Chapter 109 : Hope's Blade (2)

Mei let a deep breath slip past her lips. "Get me Chojuro, Zabuza and Haku." The Mizukage ordered. "I'll meet you all in the Blue Room."

The Blue Room was a secret bunker that was built underneath the Mizukage's office during the founding of Kirigakure.

S-ranked missions were given in the Blue Room, and shinobi had to have the highest level of clearance to even know about the existence of the place.

...

Ao nodded before vanishing in a burst of speed, carrying out his leaders orders dutifully, like a real man was supposed to.

When Ao was gone, Mei opened one of the drawers of her desk, taking out a single piece of paper. She read it, the letter Naruto had left her when he liberated Mizu from Yagura. It still made her warm inside.

A small smile found its way on her face, before she put the letter back into her desk, locked it, and stood.

"Here we go…" she whispered. With those words, Mei left her office, intent on finding Anko.

...

Nezumi-Two, Ookami, Karasu-Two and Saru dashed through fields of Kusagakure, their forms mere blurs to the untamed eye. Ookami, the squad leader, led the four man cell, his wolf-masked form leading his pack in the direction of Konoha.

Karasu-Two and Saru were on his flanks, keeping his pace fairly easily. Nezumi-Two was at the rear, there for his fast reaction time. If the ones following them tried to strike out, Ookami trusted Nezumi-Two to do what was needed to protect the squad.

He was right.

The earth beneath them began to rumble, and before most could react, earthy spikes shot up out of the ground, flying at their retreating forms with a speed that was meant to kill without mercy.

Nezumi-Two was not most shinobi.

Spinning, the blond-haired ANBU turned, his hands flying through hand-seals faster than even Ookami could hope to. He threw his palms towards the spikes that would have killed his team if he wasn't fast enough, and gale force winds slammed into them, ripping the murderous earth asunder.

And then, Nezumi-Two stopped.

Karasu-Two turned to look at him, her long, crimson hair flying around in the wind. Nezumi-Two nodded, and without hesitation, his squad was gone, their speed increasing exponentially.

He turned to the direction those who wished to harm his comrades were about to appear, and inhaled deeply. He was about to do an awful thing for the sake of his home.

Four agents of GOLEM – the Iwagakure equivalent of the ANBU – blinked into existence in front of Nezumi-Two, their pure white masks staring at his mouse-shaped one.

They stopped. Nezumi was the codename given to "the greatest shinobi of the Leaf", or that's what other villages had come to believe.

The mask, the title, it was shrouded in glory and awe, both the first and second bearers being classified as SS-ranked shinobi, and a 'FLEE ON SIGHT!' order. No one knew who the new Nezumi-Two was, but they knew he was no pushover, and worthy of wearing the godslayers face.

The one closest to the blond ANBU agent, a brown-haired man with an impressive muscle mass turned and looked at his black-haired comrade, an obvious woman and most likely the leader of the cell.

A tense, stiff silence fell upon all of them, every shinobi ready to strike or defend at a moment's notice. No one moved. The wind was the only sound that could be heard. Nezumi-Two was outnumbered. There was four of them and one of him. It wasn't fair.

For them.

Without a sound, the four GOLEM operatives retreated back in the direction of Iwa. They couldn't risk engaging him – they knew they were outmatched. And for what was to come, their village needed every shinobi and kunoichi available. An army was needed for war, after all.

Nezumi-Two exhaled deeply, glad that no blood had to be spilled today. A battle won without conflict was the only true victory he cared for. He stayed there for a few more minutes; he had to make sure the enemy had truly retreated back to their country.

He wouldn't let anyone hurt his people. After he was sure reinforcements weren't coming, Nezumi-Two looked to the sky, wondering what his son was doing, hoping that he'd return to the village soon. They needed him.

And then, Nezumi-Two vanished in a gilded flash.

He reappeared next to Karasu-Two, the woman acknowledging his return with a nod. Even through her crow mask, the blond could tell that the woman was smiling.

