The Cloud Over The Leaf

Hii looked confused as he heard Akumu. 

'What do you mean? You don't know who he is?'

[I...I'm not too sure. I have an idea... But he shouldn't be here at all!]

{Well, you did say that things were different. We just have to roll with it.}

[I don't think rolling with it is gonna work on this guy!]

{We can't know if we don't try, now can we?}

[Haaa.]

Hii decided to leave the two alone and walked over to Yamato.

"Hey,Sensei? You need help?"

Yamato turned around and pulled a flashlight under his face.

Hii...didn't know how to respond to this at all.

"Don't worry about it Hii-kun. I can easily handle this. We are talking rather nicely after all."

Yamato had a sinister smile on his face as the ninjas tied to the tree all started to sweat in agreement.

"I see. I'll leave it to you then. Well, can I ask you something, Sensei?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Do these guys know any Water Jutsu I don't know?"

Hii watched Yamato's face contort in horror at the question.

'Why hasn't he moved that flashlight away yet?'

Hii, however, was unaware his question was one that started the first of many dreaded memories flooding in from Yamato's memories

Yamato let go of the flashlight and clasped Hii's shoulders with a serious face.

"Hii-kun."

"Yes?"

"I'll be very thorough and make sure if they have anything that you might not know. Just leave it all to me, okay?"

"Ugh, okay."

Hii decided to leave it to Yamato and headed back over to Kakashi and the rest of the group.

'I have to make sure that Hii doesn't end up like her!'

Yamato nodded his head as he went back to interrogating the ninjas with his flashlight.

"Did you learn anything?"

Shizuka asked Hii, but he just shook his head.

"Nope. Yamato-sensei said he got it. We just have to wait for him."

The group looked over to see Yamato working the ninjas over extra hard now as the ninjas seemed to be sweating more than before as he yelled at them.

Kakashi leaned over to Hii and whispered to him.

"Hii-kun, what did you ask him exactly?"

"Hmmm. I asked him if I could help and if they had any techniques I didn't know."

Hii kept gazing at Yamato, so he didn't notice the shocked expression on Kakashi's face.

[Hii. You better watch out with that mindset.]

'Hmm?'

{You'll end up like Kaya-sama.}

'?!'

Hii was shocked to hear he was just like his Mom!

He wanted to say they were wrong, but he remembered his past few sentences. His innocent thoughts were just like how his Mom explained in those stories!

'I'll be careful.'

[Good.]

{You can just follow her if you want. I kind of want to see how crazy you can get.}

Hii shook his head as he ignored Fuyuki.

"Sensei? Are you okay? You look out of it..."

Hii turned to see Kakashi shaking his head and smiling.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

Kakashi looked over and found Yamato coming back to them. Kakashi could see on his face that the information he got was not ideal.

"It looks like our situation, however, isn't going to be so easy to overcome."

*******

The group moved closer towards the town and made camp a few hours away from the their destination.

The group all sat near a campfire as they wrapped their heads around the situation.

Naruto sat with his hands crossed, thinking as hard as he could. After a while, he looked up with a confident expression on his face.

"I don't have any ideas!"

"Haaa..."

"Seriously, Naruto?! At least throw something out there!"

"Hahahahaha!!"

Sasuke, Sakura, and Shizuka all responded while the others were still deep in thought.

"Okay. Let's go over the information again. Maybe something new might give us a better idea."

Everyone nodded and looked to Yamato.

"From what we got out of them, there is a group of rebel ninja from the Mist that follow a man named Juzo in the town. This man is one of the older members of the 7 Mist swordsmen, meaning his prowess is famous."

The Genin nodded their heads.

Yamato turned to Tazuna.

"I believe Tazuna-san has more personal information on what's going on in the town."

Tazuna picked up a nearby dry branch and tossed it into the fire.

"We tried to start a rebellion against Gato, despite the odds. Most people were too scared to go against him, but my son-in law still tried for the sake of the town."

Kakashi nodded his head.

"Right. You said his name was...Kaiza, correct?"

"Yes. I tried to stop him, but he insisted on doing what was right."

Tazuna bent his head and stared into the fire.

"He got beaten and crippled by those goons. Even then, he never backed down. He kept his belief in his heart, no matter what. I thought we were gonna  lose him."

"Instead, someone came and saved him?"

Tazuna had a wry smile on his face as he recalled the scene.

"Saved is a strong word. It was more along the lines of convenient help. A tall man with bandages over his face came and attacked Juzo just as they tried to execute Kaiza. Well, thanks to him and three with him, Juzo and Gato were pushed back and had to fend them off. A neighbor and I managed to get Kaiza back as well during the commotion, but he was barely hanging on."

Yamato folded his arms and slowly nodded.

"So the situation is unstable right now due to the two groups?"

