on both sides and crossing directly over the bridge of his nose. The man had long brown hair that shimmered reddish in the light, tied down into a tight high not. His bangs were uneven and short enough for Naruto to see the man´s eyes, even if the rest of his face was obscured by a mask. The man´s light grey eyes sharply pinned his companions, ordering them to be quiet and settle down.
So this was their leader.
Out of all of these shinobi, he was the biggest, most muscular and the one with the most painful looking scarring all over his face and arms. Judging by his build, he was less build for speed and relied more on brute force and strength. A common trait with people who have earth as their primary nature. Unlike wind and lighting users who relied on being as quick and swift as their element, earth natured shinobi were mostly heavy hitters with a solid foundation.
“We have a job to complete. Stay focused. I will not tolerate failure.”
The other twenty-four shinobi chorused a hushed “Understood!” Before everything fell quiet again.
Naruto could slowly feel the others approaching and a smirk grew on his face, excitement rushing through his veins.
“It´s time. Let´s go.”