Ookami turned to him, and Nezumi-Two informed him of the events that transpired not two minutes ago through ANBU code. Nodding, Ookami turned and kept his speed the same. They'd arrive in Konoha in a few hours if they didn't stop, and they needed to get there as soon as possible.

Their mission was a complete success, and the Hokage needed to know what they learned.

With speed and grace only the ANBU possessed, the small contingent of Ro-Han made their way to their home. They had to report to the Godaime.

...

Mitarashi Anko walked next to the Mizukage with a concerned expression. They were headed back to Mei's office to speak with an ambassador from Iwagakure no Sato. She was nervous, anxious, more so than she should have been. There was a sound reason for this, though.

"Where's…" she began.

"Safe." Mei replied, knowing what the woman was already going to ask. "I have Zabuza and Chojuro with her – Haku too." She explained.

Anko nodded, slightly sighing. They'd be able to handle mostly anything together. Since they rejoined Kiri, Zabuza's and Haku's growth rate was incredible.

Zabuza was now easily S-ranked material, and Haku had already made jonin, his Kekkei Genkai invaluable to the village. Chojuro had studied under Zabuza, and although the kid had little to no confidence in himself, everyone knew he was competent.

"Good. This could be a trap. We have no idea what they know or why they're here." Anko said. She sighed deeply.

"I don't like this." She admitted.

"I don't like it either," Mei began. "But I cannot simply dismiss him. It would be disrespectful. Technically, Tsuchi no Kuni has done nothing to Mizu. I was present during an invasion of another village; I would have been collateral damage, a casualty of war if I was harmed.

They haven't done anything to us yet, so I have to keep appearances." While it was widely known that Uzumaki Naruto freed Mizu no Kuni from the madness of Yagura, in the shinobi world, that meant little to nothing. Alliances stronger than the one Naruto had with Kiri were broken for the most asinine reasons.

Iwa was probably hoping to play on Kirigakure's greed, expecting them to take the shinobi's path.

Unfortunately for them, Naruto wasn't just a foreign shinobi to the Mizukage, but something far, far more important and dear.

"They're definitely here to strike a bargain with you. They want Kirigakure to assist with the war against Konoha." Anko explained. She went silent for a moment, her mind coming to a conclusion she thoroughly dreaded.

"It's going to be another world war, isn't it…?"

Mei looked at the woman who shared her love for a certain Uzumaki through the corner of her eyes. "I think so, yes." She admitted. "Iwagakure has had an extreme hate for Konoha since the Yondaime crushed them in the last world war. What Naruto did to them was like adding more oil to the fire."

"I'm tired of it." Anko stated. "This constant fighting – I hate it. Why can't everyone just understand each other and get along?" she asked rhetorically.

"Not everyone is like our Naruto." Mei retorted, smiling.

Anko chuckled, mirroring Mei's amused expression. "That's for damn sure. Soldier boy's one of a kind." Anko still had the message she received a few days after arriving in Kirigakure. It was from Naruto, explaining that he would be gone for a while, and that he wouldn't be able to see her for a few years.

That had been less than happy news, but he made up for it at the end of the letter. Apparently, her knight in shining armor took it upon himself to rid her life of Orochimaru once and for all – something she was going to thoroughly thank him for the next time she saw him. With Naruto in her mind, Anko felt more confident.

Even if there was to be another world war, Naruto and his father would be able to handle it. Anko – and Mei as well, probably – was of the opinion that both Naruto and Minato looked at other S-ranked shinobi and laughed.

They were the pinnacle of strength, and the scariest tag-team in history, Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama the only ones she could think of that even resembled them. And the latter only lasted a couple of years – if that.

"Do you think he'll hate me?" Mei suddenly asked – her tone weak. "For keeping it a secret from him?" she elaborated.

Anko looked at Mei with hardened eyes. "Of course he's not going to hate you. He could never hate you – he loves you, idiot." She scolded. Her eyes were narrowed.

