In her henge, Anko lay on a small cot, her eyes tracing the patterns on the ceiling. The cloudy sky peeked through the holes in the roof, and the breeze that slipped in carried the heavy humidity. Her gaze shifted to her wrapped wound, a stark reminder of her vulnerability. Anko's mind wandered back to her encounter with Kimmimaro.
Flashback: Days earlier, before Anko and Naruto jumped into the river
Anko fired off another flurry of senbon at Tayuya; since she arrived to help Naruto, they had kept her on the back foot, with Naruto using clones to stave off the Doki. At the same time, he got in close in an attempt to apprehend her flute with Tayuya.
They had her on the ropes as she couldn't play her more complex melodies for her techniques as she was constantly being barraged by senbon and Naruto making continued attempts at her flute; after several minutes of this, Naruto finally landed a
Gale Style: Palm Strike
on Tayuya's hand, sending her flute flying
"Damn it"
Anko struck senbon in points in her leg, hampering Tayuya's mobility. She started to limp away toward her flute, but she was met by a small army of Narutos who began to hold her down.
"Get off, damn it."
Anko landed next to the restrained Tayuya,
"I'm only going to tell you once; I'm going to get you to tell me everything you know about Orochimaru or else,"
"Or else what," said Tayuya
Anko deftly took a senbon, dabbed it in a vial she had in her coat, and pieced Tayuya's hand; her hand began to feel like it was on fire, and Tayuya started to scream in agony.
"What did you do to me?"
"That is venom from a vicious breed of fire ants in the Forest of Death. It won't kill you, but it will hurt like hell, and I got a hell of a lot more of it if you don't tell me everything now."
Naruto saw Tayuya's eyes tear up as she continued to scream.
"Sis, this is wrong. We can't do this; it's not right," Naruto's voice quivered with a mix of fear and concern.
"Shut up, Naruto, you don't understand; this is my first chance to get him in years. I can't let it go."
From above, Anko heard projectiles zipping through the air.
Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets
Small bone fragments flew through the trees and went toward Anko and Naruto. They dismissed most of Naruto's clones, but Naruto's original body was far enough away that he could dodge the bullets. Anko wasn't so lucky as one of the bone bullets hit her leg; she managed to stumble next to Naruto and looked for their assailant.
Kimimaro descended before them, his body transforming into a menacing array of bone spikes,
Dance of the Camellia
Naruto reacted by summoning dozens of clones and had them charge at Kimimaro.
Kimimaro began to spin and weave through the clones easily, dispatching them easily.
Anko took out a syringe from her felled kit and injected it into her leg, slowing the blood flow in the area around her wound; she turned toward Naruto,
"We have to move now," said ANko
"But we can fight him," said Naruto.
"Just trust me, Naruto," said Anko.
Anko and Naruto hoped to go to the branches above and begin to move away.
After Kimimaro defeated the last clone, he turned to the still-battered Tayuya,
"I expect you to follow me so you can help me clean up this mess."
He then began to go after his prey at alarming speed.
Anko winched and had to focus to keep her balance each time she jumped and landed.
Naruto was still reserved about running away,
"Why are we running?"
Anko shook her head
"He has a very powerful kekkai genkai, where he can manipulate his skeleton for combat; it makes him a difficult opponent to face since regular attacks won't work on him, "
"But we can still take him if we work together, " countered Naruto
"Maybe, but we can think about how to beat him while running. "
What Anko was saying was only half the reason she wanted to run. Another was that Kimimaro's arrival implied that he defeated Kakashi, something she desperately didn't want to think about right now.
Naruto looked back to see Kimimaro gaining on them.
"Naruto, on my signal, turn around and use Great breakthrough on my technique," he nodded.
"Okay, I got you," said Naruto
Anko turned herself around mid-air and went through hand signs,
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique
She released a massive fireball. Kimimaro.
Naruto followed her lead and performed
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough
Naruto put a massive amount of chakra into the technique, producing sheering winds and making the fireball triple in size and intensity,
The sequence was fast and was done when Kimimaro was in the air, unable to dodge; as the massive flame went toward him, he held a blank expression as if dead on, creating an explosion of fire.
"Yes, we did it. " said Naruto in celebration
Anko hoped for Naruto's statement to be true as she watched the smoke to see if their combo attack had any effect.
Her heart dropped when she saw Kimimaro jump through the smoke with a massive shield of bone coming from his arms. He melded back into his skin, and he continued his pursuit unharmed,
Naruto looked over to Anko, losing some confidence at how little their powerful attack just did.
"So what are we going to do now?"
Anko began to think that the only attack that could do any damage was her flames wisps technique. However, it required a lot of time to use, and the target needed to stay in one area. As she looked back at Kimimaro steadily gaining on them, she lost confidence in that idea working.
Anko was shaken out of her thoughts by a panicking Naruot.
"Hey, sis, I think we're out of the forest,"
Anko looked up to see the edge of the forest and a massive ravine that went on for miles.
"Let's change direction," Anko said
As Anko was about to, Kimimaro appeared only several feet from her and held the tips of his fingers toward her
Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets
Anko reacted quickly and tackled Naruto out of the trees and onto the ground below; they found themselves on the edge of a cliff, with Kimimaro approaching.
