54 -||

Thanks to the cave in, Naruto and Chouji had been forced to sit on the ground and think of a way to break through. A glance around revealed nothing. The ceiling had collapsed on top of them, leaving only this tiny space about six or seven meters wide and only three high. Chunks of rubble came together, forming an irregularly shaped dome around them.

Their lives had been saved thanks to Chouji. He had used his Expansion Jutsu to increase his size and safeguard them from the falling rubble. Naruto was impressed with how well his friend could control his jutsu now. Of course, right now he didn't have the time to admire his friend's newfound power.

"Unfortunately, I don't know any earth jutsu that can get us out of here," Chouji said when Naruto asked him if he might know a jutsu that would let them dig their way out.

He sighed. "I guess not. I have a few jutsu that could potentially break us out of here, but all of them are destructive. If I used one here, it might cause this place to collapse around our ears."

Naruto sat cross-legged, his arms crossed and his whiskers stretching across his face as he frowned. He looked at the walls again. The way they were packed together meant that removing one would cause the others to fall. In which case, their only means of getting out would be to either dig underground, or destroy the entire mountain.

I don't have any jutsu that will let me dig underground. Even if I did, that would take too long.

With a sigh, Naruto stood up and dusted off his pants and coat. He gazed up and began walking, until he found the approximate center of this space, and then he stopped.

"Chouji," he said.

His friend looked up at him. "Yes?"

"You might want to get close. I'd hate for you to be caught in the blast."

Chouji clearly didn't understand what Naruto meant, but he wandered over and plopped himself on the ground again.

Naruto nodded, then focused his chakra into his left hand, creating a small swirling ball of energy. The rasengan. Concentrating, Naruto changed the chakra nature of his rasengan from non-elemental to the wind element. He bit his lip and compressed the wind-natured chakra into the rasengan, which caused the entire orb to turn white. A small trickle of sweat poured down his brow. He lifted his hand above his head and poured more chakra into his technique. The rasengan, now pure white, began emitting a loud shrieking sound as several wind blades swirled around it, making the jutsu look like a massive four-pointed shuriken.

"T-that's a lot of chakra," Chouji mumbled as sweat poured from his brow. Even someone who wasn't good at sensing chakra would be able to tell that a lot of power was packed into this tiny sphere.

"Yup." Naruto didn't peel his eyes off the ceiling. "I need a lot of chakra for what I'm about to do. This technique is our ticket out of here."

"Are you sure it's safe?"

"Nope."

His words caused Chouji to choke back whatever he'd been going to say, face going whiter than a sheet. The boy mumbled something under his breath. Perhaps it was a prayer. He didn't think Chouji was the type to pray, but when your life is on the line and your friend was about to do something admittedly stupid, anyone would become temporarily religious.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto bent his knees, counted down to three, and then launched himself into the air.

"Fūton: Rasenshuriken!"

The massive screech akin to a bell became accompanied by the rumbling of rocks being torn to shreds. Naruto didn't even meet with any resistance as his jutsu plunged into the rock. The four points of his technique sliced away everything in front of it like the rubble was made of paper. Up, up, up he went, traveling higher and higher as he pushed wind chakra into his feet, propelling him forward at an accelerated rate.

Before Naruto knew it, he was floating high above the collapsed mountain. From the outside, it looked like the massive mountain had caved inward, evident by how it was the only mountain no longer standing while the rest of the range remained intact. Seeing the mountain with a bird's eye view allowed Naruto to notice how the top had fallen in, while the sides of the mountain had been pushed out, creating what almost looked like a crater.

Naruto let his technique dissipate now that he had no use for it. Landing on the edge of the hole, he peered down and found Chouji looking out of the hole with bulging eyes and a gawking expression.

"Chouji!" he called down. "Think you can climb up?"

"Er… Yeah! J-just give me a moment!"

Chouji scrambled to his feet and leapt into the hole. Naruto's attack had created a hole wide enough that Chouji could stand on the wall using chakra without having to stoop over. He raced up the tunnel and burst out of the hole, landing on his feet next to Naruto.

"The attack on Nadeshiko no Sato has probably already started," Naruto said to Chouji. "Let's go!"

Leaping away from the hole, Naruto raced down the collapsed mountain with Chouji at his side. He looked toward Nadeshiko no Sato, barely visible in the distance, and narrowed his eyes.

Hold on just a little longer. I'm coming.

XoX

Her people were outnumbered ten to one. No, it was even more than that. For every one person they defeated, ten or fifteen more appeared to take their place. What's more, they were wearing that annoying armor that protected them from her jutsu. Wind splashed harmlessly against a shield that appeared before them, absorbing the chakra and using it to further fuel the shield.

Shizuka had heard of it before. That was Yuki no Kun's famed chakra armor, but what was it doing here?

Since she couldn't rely on her wind jutsu, Shizuka stuck with taijutsu. She used a powerful combination of hand to hand combat and thrown projectiles to defeat the bandits who came her way. A sickening crunch echoed around her as she snapped one bandit's neck. She tossed a kunai into the throat of area around her was already littered with the dead bodies of foes slain by her hands. Yet even with so many killed, more enemies kept coming, crawling over their deceased comrades to meet her in combat.

