A conversation

Staring at Tazuna she could see sweat beginning to form as he looked around panicked. "I - I don't know what you're ta-"

Naruko moved in front of him faster than the eye could follow, staring directly into his eyes. "I don't like liars Tazuna-san. Now try again."

He looked around for a few more moments before slumping slightly tears forming in his eyes. "They have my family! With the upsurge of bandits, I was going to Konoha to get protection, but when I was about to leave they took my family!"

Naruko's eyes hardened, "Who did?"

"They - they were Kiri ninjas!" A gasp from Sakura rang out, but Naruko stayed focused on Tazuna.

"What exactly did these Kiri Ninjas want you to do Tazuna?"

He dry-swallowed before beginning to explain, "They gave me money and told me what to say when I went to Konoha, that I was to mention some of the bandits using chakra, but at the same time I was supposed to make it clear that I didn't need to leave immediately! They told me what to say, and I followed it! But then, the Konoha ninja that was taking my mission said that it was only a C-Rank, when the Kiri ninja told me to make sure it was a B-Rank, I didn't know what to do! I swear, if I knew kids were going to be on the team I wouldn't have done it!"

Staring at him for a long while, Naruko finally sighed. 'Red herring. His age, his look, it all threw me off. My mind and knowledge tricked my instincts. So he IS Tazuna.' Looking behind Tazuna to her team she'd force a frown upon her face. "This is an A-Rank at the minimum mission, our client lied about the mission, and was actively leading us into a trap. What do you think we should do team!"

Sasuke's eyes gained a glint, but it was Sakura who spoke up first, "We can't just leave him and his people! Besides we're at war with Kiri, which means these people are our allies!" 'Not how that works, but like the attitude.' 

Sasuke spoke up, "We'd be the kind of monsters we want to hunt down if we didn't save them."

Sai shrugged. "Whatever you want Sensei." 'Hook, line, and sinker. That's my team!' 

Naruko grinned. "Alright. You heard my team Tazuna-san. Here's the deal, we'll deal with the Shinobi, and then I'll be talking to whatever leadership you have left in the Land of Waves."

"Thank you! Thank you! I'm so sorry, I really didn't want this." Waving it off Naruko would focus on her team. "Alright, there's 13 Chunin and 3 Jonin in this party. Sasuke you're taking 3 Chunin, Sai you're taking 3, Sakura you're taking 1, and I'll take the 3 Jonin and 7 Chunin."

Sai nodded, Sasuke's eyes for a brief moment flashed Red and Sakura nodded, before asking, "Are you going to be okay Sensei? That seems like a lot." 

Naruko grinned down at her in response. "Don't worry about that. Once you reach a certain level of power, in order for sheer numbers to stop a person they need to be drastically multiplied. A team of 4 Genin working together might be able to take you down - but a dozen might be needed for Sasuke or Sai, and as for me - there isn't enough Genin in the world." Maintaining her grin, Naruko would begin to raise her hands and form a shadow clone. "Alright Tazuna-san, my clone here and you will find a safe place to rest while we deal with the trouble ahead. She'll bring you back to us when it's all good and safe."

He nodded. "Yes! Thank you so much Tsubaki-san." Her clone began to guide Tazuna through the woods, while Naruko and her team stayed there. "Alright, last chance. If you don't want to fight, I'd understand - I can take them all out if you want."

"No! I want to help you Sensei!"

"I'll always help you Naruko-sama."

"Tch, what Uchiha would back down?"

Naruko would nod her head. "Good, in that case, I suggest you all follow along. Your stealth skills aren't enough to hide from Kiri Jonin when there's so much water in the air.

"Sensei, is there anything we should know about the standard way Kiri ninjas fight?" 

Humming at that Naruko would think for a moment before saying, "Kiri ninja although they have a bloodthirsty reputation, actually tend to be much more sneaky in one-on-one confrontation than Konoha ninja. Expect lots of feints and dirty blows. Not only that, they abide by the mentality of taking a blow in order to land a killing blow, so never try to trade blow with them, or they will take the kill. Over 90% of Kiri Chunin know water style, even when it's not their Element, so I'd suspect the ones you too face to be the same. If not, expect Lightning or Wind. The number of Kiri ninjas below Jonin-level that know Fire Style or Earth Style is so startlingly low, that they wouldn't risk them for this. Even at the Jonin level, they are by far the rarest elements for Kiri."

Thinking for a few moments she'd finally add, "They prefer Sword usage whereas Konoha prefers Kunai, and their swords will typically be a bit longer and heavier than the ones you'd see an ANBU use as an example. Most of them are still one-handers, although some use one and a half. It's only Kumo that primarily uses two-handers. Outside of that, anything that Obscures vision they'll be better used to compare to yourself, so be on the lookout for that, and only try that if necessary. Any questions?"

There was some shuffling behind her before Sasuke said, "What about Chakra levels." 'Aah, he does know.' 

An amused smile spread across Naruko's face, "I suspect Sakura and possibly Sai don't know this, but good for asking. The 'grand secret' on why Konoha consistently throws out better Shinobi non-clan or clan. Yes - the average Kiri Chunin has worse chakra levels than your average Konoha Chunin. There are a few reasons - one we have more food, medicine, and a better lifestyle than them. Two, we're constantly surrounded by trees built by Hashirama-sama. Three - the Nature Energy in the Land of Fire is the highest - don't ask what that is it's classified. Four - a lot of the Chunin in Konoha are either clan-blooded or have Senju blood. Overall this leads to Konoha forces having on average higher chakra levels. Hold any questions about this specifically Sakura till after the fight is done please."

Sakura slowly lowered her hand nodding her head a bit awkwardly. "Any other questions?" There was none. "Alright team, prepare yourselves to jump into the fishbowl." 'Ooph, that one was bad.' Naruko started walking, hoping to completely blow by that horrific joke she had just made.

'I really need to prepare jokes about other nations. Is that racist? That feels a bit racist. Does it make it better or worse that we're at war? Eh, fuck it. I'm a puncher, talker, and thinker. I can't be the morality person too.'