Wandering Heathens

Hidden Leaf

A/N: here's what the bois look like. Thanks to Rita304 for ze art!

"They're coming here?! ARE YOU SURE?!" Tsunade yelled at the Aburame clan member. She nodded, "that's what Roko's wasp is saying." Tsunade pinched the bridge of his nose and willed his headache to go away. He did not need these two to show up at his Village gates. "SHIKAKI!" He yelled for his advisor. The lazy Nara walked through the door from her office in the next room. She didn't say anything, only cocked an eyebrow and waited to hear the Hokage's instructions. She absentmindedly ran her fingers over her facial scars as she listened. "I want the Barrier Corps to reinforce and double the barriers! Get the ANBU to the Gates! All Joinin and Chunin to be on standby! Genin are to evacuate the villagers. GO!" "Right" she replied and left to deliver Tsunade's orders. "So troublesome. Why did they have to choose Konoha? What a drag."

They walked deeper into the Land of Fire, seeing the Uzumaki clan symbol on the structures they passed as they approached the Hidden Leaf Village. The gates were closed and barred, the citizens evacuated and the ANBU on the walls to greet them. Tsunade stood front and center with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Shikaki watched from her vantage point from the top of the Kage tower. They don't look so tough but appearances can be deceiving. It's their move now.

"Greetings!" Ryuu called up to Tsunade while Shinjo scowled at the closed gates. He was hungry and tired and didn't take kindly to his way being blocked. "What do you want?" Tsunade growled. "Hospitality and carrier scrolls, please and thank you! We've travelled far and wish to rest." Ryuu stated. The ANBU tightened their grip on their katanas as Shinjo moved his hand to grip the hilt of his sword. Ryuu motioned for Shinjo to wait and turned his attention back to the Hokage. He scowled as he looked down on them. "If we give you what you want will you move on?" He asked.

Ryuu and Shinjo glanced at each other, a silent conversation passing between them as they analyzed their situation. They could fight the Leaf shinobi and possibly take Tsunade down but they were tired and didn't want to wastefully expend energy and chakra.

An ANBU shinobi gripped his katana and said to Tsunade "we can take them out. There's only two of them. Give the order." Tsunade sighed and spoke, "don't underestimate them or their appearance. They may look young but they've been around since the Second Great Ninja War. They collect kinjutsu to gain strength and abilities on top of their natural ones." He admonished. "We prefer the term connoisseur. Collector sounds so shady" Ryuu said. "Let me take them. This is pointless" Shinjo growled. "Wait" Ryuu replied.

"Carrier scrolls, food and drink, right? That's all you want?" Tsunade called down. "Yes. And a cute kunoichi if you feel generous" Ryuu said. "We'll give you what you want except for the kunoichi. I won't allow my shinobi to be defiled by you" he replied. "Fair enough. Once we have what we want we'll leave. No point in starting a messy battle that you will lose" Ryuu replied. Tsunade growled and grit his teeth as he waved for his ANBU to bring them what they wanted.

A kunoichi ANBU dropped down from the walls gracefully and approached the two men. She held wrapped packages in her hands: scrolls, food and drink. Approaching the two men, she steeled her nerves and gave them the packages. Ryuu brushed his fingers over hers as he took the packages, bowed and thanked her. She blushed behind her mask and quickly rejoined her comrades on the wall. "Thank you for the supplies! You get to live!" "For now" Shinjo said darkly. Tsunade and his ANBU visibly tensed and didn't relax until Ryuu and Shinjo were out of sight. Shikaki stood next to Tsunade, "you made the right choice. We could've fought them but the casualties would outweigh the small advantage in numbers that we have over them and the outcome would still be uncertain." "I just hope they don't come this way again but that would be futile. Start around the clock guard patrols. We need to stay one step ahead of them" he ordered before leaving the wall and heading back to the Kage tower.

Itachi watched the exchange from her vantage point in the leaves. They cowed the Hokage into giving them what they wanted? Who are these two?! She dropped down and silently rejoined Kisame who was leaning against a tree trying to calm Samehada down who was searching for the delicious chakra he had sensed. "Well?" The shark-woman asked. "We keep following. Pein wants us to see them in battle and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses." "Why? Can't we just kill them and have Kakuza cash them in for their bounties? You know she's salivating at the thought of the money stacks she can make from them." "She can wait. Pein's orders take precedence." Itachi replied, already moving towards the direction the men had taken. Kisame sighed, placed Samehada on her back and followed her partner. This world would be easier to live in if we could just kill people.

"Ah! So good!" Ryuu said happily as he sat back and rubbed his full stomach. "I wish you would've let me kill them!" Shinjo said. "Calm down. We'll teach them a thing or two when we come back this way. For now we've got what we wanted so let's just move on." "Do you even know where the scroll is or are you just blowing smoke up my ass?" Shinjo questioned. "I have a vague idea of where it is. Searching is half the fun!" "Searching takes too long! I don't want to waste my time on half baked ideas and scraps of scrolls!" Ryuu sighed, laid against a grassy knoll and spoke, "its in the Land of Eddies. The Uzumaki clan, being the specialists in Sealing Jutsus, wrote the kinjutsu as a last resort to protect themselves from the Tailed Beasts. Since neither of us has a Sharingan-" "Yet" "-a Sharingan, we need this to complete the Uzumaki triad. We've gotten the first two so let's get the last one." He said tiredly and closed his eyes. Shinjo scowled and laid down across from Ryuu. "Are you going to do something about our followers?" He asked. "Hmmm let them follow for now. We'll see what they want later" Ryuu murmured sleepily. They gave themselves over to sleep under the watchful eyes of Itachi and Kisame.

"They've found them? Good good" the masked woman said to her spy, a bi-coloured female Venus flytrap. "They took on the Hokage-" "-and won somehow." She said. Tapping a finger against her orange mask, she thought a little before speaking. "Send a clone to follow them. I don't trust Itachi and I want these two for my plan!" "As you wish" Zetsuki said before disappearing into the ground. The remaining woman reached up and removed her mask before tossing it on the bed and looking at the rows of Sharingans staring back at her from their places in sealed jars with preserving liquid. She stood up and walked over, trailing a finger down one of the jars, the purple ringed orb staring back at her and she smiled. A crazed smile soon lead to a crazed laugh. If this works out then the Shinobi world will be no more!