Do these people have a death wish? Shizuka wondered as she flowed around a thrust sword, then jabbed the tendons in the man's arm. As the now nerveless fingers dropped the sword, Shizuka scooped the weapon into her hands, twirled it around, and sliced her opponent's head clean off. As both body and head hit the ground with two thumps, Shizuka took a second to look around.

The fighting was intense no matter where she looked, with her people battling against an overwhelming number of opponents. A kunoichi fought against six bandits in chakra armor on the roof. She was being overpowered. Another was trying to attack with a fire jutsu, but the technique merely splashed against a shield before it was absorbed by the armor. While she was stunned, several bandits came up behind her and knocked the girl out cold with a powerful strike to the head.

There's too many of them.

This was easily the largest assault on her village yet. The first one had been just Akuma, and it had seemed more like a probe, like he was testing their defenses and strength. After that had been the first assault with a large group of bandits, and then the third assault just last week. However, those second and third assaults were nothing compared to this one. It was like her home was being attacked by an army instead of a ragtag group of bandits. She didn't understand how there could even be this many attackers. Also…

What happened to Naruto and Chouji?

They should have been traveling to Nami no Kuni, the location they had determined was the hideout for this group. Had they run into this massive army and been killed? Impossible. Naruto was the strongest person she knew. There was no way he could be killed, but if he hadn't been killed, what had happened to him?

Shizuka was left with no time to ponder these thoughts. An explosion to her left made every thought flee from her mind as she turned her head. The wall to a building crumbled as something broke through it, traveling in an almost straight line through the air before its angle tilted, struck the ground, and rolled across the surface like a ragdoll. Shizuka gasped. What had come out of the wall wasn't an object. It was a person!

"Tokiwa!"

Rushing toward her attendant's side, Shizuka knelt next to the woman, who wasn't moving so much as an inch. Her body was littered with wounds. The mesh armor she wore was torn, her bodysuit was destroyed, and what flesh could be seen poking through the ripped fabric was black and purple.

Shizuka trembled at the sight.

"Hmm…" a low bass rumble emerged from the smoke that had been kicked up by the demolished building. Shizuka shifted her gaze as Akuma walked toward them. "She was a lot weaker than I remember being, or maybe it's because she was fighting me on her own this time. How disappointing. I was expecting a better challenge, but I guess that was asking for too much."

"You…"

Shizuka stood up and stepped in front of the unconscious Tokiwa, setting herself between her defeated attendant and this monstrous man.

Akuma gazed at her with a blank stare. His red eyes were just as frightening now as she remembered them being. There were no emotions within those eyes, just a pure, unbridled desire to fight and kill. This person couldn't even be called a human. Those were the eyes of a demon.

"You are the one who fought me with that woman." Akuma narrowed his eyes. "Yes, I remember now. You inflicted damage on me with that strange technique of yours, while the other one distracted me." He shifted his stance, sliding his feet apart, lowering his center of gravity, and bringing his hands into a combat ready position. "Will you put up a better fight than that one?"

Shizuka narrowed her eyes as she slid her feet along the ground. Every fiber in her body was screaming at her not to get close to this man, but she ignored it. As the strongest ninja in the village, she couldn't run from this fight.

Summoning numerous kunai to her hands, Shizuka tossed them at Akuma with pinpoint accuracy. She aimed each kunai at his vital points. Neck. Carotid artery. Heart. Liver. Lungs.

Akuma didn't even bother to evade.

Shizuka gawked when her kunai struck Akuma's body and bounced off, clattering to the ground. His skin didn't even have a scratch from where her kunai struck. It was like his body was made of metal or stone!

She remembered Akuma having a sturdy body from the previous battle. He had brushed aside many of her attacks with ease. Even so, she had not expected his skin to be so tough that kunai bounced right off.

"I hope that is not the extent of your power." Akuma growled. "Fight me for real. Give me a challenge, or I will kill you."

Shizuka felt a jolt of fear race down her spine, but she shoved it aside and burst forward in a sprint. Covering her hand in wind-natured chakra, she launched a power punch at Akuma, who finally saw fit to move, leaping to the left. A powerful shock wave was released from her fist. The ground around her broke apart, fissures spreading across the ground quickly.

"Hmm… that is better, but it's still not enough," Akuma growled as he lowered his body and brought his arms toward his torso. A massive surge of chakra emitted from between his palms. Shizuka only had a second to realize the danger she was in. "Gohadoken!"

Leaping into the air, Shizuka barely avoided the massive blast of pure chakra that emerged from Akuma's palms. She could only gawk as the purplish chakra slammed into a building several meters away, exploding in a massive gout of energy that caused the entire thing to break apart.

She was given no time to recover from her surprise. As she fell to the ground, Akuma met her, leaping into the air and extending his leg as he spun around. The leg caught fire. That was what it looked like at first, but Shizuka realized that it was actually another pure chakra technique.

"Tatsumaki Zankuyaku!"

A rushed series of hand seals was what saved Shizuka from having her ribs crushed by the powerful attack. Akuma's foot seemed to strike her body, but then she disappeared in a burst of smoke and a chunk of sediment took her place. The piece of debris blew apart underneath the powerful kick. Shizuka appeared behind Akuma, near the building that he and Tokiwa had come through.

"Shunshin!"

Using the Body Flicker Technique, Shizuka appeared directly above Akuma. As she descended, she covered her leg in vast amounts of chakra, enough that her leg started glowing light green.

