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Perception of Strength	By : chrissysky Category: Gensomaden Saiyuki > General Views: 1540 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Gensomaden Saiyuki, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Title: Perception of Strength / Sasuke�s Choice

Author: Chrissy Sky

Fandoms: Gensoumaden Saiyuki/Naruto.

Rating: M

Pairings: established Hakkai/Gojyo. Will be Sanzo/Goku and Naruto/Sasuke.

Disclaimer: Saiyuki © 2000 Kazuya Minekura / Enix / Saiyuki Project, et al. Naruto © 2002 Masashi Kishimoto / GE / Viz Media / Shounen Jump, et al. This is a work of fan fiction and in no way done for profit.

Summary: A Saiyuki-Naruto crossover. Basically. Sanzo & Co. are magically transported to Konoha, where they meet Team Seven. TWT, Yaoi.
Notes: I�m leaving the Saiyuki timeline open so I can insert new chapters of Reload if I want. As for Naruto timeline: Sometime after Tsunade�s coronation but before Sasuke joined Orochimaru. There are no doubt some inaccuracies�I�m new in this fandom. I�m trying to remain as true to both worlds as possible though. Also:
1.) I�m aware that Naruto-verse is not Japan. In that respect, you can consider it AU, even though the events from the first series remain mostly unaltered. But, both Naruto and Saiyuki aren�t at all logical, so I don�t see why I should be either.
2.) There�s also no language barrier. Saiyuki characters are from China, on their way to India, and everyone is speaking Japanese (Hazel notwithstanding, but that makes him unique). Granted that�s not unusual since it�s a Japanese show, but it�s that logic thing again. The fic is utter crack and I wouldn�t take it too seriously if I were you. It�s mostly to explore the compatibility of the characters and �what if� scenarios.
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Chapter One: Fortunate Interference
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Nii Jienyi was busy doing various things (meaning: absolutely nothing) in his lab before Gyoukumen Kousho called for his presence. She sat with all the pride and egomania of a demon queen, though decidedly more frenzied and nervous than usual.
�Nii, the Sanzo party is getting too close!� she cried. �And Doctor Hwan has informed me that it will still be sometime before all the data is completed. We need more time!�
�Oh, they�re close?� Nii asked, feigning shock and pushing his glasses up his nose nonchalantly. �How remarkable.�
Gyoukumen Kousho glared down at him malevolently, as if to remind him that he was only one small, insignificant human in a palace full of powerful demons. Nii smirked a little. It was too soon for any of them to know the truth about him, but boy, would they be surprised.
�Don�t worry, Gyoukumen Kousho-sama,� he replied easily. �I�m already well prepared for such a circumstance.�
The demon flexed her claws. �Then do it! My beloved must be revived!�
Nii bowed. �Anything you say. I am but your humble servant.�
-
Sanzo pulled out a cigarette and began counting off in his head. It had been a little too quiet for the past few minutes (because they were all bored out of their minds), so it wouldn�t be too long now. Five, four, three, two�
�I�m hungry!� Goku cried.
Right on cue. �Shut up,� he grumbled from the front seat of the jeep. �We just had breakfast thirty minutes ago.�
�But that was a whole thirty minutes ago!�
Hakkai laughed softly, typically not at all bothered by anything. �I bought some apples this morning. They�re in the rations.�
�Yay! Apples!� Goku made a dive for the bag, found and ate the fruit, quiet enough to be saved from The Fan. For now anyway. It was still early in the day after all.
Gojyo, being bored, decided that now was time to risk life and limb annoying Sanzo yet again. �Aw, Sanzo-sama hasn�t shouted all morning. He must be going soft!�
Sanzo pulled out his gun and held it right in front of the kappa�s nose. �You want to die?�
�AH! That�ll definitely hit!� The redhead tried to duck in the small backseat.
�It�s such a nice day,� Hakkai said pleasantly.
Sanzo cursed and turned back around. �You mean it�s such a boring day.�
�Yes, well� It looks like that�s about to change,� Hakkai warned in a pleasant yet wary tone.
�Huh?�
Hakkai pointed around them. Everything began to blur out of focus, and instead of the part forest, part desert terrain they had been driving along for the past few months, it soon became a kaleidoscope of different colors. Now all they could see clearly were themselves and Jeep.
�Hakkai,� Gojyo said slowly, �did you put those funny mushrooms in the food again?�
�Ah, not today,� the other demon replied.
�Okay. Then what the fuck?!�
Sanzo pulled out his gun again. �Something�s coming.�
He was right. Just as quickly as the psychedelic colors had appeared, they were gone again, and that�s when they nearly drove into a large doorway. Hakkai�s quick reflexes were all that saved them�even then, the bumper hit the wooden door pretty good. Jeep made a disgruntled noise.
