Rasa's Gamble

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Tenjho Tenge

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Here's chapter 29. This chapter is mainly plot and character driven so not much action. Enjoy!

Last time:

Fire Country, the Village of Konoha

Tsunade was sitting in the Hokage's Office; or rather her office now. Her husband Jiraiya was there as well. She, Jiraiya and Sarutobi-sensei had concocted the idea of sending out a 'friendly invitation' to the Fourth Kazekage. She'd never met Rasa-sama of the Gold Dust in person but if he did come the plan was to reveal just how strong Konoha was and that they knew that he was cooperating with Orochimaru. It was a rather edgy and truthfully aggressive way of conducting diplomacy but Tsunade had a plan. She was not a warmonger and frankly she hated conflict with a passion but this could be turned into a golden opportunity to take her traitorous ex-teammate Orochimaru out of the picture for good. That idea she relished in.

Thanks to Jiraiya; Tsunade was well aware of the fact that Suna was hurting financially due to the idiocy of the Wind Daimyo. He was giving most of his business to Konoha these days. For certain economic concessions (perhaps joint Suna-Konoha missions in the future); Tsunade hoped to convince the Fourth Kazekage to stay out of this or better yet join with Konoha in an attack to wipe out the Sound Village.

Hanako-sama had suggested that striking while the iron was still hot as well which made Tsunade want the former ANBU Commander Raven as her advisor all the more. If Rasa-sama agreed to visit Konoha then 'coincidentally' the corrupt former elders Koharu and Homura were going to dealt with that very day and the announcement that Danzo had already been executed for treason would be made public as well. If that didn't leave an impression on the Fourth Kazekage nothing would.

Tsunade was not bloodthirsty but presenting a dynamic and powerful front would keep anyone (particularly potential enemies) from thinking an attack or messing with Konoha in general was a good idea…

…

Chapter 29

Wind Country, the Village of Suna

The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa of the Gold Dust sent a sealed letter to Konoha to accept Tsunade's invitation to visit her. Something told him change was in the air. He saw his beautiful eighteen-year-old daughter Temari coming into their home after a hard morning of training. 'She looks so much like Kurara it's haunting.' Rasa loved his daughter but between leading the village and Gaara's situation they had a wedge driven in between them that he could not seem to breach.

Rasa's relationship with Kankuro was little better and his relationship (if it could be called that) with Gaara was substantially worse. Rasa felt that Gaara might still be able to control Shukaku. Recently his youngest had taken up the philosophy of only living and killing for himself and somehow it brought Gaara's control over the sand to acceptable levels. Still, Rasa wasn't sure if leaving Gaara in the village without his personal supervision was a good idea. If Shukaku got loose in Suna while Rasa was gone it could potentially be disastrous…

Rasa watched as all three of his children took their sandals off and called Temari over. "Temari, come to my study after you remove your gear." Temari simply bowed in deference but Rasa could see resentment burning in her teal eyes. She always addressed him as 'Kazekage-sama' instead of 'Father' or even 'Daddy' like she did when she was little. 'I miss those days.' thought Rasa sadly.

Soon Temari came in and stood at attention before her Father. The sandy blonde girl said, "Reporting as ordered Kazekage-sama."

Rasa cringed inside at his daughter's emotionless way of addressing him. To her he was her military commander and not her Father. Rasa sighed. "Temari, I need to talk to you about your brothers."

His eldest crisply replied, "I will write a formal report for you on Gaara's status within the hour."

"No Temari, I want to talk to you." Seeing her 'mission' face he held up a hand and said, "I don't want a verbal report. Gaara has been stable from my observations…" Finally, Rasa said, "Please sit down and be at ease. I want to talk to you as my daughter, not as a kunoichi of this village."

Temari sat down but was very guarded. Rasa could see the gears in her head turning lightning fast. She hid it well, but Temari was very suspicious of her Father's motives. 'What the hell is going on? He never wanted a daughter before…He must be planning to manipulate me on a personal level for some reason.' "What is it you wish to speak about sir?" she asked emotionlessly.

Rasa sagged slightly inside. "Temari, a new Hokage has come into power in Konoha. It is Tsunade of the sannin; I have no doubt that you have heard of her." Seeing his daughter nod slightly he said, "Because of her recent inauguration Tsunade-sama has invited me to Konoha to reaffirm our alliance…I want you three children to join me on this trip as you've never been to a foreign village. Consider it a…family vacation."

