Sage

Ch.27

It was a few days after the incident involving the Kiri Shinobi and the rebel forces, and Naruto was currently sitting in a small tent near the centre of a large camp. When they had arrived at the rebel camp Naruto had been surprised when they were allowed in, he thought they would have been forced to leave in case they were spies. Apparently the captain of the camp, an older man with long dark brown hair named Tsurugi, needed them to stay until his commander came and asked them a few questions.

Naturally Naruto and Shizuku had been worried about this, Fuu being her usual self merely stayed impassive. Of course they were quickly assured that if they meant no ill-will towards the rebels, as their rescue of the Kunoichi they found had shown, then nothing bad would happen. Of course that didn't particularly ease their worries; Shinobi weren't known to be the most honest people, even if Naruto found their goals to be honourable.

He had found out this was one of the many hidden camps scattered through the contested regions of Mizu no Kuni, and that there were even some deep within Kiri-controlled territories. Of course he wasn't foolish enough to ask where these other camps was, that would be far too suspicious; although that didn't mean he wasn't curious. He presumed the camps themselves were hidden by a combination of various Genjutsu, traps and the mists, which seemed to work to both sides' favour and disadvantage.

Technically the group was being held captive by the rebels, but it wasn't all bad; they weren't treated poorly, although the Shinobi obviously came first. It had also been a prime opportunity to talk to various Shinobi, especially about water Jutsu and affinities. Shizuku especially loved the extra help from Shinobi who were happy to help a young girl with something as mundane as a water affinity; Naruto figured it was a good escape from the fighting. It made sense that training affinities would remind the older and more veteran Shinobi of their youth, back before all the war and bloodshed.

Under their guidance Shizuku had made leaps and bounds with the second stage, creating a whirlpool with nothing but manipulation of water Chakra. Naruto had also begun to practise his own water technique, once again noting that it felt easier somehow with each passing element he mastered. He wondered if by isolating and controlling each of his various affinities it made it simpler to access the rest; it made sense when he thought about it. He smiled at the thought; remembering his original goal of understanding Chakra so long ago.

It had now been almost a year and three months since leaving the Fire Temple, Naruto was twelve and had been for two months. That much was for certain just as it was obvious to everybody else; Decembers were viciously cold in Mizu no Kuni, especially to those that weren't natives. Luckily the further they moved south the milder the climate became; but that didn't stop the thin layers of frost that covered the ground each morning. The torrential and perpetual rain wasn't helping all that much either, which was why Naruto smiled as Shizuku ducked under the flap of the tent.

"Hey Naruto, you wanted to see me right?" The blonde just nodded cheerfully as he stood up from his meditative position on the ground. He had tried speaking to his tenants again only to find Matatabi asleep, something he found she did quite often, Shukaku his usual psychotic self, and the Kyuubi being even more stubborn than usual.

"Yeah, come on, I want to try something." He quickly ducked under the flap of the tent with Shizuku hot on his heels, the both of them ignoring the rain falling around them. Shizuku practically lived in it anyway and Naruto had gotten used to his after all his time travelling with her; it was just one of those things you learned to live with; at least, before now.

"Come on Naruto, where are you taking me?" The blonde had a cheeky smile on his face but didn't answer, instead taking Shizuku's hand in his own and carrying on. The violette just looked at his larger hand, smiling nervously as she felt his warmth flow into her from the contact. She had to refrain from giggling like a schoolgirl as the young monk led her through the camp to a small area near the outer edge where she had been training in her water affinity.