Many things became obvious at once (even though only two things stood out). One, this was definitely not the road they had been on a moment before. Two, they were surrounded. Having the hair triggers that they did, of course they got ready for a fight.
�Wait!� hissed Hakkai as he noticed. �They�re human.�
Which they clearly were; though they wore strange clothes, they were definitely humans. Five of them to be exact, all of them carrying small dagger-like weapons. They also wore headbands with a peculiar symbol printed on the metal front. The pattern resembled a leaf.
�Who are you?� one of them asked.
�They appear to just be guards,� Hakkai whispered aside to Sanzo before raising his voice. �Ah, sorry about that! We seem to be a little lost.�
�What�s that thing?� The speaker pointed toward Jeep.
Hakkai laughed softly. �It�s our magic dragon that turns into a car.�
Gojyo slapped his forehead. �Oi, Hakkai. Now they�re gonna think we�re just crazy.� They didn�t seem to even know what cars were. (Not that a lot of people seemed to have them, but no one had as yet questioned the jeep�s existence on the journey west. Until now that is.)
�You are crazy,� Sanzo growled.
That was the moment when the jeep let out a frightful �Kyu!� and once again shifted to its dragon form, much to the foursome�s surprise. Hakuryu landed on Hakkai�s shoulder and curled around the man�s neck. The �guards� were only minutely surprised (so obviously they were used to seeing unusual things, if not cars). Hakkai murmured to the creature and pet its small head, but it would not unwind from his body.
�Something�s startled him,� Hakkai told them, more than a little worried over the small dragon�s behavior. �Probably the sudden scenery change.�
Gojyo breathed a sigh. �Him and me both. I only like seeing that many strange colors if, ah,� he glanced meaningfully at Hakkai, �I want to.�
Hakkai smiled nervously. �No, before you ask, I don�t have anymore of that plant.�
�Damn.�
�What plant?� Goku spoke up. �What can you make with it?�
�Nothing you can eat,� Sanzo interrupted, glaring at Gojyo before he could reply.
After asking the guards, who seemed more at ease the more they saw of the strange group�s antics (read: craziness), they found out that beyond the large wall was a place called Konoha.
�Konoha? What the hell?� Gojyo scratched his head and glanced at Sanzo and Hakkai. They were as equally confused�they had never heard of the place either.
�Where are you guys from?� said the same guard. The others didn�t seem too keen on talking�or maybe he was their platoon leader or something. (Not that it mattered, because Sanzo�s group didn�t really give a damn to begin with. Sanzo just wanted to get going, Goku just wanted food, and Gojyo and Hakkai wanted a drink.)
�Shangri-La,� Sanzo replied.
�� You�re being serious, aren�t you?�
�� Yes,� Sanzo said, glaring a little more darkly now. It was obvious that he wasn�t the kind of guy to make jokes.
�Shangri-La is a real place?!�
�No, we�re just pulling your leg,� Gojyo replied with obvious sarcasm.
The guard wasn�t put off too much by it. �So, you guys must be really lost then. We�d better take you to see the Hokage.�
�Hokage? Is that your leader?� Sanzo asked.
�Yeah.�
And so it was agreed that they would meet with this Hokage, preferably after they got something to eat. (�We�d better feed the monkey first or he�ll be whining through the entire meeting,� Sanzo said. �And then eat the Hokage guy,� Gojyo joked.)
Sanzo, Hakkai, and Gojyo, along with a two-man escort, just walked along the crowded street and observed the village as they waited for Goku to decide on where they would eat. They didn�t exactly give him permission, per se; it was just that the monkey was very convincing (meaning: loud) about which restaurant they should go to in any given town.
�Let�s go here! No, I like this one better! Oh, and the all-you-can-eat buffet over there!� People stared at Goku as he rushed by, looking surprised that anyone would let their child behave so badly, but Goku paid it no mind. After all, there were restaurants to conquer.
�This place is very different,� Hakkai commented, somehow making his gentle voice heard over Goku�s hyperactive comments. �We�re definitely in another country. My guess would be Japan, just from the way they dress.� He motioned at a woman that passed by wearing a kimono.
�Japan?!� Gojyo cried. �That�s across the ocean!�
�Sanzo, let�s go to this one!� cried Goku.
Sanzo puffed on his cigarette, ignoring him for the moment. �This could have something to do with Gyumaoh.�
Hakkai nodded. �I was thinking that as well. We�ve met many demons the past year with some interesting talents, a few of which who could actually shift the physical realm.�
�It probably wasn�t Kougaiji�s group then,� Gojyo remarked airily, his own cancer stick in place. �He can do some interesting things, but if Kougaiji could do something like this, he probably would have done it sooner.�
Sanzo shook his head. �It�s not his style.� Kougaiji was more straightforward�like Goku, which was why they were so drawn to fighting one another. �No. If it was anyone, it was the guy Dokugakuji mentioned that time.�

�Which time? We�ve fought them so many times, you know.� Gojyo smirked in recollection. It was hard to think of Kougaiji�s group as enemies, even though that�s what they technically were. He just thought it was amusing.
