Escorting Back; End Of Mission

Deidara planted his hand into the clay bag…

(Boom!)

Before the two could react Naruto blasted Kakashi off by aiming a quick Rasengan to the ground.

"Whew!" Naruto quickly wiped out the sweat that appeared at the side of his head.

("It's good that I was able to react before, these two quickly…")

("Who knows what would have happened to Kakashi-sensei!") Naruto thought while looking at Kakashi sensei, who landed safely a few meters away from the place where they were standing at…

"So.."

"What did you use that bomb for?" Sasori asked.

"We were comparing, whose art was more powerful!" Deidara said.

"So, all the while I was fighting there alone, you were having a competition?" Sasori asked.

"Sasori, My man!"

"Orochimaru had already fled the battle."

"While I thought the Fourth Kazekage was on the battlefield you were fighting at…" Deidara said.

"Oh Yeah?"

"Then what is he doing with that kid over there?" Sasori asked while pointing towards the direction where Sasuke and Rasa were standing after escaping from the explosions…

"What?" Deidara also stared at the duo, who were standing safely, a few meters away from the group.

"How much clay do you have?" Sasori asked.

"Barely enough to make it back, as long as we don't fight anyone else…" Deidara replied.

"Hmph!"

"Looks like we have no choice but to retreat…"

"That old woman managed to take down my collection of hundreds…" Sasori said in a low voice while walking towards the strange creature, that was standing on its two legs in front of the group.

Hah! Sasori exhaled while jumping onto the back of the creature.

"Let's Go!" Sasori gestured.

Deidara turned towards Naruto.

"My man!"

"Looks like we will be leaving.."

"We will find out a real winner next time…"

"Until then we'll call each other Aniki! (bro!)"

"What do you say?" Deidara asked.

"Aniki!" Naruto put his hand up in the air.

"Aniki!" Deidara called out, following which he high-high-fives Naruto.

Kakashi was lying down on the sand quietly looking at the scene.

Meanwhile, Rasa and Sasuke's eyes were as wide as saucers.

"Tell me are you all friends with the Akatsuki?" Rasa asked in a serious voice.

"We are not!" Sasuke immediately denied, while also questioning Naruto's actions in his heart.

…..

"Later!" Deidara waved from the strange creature upon taking off into the air.

Naruto also waved back.

Soon they disappeared into the horizon.

"Hmm?" Naruto felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto called out upon seeing Kakashi…

——————— FlashBack ——————

On the top of the bird,

Deidara was busy controlling the bird, as they descended.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto called out in a low voice from behind Kakashi

"Hmm?" Kakashi leaned closer to lend his ear…

"If they talk about me being a jinchūriki or about art…"

"I want you to do something to change their topic!" Naruto concluded.

"Mm!" Kakashi nodded, following which the strange creature landed on the ground.

——————End of Flashback—————

"Smooth Acting!" Naruto gave a thumbs-up to Kakashi.

"Mm!" Kakashi nodded back.

"Brat!" Rasa stomped towards Naruto.

"Are you friends with the Akatsuki?" Rasa asked in a voice full of anger.

"Um…" Naruto was stuck, unable to explain himself in time.

Kakashi stepped in.

"Kakashi, what's the meaning of this?" Rasa asked.

("Yeah Right!")

("Just a few hours ago you wanted to destroy the hidden leaf, and now you ask questions…") Kakashi thought.

"The hidden leaf is not an ally of the Akatsuki!"

"Moreover Naruto-kun here did not befriend them in the truth of the word…" Kakashi explained.

"Then, what was that just now?" Rasa asked.

"Kazekage-sama!" Naruto called out.

"The Akatsuki are a group of criminals that not any village can afford to take on in their current state!" Naruto said.

"And who are you to decide that?"

"Unless you know all about the Akatsuki and are in Cahoots with them…." Rasa hinted.

"No!"

"I am aware of how the Akatsuki operates and have been keeping tabs on them for the past few days…" Naruto explained.

"We have our information sources brat, and not even our informant has been able to gauge their strength so far…"

"What makes you so confident?" Rasa asked…

"You source is one from our village is he not?" Naruto asked.

Rasa stared at Naruto in complete silence, not denying anything.

"Jiraiya-sensei and I both watch over Akatsuki's movements."

"I was there when he shared his intel with your village," Naruto said.

Rasa dared not to comment any more on the matter…

"It doesn't matter anymore…"

"Granny Chiyo is…"

"RASA!" A weak voice called out.

"Huh?" Rasa turned towards the direction from where he heard the voice.

"Honored Grandmother!" Rasa exclaimed, following which he ran towards Chiyo.

"Are you all right?"

"Are you hurt anywhere?" Rasa asked full of concern for Chiyo.

"I am fine!"

"I just need to rest!"

"Glad to see that Sasori did not do anything!" Chiyo said following which she became unconscious.

"Honored Grandmother?"

"Granny Chiyo?"

"Granny!" Rasa tried to wake her up.

"huh?"

"Granny Chiyo?" Naruto ran towards her.

