Close call (Patreon)

Mizuki, his body moving without conscious thought, materialized back into the labyrinth in depths of the Root headquarters. The sterile, underground air was a constant presence, cool and thin against his skin.

His mind, however, was a maelstrom of directives. A retrieval mission. Not an assassination. Not a simple reconnaissance. This was about bringing an asset back alive, a task that required far more subtlety than a killing blow.

Danzō-sama's orders were absolute, but the nuances of the mission were complex. He had to act quickly, before the ANBU team dispatched by Tsunade could get too close, and before Orochimaru's agents or Itachi could make their move.

He moved through the hallways, a ghost among ghosts. Other Root agents, their faces hidden behind identical masks, passed him without a glance. He found the mission hub, a large chamber filled with consoles and analysts.

With a silent hand sign, he called for a report on all recent Konoha missions near the Land of Waves' border. The data streamed across a screen, and he quickly cross-referenced it with the reports of the incident at the information center.

The team's actions—the specific targeting of a backup console, the use of a layered seal, the strategic use of a distraction and a smoke screen—were a testament to their skill.

This wasn't a team of inexperienced runaways. This was a sophisticated operation, likely orchestrated by someone with an intricate knowledge of Konoha's network. Sasuke Uchiha was the head of the group, but Mizuki knew better than to believe he was the mastermind behind this.

The red-haired Uzumaki's presence was the most troubling aspect. Danzō-sama's suspicions were likely correct. The Uzumaki clan's fuinjutsu was a rare art, and to see a practitioner working alongside a renegade Uchiha was a frightening prospect.

He looked at the reports of the other shinobi. The white-haired one, a user of the Hozuki clan's Hydrification Jutsu, and the blonde—he was the one that intrigued Mizuki the most. The agent who had been observing the group had mentioned the blonde was an Uzumaki. That was impossible.

He knew of only one Uzumaki, Naruto Uzumaki, the jinchūriki. Was it a coincidence? Or was there a deeper, more unsettling truth to be uncovered? The thought sent a shiver down his spine. No, he could not question Danzō-sama. His duty was to follow orders.

"An infiltration team has entered the Land of Fire. Their objective is unclear, but they have shown a talent for fuinjutsu and strategic planning," Mizuki spoke into his communication device. "I need two teams available to converge on the Land of Waves' border. Secure the area, but do not engage. I will be your direct command. Do not alert the Hokage or her ANBU."

He vanished with a Shunshin, the silent command carried to all corners of the Root's network.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the Land of Fire, Sasuke's group was on the move. They had just completed the first step of their plan. They had successfully infiltrated Konoha's network and had placed a long-range information seal.

The next step was to move further into the Land of Fire, to find a bounty collection office and plant another seal.

"That was almost too easy," Suigetsu said, a bored look on his face. "I was hoping for a bit more action."

"Shut up, Suigetsu," Karin snapped. "You almost blew the entire mission. That explosion was too big."

"Hey! It was just enough to get them to scramble. Besides, it worked, didn't it?" Suigetsu shot back. "We got the seal planted, and we're one step closer to getting what we need."

Ototane walked ahead of them, his pace steady and unwavering. "We're not here for a show, Suigetsu. We are here to get the information we need, and nothing more. The less attention we attract, the better."

"Right, right," Suigetsu mumbled, but a smile played on his lips. He knew that the blond was right, but he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

He was a ninja, after all, and he craved the thrill of a fight. He looked over at Karin, who was walking beside him. Her face was set in a scowl, but he could see the concern in her eyes.

He knew she was worried about Sasuke, about the mission, and about the dangers that lay ahead.

"Don't worry, Karin," he said, nudging her with his elbow. "We're a team, and we'll get this done. Nothing's going to stop us."

Karin said nothing, but a flicker of a smile passed her lips. She was worried, but she also trusted Sasuke. He had made them a plan, and she would follow him to the ends of the earth if she had to.

They were getting close to their destination. The trees were beginning to thin, and they could see the lights of a small town in the distance.

The next stage of their mission was about to begin. They were still in enemy territory, but they were not alone. They were a team, and they would face whatever came their way together.

The arena was packed, with hardly an empty seat to be seen. In the days leading up to the finals, spectators from different nations had flocked to the Leaf Village.

The inns were at full capacity, and Konoha's market economy was booming. Tsunade had even booked an entire inn for diplomats and daimyo, as the exams were a showcase of a nation's shinobi quality.