"Take this! Nadeshiko-Ryū Kōha Senkaigiri!"

With her leg covered in wind chakra, her cutting power was maximized. She used the power of wind-natured chakra and gravity to land a solid falling kick that struck Akuma on his left shoulder. The dark-skinned man's knees buckled as the ground beneath him cratered. However, while abrasions spread quickly along the ground, Akuma himself remained unharmed.

"Weak."

With a growl, Akuma unleashed another one of those Gohadoken techniques, and this time, Shizuka had no room to dodge. She crossed her arms as the attack slammed into her, but that did little. A pained cry escaped her as she was blasted into the air. The world around her became white as pain flared in every nerve of her body.

"Ashura Senku."

Akuma appeared directly above her, suddenly and unexpectedly. The man flipped around and extended his left foot in a powerful drop kick that connected with Shizuka's chest.

Crack! The feeling of her ribs breaking would have made her cry out, but she couldn't even do that much as her body was sent to the ground.

Her mind numbed with pain, Shizuka's consciousness faded in and out before the world leapt back into startling focus. She groaned and coughed, unable to do much else. Blood welled up in her lungs and dribbled down her mouth. She must have punctured a lung.

Step-step. Step-step.

A figure swam into her line of sight, his dark skin, flame-like hair, and glaring red eyes making Shizuka's soul quake.

Akuma reached out. His fingers clasped around her throat hard enough that she gagged. He lifted her out of the crater that her body had made as she used what strength she had left to grab his thick wrist. That was all she could do, however. She barely had enough strength to do even that much.

"Pathetic," Akuma growled. "When you hurt me that first time, I had believed you were strong, but it looks like that had been a fluke. Without that other woman, you're nothing but a weak insect." The man paused long enough for his lips to curl in disgust. "You are quite lucky I was hired to capture you kunoichi. I normally kill weaklings like you, but you'll get to live."

"Hkk! Hurk!"

Shizuka gasped and gurgled as Akuma's iron fingers tightened around her throat. Loud cracking sounds echoed around them. It felt like her throat was slowly being crushed! She tried to pry his fingers off, but she lacked the strength. What's more, her mind was slowly going dark from oxygen deprivation. Even as she continued to struggle, her body was becoming sluggish, and it wasn't long before her arms were dangling limply at her side as drool slowly leaked from her mouth.

"Hmph! Pathetic."

Shizuka could feel her consciousness slipping, but she was still awake enough to hear his words. Tears slowly gathered in her eyes. She thought she had grown more powerful, that she had become stronger, but it was obvious to her now that the strength she had gained was paltry compared to some of the monsters out there. Her confidence in herself had been naive.

I can't believe I was defeated so easily. I'm sorry, Naruto. It looks like I wasn't strong enough.

The image of the blond-haired, blue-eyed man entered her mind, Shizuka felt something inside of her ignite. Naruto was strong. She had trained alongside him for several months, witnessed his strength, and tried to emulate it. Shizuka remembered wanting that strength. To that end, she had practiced several new techniques, though none of them had been put to good use. Most of them weren't even finished.

However…

Shizuka gathered what little strength remained in her limbs. Her arms ached, but she pushed her body to its limit, raised her hands, and grabbed Akuma's wrist again.

"K-Kazekiri…"

Shizuka choked out the name of her technique. Instantly, a powerful cutting wind sliced into Akuma's wrist. The man howled in surprise and pain as Shizuka fell to the ground. Akuma's hand was still wrapped around her throat, but she pried it off and began choking and gasping for her.

Meanwhile, her opponent raised his arm and gazed at the stump where his hand had been. His eyes were wide with shock. It didn't last long, though, as a grin soon split his lips.

"An admirable job. It seems you do have some strength." He looked down at his hand, lying on the ground in front of Shizuka, who glared up at him as she gasped for air. "I had not expected to find someone capable of cutting through my skin. I can only guess that you poured all of your chakra into that jutsu. You probably did the same last time when you broke my ribs. However… you're all out of chakra now, aren't you?"

Shizuka didn't want to admit that he was right, but even as she glared at Akuma, she knew he had seen through her. She'd used almost all of her chakra in that technique. She barely had enough to keep her body functioning.

Akuma nodded. "I thought so. You no longer have the chakra to fight me. That's too bad. I see potential in you. I'm tempted to let you go so you can train that potential and fight me again… but I have orders this time."

Gnashing her teeth together, Shizuka struggled to stand up. Her limbs trembled. Her body shook. However, no matter how hard she pushed herself, she couldn't rise to her feet. Having already pushed her body beyond its natural limits, she no longer had any strength left.

Damn it.

Frustration boiled inside of her.

Damn it!

Was this all she could do?

DAMN IT!

Why was she so weak?

As her self-loathing at her own inability to stand up consumed her, Akuma walked over, no doubt to knock her unconscious and take her back with the other captured kunoichi. She hated it. She hated that she couldn't do anything, that she would be letting this man capture her. Shizuka wanted to be strong enough that this kind of thing couldn't happen.

If only I had trained harder.

Regret. A well-spring of negative emotions and "what ifs" welled up inside of her. If only she had done something a little different. If only she had trained a little harder. If only she had perfected the technique Naruto taught her. If only if only if only.

"You put up a good fight," Akuma said as he stopped in front of her. "But now it's time to end this."