"Correct. I don't know how long the stalemate will last, but I couldn't just sit around and do nothing!"

"That's why you made the mission."

Tazuna nodded his head and sighed.

"I'm sorry for dragging you all into this mess."

"Well, it's too late to worry about it now. We can only think of solutions from here on. Now our next problem is going to be how we get into the town with little to no suspicion."

Kakashi brought up a finger as he explained.

"The main problem is we must appear as non-combatants. A third party entering into the fray suddenly will have explosive results, which we don't want for the people of the town."

The group all sighed as they arrived back at square one.

"How can we do this?"

Everyone kept thinking of an idea, but no one seemed to come up with a good one.

"Gah! I can't think of anything like that! Why can't I just think of stuff like cool Jutsus?!"

"Pfft! You want to think about Jutsus?! The only thing you created is..."

Shizuka suddenly stood up!

"That's it!!"

""?""

Everyone looked over at Shizuka with questions as she walked over to Naruto and put her arm over his shoulders.

"We just have to treat it like a prank! That would be a lot easier for you, right Naruto?"

"Y-Yeah! I think I can figure something out if it's like a prank!"

Shizuka nodded her head in delight, making cold sweat appear on Naruto's brow. He knew what this look meant!

It meant Shizuka had a weakness of his!

"So what kind of prank should we use to get in?"

Naruto thought extra hard as the smile on his sister's face was getting wider and wider!

"Huh?! Wait! I got it!"

Naruto was soon struck with a great idea and smiled.

"How about we do it like this?"

Naruto explained the scenario, getting some approving nods from the team leaders.

Kakashi folded his arms and went over the details.

"It's definitely unique."

Yamato raised his hand as a question came to him.

"Senpai and my roles are pretty much set, but what roles will you guys play?"

"Hehehe!!"

Everyone turned to see Shizuka smiling eerily as she looked at Naruto.

"Wasn't there an interesting Jutsu you've been working on, Naruto?"

The group could see Naruto growing pale as Shizuka was enjoying every second of it.

"Why don't you show us this amazing Jutsu?"

********

The boat arrived in the Land of Waves slowly as Tazuna looked at his home.

He turned around and looked at Kakashi and Yamato.

"We will be arriving soon. You guys ready?"

Tazuna couldn't help, but worry a bit as he remembered the plan.

Yamato stood up with his new disguise on.

He now had black hair, a small moustache, and a black and red jacket.

"Don't worry. We should be able to pull this off just fine."

Kakashi shook his head in amusement. He was now dressed in a green jinbei, looking rather artistic with brown hair, shades, and no mask.

"Even if this doesn't work, the memory of this is going to last for quite a while."

The boat reached the dock of the town while they conversed.

"It's time. Let's get ready then."

"Right, Senpai!"

Tazuna expertly parked the boat and jumped out. He then got a few planks if wood and spread them into a ramp off the boat.

Kakashi and Yamato both walked out from the ramp and looked back onto the boat.

They continued to wait for a few more seconds, but no one came off the boat.

They looked at each other and back at the boat.

"Come on! We don't have all day!"

The two watched the boat for a few seconds until they saw someone appear.

A blond haired girl slowly walked from the boat to the dock. She wore twintails, had whiskers on her cheeks, and was dressed in an orange kimono. She also had a sunflower ornament on her right twin tail.

"Sorry~! I'm ready now!"

Naruko gave Yamato and Kakashi a peace sign while they had wry smiles on their faces.

"Where are the others?"

"Well, Sasuki is hiding in the boat and Hiyo went to drag her up."

The group saw the boat rocking intensely for a little while before a two figures could be seen.

"Ahh! Let me go!"

"I managed to grab her! Come on, Sasuki! You're not the only one embarassed here!"

"...."

The group watched as two other girls came off the boat from the ramp and joined the group.

One of them was a black haired girl who wore a dark blue kimono. Her face was pretty even with a grumpy frown as she was dragged by the other girl. She had a sakura blossom hairpin on one of her long bangs.

The other girl had a black and white kimono, tanned skin, and long white hair. Her long bangs were pushed back with a hairband covered in a lotus design as she calmly moved with impressive grace.

"Okay! We should be ready to go now."

Tazuna sighed as he shook his head.

"I can't believe a kid thought of something like this."

"Only a loser like him could think this kind of idea up."

Sasuki glared at Naruko, but she wasn't fazed at all. 

Naruko faked a shocked expression as she looked at Sasuki.

"*Gasp*! I'm sorry! I don't remember you coming up with something? You have to think faster next time, Sasuki!~!"

"Grrr! Naruko!"

"Now now. Let's just get our job done so we can get out of this get-up, okay?"

"Yes~!" "...Fine."

Tazuna looked at the three in shock.

"...You three are surprisingly good at this..."

All three looked at him with fake smiles on their faces.