Konoha's ANBU were on full alert; all leave applications were rejected, and agents sent on holiday were called back. Tsunade wanted Konoha to be at its best. She would not become the Hokage under whose tenure the village was invaded.

Her sensei, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had seen Konoha win two great ninja wars and achieve great stability, but his reign had also seen the first and only successful invasion of Konoha—the near extermination of the Uchiha, Uzumaki, and Senju clans.

She refused to be a second Hiruzen Sarutobi. She had already enacted changes that would help Konoha repel any invasion, even if she were to fall.

Tsunade nodded to Shikaku, who led the foreign diplomats and daimyo to a separate booth, their security his sole responsibility. She then stood from her seat, flanked by Gaara to her left and Terumi Mei to her right, with Kitsuchi on her far right.

"Welcome all to the finals of the Chunin Exams, coordinated by Konohagakure and Sunagakure," she announced, her voice booming and silencing the crowd.

"The Chunin Exams are not simply a competition to promote genin," she continued, reciting a speech she knew by heart. "They are a proxy for war and a showcase of skill. Each village sends its best teams to compete, to show what skills their upcoming generation possesses."

The crowd applauded in approval. "So, without further delay, I start this exam. The proctor for the third and final phase of the Chunin Exams is Uzumaki Naruto."

In a Shunshin, Naruto appeared in the arena, dressed in a black tee shirt with orange sleeves and olive pants that matched his jonin jacket. He smiled as the crowd roared, the natives happy that a shinobi from their village was proctoring, and the foreigners pleased that they would soon get to see the first fight.

Naruto waited for the crowd to calm down before he looked at the eighteen genin. "Satsumi from Kiri and Hiroku from Konoha, please step forward." He then gestured to the others. "The rest of you, return to the stands."

The two genin faced each other—one with blue hair and the other with black. Naruto raised his hand and then dropped it with a loud, "Go!"

The two genin immediately collided in a hot taijutsu battle. The Konoha genin, Hiroku, had a better grasp of technique, but he seemed rash, almost falling into a few traps laid by the Kiri shinobi. Naruto eyed them both as an unbiased proctor.

High in the stands, Kuruma eyed the blonde proctor contemplatively. The last time Konoha held the exams, they used "The Porcupine of the Leaf" as the proctor. This time, they used this young jonin.

Kuruma had no Bingo Book entries for this shinobi, and for that matter, there were only a few notable shinobi entries from Konoha. It seemed the Leaf was losing its glory, and Kuruma giggled internally.

The genin from Kiri seemed inexperienced in advanced taijutsu, a common weakness that was quickly exploited. The Leaf genin was brash but skilled, and it took him only a few minutes before the Kiri shinobi backed away to engage in ninjutsu.

She favored Suiton , a common trait in Kiri, while her opponent used Katon and small, defensive Doton techniques. Kuruma was surprised; it was rare for a genin to use elemental jutsu, but here was one using two nature transformations.

Terumi eyed the bout with a frown. Satsumi wasn't the most formidable of her peers, but she was still skilled. The Leaf genin was dominating her in taijutsu, but as soon as the fight shifted to elemental attacks, she was glad to see Satsumi's Suiton techniques begin to dominate her opponent's Katon.

It didn't last, though. The Leaf genin started using non-elemental techniques, winning back the momentum. The bout lasted for a total of six minutes before the Leaf genin forced the Kiri genin to yield, winning the bout and getting promoted to the next round.

In the second fight, Ryoku from the Sand Village and Matsuma from the Grass Village battled it out. The Sand genin, as expected, was quite powerful; he used wind jutsu and aerial poison. The Grass genin, however, was only skilled in Doton jutsu, but he excelled with his staff. He used Bōjutsu and seemed quite adept at it.

The fight lasted a total of eight minutes, where the Sand genin at last used sharp wind blades to cut the staff in half and subdue the Grass genin. He won the match by knocking his opponent out.

As Naruto looked up at the stands, Temari had a proud look on her face. Perhaps she was the one who had taught the boy. Watching these matches, Naruto considered that his generation's exams were far more dramatic. These seemed plain and with rare taunts.

"Terumai from Kumo, and Harumi from Iwa, please come down," he announced. The two genin walked down the stairs of their booth. One was glaring over his shoulder at the other, who seemed quite uninterested.

As they stood opposite each other, Naruto raised his hand. "Go!"