Shizuka looked up as the man pulled back his fist. She tried to glare at him, but her vision was still fading. Even if he did nothing, she didn't think her consciousness would last much longer.

"You're right. It is time to end this."

Just as her hope waned, a voice spoke up. Shizuka blinked as something orange suddenly appeared in front of her. She blinked again when she realized that what had appeared was a person, Naruto, who gave her a quick grin.

"Sorry I'm late, but you know… the hero always arrives at the last second," he told her, and then he spun around and delivered a crushing blow to Akuma's jaw. "Senpuken!"

Akuma was lifted into the air by the powerful uppercut. This wasn't enough to defeat him, though. He spun around and landed on his feet several meters away, his jaw now bruised. Spitting out blood, Akuma stared at Naruto and grinned.

"So you escaped from the collapsed mountain? I planned on fighting you after I accomplished my mission, but this works too."

"Sorry, but I'm not the one who's going to be fighting you." Ignoring the dark-skinned devil, Naruto turned his head to gaze at Shizuka. His eyes were full of concern. "You all right, Shizu?"

"Naru… to… I…"

She tried to say she was okay, but that was when her strength finally failed her. Like a puppet without its strings, she fell forward, but Naruto quickly moved before she could hit the ground and caught her. Warmth engulfed her body. She vaguely recognized it, this feeling of warmth, as Naruto's arms wrapping around her. Shizuka took a deep breath.

"You're covered in sweat and dust," she murmured.

"Sorry. I had a mountain collapse on me and had to blast my way out," Naruto said. There was a rustling sound before something soft was pressed against her lips. "It's a soldier pill. Can you eat it?"

"Maybe…"

Despite expressing her reluctance, Shizuka opened her mouth and let Naruto push it inside. She closed her mouth and chewed. Then she swallowed. While the effects weren't immediate, it didn't take long for her fatigue to ebb and strength to return. She understood. The soldier pill was granting her a temporary boost in power by restoring her chakra. However, it was only temporary. She'd probably pass out once the pill ran its course.

"Hey, Shizuka," Naruto began as he stared at Akuma, who wasn't moving from his spot. Perhaps it was his sense of honor, or maybe he just didn't want to ruin a good fight with a sneak attack. "Do you remember the technique I taught you?"

"I-I do," Shizuka mumbled as she slowly blimed to her feet.

"Can you do it?"

"Only sometimes… it requires a lot of chakra, so it usually fizzles out after awhile," she admitted.

Naruto nodded. "That pill should have temporarily restored all of your chakra. I want you to use that technique and hit Akuma with everything you have."

"O-okay."

Shizuka honestly didn't know if she could do it, but Naruto spoke with so much confidence in her that she couldn't help but decide to try. He was trusting her. Beyond that, he was giving her a chance to protect her village and fellow kunoichi by being the person who delivered the finishing blow to this man.

Naruto grinned before his lips fell into a frown and he glared at Akuma. "Hey, Akuma! If you can withstand Shizuka's next attack, I'll give you the battle you're craving so much!"

Akuma crossed his arms and frowned. "That so? Then I'll gladly take her attack head on."

"It's all on you," Naruto said. "Give him hell."

Shizuka didn't want to waste what strength she had left, so she settled on a nod. Stepping past Naruto, she first began to walk toward Akuma, but then she soon picked up into a jog. Taking the replenished chakra, she directed it all toward her hand and forced it to begin spinning in multiple directions. While the orb that appeared in her hand was a bit smaller than Naruto's, the unmistakable form of a Rasengan soon appeared.

Despite seeing the clear threat, Akuma did not move from his spot. He spread his feet apart, bent his knees, and tucked his elbows into his torso as the muscles in his stomach hardened. This idiot was really intending to take her attack head on. Shizuka wasn't going to complain.

"Rasengan!"

Thrusting out her hand, Shizuka slammed her jutsu into Akuma's chest. Her attack hit dead center. Akuma gritted his teeth as his feet slid across the ground. He tried to stop himself from moving, but that only caused Shizuka's attack to drill into his body even more.

She could see it. Her attack was grinding away his chest, peeling apart the skin and shredding his muscles. Blood splashed against her face as this idiotic man who only concerned himself with fighting strong opponents had his chest torn open until, finally, his strength failed him and his body began losing more ground.

"HA!"

With a shout of her own, Shizuka sent the last remaining chakra she had into the Rasengan. A bright flash foretold the danger. Shizuka gave one more push, then her jutsu exploded with a torrent of powerful chakra.

Akuma screamed as he was sent flying backward. His body disappeared as he crashed into a building, which toppled several seconds. Shizuka stared at the ruined building, forcing her body to remain upright as seconds ticked by, but that last jutsu had used up all of her strength. She had nothing left, and so her body fell backward—

Only to be caught by Naruto, who scooped her into his arms like she was a princess.

"You did it," Naruto said with a grin.

"I… I did." Shizuka smiled. "I really defeated him."

"You were amazing," Naruto complimented.

Shizuka was too tired to blush. "Thank you. Hey, Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm tired."

Naruto chuckled. "Get some sleep. My clones, team, and your fellow kunoichi are mopping up what's left of the bandits."

"Kay…"

What little strength she had left disappeared as Shizuka closed her eyes and fell asleep in Naruto's arms.