'""Sisters."""

"...I see."

Tazuna turned and lead the group into the town. 

The group walked in with no problems, but they could feel eyes watching them from a distance.

Yamato was already in character as he looked through the town with his fingers making a frame around his eye. 

Kakashi just watched him act as he surveyed the area.

'There are already quite a few eyes watching us. Is this from Gato's group or the other group?'

Hiyo watched her surroundings carefully as she walked calmly after Yamato.

[.....]

'Not a word, Akumu. This is already embarrassing enough.'

{But you're rocking it! The Jutsu didn't even change you that much!}

'You too, Fuyuki.'

Hiyo held in a sigh as they got closer to the house.

"Hey! Tazuna! Haven't seen you in a while."

Two goons walked up to Tazuna as they were close to his home.

Tazuna's face grew tense as he became defensive.

"What do you want?!"

The man chuckled with his hands in his pockets.

"Just wanted to remind you of something. Boss advises you keep yourself away from building any bridges. That's fair warning, alright? Who knows what will happen to your family if you do..."

"Tch!"

"I would heed his warning if I were you. Some pretty scary guys has been attacking nowadays. Never know where one might turn up."

The goon looked over suspiciously at Yamato. Yamato looked at him as if he was gauging a surveying a painting.

"Who are the weirdos behind you? You decided to get some help defying Boss?!"

The two goons looked over at the teachers behind Tazuna with aggressive gazes.

Yamato stepped forward with a stern face and looked directly at the man.

"We... are here to make the greatest calendar in all the land!!"

"...Huh?"

The goons were confused, and so were the ninjas watching from afar. Yamato struck a pose as he stared at the goons with released vigor.

"We have had year after year of mundane pictures of the other lands, but they've all grown dull! I want to breathe new life into the stale world of calendars and the world brought me here to fulfill it! The water! The rivers! The view! I've only seen so little and I hunger for more! I shall give the Land of Waves the title of the ideal calendar background it deserves and spread it all over!"

Yamato's aura spiked ferociously as his passion burst forth! 

The goons had blank faces as they stared at him.

"Uhh...huh?"

"I even managed to find 3 beautiful girls to fill my pictures with emotion! The scenery combined with their personalities and figures will give rise to a new standard of calendar! I can feel it in my soul!"

The goons started to slowly back away as Yamato's aura seemed to get brighter and brighter.

"...Uh. Okay then. J-Just don't cause any trouble or we'll come for you, got it?!"

Yamato bowed up and down with intense enthusiasm!

"Thank you very much! I will be sure to make this land shine with my assistant and models! Look forward to it!"

"Models?"

The goons looked back at the mention of models this time and felt their jaws touch the ground!

'Where did he find them?!'

'S-So cute!'

The goons just stared at the girls as they took in as much as their eyes could hold!

Naruko gave them a playful wink.

Hiyo graced them with a shy smile.

Sasuki clicked her tongue and looked away, not bothering with them.

"Haha! If you think they're beautiful now, just wait until you see them with more artistic flare! I assure you will love it!"

""Oooh!""

The goons became excited at the thought!

"I'll buy one when they come out!"

"Me too!"

Yamato nodded his head and laughed.

"Of course! If you'll excuse us, we must get settled in and find appropriate backdrops for our pictures."

"Of course! Good luck!"

"Let us know if you need any help!"

The goons quickly got out of the way as the group continued on to Tazuna's home.

No one said anything as they safely arrived with no more distractions.

'......'

[You have fans now.]

'Don't! Please.'

{I'm pretty sure they were staring real hard at you! I wonder what month you'll get for the calendar?!}

[They should get 4 each. Maybe the winter months?]

{I can see him with a Yukata at a summer festival vibe!}

[Oh! I can see that too!]

'Uuuuugh!'

Hii tried hard to fight the embarrassment as Tazuna knocked on his door.

"Tsunami! Inari! I'm back!"

"Grandpa!"

The group saw a young boy with a hat open the door and give his Tazuna a hug.

"Hoho! You've gotten bigger again since the time I was gone, Inari! You'll be as big as me one day before you know it!"

Inari smiled as his Grandpa rubbed his head. 

"We'll have some guests staying with us for a little while. The two men behind me are Yamato-san and Kakashi-san. The girls are-."

"Naruko!"

"Hiyo."

"...Sasuki."

The three Genin filled in for Tazuna as he nodded his head. 

"Right! Sorry about that. They'll be staying with us for a while, so be sure to get along with them."

"...Okay, Grandpa."

Inari went back into the house as Tazuna laughed.

"Gahaha. Not many girls around here, so he's a bit nervous. He'll probably be more comfortable once you turn back. Come on in and we'll get you settled."

The group followed after Tazuna into the house.

"...This trip seems to be a lot more complicated than I thought."

