Chapter 67

It was a six-day trip to Target One, primarily through friendly territory before we spent the last day and a half of travel in Rice Country. During that time, I got to know a few more members of Platoon Saisu, one of three in Lance Company, not counting the Command Squad of eight shinobi plus Hagane-Sensei, which moved between platoons. At eighty people per platoon, I was never going to get to really know everyone, especially in such a short amount of time. I did manage to strike up a rapport with a few veterans in the time we spent traveling, however. The handful of Older Chunin I managed to befriend were all Clanless Shinobi whose careers had stalled at Chunin Level for varying reasons. For some, it was that they didn't have the drive to get promoted to Jonin, for others, it was an issue of power, and in a pair of cases, simple politics had gotten in the way. They were all vital sources of experience, though, and I did my best to listen to them.

The first of them, a grizzled, taciturn, older veteran named Kibagami, was in his late forties and had survived two Great Shinobi Wars. His red hair had gained a touch of gray with age, and he wore a Fuschia haori jacket and black hakama, with no armor, trusting instead in his Nintaijutsu Technique and Kenjutsu skills to keep him fighting. Kibagami had graduated from the Academy and been thrust into the front lines of the Second Great Shinobi War during the panic that had ensued after the Sannin had been defeated by Hanzo near Ame. Kibagami's sword style wasn't the standard Konoha-Ryuu (Hidden Leaf Style) that most of the village used, but something called the Ko'in Ittou-Ryuu (Ancient Yin One Blade Style), while his Nintaijutsu Technique was called the Tenno seidō no Karada no Jutsu (Heavenly Bronze Body Technique) and made his body as durable as the namesake metal. He remained a Chunin simply out of a lack of drive to go for promotion.

Then there was Shiori, a Kunoichi in her late twenties who wore the standard Chunin Lamellar Vest over a Kusari Katabira Jacket. Shiori was a petite woman who dyed her hair a light shade of purple. However, she was apparently a capable user of Barrier Ninjutsu, along with being a Sensor and capable with Suiton Ninjutsu. She had also been a Genin during the Third Great Shinobi War, during which she'd gotten her promotion for an action involving a battle near the ruins of Uzushiogakure between Konoha and Kiri that saw relatively few survivors. Shiori refused to go into specifics, save to say that her role in getting her team out of that debacle led to her getting a promotion to Chunin for quick thinking, but then having her career stalked due to accusations of cowardice brought up by the War Council of the Third Great Shinobi War.

There was also Fang, a twenty-something, Spiky-haired, boisterous, Taijutsu Specialist whose flair for bold statements and dramatic entrances made me wonder if he was in some way related to Gai-Sensei. Mind you, Fang wore a Kusari Katabira jacket, even if he left it open in the front, something Gai-Sensei would never need. Accordingly, it turned out to be sheer coincidence, though, with his personality, he would have fit right in with Gai-Sensei and Lee. Fang was a chunin because he lacked the Chakra Capacity to advance in rank, though his lack of sheer power was covered for by his immense skill at Taijutsu and his extremely efficient use of Chakra Flow, which he apparently called his Shi Hōkō Kyōka (Four Directions Enhancement). However, unless you were on the level of Gai-Sensei, or had Clan Backing, you weren't going to get promoted past Chunin on skill of Taijutsu alone. You needed other, powerful, skills. Fang's lack of power had seen him stuck as a Chunin for the last twelve years.

Finally, there was my direct superior. Kamano Saisu was an odd man, boisterous and somber by turns, he had apparently been close with Uchiha Itachi in his youth. When Itachi had massacred his clan, he had spent three days locked away in a Torture and Interrogation debriefing room being thoroughly shaken down for any information he could offer on Itachi's mental state, plans, and capabilities. He'd found himself promoted to Chunin and then held there until his loyalty could be properly assessed or some other such nonsense. I asked around and everyone had said that Saisu had changed after being released from interrogation. He'd been boisterous before, but now he had bouts of somber introspection that kept creeping in. It was almost like the shock of one of his close friends going rogue had been enough to shake his very worldview. I didn't see the somber part until our third day of travel. Fang had made a boast about how he'd slay a hundred Oto Shinobi during the attack on the fort at dinner. That's what prompted the mood to darken.

"You think killing hundreds of Shinobi in a single go is something to boast of, do you?" Questioned Saisu.

"I mean, if they're enemies who joined the banner of a Traitor like Orochimaru, why not?" Huffed Fang.

"And what of their children and wives? A hidden village isn't just Shinobi, you know." Pointed out Saisu.

"Obviously, we leave them alive. Who do you think we are, Iwa?" Scoffed Fang, full of bluster.

"And when those children grow up and come seeking revenge? What then?" Queried Saisu.

"I'll deal with that when it happens." Snorted Fang.

"That sort of attitude is the problem." Grumbled Saisu before walking off to check the perimeter.

"Why all the questions from the Captain?" Asked Shiori, speaking up from her spot on a fallen log.

"Captain gets like that. He was friends with Uchiha Itachi, so talk about killing hundreds of guys at a time get under his skin." Grunted Kibagami.