"GRANNY!" Rasa wailed loudly…

.

.

"Hehe"

.

.

"Huh?" Rasa stopped for a second, following which he got slapped.

"What the…?" Rasa stared at his hand only to see it was empty.

"BUHAHAHAHA!!!!!!" Chiyo started to laugh.

"Gotcha!"

"I was playing dead!" Chiyo said.

Rasa stared at her in dead silence.

Meanwhile, Naruto started to laugh at how Rasa got slapped right in the face.

("I am having a hard time trying to catch up with everything here…") Sasuke sighed while standing beside Kakashi.

"You've improved Sasuke!" Kakashi said.

"Hm!" Sasuke acknowledged while watching how the kazekage argued with Chiyo over her manners against a Kage.

.....

"Mukade and Yūra were Sasori's spies?" Rasa asked.

"Mm!" Chiyo nodded.

("Mukade?")

("Isn't he the guy I met in Rouran?") Naruto thought.

"So the entire team on the borders got wiped out huh?" Rasa sighed.

"Honored Grandmother!" Rasa called out.

"Hmm?" Chiyo stared at him.

"I have made a decision!" Rasa said as he turned over to Kakashi.

"First, I would like to hear your explanation on how you came to know about the plan!" Rasa said.

Kakashi took a deep breath before he answered.

"Your son warned us!" Kakashi said.

"Gaara did?"

"But how?" Rasa asked in a surprised manner.

"I'll explain on the way; we need to leave now to make it back in time!" Kakashi said.

"Wait!" Rasa said.

"Hmm?" Kakashi stared at him.

"Considering the sensitivity of the matter, I am sure you have not come here on an official mission!"

"Is that correct?" Rasa asked.

"Mm!" Kakashi nodded.

Rasa took out a small scroll from his sleeve and penned down his request.

"I would like to submit an official mission request to the hidden leaf ninjas now if that's okay with you." Rasa offered the scroll to Kakashi.

"This…"

"I am not the person in charge of the mission!" Kakashi shook his head.

"Then…" Rasa paused only to see Kakashi looking towards Naruto.

"This yellow-haired br- (ahem!)" Rasa coughed following which he walked towards Naruto.

"Your name is Naruto right?" Rasa asked.

"It's Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto said.

"Then, Uzumaki Naruto!"

"I would like it for your squad to escort me to the Hidden Leaf Village, while I leave my ANBU agents back in the village to guard it in my absence!"

"Are you willing to accept this mission?" Rasa asked politely.

"Hmm..." Naruto thought for a moment.

Rasa felt sweat appearing across his head.

"What is it?" Rasa asked politely while almost feeling like panicking on the inside…

"The thing is, I was about to leave the squad along with my teammate to go off on an intel gathering mission," Naruto said.

"I see…" Rasa sighed.

Naruto formed perpendicular hand seals.

<Hidden Ninjutsu - Multiple Shadow Clone Technique >

Naruto said following which, about twenty of his clones appeared.

"My team of clones and Kakashi-sensei can be your guard!" Naruto said in a confident voice.

"This…" Rasa felt like a major joke was being played on him.

Kakashi nodded towards Rasa to assure that he was doing the right thing.

"All Right!" Rasa handed the scroll to Naruto.

Naruto nodded to Rasa following which, he handed the scroll to a clone nearby and started to form one hand seal after another.

< Summoning Jutsu! >

(Poof!)

A small white cloud appeared, following which, a small frog came into view...

(CROAK!)

(CROAK!)

The frog looked at Naruto.

Naruto took out a medium sized scroll from his bag and started to pen down his mission report in encrypted words.

Kakashi, Sasuke, and Rasa stared at the scroll, unable to make sense of what Naruto was writing onto it…

Naruto then concluded his message by drawing a circle and a few characters outside the circumference.

He then placed the small scroll that Rasa gave him on the empty circle and held a single hand sign towards himself.

(Poof!)

The small scroll disappeared into the circle replaced with the character for the word SEAL.

Naruto then closed the scroll and tied it to the frog's back.

(POOF!) The frog disappeared.

"All Right!" Naruto stood up and looked towards Rasa.

"Kaazekage-sama!"

"I've submitted your mission request, along with a mission report of what took place over here today…" Naruto bowed towards Rasa.

"Thanks!" Rasa said.

"Honored Grandmother!"

"I will go with these guys, so please take those people back to the village on your way back and make them guard the border until I return!"

"I will deal with Mukade and Yūra later," Rasa said.

"Mm!" Chiyo nodded following which she turned around to travel back to the jounins that were left behind…

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto called out.

Kakashi turned back to see Naruto hand over his Flying Thunder God Kunai.

"Use it only when necessary!" Naruto said.

"Mm!" Kakashi nodded.

...

Kakashi waved towards Naruto and Sasuke, as he left with the kazekage and Naruto's twenty clones.

"Where are we going?" Sasuke asked in his usual grumpy voice.

"To the place that started the Fourth Ninja World War!" Naruto said as he and Sasuke left in the direction opposite to the hidden leaf village.