Neither of them moved at first. Then, the Kumo shinobi suddenly sped forward, dashing past Naruto to engage the Iwa genin. Harumi was a lithe girl, and she seemed to be waiting for the boy to throw the first punch.

Then Naruto saw it: a white material covered her knuckles that looked quite similar to the explosive clay Deidara had used. Naruto jumped back, and as expected, the explosion threw the Kumo genin backward, the front half of his black attire burned to a crisp.

"So, you're going with this, ain't you, rock climber?" the Kumo genin said, his smile feral. He threw a series of kunai toward her. She moved back to avoid them, but a sudden shout made her look up.

"Raiton: Electromagnetic Murder!" A bolt of lightning connected with the first kunai and sped through the others, heading straight for Harumi, who worked through her hand seals.

"Doton: Mud Wall!"

The lightning connected with the mud wall, and it crumbled down. The Iwa genin wasn't behind it; she suddenly popped up from the ground behind the Kumo genin and exploded in his face.

It was an explosive clone, Naruto smirked. It was a neat trick.

Terumai was unconscious.

"Harumi from Iwa wins," he declared.

The next battle was between a Kiri shinobi, Kosuke, and a Kumo genin named Daruki. That name rang a bell in Naruto's mind; in the Bingo Book, someone had a similar name—Daruhi or Daruki.

The boy who climbed down the stairs behind the Kiri shinobi was dark-skinned, just like most of Kumo's population. He had bright blond hair and an air of superiority about him. He glanced once toward the stands, then looked at his opponent.

"Saw your mate fumble? You'll be next," the Kiri shinobi boasted, taunting the boy, who looked completely uninterested in the banter.

"Ready! Go!" Naruto said, dropping his arm.

The Kiri shinobi fumbled, and he fumbled badly. It seemed the genin had forgotten that water was a prime conductor of lightning, and so was a katana made of iron, not steel. Naruto mentally slapped his face. Even he wasn't that big of an idiot at that age... or maybe he was.

The bout didn't last long. While the Mizu shinobi had the upper hand in taijutsu, he mistook Daruki's caution for fear and used a Water Jutsu. The lightning that rushed through the water would have electrocuted the boy badly if he hadn't had the foresight to climb a nearby tree.

And then the boy had the bright idea of using a katana. The only problem was that it was made of iron, not steel—a family heirloom.

"Winner: Daruki from Kumo," Naruto declared.

The next match was between Hyosame from the Leaf and Garusama from the Rock—a classic rivalry if Naruto had ever seen one. Both participants climbed down the stairs, already glaring at each other.

But the Leaf genin suddenly changed his demeanor as he stood in front of Naruto, eyeing him reverently. Naruto had seen the kid sometimes, back where he used to live. He was a good kid, as far as Naruto was concerned.

"Uzumaki-sama, it's an honor to meet you," the kid said, bowing slightly.

Naruto startled, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. He had been praised by Ero-sennin, Kakashi-sensei, Baa-chan, and others, but never by a kid. "Calm down, kid."

Tsunade smirked as the boy bowed to Naruto. Yes, she was enjoying this. The brat had put her on a pedestal to be the next Hokage; let him endure his share of embarrassment.

"It seems Naruto is embarrassed; the kid must have praised him," Temari said from beside Gaara, with clear amusement in her voice.

"Serves the brat right," Tsunade said with a snort. "He embarrasses me all the time."

"Naruto doesn't take praise from kids that well, then?" Gaara asked, a smile on his lips.

"No, he can take it from us, but not from his students or kids," Tsunade said.

Terumi looked at the Hokage and the Kazekage; they seemed quite familiar with each other. Then she looked at the cute blonde proctor, whose name didn't ring a bell—only his heritage did.

Her predecessor had ensured the extinction of Uzushiogakure.

She looked at her guards, who shrugged their shoulders. Maybe she should have brought Ao. He was troublesome and spoke out of turn, but he was knowledgeable nonetheless.

But maybe she wouldn't need him, as the girl companion of the Iwagakure diplomat spoke up, her voice laced with derision. She should have expected this. The old codger Ōnoki held a grudge, so his villagers must as well.

"What is there to praise him for? He's not a renowned shinobi," she snorted. "There's not even a Bingo Book entry for his name."

The Kazekage's sister looked at the girl for a moment before smirking and turning toward the arena. The Kazekage, however, turned to the Hokage.

"Did you not send a request for the bounty?" he asked.