"Really?" Blinked Shiori.

"Really. They used to call him the Wild Weasel of Konoha, hoping he'd be able to hunt down Itachi if they pushed him toward it like that." Shrugged Kibagami.

"Yet I notice Itachi is still at large." I remarked.

"Guess the Captain didn't have what it takes." Snorted Fang.

"Or he didn't have Itachi's location, or he didn't want to hunt down his friend, or even a mix of all three." I insisted.

"Besides, would you go up against Uchiha Itachi as you are now? The Captain's not that much stronger than any of us. He'd stall Itachi for a few moments, then get massacred." Sneered Kibagami.

"Yeah, I mean, there's a reason his bounty's so high." Nodded Shiori.

"What about the Captain? What do we do?" I questioned.

"He's just in one of his moods. When he gets introspective, generally we look to the second for orders. That's you, Kid." Smirked Kibagami.

"Right, well, when we're finished with dinner, if the Captain isn't out of whatever mood he's fallen into, then I'll supervise the clean-up." I nodded.

And that was my first taste of command in a nutshell. Captain Saisu going into depressive mode and brooding while leaving me to handle things. Honestly, with so many veterans in Platoon Saisu, I didn't have to do much. Mostly, I settled a few disputes and made sure everyone got what they needed for the day. Having a cousin be the commander of the Quartermaster Section assigned to us helped there. Platoon Saisu was probably the best-provisioned platoon in the whole Attack Force. Disputes were trickier, normally boiling down to a falling out over the outcome of dice or card games. Soldiers loved to gamble, especially while in friendly territory. I had three of those disputes, only one of which was a legitimate case of cheating. Kawasaki from sixth squad had used a specialized variant of the Kawarimi no Jutsu (Replacement Technique) to swap the regular dice in the Cho-Han cup for a pair of loaded dice. He effectively cheated Suzuki from Second Squad out of a pile of Ryo with it.

"I commend you on your invention of the specialized Kawarimi Variant, but your choice of when to use said variant needs a lot of work. Return the Ryo to Suzuki along with a technique scroll for the Kawarimi Variant you used to cheat him with. Then, once you've done that and handed a Copy of the scroll to me or the Captain, you're on Latrine Duty until we hit the Border of Rice Country." I commanded.

I felt that was a more than fair punishment. As it turned out, so did everyone else involved. The next dispute involved a drunken Hanafuda game between Toyoda and Honda of Fourth and Eighth Squads that amounted to both accusing the other of cheating in a fit of drunken pique after losing a few hands apiece, which was easily resolved via revoking their access to the Sake Rations and forcing them on cleanup duty for the next meal. After that was a dispute between Mitsubishi and Yamaha of fourth and seventh squads over a game of Kitsune Bakuchi. Apparently, Yamaha had gotten the four times matched numbers prize twice in a row, which caused Mitsubishi to call him a cheater. Investigation of the dice, along with testimony from Datsun from third squad, who was that Squad's Sensor and present for the incident revealed the dice weren't loaded nor were any jutsu used. Yamaha was simply lucky. I dismissed any charges against him.

Of course, it was odd that these random gamblers all had names of various Auto Manufacturers from Japan back in my old life on Earth, but that tidbit was easily dismissed. After all, those were actual names, the companies had been named after their founders. Given the general Japanese Linguistics and Culture of this swathe of the Elemental Nations, some names were bound to reoccur between worlds in strange ways. Mind you, I wasn't exactly an expert on multiversal mechanics, so I couldn't tell you how it all worked. Maybe whatever had those families founding car companies on Earth made them Gamblers here? Who could say?

What I did know was that by the time we finally crossed the border into Rice Country, I was tempted to suggest to Saisu that we ban gambling among the squads, even if I knew it wouldn't do any good. It would simply force any games to go underground, forcing them out of the camp, which, given we were about to cross into Rice Country wasn't the best plan. Enemy territory being what it was. I still hadn't anticipated quite so much of my time as second in command of a platoon to be like this. Apparently, I'd become something akin to a Broad-Striped Tribune from Ancient Rome back on Earth. When I mentioned the surprise I felt to Saisu during an update on the supply situation, he simply grinned at me before uttering a response that I'd take to heart.

"Of course, you didn't think command was going to be all battlefield orders and tactical exercises, did you? A lot of war is the boring stuff, making sure morale is up, keeping disputes from ruining unit cohesion, and making sure the troops have what they need. Be thankful you're not in my sandals, I'm the guy who has to file all the paperwork and write up all the reports." Chuckled Saisu.

"Well, how am I doing so far?" I queried.

"You're doing good, actually. From what I heard, you're doing better than some guys who have been Chunin for a couple years now." Answered Saisu.

"Like who?" I pressed.

"There's a guy over in Platoon Ebisu in Toad Company named Yajirobee who got his Chunin Vest maybe two and a half years ago. Same for Hayase over in Dango Company. He's been Chunin for four years now, which is why he's the second of the Entire Company. You're still doing better than both of them, though that could be due to first-time jitters on Hayase's part. It's his first time doing this for so many troops, after all. Yajirobee, though, he's just an asshole." Informed Saisu.

