82 Consequences

Jashin looked down on his new pet with bemusement.

The Kaiju, as it was called, was prostrated before the dark god's feet. A truly humorous display, if Jashin were honest with himself. This great beast, which dwarfed mountains and had to be locked in a cage that flew through the stars, now knelt before something that was barely even a spec of dust in its eyes.

If nothing else, Jashin admired its enthusiasm. "You do well to kneel, beast."

Jashin could sense it. Intense gratitude for being freed from the storage scroll. A hole in its life where it's creator once stood, now Jashin would fill. But on top of it all, standing like a beacon against darkness and decay was a single, overriding purpose; the death of one, single person.

"Oh, you are just a lonely little dog, aren't you?" Jashin asked with condescending sympathy, as if speaking to a dog. "Your creator went on vacation and left you to fend all for yourself, didn't he?"

The Kaiju missed its creator horribly, wanting nothing more than to return to his side like a good little pet.

"Oh," Jashin shook his head pitifully, stretching forth his hand to scratch the Kaiju's head and give it comfort. "Don't worry, beast. Jashin is here now, and I will not abandon you."

Gratitude. Loyalty to the dark god for saving it. Connection through chakra growing stronger than steel. The Kaiju would be his forever.

"Now tell me, great Kaiju, what is it that you want?" Jashin asked rhetorically. "What is the thing you desire most in the world?"

Hostility. Homicidal bloodlust that Jashin had only ever felt within himself before came to the Kaiju's mind. A desire to destroy the world and bring its walls crashing down on top of the one who put it in captivity. It wanted to crush Shimoda Daisuke beneath its hooves, to squish his pitiful body in his fist and throw it into the sea. It would tear the godling apart a thousand times for daring to lock it in the abyss.

It wasn't often that you met a being with the sole purpose of destroying one's own enemy. Jashin was grinning from ear to ear. "You wish for the death of the godling, yes?"

It nodded, sending great gusts of wind with every motion of his head.

"Fear not, beast," Jashin began, clacking the end of his scythe against the floor. The curved, red blade gleamed in the light of the Kaiju's eyes. "A god can be killed. You even have the tools required. But you cannot simply crush him beneath your hooves, no. He is too powerful for that to work."

The Kaiju looked up at Jashin, its expression turned to one of sadness and grief. It wanted nothing more than that exact goal, the thing for which it was created.

"Fighting a god is not like any other battle," Jashin explained, his red eyes glowing as it took in the mighty form of the beast before him. "It is a game of wits. It is a puzzle."

Confusion. It did not understand wits, or what a puzzle was. It was a warrior. A gladiator. A force of nature. Nations were to tremble at its arrival and Daisuke was to charge at it with unconquerable zeal before he became overwhelmed, too late realizing his folly.

"You do not understand." Jashin shook his head in bemusement. "Do not worry. I will show you how. I will tell you when."

Though his connection, he begun to share knowledge and ideas to educate his newest disciple.

"I will teach you."

"Alright, we're here!" Naruto as he landed at the end of the bridge. "Wow, this thing's huge!"

"It's amazing!" Sakura added with a bright smile, looking over the bridge with her hand over her eyes. "I can't even see the end of it!"

Given that they didn't need to escort anything like supplies or civilians, they were allowed to go at a full shinobi's pace and made it to the bridge at late afternoon. Careful examination of their route meant that they had been well prepared for any ambush's laid out on their way; though there weren't any.

"It does connect two continents together," Nichiren stated, squinting to look at the bridge with a small frown. "We need to be careful when we try to destroy it. As careless as he is, Daisuke doesn't skimp on things like defenses."

"Remember that time he made a seal that neutralized poison on contact?" Hisako asked with a wry smile. "Just because someone suggested that poison might be a problem."

"Yeah, and he offered to give it to the rest of us," Nichiren replied. "I think the Hokage was right about it, though; it would've sapped our chakra reserves too quickly."

"Before we move ahead with our mission, we need to come up with a plan," Kakashi stated. He gestured for the Genin and Chunin to follow him as he dashed into the foliage of the nearby forest.

Everyone else followed him and when Kakashi sat, so did they. With everyone in a circle, Kakashi unfolded a blueprint of the bridge he was given. "Our mission is simple; the complete destruction of this bridge. Can anyone tell me what else we're supposed to do?"