Tsunade looked at the girl dismissively before turning to Gaara. "I did. The old fence-sitter demanded a body," she snorted.

Kitsuchi looked curious. "Whose bounty?"

Tsunade turned to him. "Your Kage didn't tell you, it seems, but we have sent for the collection of the bounty for Deidara of the Explosion Release."

Kuruma choked on her spit. "Deidara? Who could have killed him?"

Terumi got their meaning and looked at the blonde proctor in a new light. Maybe their spy network was lagging behind; after all, her village had just recovered from a civil war, so their network was not at its best.

But Iwa had no such excuse. Or maybe the Tsuchikage knew all about it but refused to pay the bounty out of spite. What she had heard of the old Ōnoki, it seemed perfectly in his character.

Meanwhile, in the arena, the match had started. Naruto accepted that the genin from Iwa was skilled, but he was not as skilled as the Leaf genin. He was defeated pretty easily. This time, even Naruto smiled as he watched the genin fumble. It was humbling to see kids making the same mistakes he had and either winning by sheer will or losing.

The matches went on. Fuchi from Kusa fought against Hamaru from Kumo and lost, with Hamaru moving on to the next round. His twin, Rakimaru, lost the round to Yui from Mizu. Yui was favored by the Mizukage, and to Naruto's surprise, she was an ice user. Her full name was Yuki Yui. The flashback to all those years ago, to Haku and Zabuza, made the fight nostalgic for Naruto. The girl moved on to the next round.

The next round was between Koitaru from Iwa and Hiroto from Suna, another classic rivalry. The last war fought was due to the escalations between Iwa and Suna, and the genin displayed the same enmity toward each other. Koitaru was a taijutsu expert, while Hiroto was a puppet user—quite a skilled one at that.

Koitaru tried his best, but it was not to be. The puppet and poison did their job, and Hiroto moved on to the next round. The last fight of the round was again between an Iwa and a Suna genin: Koname and Suzume, respectively. The latter picked up the win, with Iwa falling behind quite incredibly. It showed in the tense jaw and frustrated look of Kitsuchi and his secretary. Still, Harumi held on, and so did they.

"This concludes the first round of the Chunin Exam finals. The winning genin, please come down to the ground," Naruto announced, sounding quite calm.

The genin lined up as they were told to, and Naruto tapped a sealing scroll on his belt. A sealing scroll appeared in his hand. Some of the genin raised a brow at his blatant display of fuinjutsu. He unfurled the scroll and tapped it twice. Nine white boxes appeared in each circle.

Mei raised a brow at the blonde shinobi's skill. He was trying to be discreet and hide his fuinjutsu abilities. Kitsuchi, on the other hand, was sweating bullets. A similar-looking blonde shinobi, skilled in fuinjutsu, had brought them to their knees in the last war.

Naruto swiped his finger over the sealing array; the boxes disappeared and then reappeared. "It's a shuffling array that randomly exchanges the boxes," he said, conversationally. "Now, pick the box in front of you and show me the stick inside it. If you don't have one, then stand aside."

The first to show a stick was Hyosame, then Hiroto, then Suzume, and others followed. The only one who didn't show a stick was Yuki Yui, the ice user from Mizu. Her jaw was clenched, and she was clearly displeased.

Naruto turned to her. "Yuki Yui from Mizu, you are given a bye to the final round."

The girl looked alarmed before an expression of irritation covered her face. She huffed and walked back to the stands.

"The first match of the second round is between Hiroku from leaf and Ryume from Suna, the two contestant will remain on the ground, rest please go to stands." He said.

The bounty collection office was quite plain compared to the info center. It was a small, mound-like structure protruding from the ground. It was harder to get into, but unlike the info center, they didn't have to find a specific location for the seal; the entrance would do the job perfectly.

"I think this will be an easy job this time," Suigetsu said, nodding to himself.

Karin bonked him on the head, gritting her teeth. "Don't jinx it, baka."

They moved forward silently, with Ototane keeping an eye out for trouble from his place in the bush. His teammates were skilled; Orochimaru had made sure they all could do the jobs they were assigned.

Karin revealed a slip of paper from her weapon pouch. Suigetsu, meanwhile, took a deep breath and extended his hand beneath the door. The amount of water he leaked into the bounty center would surely drain him. They would have to stop by a water source for him to recharge his energy.

A man dressed in an entirely brown cloak, with a hood covering his face, came out, a bit wary. He looked around to find the source of the leak, but a stiff chop to his neck from Suigetsu rendered him unconscious.