End Flashback
Anko stopped her reminiscing as the door to the small shack opened, and Naruto entered still in his henge with Osami following behind him. Osami was the leader of the group of fishermen they ran into; he had allowed them to stay in a shack near his home for the time being. He carried a bowl of soup and laid it down next to Anko.
"Sorry, it's not much, not a lot of stuff to make food with nowadays," said Osami, his voice tinged with embarrassment.
"Oh, no worries. You have already been more than kind by letting us stay here," said Anko sincerely.
When they first arrived in the village, Anko had a chance to survey the area. It was clear that this was an impoverished region, making the small bowl of soup Osami offered them all the more significant.
Anko thought herself well-read and prided herself on her knowledge of global affairs, but the poverty she witnessed in The Land of Waves differed from her expectations.
She knew it was a small island nation east of the land of fire; they had no centralized government or ninja village and a low population. She figured that a nation with sea trade routes to three significant elemental nations would at least be financially stable, but it seemed she was wrong.
As she sipped her soup, Anko decided it was time to broach the subject of her and Naruto leaving. They could walk across the sea back to the land of fire, but she didn't want to draw too much attention if it wasn't necessary.
"I thank you for your hospitality, but my brother and I must see if our parents made it out alright. Is there any way we can get a boat off the island?" asked Anko.
Osami shook his head.
" Not unless you have the ryo to spend; my crew and I are only allowed to set out once every two weeks; you might catch a ride on another one of the crews up the coast, but you're likely gonna have to get passage on one of the freighters, and they'll take you leg before they allow you on for free."
"How Much do they charge, asked Anko
"Last price I heard was 500,000 ryo."
Anko cringed at the number, "Who has that kind of money?"
"No one, but the price of everything around here is increasing," explained Osami
"Why is everything so expensive here?" asked Naruto
Osami sighed and sat down on a wooden seat in the corner
"It wasn't always like this. When I was a boy, we had plenty to go around. Everyone made a good living as fishers or working for one of the shipping companies. My old man owned one and raised me and my sister comfortably." Osami said, happiness in his tone as he remembered better times
"What happened?" questioned Naruto
"Gato," Osami's voice had enough venom to make Anko and Naruto flinch.
"He came through here a little over a decade back with his little group of thugs; they went around pressuring the people who owned shipping companies to sign over everything to him: trade deals, ships, hell, even houses if they were close enough to the port."
"What did they offer you?" inquired Anko
Osami waved his hand dismissively.
"They would have done better taking a shit in our hands; we could have made what they were giving us in two months if we kept the company. My dad refused, and they kept pushing it; a busted window turned into a sabotaged boat; they wouldn't stop."
"Did your dad sign the contract?"
"Yeah, he did; they kidnapped my sister and threatened to sell her off. Since then, Gato has had control over everything. All the stuff in the country comes from the sea, so he can charge what he likes, and the only jobs available are working for Gato at his shipping company, and they pay you just enough to keep you alive for the next week. " said Osami his restlessness at the current situation evident
Osami then sighed and stood up from the chair.
"Sorry about that. I can get awfully passionate; it's not your issue. I'll take you back when I head back out in a couple of weeks; you are welcome to stay here until then."
"Why don't you stop them? It's only one guy. You can't just let him push him around like that," said Naruto, wondering how people could allow themselves to get bullied around so easily
Osami looked at Naruto with pity in his eyes.
"A lot more people around here used to think the same; they even had a leader whose name was Kaiza; he rallied the people and tried to stand up to Gato."
"Tried, what happened to him?"
Osami's features darkened, and he dismissed Naruto's question
"Is not your problem. Seriously, you folks don't need to be messed up in all this."
He then made his way toward the door and turned around.
"And if you need anything, just come over and knock on my door."
Osami then exited the small, dilapidated shack.
Anko glanced at Naruto, noticing his intense gaze fixed on her.
She immediately got what he was getting at and began to protest
"No, we can't. We have to find the rest of the team."
"But these people need help; they helped us. We can't just abandon him," said Naruto
"Look, how about we leave tonight? We can walk back to the land of fire, and when we get back to the village, we can tell the Hokage about all this," Anko bargained.
"There's no way I can do that,"
Naruto pointed outside,
"These people are struggling badly, and it's all because of one rich asshole; we can do something about it, why don't we?
"Naruto, we can't, okay? This situation is probably a lot more complex than we can solve in a few days, and who knows what could happen with the others if we wait that long," Anko's voice was filled with concern.
"You told us to believe in each other, and I'm doing that. I would want them to do the same thing if they were here. If you're not going to help me, I will find this Gato guy and kick his ass myself."
Anko sighed. This kid was way too persuasive.
"Fine, we'll see what we can do, but we can only stay a few days; after that, we leave."
Naruto smiled," Awesome, let's go find that guy and show him what's for."
"Hold up; it's not that simple. Gato is not just your run-of-the-mill gang lead; he's one of the wealthiest men in the world and one of the biggest shipping companies in the world," explained Anko
"How do you know that," asked Naruto
"I read Naruto, and it can be pretty useful if you do it more than one time a week,"
Naruto bristled at the call-out.
"It means that we have to find a way to displace his company from Wave, or someone is just going to come back to take it over."
"How are we going to do that? "
A knock came from the door
Osami's son yelled, "Dad, someone's at the door."
He got up and went to answer the door to see Anko and Naruto still in their henges.
"Oh, you two, do you need anything?"
