Gentle Caress

Six Years Later

Six years. So much can happen in six years. So much can be learned and taught in six years. People can mature and age a lot in six years. And sure enough, six years later, Naruto was very different.

Neji sighed, as their leader continued to gamble. He was on a winning streak. Not like he ever lost a game, not when money was on the line. "Don't you think you've schooled them enough?" The brunette whispered. 

"One more round."

"Whatever." He leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes. The sound of cards being dealt was heard, as well as what sounded like a thousand voices bluffing. Plastic chips clink as the betting starts. Might as well take a nap, while the kid beats their asses.

Sasuke leans against a wall, looking around the room. This was their first away-from-home mission. The nine had been dispatched to The Land of Waves. It was one of the many places where the fifth Hokage's rule seemed to hit the hardest. The Land of Waves was an island sharing a border with the Land of Fire. It didn't have a shinobi village as the ocean around it was a natural defense against enemies. That was until the weasel, Gato wrapped his greasy little hands around it.

It was disgusting to see what greed could do. How much Gato's goonies messed with the people here. The people were starving, yet Gato wasn't going to let easy profit go to waste. Unfortunately, he now had akushitsuna kyuu-ri on his case.

There was a woman eyeing him from the other side of the room. He glared at her, a silent conversation happening between them. He rubbed his ear and yawned, Sai who was sitting at one of the gambling tables caught on, following his eyes. They landed on the woman. He finished his game and walked over to the bathroom. He bumped into her, slipping a slip of paper into the folds of her coat as he helped her up.

Sasuke then walked over to where their leader was playing. He knocked into Neji's side, the brunette glaring at him with his one open eye. "Gentlemen?"

Naruto set down his card, revealing a royal flush. The rest of the players groaned as they collected their earnings. "Sorry, but we best be leaving." And with that, they left the hall. Sai was waiting for them in a clearing. "Did anyone follow her?"

"No. I gave her the time, address, and the anti-bugging seal."

"Excellent. As always." Sai smiled, taking in the praise.

"Has Hinata said anything yet?"

"No. Apparently, they haven't gotten there yet. But they're making some breakthroughs."

"We should meet with Gaara and wait for our client. The girls should be fine, they've done this before."

In those six years of training, Naruto and his siblings, as he had come to call them, had made a name for themselves. As a whole, they were known as akushitsuna kyuu-ri. No one knew who exactly they were, but they would probably never imagine a bunch of kids. Naruto, now thirteen, threw a pebble into one of the broken windows. The rock came back, landing on the ground in front of him. Kimimaro peeked his head out the door and let them in. At first glance, the old, abandoned paper mill looked just that. Old, and abandoned, but if you looked past the plethora of genjutsu and seals, one would see a teenage paradise.

Haku and Gaara were playing darts, not bothering to look up. "Did you find a new client?"

Sasuke shrugged, grabbing one of the many bags of snacks from their stash. "I think so. Sai got her set up. Now, all we have to do is wait."

Kimimaro sat back down on one of the cushions on the floor. "Where are we setting up tomorrow?"

Naruto shook the kettle, setting the water to boil. No one questioned his actions. Everyone knew about him and his love for ramen even if it was the instant kind. "Would say that one underwater cave we found, but if I did Gaara would crush me with his sand." The redhead nodded, sending said sand to pluck the darts off the board. Why they insisted on the dart board was beyond him. They were shinobi, trained by two of the great Sannin. Their aim was perfect, hitting the center was easier than threading a needle. "So what do you say... The hideout in the hollow tree?"