XoX

Many of the bandits lost their will to fight immediately after the defeat of Akuma. After handing Shizuka off to one of his clones, who fled into the inner sanctuary, Naruto had taken Akuma's corpse and dragged it through the village, announcing that Akuma had been defeated, that they should give up, and that any bandit who laid down their arms would be spared.

Very few actually laid down their arms, but many tried to flee. Naruto wouldn't let them. He took Tenten, Chouji, Ino, and a squad of still functioning Nadeshiko kunoichi and routed the bandits. It had been less of a fight and more of a wholesale slaughter. By the time they were done, not a single bandit had escaped.

The clean up had begun after their victory. Even if the victory was theirs, this was no time to rest on their laurels. Naruto created a couple hundred clones to take the bandit corpses out of Nadeshiko no Sato and cremate them. Meanwhile, Chouji, Tenten, and Ino helped move and heal the wounded.

Shizuka slept for the entire day due to a combination of her injuries and chakra exhaustion, which only happened because she'd poured basically all of her chakra into that last Rasengan. The soldier pill probably hadn't helped. Those tended to have an inverse affect and were only supposed to be used during emergencies. In all honesty, Naruto should have taken care of the problem himself, but he had wanted Shizuka to use her own strength to claim victory instead of relying on him.

A day passed.

Shizuka awoke the next morning, and though she wasn't at one hundred percent, the woman had called Naruto and his squad in for a meeting.

They sat around the same table as before. Covered in several bandages that wrapped around her head, arms, legs, chest, and stomach, Shizuka gazed at each person in turn before offering them a deep bow.

"Thank you very much for helping us as you have," she said. "This situation would have been much worse had you not come when you did."

"Don't mention it," Chouji said. "We were more than happy to help."

"Chouji is right," Ino added with a bright grin. "I can't stand the thought of something like this happening and not being able to do anything."

"Besides, this was a mission. It's only natural we'd do everything we can," Tenten added that last aside. Naruto was surprised she'd spoken at all. She'd been in a contemplative state ever since the battle ended. The few times he caught sight of her, she'd been staring off into space.

"I still appreciate all of your help," Shizuka said. "We are a proud village of ninja. It is slightly shameful that we even needed help at all, but I am glad I was able to put aside my own pride and request your assistance."

Naruto was sitting to Shizuka's left along with Chouji, while Ino and Tenten sat on the opposite side of the table. They had already eaten breakfast. At the moment, they were discussing the matter at hand.

"The situation still hasn't been resolved yet," Naruto decided to put a rain on their parade. "While we were able to beat them back, there is still the issue of the kunoichi they managed to kidnap. Considering the current situation, it would be best to locate and launch an assault on their slave operations while we still have the element of surprise. They don't know their group has been crushed yet, but we only have a small window of opportunity to act."

It took a week to reach Nami no Kuni using the mine. That meant they had one week to act. Whoever was in charge of this slave trading operation would eventually begin to suspect that Akuma and the others had been defeated once the week was up. If they didn't locate and dismantle this operation soon, then the person in charge would pack their bags and change locations. It wasn't unusual for slave traders to have several bases.

"You are correct," Shizuka admitted. "However, from what you've told me, the underground passage leading to Nami no Kuni has been destroyed. How are we going to pass through?"

"The fact that Akuma made the mine collapse is proof that there is probably another passage somewhere. If we can find it, then we can use it instead. Barring that, I have a few jutsu I can use to fly over the mountain. However, that comes with a problem."

"Which is?"

"I can't take anyone with me."

Shrugging Naruto explained the basic concept for one of his jutsu, which allowed him to propel his body through the air using wind-natured chakra. It was a powerful technique that drained chakra reserves faster than launching repeated Rasenshuriken. Naruto, with his inhumanly monstrous reserves and powerful wind affinity, was probably the only person alive who could use this technique for long distance travel.

"That is a problem," Shizuka murmured.

They discussed the matter a bit more, and it was eventually decided that Naruto would fly over the mountains and land in Nami no Kuni first. While he gathered intelligence and tried to ascertain the location of the slavers, Chouji, Ino, Tenten, and a squad of Nadeshiko kunoichi led by Shizuka would search for another passage that led to Nami no Kuni.

"Once you locate the slavers, watch them," Shizuka said. "If it looks like they are planning to leave and we aren't there, you are free to bust up the slave trading ring yourself. However, I would like to ask that you wait until the last possible moment before acting on your own."

"I understand," Naruto agreed with her proposal.

After their plan had been made, the group split up. Naruto left Nadeshiko no Sato, using his Hikō no Jutsu (Flying Jutsu) to traverse the skies. It was a technique that relied on sending wind chakra to his feet, propelling him through the air, while also expelling more wind-natured chakra from his chest, thighs, and shoulders to keep him aloft. Jiraiya had once said his technique was geniusly insane, and that only a chakra monster like him could pull it off.

With the wind in his face, Naruto quickly passed over the mountain range that separated Udon no Kuni from Hi no Kuni. It didn't take him long to reach the bridge that led to Nami no Kuni. When he reached the massive bridge that extended from the mainland to the island nation of Nami no Kuni, he could not help but gawk for a moment.

"The Great Naruto Bridge?"