Anko and Naruto dropped their henges, revealing their identities as ninjas; Osami stood in the doorway, mouth open in shock.
Anko spoke. "My name is Anko Mitarashi, and this is Naruto; we're both ninjas from Konoha and would like to help. "
Sakura finished changing Kakashi's bandages and ensuring none of his wounds were infected; it had been nearly a full day since they arrived at the cave. Sasuke found them a few hours later, and since then, they had taken the chance to rest up with them alternating watches between the night.
She smiled at Pakkun, snuggling into Kakashi's chest. Pakkun had told them he had two more days before he was unsummoned; it wasn't enough time to return to the village, but he agreed to stay and help them protect Kakashi as long as possible.
Sakura looked over to Sasuke, who was near the entrance, using the light to sharpen his weapons. They had only said a few words to one another since meeting back up, and it made her feel self-conscious about how little their relationship had progressed over the months. Naruto always started conversations between the three of them, so it masked the fact that she and Sasuke rarely spoke to each other directly.
Sakura shook away her anxieties about Sasuke and focused on more important matters. Kakashi said he would be out for a few days, and they needed to make a plan.
She walked up to Sasuke; he turned around, hearing her footsteps echo in the cave,
"We need a plan. Kakashi sensei is in a rough condition. I doubt that even when he regains consciousness, he'll be able to move right away," explained Sakura
"Meaning we have to make plans for those five to track us down again," said Sasuke
Sakura nodded
"Yeah, we should start with what we know about them."
Sakura and Sasuke began discussing their fights with Jirbo, Sakon, and his brother.
"So it seems like whatever this curse mark is, increasing all their physical and chakra abilities."
"It also gives them a second wind. I had the big guy almost defeated, but once he activated his second form, it was like I was fighting a completely different guy."
"So do you think all of them will come after us?" asked Sakura
"You said Kakashi disabled the leader, so they may hesitate to come after us. If they know how hurt he is, they will try to take advantage of his weakened state, considering who he is".
Sakura remembered what the leader had said to Sasuke when they first encountered sound five: "I get why they want Kakashi, but why would they want to go after you?"
The Shariagan, that's the only thing I can think of; it's the most powerful dojutsu in the world, and as far as I know, only three people have it: me, Kakashi, and the man who killed my clan."
"Yeah, but you don't have your Sharingan, do you?"
Sakura covered her mouth and scolded herself for saying something stupid
"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to…"
"No, it's okay, it's just." Sasuke paused
"A lot of our clan's knowledge about the Sharingan was given orally through stories; my dad was going to show me how to unlock mine… and sometimes I wonder if I'll ever get my Sharingan or am I destined not to carry on the will of my clan.
Sasuke's vulnerability took aback Sakura but quickly reassured him.
"Don't say that you work harder than anyone I know; I'm absolutely sure you'll get you, Sharingan, So please don't lose hope."
Sasuke closed his eyes, and a small small came across his lips,
"Thank you. I usually never doubt myself, but sometimes, it just comes out.
Sakura blushed lightly
"No problem."
Sasuke then swiftly redirected the conversation to the plan,
"Do you think you can hide the entrance to the cave with your earth jutsu?"
Sakura shook her head,
"The entrance is too big to close up with my earth jutsu. And if I raise the ground, it will probably give away our position due to the distinct changes in the terrain it causes," explained Sakura.
Sasuke nodded,
"Yeah, the guy I fought also used earth jutsu, meaning if he can use a technique similar to yours, we'll likely find out eventually, "Sasuke admitted, his tone tinged with concern.
"We can't make a plan until we figure out how many of them are after us, if any at all," said Sakura.
They heard a yawn as Pakkun stretched and walked over to them.
"If you need to know how many of them are after you, I am your dog."
Kimimaro looked at his team. They had recovered Kidomaru's body and sealed it into a summon scroll. After he had called a meeting to discuss their next move
"Each of us failed miserably in our task, and we should each expect punishment from our master once we return, but there is still an opportunity to make some things right. Jirobo and Sakon, I need you two to track down Hatake and the Uchiha. Me and Tayuya must check on preparations for our other task; I expect both of you to meet us at Lord Orochimaru's hideout with Hatake dead and the Uchiha captured," Kimimaro declared, his voice filled with determination.
Sakon spoke up
"Wouldn't Tayuya be a better option here? Her ninjutsu would be valuable in detaining the Uchiha."
Tayuya looked eager to accept the role change, not wanting to be alone with Kimimaro.
"I agree that she would be useful, but her part in the master's plan will be essential if things change," Kidomaro explained.
"Do you think we will go with Plan B?" asked Sakon
"Despite them not learning Kabuto's identity, the leaf now knows a spy is in the village. It may not change our circumstances, but I'm unwilling to take a chance."
Kimimaro turned on his heel and began to walk away without uttering another word, his silence heavy with unspoken command.
Tayuya turned toward Sakon and Jirobo,
"Bye emo, bye fatso, hope you idiots don't get yourselves killed." mocked Tayuya
Jirobo's voice was tinged with disappointment as he spoke, "Considering that you were the only one here who was defeated, I would have assumed you would have gained some humility; it appears I was wrong,"
"Whatever, they caught me off guard. How was I supposed to know that brat.."
"Tayuya," Kimimaro said, giving Tayuya a look with cold rage.
Tayuya immediately piped down and started to follow Kimimaro.