"Huh." I mused.

"Yeah, just keep doing what you're doing." Nodded Saisu.

As I headed out of his tent and into the light of the Campfire, I was stopped by Kibagami. He was oiling his Katana, a beautiful thing of rippled Chakra Metal with a bronze-scribed Tsuji and red leather wrapping around the handle. It was almost too nice of a sword for a Chunin to afford. He nodded at me as I approached.

"I see you've been looking at my blade." He offered by way of greeting.

"It's clearly well-made. Is there a story behind it? It seems like something a random Chunin wouldn't have if you'll forgive me for saying so." I hedged.

"That's cause I claimed it by right of conquest. I'll tell you if you tell me what the Captain wanted." Offered Kibagami.

"Deal. We should cross the border into Rice Country tomorrow. He wanted to make sure everyone had what they needed for when we were in enemy territory. Fortunately, he seems like he's in a better mood." I responded.

"Good. Some guys get that way on the eve of battle. Looks like the Captain's one of them. As for how I got Bai'oudoku (Plum Warbler Poison), it was my consolation prize. I once entered the War God's Tournament two decades ago. I was a lot more cruel than I am now back then. Time hadn't worn off my rough edges, I suppose. Every enemy I beat, I forced a tribute from. A weapon, a technique scroll, Ryo. Something. It was my price for not killing them in the arena while they were at my mercy." Began Kibagami.

"I can't believe the Samurai allowed that. It seems dishonorable." I frowned.

"You'll find most Samurai tend to only expect their own kind to act with honor. It wasn't expected of some shinobi from Konoha. I guess when you withdraw into strict neutrality for a hundred years, that sort of thing tends to happen, you get insular and haughty. I can't exactly bitch about that, though. I was haughty too back then. So proud of my skill and techniques." Sighed Kibagami.

"So what happened?" I asked.

"I found out what real skill was. I had the misfortune of facing off against Mifune of Iron in the finals. It was the year before he became Shogun and would be intelligible to compete. He picked me apart and by the end of our bout, I could barely stand. I was still demanding the bout to continue. Mifune looked over at me and said that it seemed like I had poison in my blood, driving me to fight past the point of reason. I didn't take kindly to that. I charged him, intending to split him in half." Continued Kibagami.

"I take it you didn't win?" I pressed.

"Oh, Kami no! Mifune hit the arena floor with a Hadan (Rupture) and the fissure created from the strike sent me sprawling face-first into the tiles. A stomp to the back of my head later and I was out cold. When I woke up in the Arena Infirmary, all the tributes I'd forced from my opponents had been confiscated, along with my own blade, the Iwatoshi (Rock-Cleaver). There was just a single note from Mifune next to an unfamiliar blade. Apparently, he'd claimed all of my tributes and the Iwatoshi to prove some kind of lesson about living by the sword. However, he acknowledged that he couldn't let me make the trip back south unarmed and he gifted me a blade to match the poison in my blood that made it burn so hot." Finished Kibagami.

"And that was the Bai'oudoku?" I questioned.

"Sure was. It was also the start of my journey to being less pointlessly cruel." Nodded Kibagami.

"All right. Thanks for the story." I thanked.

"No problem. Get some sleep. You'll need it if we're hitting the border tomorrow." Intoned Kibagami.

And with that, I headed for my tent to get in some sleep before we moved back out in the morning. When we woke up in the early, pre-dawn, hours of the morning, we struck camp and moved out. The main attack force had broken up by company the previous afternoon to attempt the border crossing in such a way that enemy intel couldn't track each force. We would recombine at a rally point west of Target One, in the Shinomoto Forest. As it happened, we hit the border just as dawn was coming, though fortunately, it seems we didn't pick up any enemy border guards as we did so. I would later find out that the reason for that had been Lord Jiraiya breaking off from Toad Company with his Headquarters Group to hit a few border posts at random and throw the guard force into disarray. It certainly made it easy for us to cross the border into Rice Country. Two days later, we made our Rendezvous in the Shinomoto Forest completely unharmed.

The day after that, we would assault Target One. . .

XXXX

AN: So yeah, this is mostly a bit of character interaction. I based a number of characters in the squad on various other characters in various other media. Kibagami, for instance, is based on Kibagami Genjuro from Samurai Shodown. This doesn't indicate a crossover per se, more like I tweaked other characters' backstories, personalities, and whatnot and slotted them into the world. It was easier this way. Mind you, because of the Baku monching on the SI's memories, he isn't seeing most of the references.

Only Kaisu is an actual Naruto Character in this chapter. He's a filler character, true, but there aren't a whole lot of canon Chunin Characters to pick from. I also tweaked him some to make him more interesting than he was in the one filler episode he showed up in. After all, being a close friend of Itachi's could realistically lead to intermittent bouts of depression like this. I feel it adds more to his character.

At any rate, the next chapter will be the beginning of the assault on Target One.

Stay tuned. . .