The sandy blonde haired kunoichi silently stared at her Father as if he'd just sprouted a second head and Rasa began to feel self-conscious.

Smiling very awkwardly he said, "What do you think of the idea Temari-chan?"

Temari measured her words carefully because her gut reaction was to blurt out 'Temari-CHAN?! What the hell is this?! Are you out of your FUCKING mind?!' Fortunately, she had a filter to use in the presence of the Kazekage. "I feel it would be detrimental to our team's training out here in the desert. No, I believe taking part in any sort of vacation would be a bad idea for all concerned."

Rasa heard a hardened bitterness in his daughter's voice and it was obvious she wanted nothing to do with this. He said tiredly, "I'll take your words under advisement Temari, you are dismissed."

Temari stood up and bowed before heading back to her room. The sandy blonde kunoichi was suspicious and ill at ease with the whole concept that her Father would even bring up such an idea; let alone ask her opinion on it. 'As preposterous as the idea sounds, I'm sure if the Kazekage decides this so-called 'vacation' is what he wants then we'll have no choice but to go. I still have to wonder why he bothered to ask my opinion though. I'm just a genin after all.' Truthfully Temari was chunin level but remained a genin to be with her brothers. The three siblings had already decided they would all become chunin together in the upcoming Chunin Exams in Konoha in a few months. 'Why did Kazekage-sama even ask me? Maybe he was trying to test my judgment or something.'

Determining that dwelling on it would do her no good, Temari decided to put it out of her mind and washed up for the morning meal. Even though it was pointless in her view, the Kazekage and his children generally had meals as a family when Rasa was home…

…

Fire Country, the Village of Konoha

Hanako was up early as always and had Aya pulled from the Academy for a few days to teach her some vital chakra exercises to ensure the kunoichi in training could control her ryugan to some degree. They were Hyūga children's techniques used when they were first learning how to use their byakugan but Hanako felt it was far better than Aya potentially suffering from serious chakra exhaustion.

After talking to the Academy Headmaster, Hanako went down and spoke to Aya's sensei Tsubaki and made arrangements to have Aya's assignments brought to her in the afternoons after class. Takayanagi Masataka eagerly volunteered to help Aya by bringing her homework to her and Hanako agreed given the boy actually had proper etiquette. She also saw Souichiro Nagi and Makihara Bob there but Hanako's byakugan glare kept them from getting out of line. After that she thanked both Tsubaki-sensei and Masataka for their help before she vanished in a body flicker leaving the class of ninjas in training rather dazzled.

When Hanako got back to the Natsume Clan Home she found Hanabi-chan teaching Aya-chan the hand signs to activate the byakugan. (Hanabi had already outgrown using them but remembered them like all Hyūgas did). "Just like that Aya nee-chan." said Hanabi as Hanako walked in the front door. "Now we need to focus the chakra and let it flow to our eyes. Watch as I activate my byakugan." Hanabi said as she demonstrated and activated her byakugan eyes. "Once Obaa-chan gets home we'll -Ah, there you are Obaa-chan. I'm glad you are here. Will you supervise for us?"

Aya looked up and saw Hanako enter the room. "I must be handy being able to see through walls and all around you." said Aya. "I didn't even know you were back Hanako Obaa-chan; Hanabi-chan saw you there behind her." she added smiling.

Hanako smiled softly and said, "Let me see your hand signs Aya-chan." After watching Aya perform them four times Hanako said, "We need to work on your hand sign speed Aya-chan. Let's try the leaf balancing exercise before we start trying to activate your ryugan. I want to see how good your chakra control is in general as well. Let's go out to the dojo." Within a few hours of practicing with Hanabi; Aya had the leaf spinning exercise well under way and Hanako said, "I'm going to teach you and Hanabi-chan the tree walking exercise Aya-chan. Once I'm satisfied with your mastery of that exercise and your hand signs then we will try to activate and deactivate your ryugan voluntarily. You are making good progress."

Hanako patted the ground beside her and the three sat down together for a short break. They had some rice balls and green tea to replenish their energy. "So how long do you think that this will take Obaa-chan?" asked Aya.