"Come on, let's finish this trash off," said Sakon
"Do not underestimate our opponents. The Uchiha was formidable and cunning, and I assume the girl you fought was also a challenge; not many could survive long against you and your brothers' technique."
"She got lucky. Next time, it'll be over in an instant."
Jirobo shook his head, annoyed by the overconfidence of his companions.
"I wish Kidomaru were here; with his summons, we could have found them within the day; now we have to scour the forest looking for them."
"All the more reason we should hurry," said Jirobo as he and Sakon went off to pick up the trail of their targets.
Anko and Naruto traveled north as Osami had directed them. He told them of a man resisting Gato's control and building a bridge to stop Gato's stranglehold on the island. It was a man named Tazuna, who was Kaiza's father-in-law. Osami had told them the whole story of what happened to Kaiza and how it has demoralized the citizens to this day.
Tazuna had been going around Wave asking for donations to hire a team of ninjas to protect himself and the bridge. Though from what Anko gathered the donations wouldnt have paid for any mission above a C-rank.
After about an hour of travel, they made it to Tazuna's house,
They walked up to the door and knocked,
"One moment, please a feminine voice said from behind the door."
The door opened, and a woman with long dark blue hair came out. She wore a short-sleeved pink shirt with the end of the sleeves and a red collar, as well as a long blue skirt.
"Hello, does Tazuna live here?" asked Anko
"Yes, he does. Who is asking.."
Tsunami paused as she saw the forehead protectors.
"Are you here to help?" Tsunami asked in a meek voice, weary of a trap
"You bet we are," Naruto said as he put a thumb on his chest.
"Dad, Dad, come quick; ninja are here," yelled Tsunami
"What, but I haven't even gone to hire some yet," Tazuna yelled as he came in view of the door and spotted Anko and Naruto; his mouth went slack-jawed
"Come inside. We can talk about this over tea," suggested Tsunami
Anko and Naruto came inside and began to tell Tazuna and Tsunami about their circumstances for being there,
"Well, it looks like my luck just keeps getting better; I can't believe an actual ninja; by the way, are you sure this pipsqueak is up to help guard me and my bridge? It's not an easy job. You know," boasted Tazuna
"Hey, who are you calling a pipsqueak? I have you know you're talking to the future Hokage here," responded Naruto
Tazuna looked closer at Naruto. "I don't see it."
"Hold up, gramps. We never said anything about guarding you." interrupted Anko
What do you mean, my bridge is the only hope for this country?" retorted Tazuna
"You're either too naive or too full of yourself if you really believe that," said Anko.
"No, listen here, missy, I don't know who you think you are if you think you as an outsider, can you tell me what's best for my own damn nation?"
"Well, this outsider happens to be one of the best infiltration/ sabotage specialists where I come from, and I'm saying that this whole bridge situation doesn't make any sense; Gato could have had you and your family killed or detained as soon as you started on the bridge."
Tsunami gasped
"Don't say such things."
Anko shrugged
"It's true. Have you ever considered that Gato is letting you build this bridge? How long have you been at it?"
"About five months." Tazuna, growing annoyed at Anko
"And he has known about it for that long and hasn't lifted a finger. I don't buy it. Something fishy is happening here, and even if he just let the bridge be built, it wouldn't solve the issues with your country," said Anko
It doesn't matter why he hasn't made a move; this bridge is still the only shot we got to save this country," said Tazuna
"Okay, tell me, once you connect the bridge to the Land of Fire, what's the next step?" asked Anko.
"We will go out and buy cheaper goods and get traders to come here," explained Tazuna
"Land traders who you have no previous relationship with will come to the edge of the land of fire to do business with a poor market, And from my memory, the closest settlement from here that you could trade with is several days easy on foot, and it's not like they would have a surplus of supplies. " Anko criticized
"Sis, stop being mean. I thought we were helping them," said Naruto, unhappy with how she was talking.
"Well, what the hell do you want me to do? I'm just one man; it's all I can think of," said Tazuna
Anko's eyes and tone softened as she looked at Tazuna
"Look, gramps; I'm not trying to shit on your ambition; in fact, you're probably one of the gustiest people I have ever met; all I'm trying to say is that expecting to build a bridge, and all of the issues will be solved is not realistic. "
Tazuna slumped forward, sloshing around his bottle of sake in his hand
"It's all I'm good at; I'm just a washed-up old drunk outside building bridges. I can't fight, so this is my way of helping my people; I have to honor him."
Anko smiled. "Well, don't worry. You have the two best ninjas available to pull something like this off. We need more information to determine Gato's weaknesses and any vulnerabilities in his operation and to understand why he hasn't stopped your bridge project yet."
Anko turned toward Naruto.
"What I need you to do is to create shadow clones and henge them into different things, from people to animals, and eavesdrop and prod for information on Gato; this would usually take several days, but with how many you can make, it can be done in a few hours," said Anko
"How do I get information? I've never done something like this before," questioned Naruto.
Anko shrugged. "You'll be fine; you are so naturally charismatic; people will be telling you their life stories after you talk to them for a bit."