Naruto stared at the name written on a plaque high above his head. It was situated on a massive torii gate. Large support pillars stood in two rows, one on either side of the bridge. It was different from most torii gates that Naruto knew of. Aside from the simple fact that it was marking the entrance of a bridge and not a shrine, the kasagi that the pillars were supporting was a massive, triangular structure made of stone.

"I can't believe… they named the freaking bridge after me."

A grin caused Naruto's lips to split as he stared at the plaque with the bridge name on it. How cool was it that someone had named a bridge after him? This was almost as cool as being named Hokage.

Still grinning, he walked underneath the torii and onto the bridge. Seeing how it connected the mainland to an island, the bridge was suitably long and took almost twenty minutes of walking to cross. There were a surprising amount of people on it as well. Some looked like they were just enjoying a stroll across the bridge, but he saw others who had set up fishing spots and were just sitting on the ledge, a fishing pole in hand as their legs dangled over the side.

The village on the other side of the bridge was vastly different from the one he remembered. It still wasn't a huge village by any means, but it had certainly expanded since the last time he'd been there. Naruto looked at the now clean roads that were lined with cheerful stalls and numerous shops. No longer filled with destitute villagers doing everything they could to eke out a living, it was now filled with smiling citizens wandering the streets.

Even the buildings themselves looked far better than they had the last time, no longer a patchwork of mismatched wooden panels and rusted tin roofing. Many of them now looked like proper buildings. A few were small, but he could also see some that were two and even three stories. A large tower sat on the main river, through which several boats traveled. That had not been around last time either.

Naruto was not really sure where to begin his search. Since he didn't know who he should talk to, he decided first to speak with Tazuna.

Unfortunately, the old bridge builder and his family appeared to have moved. They used to live on one of the river beds, their house located on a dock situated near a lake. Naruto had to ask around to discover that Tazuna and his family were now living in a larger house located within the city. He got directions from someone who recognized him, a villager who'd been present when Team Seven returned home after the bridge was complete. It didn't take him long to find the house.

"Wow."

Whistling, Naruto looked at the two-story home that appeared quite a bit nicer than the one he remembered. It looked brand new. The roof was a lovely shade of red, and the off-white walls seemed somehow sturdier than the ones from the old house. A garden sat out front. There was no fence, but Tazuna probably felt they didn't need one.

Walking up to the front door, Naruto knocked several times and waited.

"Be right there," a female voice called out. The sound of thumping feet followed, growing louder before they stopped in front of the door, which opened several seconds later to reveal a beautiful middle-aged woman with dark blue hair. "Yes, who is—Naruto?! Is that you?"

"Heya, Tsunami!" Naruto grinned. "How ya doing?"

Naruto wasn't sure what he expected when he randomly appeared at this house, but the woman dragging him into a hug was not it. He was so shocked that he actually couldn't hug back.

"It's good to see you!" Tsunami said with a bright smile. "Come on in. I'll make you some snacks."

"Oh. Thank you."

While Naruto could have declined, he had no real reason to, and he was here to meet with Tazuna anyway. He followed the woman inside. Taking off his shinobi sandals, he padded barefoot along the wooden panels as Tsunami led him into a fully-furnished living room. It really was a nice place. They even had multiple couches and a coffee table.

"Please have a seat while I go fetch some tea and snacks."

"Uh… oh, yeah. Okay."

With nothing better to do, Naruto sat down on a comfortable couch with blue upholstery and looked around. A lot of pictures hung from the wall. Naruto recognized a few of them, including the picture with Kaiza, Tsunami's deceased husband. However, there were also pictures of Team Seven, several with Tazuna and his buddies, and a lot more with Inari. A little ways off was also a bookshelf, which had several books on architecture.

"Sorry for the wait."

Tsunami came out several moments later with a silver tray in her hands. She set the tray down, showing that it had a cup of tea, a kettle, and a plate of rice crackers. The dark-haired woman poured the hot tea into the cup, and set both the cup and plate in front of Naruto.

"Here are your snacks and tea."

"Thank you. You really didn't have to go through all this trouble."

Naruto smiled as he took the cup in hand and sipped. It was hot, but his tongue was incapable of getting burned.

"What are you talking about? It's not trouble at all!" Tsunami's beaming smile was brighter than anything he'd seen from this woman. It looked as though life had treated her incredibly well after he and the rest of Team Seven had left. "Still, I'm surprised to see you. I had no idea you'd be visiting."

Naruto hid his grimace behind a sardonic grin. "To be honest, I didn't either."

"Inari will be really happy to see you."

"Speaking of, where are Inari and Old Man Tazuna?"

"Oh, they're currently working." Now that she had given her guest something to munch on and drink, Tsunami sat down on the opposite couch, smoothed out her dark skirt, and began talking again. "Ever since building the bridge, Tazuna has become involved in more than just bridge building. He currently owns and operates a company that specializes in architecture. Inari is training with him to one day take over the business."

"Sounds like life has been treating your family well."

"It has, and it's all thanks to you."

Despite being quite the braggart, Naruto found his cheeks growing warm at the heartfelt words, spoken with complete sincerity. He coughed into his hand and asked Tsunami when Tazuna and Inari would get home. Unfortunately, she said they wouldn't be home for another hour or so. Since that was the case, Naruto spent the next hour chatting with the woman, asking about the sort of things she and her family had been up to. Seeing her smile as she told him all the stories of what had happened over the last three years made him feel proud. It was because of what Team Seven had done here that she and the people of this country could smile again.