Sanzo glared. �The time with that Zakuro guy.�
�Oh, the creep with purple hair.�
�Yeah, that one.�
�So, what is it about this guy Dokugaku mentioned that�s got you all suspicious?�
Sanzo�s expression darkened from old memories, from a time before he�d realized his worthlessness. �The description reminds me of someone I met once, when my master was still alive��
Before he could continue, Goku suddenly ran up to him and tugged on his arm, grinning widely. �Sanzo! Come see!�
�What?� Sanzo snapped, but halfheartedly he let himself be dragged along.
Gojyo and Hakkai exchanged a meaningfully amused look.
�RAMEN!� Goku announced victoriously, pointing at the stand. The sign above read in large red lettering, �Ichiraku.�
-
Inside the ramen stand, Team Seven was taking a break for lunch. Soon enough they would be assigned a new mission. It was just the three of them�their sensei, Hatake Kakashi, was on a different mission since Konoha�s resources were still stretched after the Chuunin Exam�and the Sand Country and Orochimaru�s joint attack. Though they had won, it was a hollow victory�much of the village had been destroyed and many ninja had been killed, including the Third Hokage. They all had to do what they could, and for Team Seven that meant taking as many missions as they could.
Naruto was ranting about the different types of ramen, which wasn�t unusual, especially since that�s what they happened to be eating. It was his favorite food, after all. He wore his normal orange jumpsuit, which screamed the boy�s eccentricities as well as he himself did. His wild blond hair was kept out of his large, almost innocent blue eyes solely by his forehead protector. The three peculiar �whisker� marks on each of his cheeks stood out heavily in the afternoon sun.
His teammates dutifully tuned him out, as usual. Sakura was, typically, paying more attention to Sasuke. She had liked him since they were little kids in the Academy. She�d even grown her hair out because she�d heard from someone that Sasuke liked girls with long hair. It was short now�it had been since the Chuunin Exam, when she�d protected her male partners while they�d both been unconscious. She may have lost her hair and gotten beat up, but she felt more confident about herself.
Sasuke�s attention, however, was more inward�mostly marveling over how Naruto could be such an idiot most of the time (like now), and yet�he defeated Gaara of the Sand when I couldn�t. Naruto had definitely grown stronger, and it had happened while Sasuke hadn�t been looking. Since finally facing his brother again after so many years of training in order to kill him, and then having Itachi defeat him so easily� It was all beginning to piss him off. He had to get stronger! He had to kill Itachi.
Naruto�s rant was interrupted unexpectedly as an excited voice screamed, �RAMEN!� and in ran a young man who energetically began to order things off the menu, far more than one normal person alone could eat (without dying). Three other equally unusual strangers walked in, though more sedately and ordered their own (normal-sized) meals.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura stopped eating to watch the scene unfold.
�Ah, Sanzo,� one of them, the taller brunette, spoke, �are you sure your credit card is going to work here?�
The blond man shrugged as he sat down beside the boy (who just so happened to be sitting conveniently next to Naruto).
�Don�t worry,� the old owner said, overhearing. �We take credit.�
�Yay!� the boy cheered as the first few bowls were set in front of him. �Ikadakimasu!� He slurped up some noodles and happened to look up and see the three other teens sitting nearby. He swallowed quickly and grinned. �Hi! I�m Goku.�
And, because he tended to treat people in the manner that they treated him, Naruto grinned right back. �Hi! I�m Uzumaki Naruto, a Konoha Ninja!�
Goku was immediately impressed. �Wow, a ninja? That�s so cool!� He knew what a ninja was even though he�d never met one before. (Hakkai had told him about them, they were warriors!)
�Isn�t it?� Naruto continued on, without shame. There was no reason to be, because it was all true. �And one day I�m going to become the greatest Hokage ever!�
�Wow�� Not that he knew what �Hokage� was really.
�Idiot,� Sasuke murmured.
�What did you say?!� Naruto reared on him angrily.
�Don�t tell people you don�t know stupid things to impress them,� Sasuke said simply, folding his arms over his chest.
�Why you!� The blond boy looked ready to launch himself at his rival, his blue eyes gleaming with fury.
As the one sitting between them, Sakura felt obliged to calm Naruto down�especially since he was making a scene (as usual). �Now, now.� She beamed politely at the travelers. �I�m Haruno Sakura and this is Uchiha Sasuke.� She motioned to the dark haired, attractive boy sitting beside her. �We�re Naruto�s teammates.�
Hakkai smiled back at the pink haired girl. �We�re pleased to meet you. I�m Cho Hakkai, and this is Sha Gojyo and Genjo Sanzo.� He waited a beat but they didn�t seem to recognize Sanzo�s name�and suppressed a small laugh when Sanzo�s shoulders visibly relaxed. The monk greatly disliked when people recognized him.