"What are you going to do?" asked Naruto
"Osami told me that Gato's biggest port is on the west side of the island. The dockmaster there must know something, so I will go there and politely ask a few questions," said Anko
Naruto got flashbacks to Anko "asking questions" to the girl they captured
"Sis, you aren't going to hurt them, are you?" asked Naruto
"No, civilians are super susceptible to genjutsu; it's really easy to get info out of them," explained Anko
"What can we do? I don't want to make you do all the work," asked Tazuna
"Keep working on the bridge; we don't want to draw suspicion about our presence, and we would appreciate any useful information you may have," Anko informed.
As they discussed further details, none of them noticed a small boy peeking through a crack in his door, scowling.
Pakkun returned to the cave from his scouting expedition.
Sasuke asked, "Are they still after us."
Pakun nodded
"I caught two scents still in the area; they appear to be the opponents you two fought before."
"You didn't smell the other three, but can they still be in the area?"
Pakkun shook his head.
"Unlikely, my sense of smell is very strong. Unless they have a high-level concealment technique, they will leave a trace. They likely sent these two after us, and the other three went after the rest of your team."
"Are they close by," asked Sakura
"They're far enough away where they likely won't find you now, but if the two of them continue at the pace they're at, they'll be on our doorstep in a matter of days," explained Pakun, his voice tinged with concern.
"Do you think we can move Kakashi?" questioned Sasuke, trying to go through their options
Sakura shook her head,
"Not at a speed that would be viable, plus if we are caught with him out in the open, he'll be a sitting duck. "
Sasuke nodded. They could carry Kakashi and escape without trouble, but if they did encounter those two, Kakashi would be a sitting duck.
"Then we have to stand our ground then," said Sasuke
That might not be too bad,
Well, we know most of their abilities, and we know they are after us, meaning we can dictate where we fight them.
So you're suggesting we trap the area,
"No, not just that; we should create a battlefield next to the cave where we can take advantage of them coming after us."
Sasuke began to expand on Sakura's statement.
"It would be far enough away from Kakashi where he won't get caught up in the fighting, and it gives us the best chance to win,"
"Okay, let's go over our supplies."
They went through their and Kakashi's ninja pouches and pulled out all of the supplies they had,
100 meters of ninja wire, thirty shuriken, ten kunai, five explosive tags, two windmills shuriken, and four smoke bombs
Sasuke nodded
"We can do a lot with this."
Sakura was silent, her mind racing with all the possibilities if she used her genjutsu
Sasuke looked concerned as he watched Sakura stare intensely at the equipment before her.
After several minutes, she turned toward Sasuke with a grin
"They won't know what hit them."
Anko was crouched on top of a warehouse as she surveyed the port.
Several laborers were through to the shipyard, with warehouses littered through the port; there was also a two-story building, which Anko assumed was the offices.
A loud bell rang through the yard; there were a multitude of groans as the workers stopped what they were doing and began to make their way to the center.
Anko overheard some conversations as they passed by her.
"Another announcement: what do you think it is this time?"
"He probably wants to show off his new watch or something; at this point, I think he just likes the sound of his voice."
When the workers gathered, a gaudily dressed man came out and stood looking over them
"Hello, everyone; I'll make this quick since we are all busy. Gato has informed me that the production from this port has dropped significantly, so I regretfully have to tell you that your pay will be docked until we get back up to our usual standards,
The group of workers went into an immediate uproar and began protesting,
"What do you mean production has dropped? We have been working our asses off, "
"You can't keep doing this. We have families to feed."
Anko seized the opportunity presented by the bustling crowd to slip toward the office building."
Anko went snuck through the port until she arrived at the building.
Anko meticulously surveyed the exterior of the building. She spotted a window on the back wall and stealthily approached it. Upon closer inspection, she noted that the lock was a basic latch. With a senbon in hand, she deftly pierced through the wood and lifted the latch, allowing herself entry. Once inside, she carefully closed the window behind her and silently scoped out the room. Making her way to the corner behind the desk, she went through hand signs and performed the
Transparent Escape Technique
Anko became invisible. The technique required a lot of chakra to use and maintain, so it wasn't helpful against ninjas, but it was perfect for people who couldn't sense it.
After waiting several minutes, the dockmaster entered his office with the foreman behind him.
"You can't do this, you; we already had a pay cut last month." said the foreman asserted
"I keep telling you it's not up to me. You are going to take it up with Gato." said the dockmaster, dismissing his concerns
"You know I damn well I can't do that."
The foreman then looked around at the dockmaster's lavish office.
"I see you aren't suffering any repercussions from these pay cuts."
"What are you implying?"
"Just that you are a greedy bastard that is fattening his wallet while our families starve."
"Be careful, boyo. Do you even know who you're talking to?"
the dockmaster said, smugness oozing through his voice
The foreman tensed up, his face showing regret over his actions.
"Gato and I have known each other for years. You know well that Gato doesn't take kindly of people who disrespect him or his associates."
The foreman was silent as he tightened both his fists at his sides.
"Any more complaints? No, good, now be a good little foreman and calm the rest of the workers down; if I have to keep listening to their complaining, I'm going to get a headache."
The foreman left the office, and the dockmaster began to reach into his desk; Anko took action, dropped her jutsu, and grabbed him, one hand on the back of his neck and the other covering his mouth.
She then turned him around to face her. Looking into his eyes, she began channeling chakra into him before using genjutsu to put him into a hypnotic state.
Once it took effect, she let him go, and he plopped down right into his chair, eyes glazed over, staring forward.
Testing to see if her technique worked, she asked a simple question
"Who are you?"
