The caravan pushed on, the sun climbing higher, beating down on the increasingly sparse landscape as they moved from the rolling hills into the harsher, drier terrain that constituted the neutral territories buffering the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind.
Dust, fine and pale, kicked up by nearly sixty pairs of marching feet, coated everything, adding another layer of grit to Ryuu's already extensive protective gear.
During one of the brief, infrequent water breaks, as the Genin refilled their canteens from a carefully purified water source Genma had located, Kakashi Hatake drifted back from the head of the column.
His single visible eye, carrying its usual air of bored detachment, swept over Team Twelve. Genma merely grunted a greeting.
Kakashi's gaze lingered on Ryuu, who was meticulously ensuring his hood and face wrap were secure, leaving only his dark-lensed goggles visible.
"Maa, Genma," Kakashi drawled, his voice a familiar, lazy monotone that nevertheless carried. "New recruit for the village's historical preservation society? Or did you pick up a particularly well-wrapped mummy on your last D-Rank?"
Ryuu froze, though outwardly he gave no sign. Izumi shot Kakashi a sharp, almost indignant look, which the Copy Ninja either missed or deliberately ignored. Renji, caught mid-swig from his canteen, choked slightly, then coughed, trying to suppress a surprised laugh.
Genma, ever the professional in front of his team, simply fixed Kakashi with a flat stare.
"He's sensitive to the sun, Hatake. Standard precaution for prolonged exposure." His tone was clipped, a subtle warning.
"Ah, right. The sun," Kakashi said, his eye crinkling in a way that suggested amusement.
"Can be quite the enemy. Almost as bad as paperwork." He paused, his gaze still on Ryuu.
"Yuki Ryuu, wasn't it? The one who caused a bit of a stir at the… shrine." The way he said "shrine" was light, almost casual, but Ryuu felt the underlying weight of knowledge.
Kakashi, as one of Minato's most trusted Jonin and a former ANBU captain himself, would undoubtedly be aware of the classified details of that incident, especially given Shisui Uchiha's involvement. He also knew, firsthand, the danger of uncontrolled Kekkei Genkai and the burden of secrets.
Ryuu simply bowed his head slightly. "Hatake-sama." He offered no further comment, adhering to Genma's strict orders about remaining inconspicuous.
Kakashi didn't press. He was likely assessing, observing, cataloging, much like Genma. The Jonin of Konoha, Ryuu was learning, were a dangerously perceptive lot.
"Just ensure your… wrappings… don't impede your combat effectiveness, Yuki-kun. Wouldn't want you tripping over your own shroud if things get interesting." With a final, enigmatic nod, he drifted back towards the head of the column, leaving a slightly awkward silence in his wake.
"Don't mind him, Ryuu," Renji said, once Kakashi was out of earshot, though he was still grinning. "Kakashi-senpai's just… like that. My cousin was on a team he supervised for a B-Rank once. Said he spent half the mission reading those weird orange books and the other half napping."
Izumi, however, looked thoughtful.
"Hatake Kakashi may appear… eccentric, Kazama-kun, but he is one of Konoha's most formidable shinobi. His words often carry more weight than their tone suggests." She glanced at Ryuu, a flicker of something – concern? curiosity? – in her dark eyes. "He is likely aware of more than just your… sun sensitivity, Yuki-san."
Ryuu nodded, saying nothing. Izumi was sharp. She understood the undercurrents.
The teasing, however, shifted later that evening as they made camp. They had reached a designated checkpoint, a small, fortified Konoha outpost near the edge of the neutral zone, manned by a stern-looking Chunin squad.
Kakashi had them set up a more secure perimeter, and the Jonin instructors gathered for a brief strategy meeting. The Genin, left to their own devices for a short while, clustered around their respective campfires.
Renji, having finished wolfing down his rations, was idly sharpening his trench knives. Izumi was meticulously cleaning her kunai, her movements precise. Ryuu was reviewing a mental map of the route ahead, cross-referencing it with the terrain they had covered.
"So, Izumi-san," Renji began, a mischievous glint in his eye that Ryuu had learned often preceded some form of teasing, "heard you were spending a lot of time near the Uchiha main compound lately. Anything… interesting happening over there?"
Izumi didn't look up from her kunai. "Clan training has intensified in preparation for the exams, Kazama-kun. It is a matter of Uchiha honor to perform well." Her tone was perfectly composed.
"Uh-huh," Renji drawled, not fooled. "Honor. Right. Or maybe it has something to do with a certain ANBU Captain who's been seen a lot more around the compound since he… recovered." He winked broadly. "You know, the one with the really, really good eyes? The one who always looks like he's about to lecture someone on the proper way to throw a shuriken?"
Izumi's hand stilled for a fraction of a second.
A faint pink tinge, almost invisible in the firelight, touched her usually pale cheeks. "Uchiha Itachi is a prodigy and a respected leader within our clan, Kazama-kun. His guidance is invaluable to many of us, especially after recent… internal difficulties."
Ryuu, listening silently, felt a jolt.
Itachi? He knew Izumi and Itachi were friends, part of the same extended Uchiha social circle. But Renji's teasing implied something… more.
A closer connection.
Dating, as his old-world mind anachronistically supplied, or at least a significant mutual admiration that was common knowledge amongst their peers.
This was a piece of information he hadn't possessed. Canon Izumi had a crush on Itachi, certainly, but this Izumi, with a living, unburdened Itachi, and with the recent trauma of Tekka/Yashiro's betrayal, might have forged a deeper, more reciprocal bond.