Sakura gasped when she caught sight of the creature sitting astride Hakkai. �Is that� Is that a real dragon?!�
�Ah, yes.� Hakkai�s smile turned embarrassed, but Hakuryu just looked at the children, suddenly attentive.
�May I� see him?� Sakura asked shyly. She couldn�t help herself. Dragons were the things of myths and legends. She�d never in her wildest dreams thought she�d ever see one. And this one was so small and cute!
Hakkai looked at Hakuryu, who nodded his small head in affirmation. �Sure. I think that�ll be alright. Gently though; he�s had a bit of a fright recently.�
Sakura nodded and walked over to the brunette man. Sasuke and Naruto (who had calmed by this point thankfully) watched in interest as the little dragon allowed the girl to gently touch its neck.
�It�s so soft!� she gushed. �It must be amazing, having a dragon for a pet.�
�Ah, well,� Hakkai corrected, �he�s not a pet. Hakuryu is a friend and traveling companion.�
�Oh!� Sakura blushed and pulled her hand away, embarrassed. �I�m sorry.�
Hakkai smiled. He�d always liked children, ever since his first teaching job. �No harm done. I think he likes you.�
�Kyu!� Hakuryu chirped in agreement. Sakura giggled.
�So, are you guys travelers?� Naruto asked Goku, who nodded readily.
�Yeah! Though, we�re kinda far away from where we�re going�� Goku looked at Sanzo and saw the darkly worried expression on the monk�s face. He smiled back at Naruto when the blond boy started to look confused. �But it�s no big deal! We�ve been traveling for a long time anyway. We just have to go back to where we were! Right, Sanzo?�
Sanzo gazed at him thoughtfully. �That may be easier said than done.�
�Yeah, idiot monkey,� Gojyo put in. �Don�t you realize we�re in an entirely different continent?�
�So� How far away are we from India?� Goku asked slowly, not quite comprehending the problem.
�A very, very, very long way,� Hakkai replied.
Sakura frowned in confusion, returning to her seat. �How did you get so far off course?�
Hakkai smiled wanly. �Ah, we�re not quite sure about that either.�
Taken aback, Sakura glanced at Sasuke to see what her crush thought. The Uchiha gazed at the strangers with a deeply suspicious look in his black eyes.
Someone behind them cleared their throat. Sanzo�s group turned and saw it was the guard from earlier.
�Hokage-sama will speak with you now, if you�re ready,� he said.
�Aa,� spoke Sanzo as he stood and handed the owner his credit card. �Let�s get this over with.� He knew that speaking to the leader probably wouldn�t shed any light on the situation, but maybe they could get a map to the nearest port. They were in Japan so it was obvious they would have to take a ship back to Asia.
�Aw!� Goku pouted, though not just because he hadn�t been able to finish his meal. He smiled at Naruto. �Bye bye!�
�See you around!� Naruto waved energetically, as equally disappointed to say goodbye to the other boy so soon.
Goku nodded. �I hope so!�
Gojyo chuckled. �The monkey made a new friend.� He lifted the flap up for Hakkai to pass through as they exited the ramen stand.
Hakkai smiled but didn�t remark on the polite gesture. �They seem like nice children. To think, they�re so young and already they appear to have been through so much�� It was obvious by just sitting next to them, especially Naruto and Sasuke. As a person who had been in many fights himself, Hakkai easily recognized that type of aura.
�They�re ninja of Konoha,� said the guard with a note of pride. He led them down the road toward a large building in the center of the village. �Age doesn�t matter. You should have seen them in the Chuunin exam! It was incredible��
�Chuunin exam?� Hakkai asked, interested.
�Ah, I forgot you aren�t from around here. Ninja are separated into ranks by their level of experience and strength: Genin, Chuunin, and Jounin. For Genin to become Chuunin, they go through a long examination, the end of which is a tournament where they fight their peers.�
�I see. And those three fought in it?�
�Just Uchiha and Uzumaki. Haruno didn�t make it passed the preliminaries.�
Goku came over upon hearing his new friend�s name. �Naruto did?! How did he do?�
The guard beamed. �He fought a ninja from a very powerful Konoha family, and though the odds were against him, Uzumaki won.� He hadn�t become a Chuunin though. The guard decided not to mention that part.
�Cool!� cheered Goku. �I wish I could have seen it��
Sanzo shook his head at the boy�s behavior. They had finally been so close to reaching their destination after more than a year away from Shangri-La, and now they had to start all over again (whoever was responsible for this would pay!), and Goku, Gojyo, and Hakkai were enjoying the sights. He sighed and pulled out another cigarette.