They all looked at each other.

"I don't know." Naruto shook his head.

"Are we supposed to find out why Daisuke built the bridge?" Nichiren asked, adjusting his glasses.

"That's correct, Nichiren-kun," Kakashi replied with a happy eye-smile. "We need to find out why Daisuke decided to finish a bridge between Fire and Water. Is he planning something? What does he stand to gain by the bridge's completion and by extension, the destruction of Gato Company?"

"The company was involved in shady activities," Naruto replied with a shrug. "It's kind of obvious why Daisuke went after them, if you ask me."

"To the extent that he did?" Sakura asked, scrunching her nose like she caught wind of something smelly. "This doesn't seem like something he'd normally do. Didn't he stop killing people after his issues were fixed?"

"It'd have to have been something big to get him to start killing again." Hisako was looking pensively through the trees around them, lost in thought.

"Shouldn't we also be trying to scout for defenses before we try destroying the bridge?" Sasuke interjected, looking at the bridge with his Sharingan active.

"That's right, Sasuke-kun," Kakashi replied, nodding with approval. "Are you picking up anything?"

"Beyond the residue of his chakra, nothing." Sasuke shook his head. "But could either be just residue, or that there's not an inch of that bridge that's not protected somehow."

"Daisuke could have anything set up over there," Nichiren pointed out. "So, what do we do first, fill the mission then ask questions? Or do we head into the Land of Water and find out what we need before we destroy the bridge?"

"Well, what's one of the most important aspects of being a Shinobi?" Kakashi asked.

"To look underneath the underneath," Nichiren answered. "We're heading into the Land of Water."

"Exactly," Kakashi nodded. "We need to know if Daisuke circumvented some threat to Konoha with this bridge's construction, or find some hint to where he might be hiding. And, if there's not a problem, it'll be a good learning experience for you."

"Can't we just blow it up and then ask him when he gets here?" Hisako asked airily as she stood up.

"Hisako-senpai!" Naruto looked shocked. "I want him back right now as much as you do, but we don't want him mad at us right from the get-go!"

"Right, right," Hisako nodded. "That's a good point, sorry."

"We'll use the bridge to cross," Kakashi said, gesturing for everyone to stand up. "It'll give us a good opportunity to scout for defenses. When we get to the other side, there's a Gato Company office we can use as a base of operations. We'll tell them that the bridge has advanced protections that we can circumvent with time, even if there are no such defenses. Do you understand?"

Each Shinobi nodded in assent and comprehension.

"Alright, let's move."

They all broke out into a sprint across the bridge. Each of them could feel the remnant of Daisuke's powerful chakra lingering over the bridge like a strong mist. Nichiren's hair started to stand up on end. Kakashi unveiled his Sharingan and started scanning carefully for any seals of jutsu in place. Hisako's rapidly switched from looking from one side to another.

Naruto got an idea. "Mass Shadow-Clone Jutsu!"

Suddenly, the group was surrounded by a thick cloud of smoke, then an army of Naruto's.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Kakashi asked, sounding a little alarmed.

"I figured the clones could check the bridge for seals, since that's how Daisuke makes protections," Naruto answered.

"Okay. Do it," Kakashi nodded. "Ask me next time, though. You might've triggered one of his defensive measures by using Jutsu."

"Sorry, Sensei!" Naruto apologized sheepishly. Then he turned to his clones. "You heard him! Move it! Check this bridge top to bottom!"

Down below the bridge, looking up at it was Rookie. He was maintaining watch over the bridge to let the rest of his team know if they'd need to start initiating defensive maneuvers. When an army of orange track-suited Ninja hopped over either side of the bridge and started scouting out every inch, he gasped, and dove under the water.

The penguin's base-camp was situated in a small cave they dug out of the shore-line with an entrance only big enough for one penguin to slide in at a time. Rookie slipped inside without a problem and stood with a salute. "Captain, sir!"

The other three penguins were doing things like counting supply stores, tuning equipment or going over possible patrol routes. At Rookie's arrival, they all snapped to look at him.

"Yes, what is it Rookie?" Shizo asked quickly.

"The target's entered the area of operations!" Rookie announced. "Blonde, orange jumpsuit and a Ninja! He arrived with two teams of Ninja and they're crossing the bridge!"