"Be fast," he murmured, his voice already weak.

Karin nodded, stuck a seal inside the door, and deftly drew a few more seals on it. It was quick work that took only a minute. At last, she raised her hand in a sign, and the seal was activated, merging back into the wall.

She stood up and raised her hand for Ototane, a signal to retreat. Ototane was quick to arrive. He picked up Suigetsu and sped back, with Karin hot on his tail.

What Danzō-sama failed to tell Mizuki, or perhaps didn't even know himself, was that the Uzumaki was a sensory type—a strong one at that. So, it came as a surprise when the team suddenly changed direction, going off-track.

"Follow them, but maintain your distance. Their combat abilities have likely been underestimated," he said through his mask.

The two teams separated, one flanking the target team while the other tracked them closely. The wild goose chase was something they hadn't predicted, nor had they expected the team to remain so cohesive. Normally, an infiltration team was a liability.

A weak member meant killing them and moving on—or at least that's what Danzō-sama had taught them.

It wasn't until they reached a clearing that they realized they had severely underestimated the team, because standing across from them was a Konoha ANBU team, led by the infamous Bear.

The clearing held the attention of three sides: ANBU Bear, with ANBU Cat and ANBU Salamander; two Root teams led by Mizuki; and Karin and Ototane, with Suigetsu over his shoulder.

ANBU Bear had been surprised when he glimpsed red. The girl's red hair was Uzumaki—Kushina's. The color reminded him of his charge when he was just a recruit, and the face had the same cut. She was undoubtedly an Uzumaki.

The large man beside her had pale yellow hair, and his face and eye shape matched the Hokage, but they also matched someone Bear knew quite well. His eye widened behind his mask as he came to a realization.

But what stopped him dead in his tracks were the teams of masked shinobi with no mark or sign on their clean masks.

"Root," his mind supplied. But it shouldn't be. His father had decreed the destruction of Root. Disassembled and no longer active. Yet, here they were: two full teams and a leader, most likely.

The snapping of a twig instigated the fight. The team flanking Karin's group attacked them, led by Mizuki, whose priority was capture. The other team, meanwhile, attacked the Konoha ANBU team.

Yūgao suddenly found herself thanking Konoha's new fuinjutsu master. The katana in her hand sang as it matched the tantō strike of her opponent, a strangely silent and fast shinobi. Bear spared her a glance before dropping on his own opponent, his staff already spinning.

On the other side of the clearing, Mizuki was struggling against the yellow-haired giant. Even with a teammate on his shoulder, the giant was twice the man his teammates were. Not that the other two were faring any better, as Karin had decided to show her prowess in kenjutsu.

Her curved katana swung through the air, matching the slash of her dark-haired opponent. One came from behind. Her reflexes made her duck, and an elbow to the gut halted him. The one in front of her wasn't standing; he was upon her, a downward slice already in motion that she blocked.

Still on her knees, she pushed him back and jumped above the sword that was meant to cut the tendons in her legs. Throwing her katana into the air, she thrust her hand sideways. Chains of bright, yellow chakra shot forward. Her opponents jumped back, already familiar with this skill of the Uzumaki clan.

She didn't halt there, though. She caught the katana's handle with her teeth as it came down and wove her hands through a number of seals before landing on the ground, both hands touching the earth.

The 'Geyser Sprouts Jutsu' created familiar ground for her. Two chains rose from her back and sped toward her opponents. She let her chains lead her to the closest one, but as one constricted him, Karin appeared beside him to finish him with her katana. The second shinobi blocked her strike.

She smirked. Her mouth took the shape of an "O," and hot, scalding water hit her opponent's face. Burning it, the shinobi rolled on the ground, scratching his burned face to no avail.

Seeing his teammate suffer, the second shinobi fell back. His orders were to try and take them to Danzō-sama, but that didn't mean he had to die. But Karin was not having it. They had attacked her, and they would suffer.

She knew what she had to do; she moved quickly. Already readying her katana, she saw the shinobi push back, panic clear in his eyes. She was on his heels. A left swing was ducked under, then a downward slash, and he Shunshined away. She was just behind him.

"Stop, damn it!" she gritted, as she shot another ball of water at him, this time purely to halt his momentum.

He jumped over it before turning and expelling a ball of fire at her. Two chains burst out of her back and blocked it, absorbing the chakra.