As they entered the Hokage tower, another ninja was exiting, not paying much attention to where he was going. Gojyo, who was looking off into another direction (and he would deny later that he was staring at Hakkai mostly), wasn�t paying attention either. So, naturally, their shoulders bumped as they passed each other.
�Hey, watch it!� Gojyo and the stranger said in unison�in voices remarkably similar.
Sanzo-ikkou stopped and stared at the man. He was tall, with brown hair he kept away from his face by a bandana. A long toothpick perched firmly between his lips.
�Genma-san!� the guard cried, startled to see the Jounin there. �Sorry about that. I�m taking these men to see Hokage-sama.�
Genma nodded, looking bored. �Yeah. That was kind of obvious.�
It wasn�t that he looked like Gojyo�but there were definitely similarities, not just their voices. Hakkai smirked quietly and let his eyes travel over Genma�s form as he left the building without further ado.
Gojyo noticed. �Eh? Hey! Don�t check him out!� Hakkai didn�t normally do things like that�at least not so obviously, and not toward someone who wasn�t him.
The smirk remained on the green-eyed man�s face. �Why, Gojyo, are you jealous?� Hakkai teased lightly as they continued walking. Their escort listened closely, caught between amusement and shock.
�No!� Gojyo denied a little too quickly. �Why should I be jealous of some knock off? I�m way sexier.�
�Well, he�s probably not a slut,� Sanzo remarked dryly.
�And he has a cute butt,� Hakkai added quietly.
�What?!� Gojyo looked like he wanted to go find Genma and make him a little less attractive�preferably with his fist. But first, he had to fix his reputation. �I haven�t slept around since before that whole thing with Kami-sama�and that was months ago!�
Hakkai�s smile softened, in a way that always made Gojyo want to blush and look away. �I know.�
Gojyo tried not to smile back. He knew Hakkai was only teasing, but he couldn�t help it. He wanted to grab Hakkai and drag him into the nearest broom closet.
Sanzo glanced at the two of them. Hakkai and Gojyo had always had an unusual relationship, and even before the journey west they�d had problems. Things seemed to have improved since they�d started sleeping together again though. At least he hoped so (but he would never, ever admit that). �You can take the fish out of the pond,� he remarked, �but it�s still a fish.�
�Oi!� Gojyo objected.
Hakkai giggled. �That was a rather appropriate analogy.�
�It is not!�
Goku smiled and just listened to them argue. He knew now that as long as they were arguing, things were alright, and that was all that mattered to him.
-
Naturally, the first thing men generally noticed about her was her breast size (augmented though they may be). Tsunade was used to this. So when the four men walked into her office and the redhead grinned lecherously and whistled she took it as the compliment it was intended to be. And laughed when the blond man hit him with a fan.
�Lecherous kappa!�
�Ow! Frigid balding monk!�
�What did you say, punk?�
Hakkai laughed and moved to stand between them discretely, offering the blonde woman an embarrassed smile on their behalf. �Can�t take these two anywhere.�
Tsunade smirked back. What interesting characters. �That�s alright. My best friend is a porn novelist.� Not that she really thought of Jiraiya as her best friend, the damn old pervert�
�Tsunade-sama�� Shizune murmured in concern. She disliked it when Tsunade said such indecent things now that she was the Hokage. As her assistant and student, Shizune felt she had to remind her of her new position all the time.
Tsunade, however, usually ignored her.
�I�m Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage,� she said, getting right to business. �What can I do for you guys?�
Hakkai stepped forward, introduced them all, and explained their problem in as short detail as possible. �So you see all we really need are some good directions, Hokage-sama. The quickest route to a seaport, if it�s not too much trouble.�
�Why the rush?� Tsunade asked, guessing that there was more to this than she was hearing.
�Ah, well,� Hakkai glanced at Sanzo, who shrugged, �we�re in the middle of a mission of sorts.�
�A mission?�
�Are there demons in this land that have lost their minds and began attacking humans?� Sanzo asked shortly. He�d noticed that the village seemed to be recovering from strife of some sort, and had supposed that a demon attack had been the cause. But hearing the guard�s story about the Chuunin Exam made him reconsider.
Tsunade tensed inwardly, thinking of Naruto and the fox demon sealed in his body. �We don�t have a lot of demons around here actually, least of all what you�re describing.�
Sanzo nodded, unsurprised. �Then it�s been contained to our land.�
At Tsunade and Shizune�s deepening confusion, Hakkai gave a soft laugh. �Perhaps we should explain things more thoroughly?� Hakkai asked Sanzo, who shrugged again. �Over a year ago, our land was thrown into chaos when someone began experiments to revive a powerful demon named Gyumaoh. It created a Minus Wave that drove most demons insane, who before then had lived in relative peace with the humans. Sanzo was sent on a mission to travel west�to India, the source of the wave�and stop the experiments. We were ordered to accompany him.�
�And it�s been one long picnic in hell ever since,� Sanzo muttered.