"Good work, Rookie!" Shizo congratulated. "Men! Begin tracking and reconnaissance efforts. Wait for my signal to engage, we don't want to damage the bridge. Remember, our mission is to stab that Orange Ninja with Shimoda's chakra-container."

"What about the other Ninja?" Masato asked. "They are going to be a problem."

"Shimoda didn't say anything about other Ninja," Shizo replied. "Lethal force is authorized."

"Understood, Captain!" Masato saluted.

"Move out!"

One by one, Naruto's clones popped themselves and Naruto got their memories. No seals as far as they could see. It looked as if Daisuke had just finished the bridge and left it standing, which wasn't really like him. If Daisuke committed to a big project, he didn't let things like the possibility of its destruction remain standing.

So, either Daisuke was okay with its destruction or Daisuke didn't consider this a big project.

If something like this isn't a big project in Daisuke's mind, Naruto thought uneasily, looking over the side across the ocean horizon. Then I've got a lot longer to go before I can even touch Daisuke, let alone fight him. I can't give up, though! I won't. I've got to bring him back!

Before too long, they reached the end of the bridge, coming onto solid land again.

"Naruto, did you find any seals?" Kakashi asked.

"No, Sensei." Naruto shook his head. "It's like he didn't actually care all that much about if the bridge gets destroyed or not, but that's not like him. He makes sure long-term projects get the protection they need."

"Naruto, it only took him, what, a day to finish the bridge?" Nichiren asked sardonically. "This wasn't a long-term project."

"That's scary," Sakura replied with a frown.

"Well, then Daisuke probably won't be too mad when we blow it up," Kakashi replied with a reassuring eye-smile. "Back to the mission, we'll cut around the shore until we reach this village. We'll be hitting two birds with one stone because not only is there the Gato Company office, the man who was supposed to build the bridge, Tazuna, lives there as well."

"Will our hitai-ate's be a problem?" Hisako asked, her eyes narrowing. "This is a foreign nation."

"Normally, yes they would be," Kakashi replied. "But Kirigakure has been thrown into complete disarray thanks to a civil war. We were also hired by Gato Company and have the appropriate passports. So as long as we don't draw too much attention to ourselves, we'll be fine."

"Okay good." Hisako let out a sigh of relief.

"They've left the bridge and are running around the shore," Captain Shizo said, collapsing his spy-glass and tossing it back to Riku. "They're probably heading to the fishing village close by."

"Shall we start shelling them?" Masato asked.

"Yes, but use freezer rounds only," Captain Shizo replied. "We don't want to kill the target with shrapnel."

"Yes, Captain." Masato saluted.

"Fire at will, men!"

Sasuke felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. His gut, his instincts were screaming at him that danger was coming. He started looking around rapidly.

"Are you okay, Duck Butt?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.

Heedless of Naruto's well-meaning jab, Sasuke continued looking around and when he looked into the sky, he saw what had set him off. "Incoming!"

Everyone else looked up and saw what had Sasuke up in a bunch. Dozens of frozen balls of ice were on a collision course with them. The group scattered just in time to get away from the hail of ice, only for the balls to explode when they hit the shore, coating the sand in ice.

Sasuke felt his foot get encased in ice, the cold forcing the breath out of his lungs. Sakura screamed as her arm had similarly been paralyzed. Naruto brought both of his fists down on his leg, breaking the ice that had wrapped around it.

"Hisako, Nichiren! Get Sasuke and Sakura to safety! Naruto, use clones and set up decoys," Kakashi quickly ordered. "I'll set up some cover."

An army of henge'd Naruto clones appeared, each looking like copies of the other Ninja running around and they scattered in groups. Hisako picked up Sasuke and threw him over her shoulder while Nichiren did the same for Sakura, and they dove for the trees.

Kakashi's hands flew through the needed signs. "Water Release: Cloud Cover jutsu!"

Immediately, the shore was obscured by the thickest fog any of them ever saw. They could barely see a few feet in front of their faces but it cleared as they moved away from the shore.

As they saw, they were able to regroup. Sakura watched with fascination as groups of Naruto clones started popping themselves as their distraction was no-longer needed. Sasuke punched at the ice that wrapped his foot up until it shattered.