"With patience and diligence, I believe you will be able to activate and deactivate your ryugan at will within about a week Aya-chan." said Hanako. Seeing Aya sag a bit Hanako said, "We cannot rush this Aya-chan. It is vital that you learn this properly because your health or even your life could be threatened otherwise. This next week will be time well spent. Besides; you have Hanabi-chan who will be learning with you and the two of you can help each other along. This afternoon your classmate Takayanagi Masataka-kun will be bringing your class assignments to you. You'll need to keep up on that too."

Aya was looking a bit overwhelmed. "You needn't worry about your Academy assignments as much Aya-chan." said Hanako. "I'm sure I can offer guidance and Natsu-san can as well given she went to the same Academy you are. There really wasn't a program in place like this when I became a ninja. We were fighting the Second Shinobi War at the time, so we didn't have time for homework assignments. I guess our homework was just staying alive."

"Wow, Obaa-chan! That sounds hard." said Hanabi.

"Well, it was all worth it so you children could have a safe village to grow up in." said Hanako proudly. "Let's get back to work now that we've had a little break. We'll keep going until lunch and see where we stand at that point."

…

Tea Country, the Village of Hekison

Team 11 set out in the mid-morning with the Miko Minami Natsuko after she bid farewell to her many friends in the village. As they were travelling on the less populated west side of the mountains, they planned to spend most of their trip camping and preferably avoiding ambush. Natsuko wasn't worried in the least though. "I'm sure I'll be safe under your protection Yūgao-san. All of you seem very strong, especially Naruto-kun."

Hinata and Maya growled lowly and Yūgao said, "Nevertheless, we need to be vigilant and protect you until you are safe at the Fire Capital."

The group travelled relatively quietly through the forests though Natsuko was going out of her way to stay close to Naruto because he 'made her feel safe.' As it was, she wasn't getting the reaction she wanted out of Naruto because he was very focused on his surroundings. All three genins were on edge because of the previous ambush and were watching the area around them like hawks. 'Damn I'm bored…' thought Natsuko. 'I don't sense anything nearby; maybe I should ask Naruto-kun about that ambush. His right sleeve has a lot of damage so maybe I can stroke his ego a little bit.' "So Naruto-kun, tell me what happened on the way here. Your cool ninja outfit looks all torn up."

'Cool ninja outfit…?' thought the three females of Team 11.

"We were nearby an explosion and it ripped up my right side." said Naruto. "The main thing is we're all okay."

Natsuko mentally frowned. 'That looks like he was at point blank from an exploding tag. Any male I've ever met would be bragging to any and every woman he met about even surviving such an ordeal.' "So what happened then Naruto-kun?" she asked enthused.

Naruto tensed when he saw a rabbit scurry by and then relaxed seeing it was no danger. He said to Natsuko, "Well, after that we were able to recover from the attack and I got bandaged up in your village Natsuko-san."

The Miko giggled and said, "You must be very strong to have gone through all that and be just fine now Naruto-kun…And let's be friends! Call me Natsuko-chan!"

"Ummm…I don't think that would be very proper with you being a Miko and all." said Naruto remembering the etiquette training that had been beaten into his head so profoundly by his girlfriends and sensei on the trip down…not to mention Hanako Obaa-chan who was THE reigning enforcer of the laws of proper behavior.

Natsuko kept smiling but in her head she was ranting. 'The ONLY ninja with humility and some decorum ever born and I'm stuck with him! I'm going to get some action out of him this trip if it's the last thing I do. I haven't been laid in months. Hmmm…maybe he's just a shy type that needs a little coaxing…' Deciding to change tactics Natsuko said, "You seem so proper Naruto-kun, your parents must be proud of you and raised you up to be a real gentleman."

"Actually, I'm an orphan." replied Naruto dully.

Natsuko's smile looked incredibly strained and then her face fell completely. "I-I'm terribly sorry! I would never have known since you seem so…ummm…gentlemanly." stammered out the priestess. 'What am I supposed to say now?!' she thought frantically.

Maya and Hinata had dark smiles on their face at Natsuko's faux pas. 'Let's see her recover from that blunder…' thought Hinata viciously. Maya's thoughts were along the same lines with more cursing added in.