�Shit, like we enjoy your company any better, Mr. Sunshine,� Gojyo put in.
�We were close to completing our journey when we suddenly appeared in your land,� Hakkai finished.
Tsunade nodded in understanding. �So, obviously your enemy is nowhere near completing their work and sent you far enough away to gain some time.�
�Those were our thoughts as well.�
�Isn�t that kind of stupid?� Goku spoke up. �I mean, don�t they need Sanzo�s scripture?�
�They probably panicked,� Hakkai told him.
Gojyo smirked. �Yeah, it�s not like any of their guys can really stop us!�

Except that guy� Sanzo thought grimly. Nii Jienyi. �We�re wasting daylight.�
�Yes, yes,� Hakkai soothed. �So, Hokage-sama, if we could have a map perhaps��
Tsunade interrupted him, smirking widely. A plan was forming in her mind. �I think I can do one better. You see, in Konoha, we like to help people.� She explained that Konoha was a ninja village and what that entailed, in case they hadn�t already heard. �I could set you up with a ninja escort��
�No way,� Sanzo quickly turned her down.
�Why not?� she asked, the smirk not leaving her face.
Sanzo growled. This lady was starting to remind him of that old hag from heaven�Konzeon Bosatsu. �We don�t need protection.�
�Yeah, we can take care of ourselves!� Goku put in, grinning and offering a thumbs up.
�Oh, that�s not what I meant,� Tsunade said easily. �I only meant as a guide. They won�t slow you down, and they�ll know the quickest routes to the nearest harbor town. That�s way better than any old map.�
Hakkai studied the woman with a keen look in his green eyes. �Perhaps you should tell us the real reason you want us to have these ninja along, Hokage-sama,� he ventured. Sanzo, Gojyo, and Goku looked at him, perplexed at his words.
Tsunade laughed. �You�re a clever guy, I see! Well, to tell you the truth�� Mood darkening, she rose from her seat and walked to the window, looking out over her village. �We have been having some trouble lately. If you take these people away for a little while, you would be doing us a favor as well.�
Sanzo caught on. �You want us to take them back with us, not just to the harbor.�
Tsunade nodded soberly. �I�m worried something terrible will happen to them, and that we will be powerless to stop it. The journey on boat will take at least a month. Maybe that�ll be long enough to take care of the problem while they�re gone�� If Naruto knew the real reason, he would never go. He would want to stay and protect Konoha. But if she made it look like an ordinary mission�
She just didn�t want to lose anyone else. Already she had lost the two people who had worn that necklace, and she�d sworn that Naruto would be the third and last. She had to do this to protect him. Besides, the experience would make him worldlier and no doubt a better leader when he became Hokage (not that she would ever admit that she believed he would).
�No deal,� Sanzo said again. �We�ve got no time to get involved in other people�s problems.�

A hard nut to crack. But Tsunade, the Legendary Sucker, didn�t know when to give up. �I heard that you met Naruto and his friends earlier.�
�Yeah!� Goku said, grinning happily at the memory. �They�re really super cool!�
Something inside Sanzo, possibly the remnants of his heart (though he�d cut off his own tongue before admitting it), froze over. �You mean it�s them. They�re the ones in trouble.�
Tsunade looked back at them, smiling sadly. �Naruto and Sasuke, to be exact. A man named Orochimaru wants Sasuke�s body.�
�Well, he is kind of pretty�� Gojyo murmured. Sanzo hit him again. �Ow!�
Tsunade snickered. �Not like that�though I wouldn�t put it past him! Orochimaru thinks he can find immortality by stealing people�s bodies and he has his sights set on Sasuke�s. As for Naruto� Sasuke�s brother, Itachi, wants him. We�re not sure why, but it can�t be good. Uchiha Itachi is a cold-hearted murderer who killed his entire family, all except Sasuke�who nearly got himself killed recently trying to get revenge.� She sighed. �Normally I wouldn�t tell strangers all of this, you understand. But I need your help. They need your help.� If she had to plead, she would.
Sanzo cursed, remembering those three children. How did he get talked into these things? Being around these idiots must be making my brains go soft! �Alright,� he snapped, �but they come straight back!�
�So we get to travel with Naruto for a while?� Goku asked. �That�s great!� He wanted to get to know the blond boy more and now he had his chance!
Sanzo studied Goku�s smile warily. I�m so pathetic.

After they left, Shizune turned to her blonde mentor, concerned. �Are you sure about this, Tsunade-sama?� She loved the woman, and even though she was one of the legendary sannin, she didn�t always have the best judgment. �Naruto-kun and Uchiha-san may be children, but they�re ninja. Aren�t they allowed to make this decision on their own?� She knew Tsunade was playing favorites because of her fondness for the blond boy. Shizune liked Naruto too, but this entire plot just didn�t sit right with her.
Tsunade shook her head. �I�ve made my decision, Shizune,� she said with a note of finality in her voice.