"We're home!" a voice called from the entrance, old and worn. That was definitely Tazuna.

"Hey, mom! Guess what happened today! One of my designs was accept—"

A young man in his early teens rushed into the room, chatting excitedly, only to stop when he saw Naruto sitting on the couch.

"Inari." Tsunami smiled. "Look who showed up."

"Yo, Inari." Naruto raised a hand in greeting. "Looks like you're all grown up. Heh. Good to see you're not so much of a brat anymore."

Inari stared for several seconds, but then, inexplicably, he started to sniffle "Nii… nii…"

Oh, boy.

"NII-CHAN!"

If Naruto's danger senses hadn't gone off, he would have been unprepared for the flying glomp by the tearful boy. Grinning, he patted Inari on the head as Tazuna came into the room.

"What's with all that shouting, Inari? Someone come… well, I'll be damned."

Tazuna looked the same as ever. His beard and hair were completely gray, and he had several more wrinkles than before, but his body still looked sturdy. He had thick arms and legs, broad shoulders, and a gut stretching his white shirt. The glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose looked new. His clothing was nicer than Naruto remembered, but that was natural considering his position in the village now.

"Sup, Tazuna."

"Naruto Uzumaki." Tazuna grinned as he walked into the room and sat down. "It's been a long time. What are you doing here?"

"I wish I could say I dropped by for a visit, but I'm actually here on some pretty serious business," Naruto admitted, and thus he explained to the small family of three why he'd come to Nami no Kuni. He told them about the attack on Nadeshiko no Sato, how several kunoichi had been kidnapped, and how they had discovered the slavers were using a mine that went through the mountain range to reach the Hi no Kuni and Nami. By the time he finished, the faces of Inari, Tazuna, and Tsunami had gone suitably pale.

"You don't really think there's someone in the slave trading business here, do you?" Tazuna asked. "I mean, surely after what happened with Gato, no one would be stupid enough to try something like that."

"Actually, I believe it is specifically because of what happened with Gato that this person, whoever they are, decided to set up shop here." Naruto grabbed a rice cracker and bit into it. Rice crackers were fairly bland, but the light amount of salt from it complimented the green tea. "Ever since Gato's demise, this land has been prosperous, and with a prosperous land comes numerous opportunities. It would be very easy for a person to hide their more sinister business practices behind a legitimate business, especially if the person in question is seen as someone trustworthy."

His words sent a wave of shock and denial rippling through the trio. Inari looked like someone had punched him in the gut, while Tazuna's face had gone pale and stiff. Tsunami was hiding her mouth behind the tray she'd used to carry his tea and snacks.

Finally, Tazuna ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I don't know what to say. I mean, we've been doing so well here, and nothing bad has happened since the bridge was built. I can't think of anyone who would begin trafficking slaves through here… except maybe…"

"Do you have someone you know who might be responsible?" asked Naruto when Tazuna trailed off.

"Not necessarily, but there is someone who managed to take control over Gato's old shipping business. Unlike Gato, this man was a strong supporter of the bridge and has helped our economy expand. While we trade with the mainland using the bridge, he uses this place as an outpost to trade with countries far away. Thanks to him, we've had business deals with countries like the former Yuki no Kuni, Mizu no Kuni, Sora no Kuni, Tori, Oni…"

The man ticked off a large number of countries located on the smaller continent located across the Kaizoku Sea. It really did sound like this man was doing a great job at bringing prosperity to this village. At the same time, that made Naruto even more suspicious. Call him a cynic, but he didn't trust this businessman.

"Who is this man?" asked Naruto.

Tazuna hesitated for a moment, but then, with seemingly great reluctance, he answered.

"His name is Kato, and he's the owner of the newly renamed Nami Shipping Corporation."

XoX

Nami Shipping Corporation was the renamed Gato Shipping Corporation. After Gato's death, the company had been in disarray, with the numerous underlings who worked in various departments across the Elemental Nations fighting to control the company. Thanks to that, quite a few of the company's larger operations had broken down entirely and were no longer operating.

According to Tazuna, Kato was one of the few people who'd managed to reclaim a piece of Gato's original shipping company. He'd arrived on Nami no Kuni and negotiated shipping rights with the people of this island nation. They'd been distrustful at first, but Kato had told them he would allow them to create a contract themselves so he couldn't swindle them. Since then, Kato had turned a once defunct company into a massive shipping corporation that sold goods all across the Kaizoku Sea using Nami no Kuni as his corporate headquarters.

Even with the bridge, Nami no Kuni was still situated along the numerous trade routes that many trading vessels used. Kato had used this to his advantage. Not only had he remade the company, now newly named, great again, but he did so in such a way that the people of Nami no Kuni also prospered. It was genius.

And that was why Naruto didn't trust him.

Nami Shipping Corporation was located on the docks, a massive dock made of cement and brick instead of wood. A large number of ships were currently docked in several stations. There was everything from large cargo freighters to smaller passenger ships. Quite a few giant cargo crates were stacked against each other a little ways off. A massive crane was picking them up and setting them onto a ship that would no doubt set sail soon.

Naruto had come to this place without disguising himself. He'd thought about sneaking around, but he actually believed the best method of getting the information he needed was to be up front and honest. It would throw Kato off guard.