"It's all right; you didn't know." said Naruto.

The Miko said, "Still, I feel so bad saying such a thoughtless thing. Let me make it up to you during our trip." Natsuko was trying to latch on to Naruto's arm to rub herself against him but felt a sudden chill.

Yūgao shook her head ruefully at the killing intent coming from Maya and Hinata. 'As entertaining as this is I may have to protect the client from my female genins. Maya is fingering the Reiki's hilt and Hinata keeps brushing her hands over her kunai pouch. I'll make sure to talk to them tonight. They have to realize that some clients are more trying to put up with than whoever is trying to kill them. Of course, after Wataru-sama I would have thought they were aware of this…'

…

Fire Country, the Village of Konoha

Tsunade was very pleased to see that the Kazekage had accepted her invitation to visit. The messenger bird arrived just before lunch and now the message was decoded. In so many words it said congratulations on her inauguration and that the Kazekage would be coming in three days with a small party of escorts. Tsunade quickly penned a message back saying she was looking forward to his visit and sent it out. 'Well, that was simple enough. Once he gets here we can actually talk business.' Tsunade had outlined an economic package to aid their allies in Suna and hopefully increase trade as well. Jiraiya's reports he compiled about Suna's current economic crises pretty much cemented Tsunade's opinion that the Wind Daimyo must be a complete idiot for cutting the funds of his own ninja village so drastically.

It was really little wonder that the Kazekage was desperate at this point. Of course, Tsunade's main goal was to preserve the alliance. Joint Suna/Konoha missions could be valuable not only to help Suna financially but also to improve relations between the two villages. Tsunade still remembered fighting against Lady Chiyo quite well and really didn't want to fight against Suna again with all of their poisons. 'Who knows what they've brewed up in the time since then? I basically was locked in a poison/counter poison war with old Lady Chiyo for months. I wouldn't mind visiting that old bat to talk about old times but Chiyo was always vindictive and might still be holding a grudge.'

Tsunade was preparing for another occasion that she rather dreaded; the last of Danzo's former ROOT had been gathered into ANBU and she had to address them and inform them that Danzo was dead (The body was still preserved as proof). Honestly; with the seals applied to the ROOT Agents that Naruto created when they joined ANBU there was no reason they couldn't be easily subdued or even killed with ease if they revolted. But Tsunade didn't want to do that unless it was unavoidable. The fact was Konoha needed ROOT to bolster their forces for the upcoming war and humanitarian reasons aside, loosing ROOT would be a terrible waste of resources.

The Fifth Hokage wanted all that over and done before the Kazekage arrived and it was publicly announced that Danzo was dead and the two remaining Elders were being put to death for treason against Konoha. ANBU Commander Dragon already had everything set for the meeting and all former ROOT members were going to attend excluding the Advanced Genin, Sai. It was a difficult course of action and Tsunade knew that ROOT ANBU either had to be fully integrated or eliminated. There was no other way around the issue. The question was rather ROOT was loyal to Danzo unto death or whether they were truly loyal to Konoha. Tsunade would soon have her answer…

…

Tea Country, Western Forest

As Hinata walked along; Angelnata was sitting in her normal position on Hinata's right shoulder wearing formal white priestess robes as she puffed on her peace pipe. Her chibi white wings fluttered irritably. "She's not a Miko; she's a Mik-hoe!" growled Angelnata. "She's been hitting on OUR Naruto-kun all damn day! We need to tie the bitch up, knock her out and throw her in a burlap sack so we can drag her ass back to the Fire Capital! Or better yet, let's throw her in a crate and just have her shipped as dry goods! The air holes in the crate so she can breathe are optional."

Devilnata was lying on her side on Hinata's left shoulder in a set of revealing red and white 'Miko robes' that would be right at home in any red-light district for 'blessing ceremonies' as she delicately held her cigarette holder while blowing smoke rings lazily. "Hmmm….at the very least we need to set up a double barbed wire fence around Naruto-kun's tent when we camp for the night. Natsuk-hoe's like a bitch in heat. We'll have to stay in the tent with Naruto and protect his sweet ass. If anyone is going to be riding that stud on this trip it's going to be us Hinata-chan!"

"Man, what I'd give for an inn to do Naruto-kun right in…" said Angelnata with a lustful smile.