Unbeknownst to the shinobi, Karin had already thrust two chains into the ground, and they traveled fast beneath the earth to reach him. This time, before he could move, the chains grasped his ankles tightly. He looked up, panicked, but Karin was already there, her katana drawn and ready to strike through. Suddenly, wood splintered. It was a substitution.

But it was for naught. Karin was already at his neck, her katana drawn and ready to cut through. Suddenly, there was a 'whoosh' sound as two bodies flew past them.

Karin ducked to avoid them and looked over to see the ANBU with the Bear mask huffing. There was blood on his armor, and cuts on his visible arms. Out of the six maskless ANBU, only three remained standing. The two fighting Bear were down, and probably dead. Out of the two fighting Karin, one was dead, and the other was nearly there, until ANBU Bear had interrupted them.

ANBU Salamander was dead, and the violet-haired katana specialist, Yūgao, was fighting two opponents on her own. Karin looked toward Ototane, who was battling the leader and another enemy, holding his ground despite carrying Suigetsu over his shoulder.

Karin considered that either she had to bring in Sasuke or they needed to retreat. They were here for planting seals, not for waging a full-scale war against Konoha ANBU and whatever this second team was.

She whistled. Ototane looked at her with a mere blink—the signal was clear: retreat as fast as they could. Her opponent was already on the ground; the near-death experience had rendered him confused, and it would be easy picking, but her time was better utilized in falling back. That is what she did.

She crushed a small seal into a ball and dropped it on the ground. Thick grey smoke billowed out, blocking visibility. Ototane was already beside her as she ran off toward the eastern coast. They would travel to the Noodles Country to shake off any pursuers and then move to the Wave Country.

Naruto eyed the three participants in the final round: two promoted through tournament fights and one through a bye.

Daruki from the Lightning Country, after defeating Ryoku from the Sand, was the first contestant. Hyosame from the Leaf was the second, having defeated Suzume from the Sand. It seemed the Village Hidden in the Sand had been eliminated from the finals. The third participant was Yuki Yui from the Mist, who had received a bye to the finals after the first round—a lucky draw that Naruto had administered himself.

Three capable genin meeting in a triple threat, and the crowd was going wild over it. Naruto smirked, knowing this was good for the Leaf. With one of their genin reaching the finals, a match that would be the talk of the Elemental Nations for a few months, Konoha stood to benefit immensely.

"Are all participants ready?" he asked, a bit loudly for all to hear.

The three genin nodded, their stances ready, and as soon as Naruto said, "Go," they sped forward.

The ice wall rose high as Naruto jumped back. It felt nostalgic; years ago, he had fought in a similar ice formation. But Yui wasn't using the Ice Mirrors; it was a reflective ice jutsu, Naruto took note.

The lightning attack from Daruki glanced off the thin ice wall and raced toward Hyosame, who cursed before ducking beneath it. With a kunai in hand, he sped toward Daruki.

"You need to watch where you throw those bolts of yours, lightning boy!" he yelled, dropping down on him. His kunai clashed with the metal tantō that the boy held defensively.

Hyosame jumped back before throwing a kunai at his opponent and yelling, "Shadow Kunai Jutsu!" One kunai became two, two became four, and soon Daruki was under a literal rain of kunai.

But Hyosame wasn't faring well, as he was attacked by Yui as soon as he completed his jutsu. She came at him with an ice katana in hand, swinging it skillfully. Her hands were coated in ice, too, and she was fast—as fast as Naruto remembered Haku being.

Yui and Hyosame danced together, the Leaf genin ducking and dodging her katana swings and feeling the cold seeping into his bones. Either the climate had turned colder suddenly or the Mist genin was responsible, but their dance was interrupted as Daruki landed between them, throwing kunai at their feet.

"Raiton: Electric Snake Hunt!"

Two lightning bolts raced from his hand and connected with the kunai, forming into snakes as they lunged at his opponents. Hyosame and Yui rushed back, the snakes following them as Daruki gritted his teeth from the exertion.

As his chakra depleted, Daruki reigned in the jutsu. Naruto was impressed at his endurance.

But Hyosame was of a different mind. He closed in, proving that Daruki was tired because he didn't retaliate. The first punch landed squarely on his jaw. The second followed to his gut. The third was a backhanded fist to his cheek. The Leaf genin was pummeling him, and Yui was letting him—why not? It meant less competition for her.