"Stop thinking like that, will you? You know him just as well as I do. You know he'll understand, even if he's upset for a little while."

They had been over this so many times already, but no matter the amount, Mei still doubted her decision. She was afraid of what Naruto would think of her after he found out that she kept something so huge from him for so long.

"But…" Mei tried to begin, but Anko wasn't having any of it.

"No buts. Naruto loves us both more than anything, he'll understand." Anko didn't have to explain to her that Naruto's empathy ability would do everything for her; they didn't even need to speak for him to understand.

"Now toughen up, pussy, we've got an asshole to scare shitless."

Mei chuckled in amusement. Anko sure did have a colorful speech when she wanted, that's for sure. And her "tough love" was almost as forward as her sexual advances.

"You're right." Mei replied. "Now's not the time for self-doubt. I've got to be strong for my village." Her confidence back, Mei only had a smirk on her face as they reached the building her office resided in.

Anko, on the other hand, wasn't fully able to take her own advice. While she knew Naruto still loved her, and probably always would, she wasn't sure what their future looked like now, not when Mei had something that physically tied them together.

She was scared that she would be forgotten after he discovered their secret, and that made her heart hurt.

Walking into the building, the two kunoichi saw seven Iwa jonin standing in the waiting room, watching Mei with indifferent eyes. It wasn't until the men noticed Anko's hitai-ate did their neutral expressions turn dark.

They obviously disliked and distrusted Konoha shinobi; that much was clear with a single glance.

The Iwa-born shinobi's hostile demeanors caused the two Hunter-nin that were previously watching the foreigners from the shadows to make themselves known, their intimidating masks a warning. The Iwa-nin were not in Tsuchi no Kuni anymore.

Mizu was their territory, their backyard. They were surrounded with more water than they ever had been, and any shinobi worth their jonin rank knew the real reason Mizu never fell to any other country during wars, even when their own was wrecked with civil war.

The shinobi of Mizu no Kuni were at their best near, on, or in water, and they could swallow up entire platoons with one fell swoop if they had to.

Without any fuss, Anko and Mei entered the Mizukage's office, and were immediately met by Ao, Mei's trusted assistant in everything since the rebellion. Showing the proper respect the Mizukage deserved, Ao deeply bowed to his leader, ushering her to sit at her seat.

As Mei sat, Anko slowly made her way to stand behind the auburn-haired woman, to her left. Her right was always reserved for Ao. He had earned that right with his service and loyalty to the auburn-haired Kage.

As Mei took her seat, she took the time to examine the man she was about to play word games with. Tall, black hair and a strong chin – the apparent ambassador of Iwagakure no Sato was exactly what one would think a shinobi from the stone would look like.

The man was dressed in a red kimono. Mei raised a single eye – he was possibly related to the Daimyo of Tsuchi no Kuni. That was a clever tactic. While killing the messenger was rarely practiced, it still occurred, even today.

Sending someone of royal blood made that decision all but impossible; lest Mei start an all-out war between the royal courts.

Behind the ambassador, two shinobi stood, one female, one male. The female was young, around Naruto's age, she guessed. Her faint smirk spoke of arrogance, but her eyes spoke of experience. This girl was no doubt a jonin, and extremely talented at that.

She had shoulder length, black hair and dark eyes. She wore the typical jonin ware of her village, and she had the whole androgynous thing going for her.

Next to the female was a tall and brawny man, with dark eyes and short, dark-grey hair. A beard and large, bulbous nose finished his appearance, his traditional Iwa jonin ware matching that of the teen next to him.

With further inspection, Mei narrowed her eyes. She knew this man… he was the Tsuchikage's son-in-law, Kitsuchi, a former GOLEM. The man's appearance did not bode well with the Mizukage.

All of her examining only took five seconds, her Kage-level intelligence at work. Clearing her throat, Mei began what would most likely end in heated words. Hopefully, no one would get hurt.