The headquarters building loomed before him, a four-story complex that was longer than it was wide, stretching across the dock like a massive snake. Made of cement, the industrious feel of the building made Naruto somewhat unnerved. He was so used to buildings being made in a more traditional style of architecture.

He entered the building, which bustled with activity. Wandering past a pair of dock workers, he strolled across the tiled floor of what seemed like a lobby, though it was far too big for that in his mind. What did they need all this space for?

Like most business, this place had a front desk, which could be used for inquiries. The woman behind the desk was a pretty gal with brown hair, dark skin, and a bright smile. As Naruto stepped up to her, she greeted him with a friendly and cheerful demeanor.

"Hello, good sir? How may I help you today?"

"Is it possible to speak with Kato at all?"

"Do you have an appointment?"

"I'm afraid not."

The woman's smile became slightly fixed. "I apologize, but Kato is an incredibly busy man, so unless you have an appointment, I'm not sure if he'll have the time to see you. In fact, I believe he's currently doing an inspection of our docking facilities, which often takes hours, so even he was inclined to meet, he wouldn't be able to do so right now."

Naruto could tell this woman wasn't lying. More than likely, this woman worked for the legitimate side of this company and knew nothing about what was going on behind the scenes. Well, that was if Naruto turned out to be correct about what Kato was really up to.

"That so? Is it possible for you to get in touch with him?"

"Well, we do have a method of getting in touch with him, yes."

"Then could you please tell him that Naruto Uzumaki would like to speak with him sometime soon?"

The woman was definitely not a native of Nami (Naruto would have known if she was), but her eyes widened all the same upon hearing his name. No doubt she knew the story of what happened in this country. It was apparently quite famous. Many of the people who'd lived in this country when he was a genin told stories about how Naruto and his team had saved this country from the corrupt Gato.

"I—of course! I shall do so right away. Please wait for one moment."

"Sure thing."

Naruto stood around as the woman scurried toward a small comm unit. It wasn't like one of the earpiece comm units worn by Team Seven when they were doing missions in the village. It was bigger, bulkier, but it apparently allowed short distance communication like the earpieces they used to wear. He could have listened in, but there was no need. The woman came back to him seconds later.

"He said he'll be right down."

"Sounds good. Thank you."

"O-of course." The woman blushed as she fiddled with the hem of her skirt. "And, um, can I just say that it's an honor to meet you, sir."

Sir?

Naruto almost grimaced, but he contained it with a smile as he scratched his cheek. "Aww. Thanks."

The woman was apparently a big fan of his. Her uncle had lived in Nami when Naruto was guarding Tazuna. According to her, he was one of the bridge workers that Naruto had saved, and he'd been able to witness a good portion of the fight. Her uncle told her the story of how Naruto and his companions had defeated the evil Gato so many times that she'd become enamored with his story.

It was actually kind of embarrassing.

About fifteen minutes later, a tall, handsome man with articulate and almost delicate features walked into the lobby. His immaculate face spoke of someone with good breeding. Naruto would have mistaken him for a noble at first glance, but this man wore a business suit, something that a noble wouldn't be caught dead in. He had dark hair and dark eyes, and the polite smile he wore was deceptively sincere.

"You must be Naruto Uzumaki." The man extended his hand. "I'm Kato. It's a great honor to meet you."

"Likewise." Naruto took the man's hand in a firm shake. Kato didn't seem to notice the chakra emitting from Naruto's palm. "I've heard a lot about you from Tazuna."

"Ah, yes. The bridge builder. He's making quite a name for himself." Kato kept a smile on his face, though he quickly moved this along. "I would honestly love to sit down and talk with you, but I actually am really busy. I'm assuming you're here for a reason?"

"I am." Naruto remained polite as he explained the situation. "Several kunoichi from Nadeshiko no Sato have been kidnapped. We managed to track them to Nami no Kuni, but we have no idea where they might be. As the head of a large company, I'm sure you hear a lot of things that most people don't. I was hoping you might have heard something."

"Kidnapped kunoichi? That sounds like a lot of trouble, though I can't say I've heard anything about it. Are you sure the kidnappers are here?"

Naruto nodded. "Yes. They used a mine that went from Udon no Kuni to Hi no Kuni. The location is close to the Great Naruto Bridge, and since traveling via caravan is more likely to be noticed than traveling by sea…"

"You believe there might be someone using the docking stations for the purpose of trading slaves."

"Yes."

A troubled expression crossed Kato's face. It looked so genuine that Naruto really did have to wonder if this man might truly be innocent. He seemed guileless. If he was innocent, then it meant Naruto was not only barking up the wrong tree, but that he was accusing an innocent man. On the other hand, the cynic inside of Naruto was telling him this man knew something.

"I haven't heard of anyone trading slaves here, but I will admit that it's a large dock, and we have had problems with scrupulous individuals in the past." Kato sighed as an expression of remorse mixed with determination caused his face to both harden and age. He looked like a man carrying the world on his back. "I don't know what I can do, but I promise to look into this and inform you of anything I find out. Would Tazuna's house be a good place to reach you?"

"Yes, that would be fine," Naruto said.

"Okay. I'll be sure to let you know if I uncover anything."

"Thank you."

After giving Kato one last handshake and secretly placing a tracking seal on the businessman, Naruto left the docks.