Shizune nodded, rather meekly, and looked at the Hokage�s schedule to see when her next meeting was.
-
After only waiting a few moments in the mission office, and listening to Naruto complain about Iruka-sensei not being there again today (he�d been looking forward to seeing their Academy teacher), Tsunade walked into the room, followed at a respectful pace by Shizune.
�Tsunade-baa-chan!� Naruto shouted predictably.
Tsunade�s face twisted into a grimace. �I told you not to call me that, you brat.� She looked at the three young people closely. Sasuke and Sakura stood just behind Naruto, letting the obnoxious one do most of the talking. Though he was a little on the short side, his loud personality demanded attention. Naruto also had an extraordinary ability to inspire greatness in people�after returning home, Tsunade had quickly found out through various sources that her heart wasn�t the only one Naruto had ever reached.
It was kind of amusing.
�This mission is a little different than from the things you�ve dealt with before,� she began. �As ninja, it isn�t unusual to travel to distant lands or even across the ocean, just uncommon.� The teens nodded their comprehension and looked like they were wondering why Tsunade was explaining this. �Now, it�s another B rank�simple escort and protection. You�re to see the clients to the coast and then to their native land in Asia.�
�You mean� we�re going on a boat? Across the ocean?!� Naruto asked, blue eyes wide with disbelief. Tsunade nodded. Naruto�s mouth slowly spread into a wide grin. �Alright!�
Sasuke snorted at their teammate�s behavior while Sakura rolled her eyes with a seemingly fond smile.
�Is that all?� Sasuke asked.
Tsunade nodded. �Real simple. There isn�t any expected trouble, but it�s better to be prepared.� She left it up to Sanzo�s group to mention the demons. �They need to get back home quickly, so take them on the shortest routes. Now,� she smirked with anticipation, �would you like to meet your clients?�
Taking that as his signal, Goku opened the door and rushed into the room ahead of Sanzo, Gojyo, and Hakkai. �Naruto!�
Naruto�s face immediately lit up in recognition. �Goku! You�re the clients? That�s great!� He�d get to spend more time with the other boy!
�Aww, that�s so cute,� Gojyo commented with sarcasm, but he was grinning at the two new friends despite his words.
Hakkai smiled at the ninja teens. �It�s nice to see you all again so soon.�
Sakura smiled back. She kind of liked Hakkai; he was attractive (though not as much as Sasuke of course!), polite, and nice, even a little mysterious. She wasn�t sure about the other three though. Sanzo just seemed standoffish and mean, Goku was way too much like Naruto for her liking, and Gojyo looked like a pervert.
Sanzo smoked, a nasty expression on his face, and he didn�t look any of them in the eye.
Hakkai turned his smile on their leader. �Sanzo.�
He especially didn�t look at Hakkai, because the human-turned-demon had the ability to read his motivations far better than he liked. And he was smug about it too. �Let�s go.�
�Is everyone ready?� Hakkai politely asked the teens.
Naruto grinned and raised his fist in the air. �Whenever you guys are!�
�Then let�s go before that vein in Sanzo-sama�s head pops,� Gojyo joked, smirking at the blond man.
�Shut up!�
-
On their way out of Konoha, Sakura suddenly remembered something she was supposed to do. �Oh no!�
�What is it, Sakura-chan?� Naruto asked, concerned by the pink-haired girl�s sudden outburst.
Sakura blushed when she saw she�d drawn the attention of all the men, not just Naruto. �Um, it�s not anything serious. I just forgot to go visit Lee-san.� She�d remembered to go see Ino, her best friend, that morning but had been so caught up in their latest argument (over Sasuke naturally) that she�d forgotten to make the trip to the hospital before rejoining her teammates.
�Fuzzy eyebrows!� Naruto cried using his nickname for the taijutsu specialist they had met during the Chuunin exam. He didn�t mean anything by it though�he had nicknames for everyone. �How�s he doing?� One of the reasons he�d gone with Jiraiya to find Tsunade was because she was a gifted healer and at the time, Rock Lee, Sasuke, and Kakashi had been bedridden�Lee because of his injuries sustained in his preliminary fight with Gaara of the Sand; Sasuke and Kakashi because they�d both suffered severe brain damage from their encounters with Uchiha Itachi. Sasuke and Kakashi had recovered fully, but Rock Lee was still in the hospital.
�I�m not sure�� Sakura murmured, biting her bottom lip. The last time she had spoken to the boy was on the bridge when she�d brought him flowers. She didn�t know why, but for some reason Lee hadn�t seemed like his usual upbeat self, as if he had been trying hard to keep smiling. At first she had been put off by the boy proclaiming his undying love for her, but since he had come to her rescue in the Forest of Death during the exam, she felt herself beginning to care for him. His appearance was a little strange, but he was very sweet, like a puppy. �I don�t think Hokage-sama has begun his treatment yet,� she added.