"Confirmed enemy Ninja presence," Hisako stated briskly, bringing the ring of her kunai down on Sakura's arm, shattering the ice. "Daisuke's found allies in Hidden Mist."

"Are you sure that's what it is?" Nichiren asked with a frown. "I feel like we're forgetting something."

"Maybe Daisuke left a few clones behind?" Naruto suggested with a hopeful look. "If we can pop them, they'll send a message to him to come talk to us!"

"I don't think that's it," Nichiren shook his head.

"We'll have to piece that together later," Kakashi said, landing next to the group. "Good work, everyone. We need to take cover in the village while we plan our next move."

"We lost sight of them," Shizo said with dismay, looking at the thick fog-bank that had suddenly erupted over the shore and disrupted their sightlines. "They're probably half-way to the village by now."

"Shall we take position up on the ledges to begin shelling the town?" Masato asked with narrowed eyes.

"Negative, no reason to endanger non-combatants," Shizo replied. "You've got the maps of the town, Riku?"

Riku opened his beak and produced the requested map without a sound.

"Okay. We'll perform reconnaissance," Shizo began. "If we can find out where they're going within the village, we can find out who hired them and start to lay a trap. Stick to the roofs and water ways cutting around the village. Do not let them see you."

"Yes Captain," Rookie acknowledged with a salute.

"We're all going together on this," Captain Shizo continued, rolling the map up and feeding it to Riku. "Diamond formation. Move out."

The village itself looked like it had seen better days. The buildings of the square looked dilapidated and old. The wood looked chipped and some of them looked rotten.

But the people?

The people were happy. Their faces were glowing with hope as they talked about getting supplies to fix their homes up, or getting rope for fishing nets. In spite of their surroundings, they were prospering.

Naruto found their good mood to be infectious, and soon was grinning from ear to ear, holding his head in his hands as he looked around at the town. This good mood, however, was not to last, as they turned a street corner and came to the Gato Company office.

In front of this office was a large crowd of people, some holding signs up, but most were holding swords and clubs. They were shouting angrily, trying to bust down the front door in a rage. "Justice for Kaiza!" Some where shouting. Still others were yelling, "Gato's rats aren't welcome!"

"So, my cute little Genin," Kakashi turned to them with an eye smile. "I'm going to demonstrate a Jutsu called 'Killing Intent'. Watch and learn."

Kakashi took a few steps to get somewhat close to the mob and then the air was filled with his chakra.

The mob in front of him froze. People slowly turned to look at him, their eyes trying to pop out of their sockets. Their skin had gone chalk-white and they broke out into a cold sweat. The chanting had stopped, bringing an eerie silence to the street.

Kakashi just held them hostage with their own fear for a few minutes, his visible eye fixing them with a cold glare. Finally, he said, "Run. Now."

People in the mob started doing exactly what they were told. Some of them were screaming at the top of their lungs, others couldn't work their vocal cords as they scrambled to get as far away as they possibly could from the masked Shinobi.

"Wow, Sensei," Naruto said, looking awestruck. "What was that?"

"Killing Intent," Kakashi said, eye-smiling again and placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Where you fill the air with your chakra with the intent to murder them. It only really works on people a lot weaker than you, but it's great for stopping civilians from attacking your clients."

"Will you teach us that, someday?" Sasuke asked, also in awe.

"Of course," Kakashi replied. "You could even ask Hisako and Nichiren for pointers."

"Eh, better to ask Hisako." Nichiren pointed to his teammate. "I'm really not good at it."

"So how do you do it, Hisako-senpai?" Sasuke asked, thinking of all the times he could've dispersed his annoying fangirls with a quick application of that exact technique.

"Ah, ah, ah. Later," Kakashi brought everyone's focus back on him. "Let's see if anyone is home in the office."

They walked up to the door. Kakashi tried the handle, but it was still locked. "Hisako, if you could get the lock?"

"Yes, Sensei," Hisako replied with a bow, withdrawing her lockpicks from inside her jacket.

After a few moments, she pulled the door open and they Ninja stepped inside. They came to a reception area, with a desk in front of them, a water fountain on the right wall between the male and female restrooms. Behind the desk was a door labeled 'employees only'.

"Lock it behind us," Kakashi ordered. "We don't want anyone with ideas coming in behind us to cause trouble."