'But what about Maya-chan?' thought/asked Hinata blushing.

"The more the merrier! All of us need some release Hinata-chan!" said Devilnata with a wicked gleam in her eye. "We'll stick Yūgao-sensei on guard duty and the three of us can get it on!"

"What she said." agreed Angelnata as she took another draw on her pipe. "We'll just have to guard Naruto-kun via a threesome."

Hinata continued to blush as she thought to herself, 'I think I'm one of the most morally bankrupt kunoichi in history! Where on earth did this come from?!'

…

Far away in Konoha, Hyūga Hanako sneezed and thought, 'Somebody must be talking about me.'

…

Soon Team 11 was setting up camp for dinner Naruto was setting up a seal barrier while Natsuko followed him around like a puppy dog absolutely fascinated with his seals (or so she claimed). The Miko actually was interested in the seals although her main goal was to be in close bodily contact with Naruto to seduce him. 'He is creating fuinjutsu seals so quickly and with such intricacy!' she marveled in between feigning ignorance and praising Naruto's intelligence. "So what do these seal pictures that you are placing around do Naruto-kun?" she asked girlishly.

Naruto was losing his patience with Natsuko. These were seals he had created and were pretty much classified. This girl was hanging all over him and asking all sorts of questions she didn't need to know.

'Maybe I should have taken the fan girl path all along.' thought Natsuko as she moved in a bit closer. 'My village could use a seal master of his caliber. I can't even begin to understand this level of complexity…of course then again, anything beyond a basic sealing scroll is out of my grasp…I really suck at fuinjutsu…' "So what does this one do Naruto-kun?" she asked while 'accidentally' rubbing her cleavage against him.

Naruto growled, "Please go back to the center of the camp and wait there Natsuko-san. I need to finish this and then you'll see what it does. This task is taking too much time." 'I should have made a bunch of shadow clones instead but that's a fairly secret technique and she is suspicious…'

Yūgao and Maya were setting up their tents while Hinata built a fire. Hinata was currently considering throwing Natsuko on the fire to use as fuel. Natsuko came over and sat down near the fire that Hinata now had burning nicely. "You guys are really good at this." Natsuko said to Hinata. "Which tent is Naruto-kun's? I want to stay safe by his side tonight." Maya accidentally drove a tent spike a half-meter deep into the ground and Hinata shattered a piece of firewood in her grip.

'Danger!' thought Yūgao. The purple haired sword mistress said, "You'll be staying in a tent with me Priestess. As the strongest member of our party, I assure you that I can protect you best. Besides; my tent has enough room for the both of us." 'Don't kill the client girls.' thought Yūgao as she pondered what tonight was going to be like. 'Maybe a nice enemy ambush would allow my genin to blow off some steam. I doubt a small army could take on the girls as wound up as they are.'

For her part Natsuko was truly impressed with the four-point barrier was activated by Naruto. Yūgao explained that it created a protective barrier around the camp while Naruto and the girls fixed dinner thus keeping potential conflict to a minimum.

…

Fire Country, the Village of Konoha

Aya was looking over her homework. Masataka brought over his notes for her to copy as well, which was a big help. 'I wish my notes were this good. No wonder Masataka-kun gets such good grades.' thought Aya as she studied. 'I wish I was as diligent about studying as Maya nee-chan but she always got top grades in her classes.' The younger Natsume sister found she couldn't complain. Hanako Obaa-chan was a very thorough instructor and though she was strict she always helped when needed. According to the Hyūga Matriarch Aya was progressing well and she saw no reason that the schedule they outlined at lunch today couldn't easily be met. Best of all Aya would be able to do tree walking that you normally weren't taught until you became a genin. Hanabi-chan was very excited to learn this as well.

It was going to be a hard week but Aya could already tell it was going to pay off. Between Masataka-kun's copious notes and a little help from Natsu-san here and there Aya found her homework was simple enough; it was just time consuming. Aya yawned and heard Natsu-san announce that dinner was ready. Deciding she was at a good stopping point; the younger Natsume sister closed her homework up for the night. She would continue her studies after training tomorrow…

…

Wind Country, the Village of Suna

The Kazekage and his children were having dinner together. "…And so you three children will be joining me as guards on this diplomatic expedition to Konoha." said Rasa. "As you will be in a foreign ninja village for the first time, I expect model behavior from all three of you. Baki will also be accompanying us so in my absence his word is law over you three. Is that understood?"

