Naruto and Hinata's mission started later that day, part of a concentrated effort by four Hidden Villages to deliver the medicines needed to end an outbreak of disease before it became a serious threat to life in Taki no Kuni and beyond.
It should have been a simple matter for genin, but the presence of bandits had raised the difficulty.
What's more, teams of genin and chunin both had failed in the attempt to deliver the medicines.
There was something behind the events that spoke of sinister works.
As a result, Takigakure had called in some markers for aid.
Though even they hadn't suspected that the legendary Spiral Sage or his Gentle One would be sent by Konohagakure. Apparently, the one major Hidden Village involved felt there was something dangerous at work themselves.
Looking back behind them as the village faded into view with speed, Hinata thought back to the arrangements they had made for their children.
****
"Hiashi-sama respects your decision," Neji had told her. "And as their blood is diluted, their byakugan so far unseen, your sister's hardline attitude is being ignored."
"I know, but," Hinata said, nervously.
"On my life," Neji said, interrupting her. "Your children will not suffer the Caged Bird seal. Your father and I have made arrangements for a secluded and secured dwelling while you are away."
Naruto, as nervous about both of them leaving the village as his wife was, stepped forward and drew her into a warm hold as he looked to Neji.
"We're trusting you," he said.
Neji bowed in response to that statement.
****
Looking toward Naruto as they leapt through the trees, Hinata knew he was just as worried. Their children were young, they weren't ready to take part in their own protection yet. It would take a handful of more years in the academy for that.
Sending both parents out on a mission like this given children that could potentially be seen as in danger at any given time, it was unusual, and not something the Godaime would do without reason.
Hinata only hoped the disquiet she felt was uncalled for.
****
It was in picking over the remains of the mysterious warriors that had been backing the bandits that clues started to appear. The warriors had burst into blue light anytime they were defeated, preventing the shinobi from acquiring a captive to speak to, but they'd left a message regardless.
"Shadoloo," one of the Kusa-nin that had been on the mission with them said as he held one of the insignia worn by the blue-eyed revenants. "They love to show their hand after the deed is done."
"Shadoloo?" Naruto asked. "What are they doing this far north?"
"And what would they have to gain from this?" an Ame-nin asked. "They had to know we wouldn't allow this disease to run unchecked."
Hinata felt a chill run down her body as she looked around at the ninjas gathered for the mission between the four villages. Counting her, she saw five bloodlines out of the fourteen ninja that had participated.
"Do...you have children," she asked a Kusa-nin with feline features. A family similar in heritage to Konoha's Inuzuka.
The question confused some of the ninja for a brief moment, but Naruto and all those that held a bloodline instantly knew what the Uzumaki woman was suggesting.
"We've been decoyed," Naruto said darkly, wanting to turn around and head right back to the Village and his children, but aware that he was a more than a week's travel away as it was.
"How'd they know we'd come," the woman asked, rooted to the spot.
"They had to know," Naruto said. "That our Kage would send shinobi to investigate an unknown foe and be able to comfortably compete with a variety of possible enemies."
"And that means us, even if not every village sent a bloodline, at least one would," Hinata said, turning away from the bandit camp and, with barely a look toward her Husband who was already mirroring her, leaped away from the camp, heading home.
Behind them, the other shinobi likewise made haste for their home villages.
****
The arrival was as they feared.
Neji and Tenten were both in the hopsital, recovering from the injuries they had received in defending the children.
Kuren, their daughter and youngest burst forward to hug Hinata as soon as the girl saw the elder Uzumakis. Their son, however...
"Mommy! They took Jiraiya away and hurt Uncle Neji and Aunt Tenten!" the girl said, bawling.
"It'll be all right," Hinata told her daughter, trying to keep her tears from flowing and further scaring the girl.
"What's being done," Naruto demanded as he moved forward to comfort anew his wife and now his child.
"Messages have been dispatched to Suna," Tsunade said quietly. "Kakashi and the Inuzuka clan have started tracking the kidnappers. They won't get far."
****
Vega grumbled as he slunk into the shadowy building, holding his broken arm very gingerly. Bison would not appreciate this failure, not after the missing-nin had sent word that a target beyond their dreams had opened at this gambit.
Bison had been hoping for a Kusagakure Nekotaira, or an Aburame from Konoha. The overall intent of the gambit was more to stick his nose at the Hidden Villages than to expect to actually get away with any child of significant heritage.
He had no expectation indeed that the gambit would leave vulnerable a child of Hyuuga blood.
"I shouldn't have reported the target in Konoha until I was in Bison's court," Vega said quietly. "Damn samurai."
He'd been lucky to get away with his life against that red-haired monster. Still, he had escaped and the other teams of his self-proclaimed ninja had reported acquiring targets. The initial task of the operation had been achieved.
He grinned darkly as he worked toward the back of the building and looked at the window to take in the ship ready to take them south.
Only, instead of his men setting things ready, he found Konoha and Suna ninja quietly finishing up the clean up of an obvious attack. Shikamaru and Temari Nara spoke with her brother as they watched a small collection of children who looked decidedly shell-shocked.
Vega frowned again and left, before someone noticed him.
****
"They all have varying degrees of memory loss," a Suna genjutsu specialist said as he came to report to Kankuro and the two Konoha shinobi, including the former Suna kunoichi. "It is some sort of mental justu."
"No sign of the Uzumaki kid?" Temari asked.
"Nothing," Kankuro said, frowning.
"It is apparent that something intercepted our kidnapper," Shikamaru said. "Or perhaps he decided someone else would pay more than Shadoloo."
****
Kenshin looked down at the boy beside him and wondered what he was going to do with the child. His mind wandered back to the warriors he had fought to rescue the boy, strange men who exploded in blue light if defeated.
Something had been done to the boy, obviously. He could remember his first name and some about his parents, but little else.
It would make things difficult on finding the boy's family, who must obviously be worried about him. Until they worked through the problem, he would just have to watch out for the child.
It was incredible luck that Kenshin had been traveling through the same stretch of wilderness these kidnappers had. Incredible luck indeed.
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(Posted Sun, 15 Mar 2009 09:35)
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