"Done," Nichiren said, locking the door.

Naruto's ears perked up. "Sensei, I think there's someone behind the desk there."

Kakashi looked at the desk, then slowly walked toward it, his footsteps echoing through the lobby. When he came to the desk, a woman in a business suit who had been cowering behind the desk shot up on her knees with her hands up. "Don't hurt me! Please! I just work here!"

"Relax, relax," Kakashi said calmingly, gesturing her to settle down with his hand. "We're shinobi from hidden leaf, hired by Gato Company. We're here to help."

The woman took a look at Kakashi and let out a massive sigh of relief. She picked up a pair of round glasses from the ground and placed them over her eyes. "You chased off the mob?"

"You bet he did!" Naruto called from behind his sensei with a grin. "It was amazing, he just stepped up to them and they all peed their pants! They couldn't get away fast enough!"

"Oh, thank you," She said, slowly standing up. "Thank you, thank you, Shinobi-sama. I was going to quit today but the mob showed up before I could leave."

"Why were you going to quit?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"Because of that mob," She replied, pointing toward the door. "Ever since Gato died, the village has been getting ready to eviscerate this office and I'd like to leave now before they come back."

"Are you the only person in the building?" Kakashi asked.

"No, my boss, Hasimoto, is up in his office," She answered.

"Alright, get out of here," Kakashi said, pointing to the door with his thumb. "We'll talk to him now."

"Thank you again." She bowed very low before hurrying for the door, unlocking it and leaving, almost running.

"Nichiren could you-?" Kakashi started.

Nichiren relocked the door. "Done."

"Now let's find this Hasimoto," Kakashi said with an easy candor, prompting his students to follow him.

They walked through the door labeled 'Employees Only' and came to a staircase with several offices down the hall. They walked up the stairs and came to another floor of offices. At the top, the finally found the office marked 'Hasimoto Shoyo' and, unsurprisingly, it was locked.

"Sasuke, how are you with a lockpick?" Kakashi asked.

"I'm decent," Sasuke replied, stepping up to the door and starting to pick the lock with is picks. After a few moments, he pushed the door open.

"That was fast," Hisako complimented with an approving smile.

The office was lavishly decorated, with plants, couches and tables. At the end of the office was a large desk, made with what looked like high quality wood. Sitting at that desk with a cup of sake in his hand was an overweight man with thinning black hair. He had a pencil-thin mustache and was wearing a dark grey business suit. He looked up at his visitors with a bleary cynicism reserved for a man who knew he was due for a visit from Shinigami.

"So, you're not the angry mob," He said, pouring himself some more sake. "But they'll be back. Who are you?"

"Gombei, your CEO hired the Hidden Leaf village to come destroy the bridge," Kakashi answered evenly. "There's protections on it, so we'll need to time to circumvent them. Days, if not a week and we need a base of operations."

Hasimoto hummed and drunk his sake. "Sure, why not. Make yourselves at home, if it means I can stave off death for a few more days, that means more sake."

He started laughing.

"Good," Kakashi's eye narrowed. "Now, what's with the mob?"

"Oh, they're mad about a lot of things," Hasimoto answered, waving it off. "Things I never got involved with, personally. Drug smuggling. Human trafficking."

That got everyone's attention.

"That sounds like something that would get Daisuke's attention," Naruto muttered to the group.

The rest just nodded in agreement.

"But mostly, they're just mad about Kaiza," Hasimoto continued.

"Whose Kaiza?" Naruto asked.

"The man Gato personally executed for standing up to him," Hasimoto replied with a hallow laugh. "Thought himself a village hero, wanted to do the right thing, you know the type. Gato had none of it, of course. Of course, now that Gato's gone, the spineless villagers are wanting justice. Ha! Revenge, more like!"

"There's nothing wrong with wanting justice." Sasuke folded his arms and squinted angrily.

"Of course not," Hasimoto shook his head. "But the gods already claiming their justice on this whole company. They just want to sooth their cowardly pride, since they wouldn't do anything while Gato was alive and his enforcers were still on his payroll."

"Don't you have some kind of security?" Nichiren asked, looking around.