"Yes Kazekage-sama." droned Temari and Kankuro. Gaara remained silent.

"Is that understood Gaara?" said Rasa forcefully.

"Will there be blood for Mother?" asked Gaara.

Rasa said, "No Gaara, there will be no blood and no killing. You will simply have to keep your violent tendencies in check."

Gaara said, "Then I will not go. If there is no killing than I have no purpose in going."

"You are coming whether you like it or not Gaara." said Rasa to his youngest son. "If you cannot control yourself and come on this trip then I will end you this very evening."

Gaara glared hatefully at the man that cursed him with this existence. The one tailed jinchūriki knew he wasn't strong enough to kill the Kazekage at this point…perhaps in the future but not yet… "Then I will go to preserve my existence then Kazekage-sama."

The tension in the air was so thick that Kankuro could hardly breathe and Temari wasn't doing much better.

Rasa nodded and relaxed a bit. "Good, we will set out tomorrow morning with a squad to protect us should it be necessary. We are expected in three days so it should be simple enough at an easy pace. Pack for a two-week excursion tonight and be ready to go in the morning at dawn."

…

Tea Country, the Village of Hōrō-sha

The crime lord Akio had mixed feelings. His boss wanted the target of their failed ambush eliminated at all costs. Unfortunately, it had cost Akio seven good and loyal house ninjas. Shigure was obviously not in favor of leading another expedition out towards Hekison Village but it looked like there was little choice in the matter. Akio summoned Shigure who soon reported into him. Shigure came in and bowed before saying, "How may I serve you Akio-sama?"

Akio sighed and said, "Shigure, I know you are reluctant about this but I need you to assemble a group and head out to Hekison Village. Scope out the target there and if she is there eliminate her. If she is not there, then pursue her. These are orders from above my head Shigure; if it was left up to me, I would call this off and cut our losses. Be cautious Shigure. If you can't take out the target without certainty, then don't risk it; understood? There is another group of ninjas after the same target as us, so you'll need to be careful of running into them too."

Shigure asked, "Akio-sama, who are the other ninjas involved? If we could link up with them, it would be an advantage."

"I asked the same thing Shigure." explained Akio. "He simply told me they were missing nins and would act independently. I'm under the impression they are best avoided as they are loyal to no one but themselves."

"Then we will leave for Hekison Village tonight Akio-sama." said the house ninja.

Akio nodded. "Good luck and good hunting Shigure."

…

Wind Country, the Village of Suna

Temari was finished packing her things and was wearing a black yukata as she prepared for bed. She stepped out into the hallway and heard Kankuro making last minute adjustments to his three puppets from his room. She also heard Gaara on the roof. It was close to a new moon and for whatever reason Gaara seemed less agitated during that phase of the moon than any other. Temari decided to go up to the roof and see her little brother. When she stepped out on the roof, she saw Gaara lying there looking up at the stars almost in a trance. She considered leaving him alone since he actually looked peaceful but Gaara asked, "Temari, why are you here?"

"I came to check on you before I went to bed." said the sandy blonde girl. "You seem peaceful tonight."

"Mother doesn't talk to me as much during the new moon." said Gaara quietly.

Temari sighed softly. "About this trip…are you going to be all right Gaara?"

Gaara stared up at the sky and said, "I will never be all right Temari. You already know this. Why do you ask?"

"You are my brother just like Kankuro is." said Temari sadly. "I know you don't believe me, but I care for you and do not want you to be hurt."

"You are right Temari; I don't believe you." said Gaara emotionlessly. "I can only trust Mother and myself."

The sandy blonde said, "I don't want the Kazekage to hurt you on this trip Gaara. If you lose control of your sand on this mission, I fear he will kill you."

Gaara looked at Temari and their teal eyes met. "I won't lose control. I have to wait until I'm strong enough to get revenge and kill the Kazekage to prove my existence once and for all. I will kill him for you and Kankuro as well."

Temari nodded sadly. 'For Gaara that is actually a kind thing to say…' "Good night little brother, I need to go to bed."