Hii tried to keep himself from sighing, but this Jutsu seemed to get more and more dangerous for him by the second.

*********

The group all sat down and also met Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami, inside.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Tsunami. I hope you enjoy your stay here."

Tsunami introduced herself, but looked to her father with a questioning gaze.

Tazuna smiled and shook his head.

"Don't worry. I got proper help. They just had to find a way to get in unnoticed."

Yamato and Kakashi both nod their heads and release the Jutsu!

*Poof Poof*

The team leaders reverted back into their mission gear, surprising Tsunami and Inari.

"Sorry about that. My name is Kakashi Hatake. This is Yamato, the other team leader. We're here to help Tazuna finish his bridge."

"Thank you for your help! I was afraid Father would do something stupid if left on his own."

The two greet Tsunami, who becomes more visibly relieved that they can actually help.

The girls all first removed their hair clips and placed them on the nearby couch.

*Poof Poof Poof*

Sakura, Maka, and Shizuka all appeared out of the smoke.

"Ahhh! Freedom!"

"I think I should've taken Sasuke's place."

"....."

Maka and Shizuka both stretched their limbs while Sakura just stared at Sasuki. Sasuki face became bright red as he looked over at Kakashi.

"Tch! Can we release this already?!"

Naruko shrugged his shoulders while Hiyo nodded his head.

"I don't know. I'm kinda starting to enjoy it a bit."

"We should probably release it."

Shizuka turned her head quickly and protested!

"No~! I haven't seen enough of Hiyo yet!"

Shizuka came forward and hugged Hii, stopping him from releasing the technique.

Maka looked over at Hii and blushed a little.

"I-I prefer Hii in his original form..."

Maka muttered quietly under her breath, but Shizuka suddenly let Hiyo go and pushed Maka over towards her!

"Oh~? I'll give you the front row seat then~!"

Maka froze for a few seconds as she was forced to stare into Hii's eyes up close. Hii could see her face rapidly turning redder and redder. Hii turned to Shizuka while patting Maka's head.

"Stop playing, Shizuka. We have to be serious here."

"I'll get serious when you turn back to a boy~."

Hii sighed and pulled Maka off of him slowly.

"You okay?"

"Huh? Y-Yes! I'm okay!"

Hii smiled and started to release the Jutsu.

Sasuke quickly followed after him with Naruto being the last to release.

*Poof Poof Poof*

The three took their original appearances again, surprising Inari and Tsunami once more.

Sasuke had a vicious scowl on his face as he crossed his arms.

"I'm not doing that again."

Hii turned to him while stretching.

"You'll have to. We need to survey the area and gather information. We can't be boys while we check everything out."

Sasuke clicked his tongue and looked away.

"You and Naruto can go then."

"Come on, Sasuki~! It's no fun unless all three of us do it."

Sasuke glared back at Naruto, but was splendidly ignored.

The girls started to laugh seeing the three boys enjoy their role. Well, at least two of them didn't mind it.

Maka put a finger to her chin and looked at Sasuke.

"I thought Sasuke was pretty cute."

The other girls nodded their heads, including Tsunami.

"Tch!"

Sasuke turned his back completely to them, ignoring their opinions.

"This is all your fault, Naruto!"

Naruto chuckled dryly as he rubbed his head.

"I-I didn't think Nee-san saw me practicing that Jutsu. My bad."

Hii shrugged his shoulders.

"Meh. It wasn't that bad."

The girls soon came around Hii with sparkling eyes!

"Hii! You have to let us style your hair the next time you transform, okay!"

"Yeah! We'll make you super cute!"

"...Haa. Just don't go overboard."

The girls squealed in delight as they chatted about what they could do.

Sasuke came over to Hii with a confused look on his face.

"Hii. Aren't you... a little too okay with this?"

Hii looked over at Sasuke, making him flinch. Hii's eyes seemed to be filled with desolation and helplessness.

"You wouldn't understand, Sasuke. Since my little sister's hair wasn't easy for my mom to work with at first, she had to start somewhere. It became a punishment soon enough so she could get ahold of me easier. I've been a doll for girls a whole lot longer than you think."

Sasuke and Naruto were shocked as they could feel the despair from Hii's voice.

Hii felt two hands falls on his shoulders. 

"Sorry, Hii-Nii."

"Yeah. It...wasn't that bad."

"...Thanks. Let's just get through this with some class at least."

Hii shook his head of his dark thoughts and looked towards Tazuna. 

"If you don't mind, Tazuna, I would like to go see Kaiza-san."

Tazuna and Tsunami became tense while Inari frowned. Tazuna looked up at the room Kaiza was in and sighed.

"Why would you want you want to go in there?"

Tazuna looked towards Hii and noticed he was smiling.

"I didn't mention it before, but Sakura and I have studied medical techniques. We might be able to get him back on his feet."