"Had," Hasimoto pointed out, pouring out the last of his sake. "Had. While Gato was alive, we had an army of samurai at our beck and call. Well, budget ones. Cheap. Not those war gods in Iron. But after he died, they all went to find greener pastures. Or were killed alongside him."

"So why don't you just, I don't know," Sakura began with a frown. "Quit?"

Hasimoto stopped himself from drinking his sake to shake his head at the girl. "I've been working for this company for twenty-six years. I'm not leaving."

Then he took a gulp of sake. "Shinobi-sama, do you think you could do me a favor?"

"That would depend on what it is," Kakashi replied neutrally. "What did you want?"

"I know Gombei-sama probably paid you top-ryo to destroy the bridge," Hasimoto began, swirling what was left in his sake in the bowl. "But I want you to not destroy it. The villagers need that bridge and if it gets destroyed, they won't bother with trying to break down the door; they'll torch the office."

"Perhaps it would make you feel better if we escorted you home," Kakashi offered diplomatically. "We can use the office while you're resting at home."

"No, I live in the village," Hasimoto shot that down with a glare. "At least here I have the durable walls of the office to protect me from the angry mobs. My home is much less safe."

"I see," Kakashi answered.

"You can find futons in the storage room on the first floor," Hasimoto replied. "I'll get you all keys so you can come and go as you please. Just think about my request, will you?"

"We will consider it," Kakashi replied. "Thank you for your hospitality."

"What was the name of that building?" Shizo asked with a raised eyebrow.

They were floating close to the shore, out of sight of the village while they consulted the map they were holding just above the water.

"Gato Company Corporate Office," Masato recited. "I think they might be the employers."

Riku spit out a human skull made of ice and crushed it, while pointing up at the village.

"You think they'll be going after the bridge builder too?" Rookie asked, aghast. "That seems overly harsh, he didn't even finish the bridge!"

"Maybe not go after him to assassinate him," Shizo suggested. "But they are definitely going to want to pump him for info, such as on the bridge's structural weak points."

"The bridge's defenses ran out of chakra days ago," Rookie pointed out with a concerned frown. "They could just use explosive tags on the bridge to bring it down."

"Indeed, Rookie." Shizo nodded. "Which is why we'll need to keep a close eye on the Ninja for when they try to make their move. If they try to use explosive tags, we can disarm them…or we can relocate them."

"I suggest relocation be our strategy," Masato requested with utmost seriousness.

"And why is that, Masato?" Captain Shizo asked with an intrigued expression.

"Because it could be hilarious." Masato didn't let up with his serious tone.

A snapping tree-branch alerted them to someone that had been watching. Less than a second later, a small boy fell through the tall grass and onto the sand, his eyes closed in his wince of pain. Then those eyes opened and the boy gasped.

It was at this moment that Shizo was happy for his signature technique; Calming Intent. Rather than fill the air with hostility and murder, Shizo helped the people around him cool off, relax, and enjoy life. No fear, no want…no worry. "Hi there! What's your name?"

"Uh…" The boy readjusted his blue-striped hat. "Inari?"

"Nice to meet you, Inari," Shizo said with a smile. "What'cha doing over here?"

"I heard voices and…I got curious," Inari replied, blinking repeatedly and often. "What are you guys?"

"Why, we're penguins!" Masato said, gesturing to himself.

"Swimming, water-birds," Rookie added with rapid nods.

"Oh. Okay," Inari shook his head in bewilderment. "That's…cool?"

"Thank you. Say, Inari, could you do us a favor," Shizo said, still smiling. "We're kind of around here in secret and we'd like to keep it that way. So, could you not mention seeing us?"

"Uh, sure?" Inari replied.

"Good. Good," Shizo said, him and his squad slowly back up in to the deeper water. "Just remember, you heard some people talking and they left before you got here. Nothing weird or worth mentioning."

Shizo started waving his flippers around in a hocus-pocus pattern as he slowly sunk beneath the waves. "You didn't see anything."

Then he was back on top of the water. "Right?"

"Y-yes, bird!" Inari said with a quick bow.

Just like that, Shizo and the penguins were gone.

Inari felt the odd calm that came over him disappear and he shook his head, rubbing his eyes. The birds were gone and Inari was having trouble believing that they ever existed. He looked to the left, then the right, and then he walked off.

Off on another shore, the penguins surfaced.

"That was close," Shizo shook his head in relief.