The man responded in a monotone voice
"My name is Okano Iwane, and I'm the dockmaster of this port.
Anko, satisfied with the hypnosis, began her interrogation
"Why hasn't Gato dealt with Tazuna?"
"He wants to let him do most of the work on the bridge; he will kill him and take control of the bridge; we plan on tolling travel in and out of the island. "
"How many thugs does Gato employ?"
"It goes anywhere from two hundred to three hundred at any given time."
"Why such a wide fluctuation?"
"Gato is a miser. He's underpaid his mercenaries for years. When they ask for more money, he hires cheaper ones to drive the others out or kill them."
"What mercenary group does he hire from now, and how skilled are they?"
"Bottom of the barrel, the major troupes won't deal with him anymore, and he doesn't pay enough to get anyone of decent quality; the only ones he pays well are his bodyguards, Warajii and Zori. "
"How does he plan to eliminate Tazuna, "
"I don't know. We know that Tazuna will hire ninjas soon. Gato said he had it solved, but he didn't tell me more than that."
"Does Gato have adversaries that can threaten his position in the wave?"
"Not here, Gato's central hub used to be in Tanzaku Gai, but he ended up pissing off the wrong people and even had the Daimyo breathing down his neck; that's why he moved Gato Company here, no authority to push him out."
Anko thought about more questions she could ask. She only had a little more time. This was a big port, and eventually, someone would wander into this office. She canceled the genjutsu and cast another to put him to sleep.
With a sense of satisfaction, Anko exited through the window and made her way back to Tazuna's, her mind buzzing with the valuable information she had just acquired.
Naruto, feeling utterly drained, had spent the entire day with his clones, tirelessly gathering information on the island. Now, he was making his way to a spot one of his clones had found.
He stumbled upon a secluded part of the forest, its air filled with the sweet scent of flowers. As he rested, he couldn't help but be reminded of a flower patch back in Konoha, tucked away in the forest behind the Hokage monument. It was a place he often sought solace in during his childhood.
Naruto perked up as he heard the sound of the crunching of leaves and footsteps approaching.
He saw a feminine figure emerge from the woods. They had loose, long hair that cascaded down their back and were dressed in a pink, sleeveless, low-cut kimono with pale red edges decorated with small plum-colored swirls that went to their ankles, a striking sight in the forest.
"Oh, hello, there. Am I intruding on anything?" the stranger, a feminine figure, asked Naruto.
Naruto shook his head, still lying on the ground,
"No, I was just resting here. It's been a long day for me. "
"Yeah, I can understand that; it's been quite a stressful day for me as well. "
"Are you from here?" asked Naruto
"No, I'm new here. I like picking flowers to unwind, so I asked one of the locals for a good spot. Do you mind if I could find another spot?"
"Go ahead; I don't own this place."
As the stranger walked forward, they eyed Naruto's headband.
"Are you a. Ninja?"
"Yep, I sure am, the one and only Naruto Uzumaki,"
Haku smiled at Naruto's enthusiasm.
"Well, my name is Haku; it's a pleasure to meet you, Naruto. Would you like to join me? I plan on making an arrangement, and I would like help picking out the right colors, " Haku asked as they gestured to the flowers.
"Sure, but I've never picked flowers before."
"Trust me, it's not difficult; you'll get the hang of it quickly."
The two picked flowers in the field, with Haku directing Naruto to which ones they needed; Haku had to tell Naruto multiple times that he was picking weed, much to their amusement.
After about an hour, they rested and sat in the flower patch.
"Naruto, did you become a ninja?" asked Haku
"To get strong and become Hokage, they are the strongest ninjas in their villages, and if I can get that strong, then I can protect my village and everyone I care about."
"Do you have a lot of people you care about?"
"Yeah, Kakashi sensei, Anko sensei, old man Hokage, Iruka sensei, Sakura, and I guess even Sasuke. He can be a jerk sometimes, but he's alright."
"Wow, that's a lot of people," Haku said genuinely impressed.
"Yeah, I know; before, I didn't have a lot of people to care about, so I want to keep them safe by getting strong. said Naruto
"Do you know who you look up to among them, like a person who you would do anything for," asked Haku
Naruto thought for a moment,
"I would have said gramps before, but now I would probably go with sis."
"Oh, you didn't mention you have a sister."
"Oh, she's not my sister. I just call her that,"
"You must care about her a lot for you to consider her family," stated Haku
"Yeah, she is super awesome; she helps me understand stuff when I don't get it. She's really smart and a badass ninja on top of all that."
"She sounds wonderful," Haku said, enjoying the warmth of Naruto's tone as he talked about his sister.
"Yeah, she's also an orphan, just like me; I'm lucky I didn't think after the academy that I wouldn't have someone like Iruka sensei, but Anko is like him but cooler."
In Konoha at the academy, Iruka sneezed and began to feel aggrieved.
Do you have someone you look up to?" asked Naruto
A solemn expression came over their faces as they thought about recent events.
"Is there something wrong, Haku?"
"Has your sister done anything you thought wasn't a good idea?"
Naruto immediately thought of Anko in the forest a few days earlier and her anger toward the girl they captured, a complete opposite of the usually calm and collected person he had come to know; he hadn't talked about it with her, but it disturbed him.
"Yeah, kinda recently, too. I know she probably has her reasons, but I didn't like it; it felt like she was betraying who she was."