But she did intervene when it seemed Daruki was going to be eliminated. This time, Hyosame raised his kunai to halt her katana attack. He was already preparing to fire a Katon jutsu at her face when the lightning between them tingled. They looked sideways to see Daruki there, his fingers forming a hand seal.

He smirked. "You forgot to remove my kunai," he said simply. As Hyosame and Yui looked down in unison, the kunai were indeed still in place beneath them.

"Raiton: Stored Electric Ambush!" A peculiar name, but it did its job. Both genin were shocked out of their senses.

Naruto internally applauded the boy, he truly had good grasp on his surrounding, better than his opponents atleast.

Hyosame grunted as he rose from the ground, his lips already bleeding. He seemed to have hit his teeth to lips as he fell down.

Yuki on the other hand was ready to advance and she did, three icy shurikens were send toward Daruki who jumped over them but came face to face with Hyosame's knee. The clash was painful for the kumo shinobi, and he fell down midair.

Yep, one of the best triple threat battle Naruto had seen.

Sasuke eyed his group; they were already injured. Ototane had Suigetsu over his shoulder, and Karin looked roughened up.

"What happened?" he asked as he helped Suigetsu down, laying him on the wooden floor of their lair.

"It's confusing, honestly," Ototane said, plopping down beside Suigetsu.

"Yes, it was a whole lot of mixed-up trouble," Karin said, sighing as she sat beside Sasuke.

"Explain it to me, then," Sasuke said. Jugo slid into the room silently, sitting on the other side of Suigetsu.

"The mission in the info center was quite easy, no problem there. We sabotaged one of the larger computers and used the distraction to plant the seal." Sasuke nodded as Karin reported the details to him.

"It was the bounty office that caused the trouble, or we think it did," Ototane said, looking at Karin.

"No, they must have been keeping an eye on our movement from beyond my sensory range," Karin replied.

"That can't be; you have a very wide sensory range," Jugo argued.

Karin shook her head. "It's wide but not omnipotent. It has a few drawbacks. No jutsu is foolproof."

"Who was it, then?" Sasuke asked, bringing them back to the topic.

"There were two groups: a Konoha ANBU group led by a Bear-masked ANBU," Ototane said.

"Bear? Are you sure?" Sasuke asked.

Karin nodded, not understanding his wide-eyed look. "There was another group: three teams of ANBU with blank masks."

Sasuke looked at them wide-eyed. "ANBU Bear is a Sarutobi, I reckon—one of the closest to the current Hokage." He then turned to Ototane. "And the masked ANBU with no markings? Root, Danzō's personal army."

Ototane and Sasuke exchanged a grim look at that realization.

"You sure nobody followed you here?" Sasuke asked Karin, who nodded.

"We changed our tracks twice, used the Shunshin when needed, and then created a fake trail," she said.

Sasuke nodded. "Good, then you must rest now. We will move tomorrow," he said.

The rest of the team took the dismissal for what it was and slunk out, Ototane dragging Suigetsu out by his hand. Karin settled more closely to Sasuke, who gave a soft smile as he watched her wounds heal by themselves—the famous Uzumaki vitality, no less.

"I was afraid for a moment that we would be sandwiched," Karin said as Sasuke hummed. "Luckily, I sensed the two teams that were tracking us and led them to each other."

"It must have been a bloodbath, then," Sasuke said, snuggling closer to her and taking in the scent of her hair.

Karin nodded, turning toward him. "Yeah, they battled it out. When we left, only the leader was left standing, and the ANBU also lost..." She could say no more as Sasuke grasped her lips with his, kissing her with a grin.

"I'm happier that you're safe and sound," he whispered, his hands roaming over her bare stomach as he pulled her closer still.

He kissed her again, tasting her tongue with his, while his hand undid the rest of her shirt's buttons. She smiled, kissing him again, and climbing on top of him.

Sasuke, not to be outdone by her, pulled her down, biting down on the right side of her neck. She gasped before pushing him down as he released her.

He raised a hand, rubbing it over her stomach and her perky breasts, which were clear for him to see as she had undone her bra.

Wrapping his hand over her waist, he pulled her down, his lips raking over her pink tits. She gasped again, but let him be. His other hand searched for her buckle, but just fumbled around with metal fingers. She swatted them off, and unbuckled her pants herself.

Sasuke smiled, bringing her down and climbing over her. She laughed as he hastily dragged off her pants, before doing same to her panties.

He smirked at her mischievously before digging into his dinner for the evening.