"Good night." whispered Gaara. He wasn't aware whether or not Temari heard his words and a lot of him truly didn't care. 'I wonder why I said that to her?' wondered the red-haired boy to himself.

…

When Temari stepped back inside she saw Kankuro standing there in a yukata without his war paint or cat suit on. "Did you find out anything Temari nee?" asked the puppeteer quietly.

"He said he wouldn't lose control during this trip." said Temari. "He seemed sure about it." 'He even said good night to me…' "We've got an early day tomorrow Kankuro. I'm going to bed and you should too."

The siblings wished each other a good night and both of them hoped Gaara would stay in control…

…

Tea Country, Western Forest

Maya was on guard duty while the others slept. She saw Natsuko stealthily slipping out of Yūgao's tent to relieve herself. If there were any doubts in the silver haired beauty's mind about Natsuko being a trained kunoichi they were swept away by the 'Miko's' sheer stealth. Natsuko did her business and then slipped back into camp…right towards Naruto's tent. Natsuko was pretty sure she had a midnight visit with Naruto-kun in the bag when the Reiki swung down and blocked her path. Maya said, "Wrong tent Natsuko-san. You must have gotten disoriented in the dark. Come this way." said Maya as she motioned Natsuko along with her family's sacred blade.

When Natsuko reentered Yūgao's tent she felt a bit unsettled. 'That girl Maya is no genin! She not only spotted me but she got the drop on me. Even worse, she's obviously very skilled with that nodachi. Damn her!'

…

It was Naruto's turn to guard and Maya already informed him of what happened earlier. She warned him that Natsuko was very stealthy. They shared a brief kiss under the starlight before Maya entered the tent she shared with Hinata. Naruto really wasn't surprised when Natsuko made an appearance later.

Natsuko slowly crawled out of Yūgao's tent. 'Alright, everyone is asleep and my target is in sight. He's young and I should be able to turn him on with my feminine wiles. A night with me and he'll be eating out of my hand. After that, once I get my mission in Fire Country accomplished, I can lure him back to my home village where he could become a seal master. Score! Everyone wins!' She adjusted her Miko outfit to show a generous amount of cleavage and then slowly stalked her prey….'Mmmm, Naruto-kun, you have no idea what you'll be getting tonight!' she thought hungrily.

Suddenly Natsuko found she couldn't move at all and gasped. Naruto turned around and saw the Miko on all fours on the ground. "What are you doing up so late Natsuko-san…? Oh, I see, you set off one of my motion detector tags. Hang on while I inform everyone that it's okay."

Natsuko was doing her best helpless puppy dog eyes as Naruto went over to deactivate the trap. "I'm so sorry Naruto-kun. I had a nightmare and wanted to be close to you."

Naruto said, "Well, the tag set off silent alarms that woke everyone up so you'll have plenty of company now Natsuko-san." About that time Yūgao, Hinata and Maya appeared out of their tents armed to the teeth.

"What's going on Naruto?" asked Yūgao gruffly.

"Natsuko-san set off a motion trap and got stuck in place." said Naruto. "I haven't even had time to disarm it."

Yūgao saw Natsuko in her position on the ground and said irritably, "For a Miko you sure do get into a lot of trouble. What are you doing out here crawling on the ground in the middle of the night anyway?"

"Ummm…I had a nightmare?" said Natsuko as she felt the trap deactivate.

"Riiiiight." said Yūgao. "Back into the tent with you. You and I will talk about your nightmare in there." The jonin dragged the protesting Miko back into the tent they were sharing…

After trading notes, Hinata and Maya each shared a kiss with their boyfriend before they went back to bed.

For her part Natsuko had simply given up for the night. Between everyone seeing her stuck helpless on the ground and a verbal flogging from Yūgao all she wanted to do was sleep and try to forget about the embarrassment and mortification of being caught…twice.

As a result it turned out Hinata's guard shift was quite peaceful…

…

POSTSCRIPT:

A lot of plot building this chapter. Things will start to converge soon. So, we've seen the introduction of the Sand Siblings and a bit of their relationship with their Father the Kazekage. We also got a little more insight on the 'Miko' Natsuko. What is her actual purpose? Just as importantly will she end up murdered in her sleep by Maya and Hinata? See you next time. Blue out. 6/25/23