Haku nodded, "The person I'm closest to did something I didn't agree with recently, too."
"What did he do," Naruto asked.
Haku chose their word carefully, not wanting to reveal their identity
"Well, he is about to go into business with someone I don't trust. We need money, but I know bad things will happen if we work with them."
"Did you tell him that?"
Haku shook their head." No, it isn't my place; if he feels it's the right decision, I will follow it.
Naruto sat up." Well, why do you have to let him? You should tell him how you feel."
"But what if he doesn't listen."
"My gramps said once that people who care about you will take you seriously. "
Haku looked down and whispered, "What if you are a tool?"
"What did you say? " asked Naruto
"Oh, nothing,"
Naruto stood up and stretched,
"Thanks, Haku. This talk made me want to talk to Anko."
Naruto reached down to help Haku up.
When he pulled Haku up, they were face to face, and Naruto, for the first time, noticed how pretty Haku was and began blushing.
Haku became amused at this and said
" Naruto, can I tell you a secret?"
"Yeah, sure."
Haku leaned over and whispered in his ear, "I'm a boy."
A shocked look came over Naruto's face, and Haku giggled at his reaction and began to walk away; as he began to exit the clearing, Haku turned around and looked at a still-stunned Naruto.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Naruto; I hope we meet again someday, " Haku said as he left.
Naruto stood there for several moments, still shell-shocked and slightly confused. He shook it off, taking it away to think about another day. Remembering his declaration, he went to find Anko.
Naruto was waiting for Anko, a little distance from Tazuna's house. He spotted her coming up the trail, and he ran to her.
"Sis, we need to talk," Naruto said
"Yeah, we have to overview what we both discovered in recon."
"No, not about that; I want to talk about what happened in the forest."
"What about it" asekd Anko
"About what you did to that girl. I understand she tried to kill us, but she was pinned down and defenseless, and you hurt her, and you said you would do it more, "
"Naruto… it's complicated. " said Anko
"No, it's not; that wasn't you, sis, you were like a different person. "
Anko looked inward at her actions. She felt guilty about yelling at Naruto at that moment, but she couldn't bring herself to feel bad about her threatening to torture the girl.
"Look Naru…"
Suddenly, Anko felt a pain in the side of her neck as the familiar pain of her curse mark called out to her; she knelt and held her neck.
Her mind raced through images of her lost memories. The visions were intelligible, and each one lasted no more than a second, but one thing was clear: the voice of her former master.
It was dark, but she knew she was inside, and all around her were pained groans and screams of people.
The voice of her sensei broke through the noise.
"My dear Anko, I hope if there is one thing that you take away from this is that in the pursuit of knowledge, there are no limits or boundaries you can cross when you work toward your goal. "
Anko heard Orochimaru move away and shuffle around metal objects in what sounded like a pan.
"Do you know how many suffered when chakra healing techniques were first created? It's not well documented, but early practicers would often experiment on perfectly healthy people and break their bodies apart layer by layer, piece by piece, but no one ever talks about how evil medical ninjutsu is or its origins,"
Anko heard Orochimaru walk toward one of the groaning voices; after a few moments, the groans became screams of agony. Anko desperately tried to cover her ears, but the sound of the memory echoed through her mind.
"When I, no when we accomplish our goal, no one will remember the sacrifices we made or the methods we used; all that will matter is results."
The sound of the memory stopped, and Anko's eyes shot open. She found herself curled up in a ball on the ground, Naruto hovering over her, panicking.
When he saw that Anko had stopped writhing, he wrapped both his arms around her.
Anko returned the hug and took the chance to touch her curse mark; the pain was still there, but it was subsiding.
Naruto let go of the hug, and he had slight tears in his eyes; he began
"Sorry, I didn't know what to do. I thought something bad had happened; I just."
Anko put a hand on top of Naruto's head.
"Look, kid, it's alright. See, I'm okay; I just had a flare-up. I hadn't had one that bad in years." said Anko
"What happened?" asked Naruto
Anko sighed. She pulled down the collar of her trench coat and revealed her curse mark.
"What's that ?"
"The man who the spy and those ninjas worked for is named Orochimaru; he was the Hokage's student and was my sensei,"
Then why did they attack us if they are working for your teacher?" asked Naruto
Anko put her hand up
"I'll tell you everything later, I promise; it's just right now,"
Anko rubbed her curse mark
Naruto put his hand on Anko's shoulder,
"I understand you don't have to tell me now; I get how hard it is to tell people things sometimes."
Anko smiled
"Man, kid, you may not be the brightest, but in terms of emotional intelligence, you got the most ninja beat,
"Is that an insult or a compliment?" asked Naruto
"A little of both, but seriously, thank you for calling me out. No, What I did in the forest wasn't me. I was angry and bitter. While we needed the information, the best thing we could have done was secure her and take her back to the village. If I had done that instead, we may not have ended up in this mess."
" Well, look on the bright side; if we didn't fall into the river, we wouldn't be able to help these people."
"I guess you're right. Come on, let's go on and head inside," said Anko
They then went inside to go over what info they had collected.
"So from what we gathered, Gato set up base here to avoid authorities and continue his illegal trade. Without a centralized government, army, or any nearby ninja villages, the people of Wave couldn't defend themselves from the thugs Gato hired to keep control of the population. " Anko explained
"He touches every commodity, from food to clothing, and charges extravagant prices to drain the population of what little wealth remains. He is extremely cheap and constantly replaced who was guarding him, to the point where he has low-quality thugs working for him. " Tazuna nodded, going over the information.