"Invaluable guidance, huh?" Renji snickered. "Is that what they're calling it these days? My cousin said she saw you two sharing dango near the Naka River shrine last week. Looked pretty… guided to me."
Izumi finally looked up, her dark onyx eyes fixing Renji with a glare that could have frozen Katon. "Kazama-kun. Some subjects are best left… un-dissected. Especially by those who still struggle with basic chakra manipulation and still can't walk on water."
Renji, to his credit, actually winced. He had tried so hard to walk on water for the months, but could barely do it even now, much to Genma's vocal amusement.
He held up his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright! Touchy subject! Just saying, Uchiha-san. You two would make a… powerful couple. Think of the Sharingan babies! Konoha would be unstoppable!"
Izumi actually sighed, a sound of profound exasperation, and returned to her kunai. Ryuu, despite the seriousness of their overall situation, felt a faint, almost imperceptible twitch at the corner of his lips. It was… almost normal. Childish teasing. Team bonding.
He also filed away the crucial data point: Izumi and Itachi's relationship was, or was perceived to be, closer than he had assumed. Given Itachi's MS and his influential position, Izumi was now an even more significant connection to the Uchiha clan's inner workings than Ryuu had realized.
This could be… useful. Or incredibly dangerous.
As Izumi lapsed back into her stoic silence, Ryuu felt that familiar, faint signature at the edge of his senses again.
The watcher.
It had drawn slightly closer during their halt at the outpost, still expertly suppressed, but undeniably there. His eyes narrowed behind his goggles. Who was it? And why were they so fixated on the Konoha contingent.
Suddenly, the signature shifted. Not closer, but… upward. Like someone climbing a tree, or a watchtower. And then, just as quickly, it vanished. Completely. As if it had never been there.
Ryuu frowned. That was… different. Previously, it had just maintained a parallel course. This felt more deliberate, like someone getting a final look before disengaging. Or repositioning for a different kind of observation.
"Something wrong, Yuki?" Genma's voice, quiet, beside him. Ryuu hadn't even sensed his approach. The Jonin was good.
Ryuu recounted what he'd felt. "The signature I mentioned earlier, Sensei. It moved upwards, then disappeared. Completely. No trace."
Genma's expression became unreadable. He chewed on his senbon for a long moment.
"Interesting. Either they realized they were being monitored and broke off, or… they've reached their own destination." He looked out towards the darkening plains that stretched towards the Land of Wind. "Or perhaps… it was just an old toad out for a stroll, admiring the efficiency of Konoha's Genin." He offered Ryuu a cryptic, almost knowing smirk that sent a shiver down Ryuu's spine.
Jiraiya.
It had to be. The playful yet assessing nature of the pursuit, the expert suppression, the sudden, clean disappearance. And Genma's comment… it was too specific.
Did Genma know? Was he in on it? Or was he just being his usual enigmatic self? Ryuu's mind raced. This changed things. If Jiraiya was actively, if secretly, monitoring them, monitoring him, then every action, every display of his Kekkei Genkai, even the subtle applications from the scroll, was potentially being observed by a Sannin. The stakes were even higher than he thought.
"Rest up, brats," Genma said, breaking the silence. "We cross into the neutral territories at dawn. From there, it's two more days of hard travel to Suna. And that," he grinned, a flash of dangerous amusement in his eyes, "is where the real fun begins."
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The transition from the sparse, rocky neutral territories into the vast, unforgiving expanse of the Land of Wind was stark. The air grew hotter, drier, the wind a constant, scouring presence that whipped sand into their eyes and stung their exposed skin. Ryuu, for once, was grateful for his comprehensive protective gear, though even the tightly woven fabric couldn't keep out all the fine, insidious dust.
Sunagakure appeared on the horizon like a mirage, a massive, circular fortress nestled between colossal sandstone cliffs, its buildings the color of the surrounding desert, blending almost seamlessly into the landscape. The only sign of its presence from a distance was the faint shimmer of heat haze and the massive, sphere-like structure of the Kazekage's residence at its center.
As the Konoha contingent approached the heavily guarded main gates, flanked by stern-faced Suna shinobi whose sand-colored attire made them almost invisible against the towering walls, Ryuu felt a new wave of tension settle over him. This was it. Hostile territory, relatively speaking.
A village with a complex, often adversarial, history with Konoha. And a place where his Ice Release, so antithetical to this scorching environment, would stand out like a beacon.
The Suna guards, their faces covered by cloth wraps against the sand, regarded the Konoha shinobi with expressions that were a mixture of professional courtesy and deep-seated suspicion.
Kakashi, as the leader of the Konoha delegation, handled the formal greetings and presentation of their credentials to a stern-looking Suna Jonin.
The gates of Sunagakure creaked open, revealing a city carved from sand and stone, a labyrinth of narrow, winding streets, domed buildings, and covered alleyways designed to offer respite from the relentless sun.
The air within the walls was still hot, but less abrasive, carrying the scent of exotic spices, roasting meats, and something else… a faint, metallic tang that Ryuu couldn't quite place.
As Team Twelve, along with the other Konoha teams, stepped into the shadow of the massive gateway, Ryuu pulled his hood further forward, his goggles reflecting the harsh desert light. He could feel the eyes on them – curious civilians, wary shopkeepers, and undoubtedly, hidden Suna shinobi assessing the new arrivals.
The Chunin Exams were about to begin. And Sunagakure, with its shifting sands and hidden dangers, felt like a far more treacherous stage than he could have ever imagined.