"Can't we just beat up all of his guards? Then he won't be able to mess with the people," asked Naruto
"That is possible, but that's still hundreds of people across the island; we would likely be found out before we manage to dispatch them all, and civilians would likely be caught in the crossfire. " clarified Anko
"You said he doesn't pay them a lot. Can't we get them to turn on him? "
asked Tazuna
Anko shook her head;
"He gives them food, shelter, spending money, and most importantly, power; they have free reign over the population; the only way we could entice enough of them to turn off Gato was if we offered to pay them a large sum of money, something we don't have"
"No, We need to find a way to make Gato leave willingly,"
A lightbulb came on in Naruto's head and
"Wait, sis; I have a perfect plan."
After Naruto's explanation, Anko Tsumami and Tazuna had impressed looks on their faces.
"You know what, kid, that might work if you can pull it off with your ninja magic," Tazuna said.
Anko gave Naruto a proud look. " Look at you; all that reading has finally made you smart.
"But seriously, this puts a lot of the onus on you. Are you sure you can handle it?" Tsunami asked.
Naruto put a thumb into his chest;
"Don't worry, I got this."
Whatever it is you're doing, it's not going to work.
"Inari, stop being so negative; this plan is actually solid," said Tazuna
"No, I can't listen to this anymore; these people think they can come in and just solve all our problems in a few days; it's stupid; they're just going to end up dead," yelled Inari
"Inari, apologize this instant!" ordered Tsunami.
"No, I can't stand it; these ninja from their big ol fancy villages never had to suffer like us; they don't understand what pain feels like."
Naruto almost started to yell in protest, but Anko put a firm hand on his shoulder and gave him a look that said I'll handle it.
"Inari!" Tsunami began to yell at her son before Anko interrupted
No, it's okay; the kid's been through a lot,
Anko's gaze turned directly to Inari.
"Listen, kid, I know you're in a lot of pain right now, and it may not be my place, but I promise you that by tomorrow, your dad's dream of your country being free will be accomplished.
Tears began to roll down Inari's eyes, and he ran off, yelling
"Shut up. You don't know anything."
"Sorry about him," apologized Tsunami
"Don't worry about it," said Anko
"Thanks, sis, you caught me before I said something stupid,"
"What you were going to say wasn't going to be stupid; it was probably right, but sometimes you don't need to tell people what's right; you need to tell them what they need to hear."
"That's quite a wise young lady," commented Tazuna
"Well, they do call me the young but wise Anko Mitarshi."
Sakon and Jirobo continued to look for their escaped quarry.
"We've been out here for days; how can we be sure they are still here? They could be long gone by now," complained Sakon
"If you want to return empty-handed, be my guest, but I'm not leaving until I find something to report back on," said Jirobo
"Whatever, I am not staying here for another..."
"Wait, " Jirobo stopped and crouched down.
"What is it"
Jirobo put his hand on the ground and focused.
"There is a lot of movement in that direction; we should go check it out,"
Sakson rolled his eyes.
"Oh, joy, I can't wait to see another herd of deer; isn't that right, Ukon?"
Ukon didn't answer,
Sakon shook his head; he must still be asleep. Sometimes, I wish he would take over every once in a while; I could take a nap.
"If you're done with the theatrics, let's get moving."
Sakon followed Jirobo for a few minutes before they arrived at the disturbance.
They spotted Sakura and Sasuke standing near a river, collecting water in a bucket.
Jirobo waited on a nearby branch, but growing impatient, Sakon immediately launched a surprise attack on the unaware duo.
He grabbed a kunai and slammed it into Sakura, only for it to go straight through;
Sakon snorted,
"Really a regular clone, then swiped at illusionary Sasuke. They are not here; they probably just made a noise to throw us off."
Jirobo's eyes widened, and he yelled, "Genjutsu, you idiot,"
Sakon flared his chakra, and the clones disappeared; Sakon looked down where the bucket was, only to see an active explosive tag.
Anko and Naruto were going to Gato's mansion to enact the plan. They had advised Tazuna and Tsunami to stay at home.
Naruto was excited and practically bouncing up and down. " This Gato guy won't know what hit him."
"Calm down; if everything goes well, we won't even have to fight."
Anko then felt a chill run up the back of her neck.
She immediately began to examine the surrounding area. They were on the coastline not far from Tazuna's house, and suddenly, a thick mist began to develop the area,
"Stay vigilant, Naruto"
Naruto nodded and got into a combat stance.
Anko recognized the jutsu as the Hiding-in-mist technique, a common tactic used by mist ninjas to obscure their movements and launch surprise attacks. She extended her senses, and she heard something coming toward them.
"Get down."
Anko dropped down, and Naruto followed Suit
A massive sword went overhead and sunk itself into a nearby tree
As they looked over, a man appeared on top of the sword. He was tall and muscular, with light grayish skin, short, spiky black hair, dark brown eyes, and small eyebrows. He wore bandages like a mask over the bottom half of his face.
Anko's mind raced, trying to find possibilities other than the reality in front of her. Of course, they would run into an A-rank missing nin; they were just that lucky. Anko could only say one thing.
"Zabuza Momochi"
Zabuza grinned from under his bandages.