�He�ll be fine,� Sasuke said shortly. Naruto and Sakura looked at him curiously but he ignored them. Upon first meeting them, Rock Lee had challenged him to a fight, and though he�d been beaten, Sasuke had taken two things away from the experience; that his Sharingan was useless if he couldn�t keep up with an opponent�s movements, and Lee�s moves themselves. He thought because of that he understood the leotard-wearing boy. Even though Lee didn�t have the ability to use either ninja or illusionary techniques, he�d graduated from the Academy by mastering hand to hand combat to a superb level. (He was the genius of hard work, after all.) There wasn�t a doubt in Sasuke�s mind that such a person would recover their strength.
Sakura smiled. �Mm. Thanks, Sasuke-kun.�
Hakkai looked at the girl curiously. �Would you like to go visit your friend before we leave?�
Sakura blushed again, embarrassed. �No, that�s alright!� The mission had already started. It would look unprofessional if she suddenly called it to a halt just to go visit someone. She�d go see Lee straight away when they returned.
Once they were outside the village, Hakkai turned to Hakuryu. �Do you feel up to carrying us for a little while?� He couldn�t imagine the others would like walking much longer; they usually complained when they had to.
�Kyu!� the dragon chirped his affirmative, lifting off of Hakkai�s shoulder and into the air in front of them. He�d obviously recovered from his earlier scare. In a flash, he had transformed into a green Jeep again.
The three ninja teens gasped in surprise, which made Goku grin. �Don�t worry. He does this all the time.�
�What is it?� Naruto asked, not so much afraid as curious.
�Well, it�s still Hakuryu, he just turns into a Jeep because we�re too lazy to walk!� Goku explained.
�So you ride in it?� Sasuke watched suspiciously as their clients began to board the strange contraption. Hakkai took the seat behind the wheel, while Sanso sat next to him and Gojyo behind him.
Goku nodded. �Don�t worry. There should be room for all of us.�
Sakura eyed the small backseat. �If it�s too much trouble, we can follow in the trees.�
�Huh?� Goku asked, not comprehending that statement.
Hakkai smiled reassuringly. �Don�t worry, it�s no trouble.�
�Hurry up!� Sanzo urged, annoyed at the children for taking so long. In response, Goku jumped into the back and was soon joined by the ninja. Naruto sat between Goku and Sasuke while Sakura sat beside Gojyo and across from Sasuke.
Naruto frowned; Sakura was probably avoiding having to sit next to him. He liked her a lot, but she�d never been too fond of him. Now that they were teammates, she seemed to just barely tolerate his presence, especially when he picked a fight with Sasuke (but most of those were the bastard�s fault!) His frown deepened when he saw Sakura look at Sasuke and blush prettily.
What was so great about the jerk anyway? Naruto just didn�t understand Sakura�s taste in men.
Sighing, Naruto decided to start up a conversation with Goku to get his mind off the girl. Since Sasuke had woken from his coma and Sakura, overjoyed at seeing that her crush was going to be alright, had hugged him, Naruto had more or less given up on her returning his feelings. Really, what he wanted more than anything was for her to like him as a person, if not the same way she liked Sasuke.
And, though he didn�t want to admit it, Naruto wanted that same acknowledgement from his rival. He had ever since they�d climbed trees together in the Land of Waves, training to focus their chakra. Maybe even before then. But since the time they had spent there, his relationship with Sasuke had grown much more hostile. Though neither of them had talked about it since, it was mostly because of when Sasuke had nearly died, knowingly throwing himself into a trap for Naruto�s sake.
He�d asked him why, and all Sasuke had said was, �I don�t know. My body just moved on its own.�
It was when he�d thought Sasuke had died that he�d been able to tap into the Kyuubi�s chakra for the first time. It was the first time he�d wanted to kill someone; because he thought his friend�that�s what Sasuke was, damn it�had died in his arms.
He didn�t like to think about that time. It confused him.
�What�s China like?� Naruto asked.
Goku frowned thoughtfully. �Well, it�s about the same as any other place. Except with more demons.�
�Demons?�
Goku explained the Minus Wave this time, though probably hadn�t done as good a job as Hakkai would have. He left out the part about Gojyo, Hakkai, and himself being demons though, unsure how Naruto and his friends would react.
�And you�re attacked by these crazed demons?� Sasuke asked. For some reason Naruto paying so much attention to the golden-eyed boy annoyed him.
�Sure, all the time,� Goku affirmed with a grin. �Most of them are wimps, but there�s this one guy, Kougaiji, who�s really super strong!� He enjoyed fighting Kougaiji and, even though the last time they�d fought the redheaded demon had been a little weird, he still kind of had a hard time thinking of him as an enemy.
�Do you think we�ll be attacked here?� Sakura asked, trying to keep her hair out of her face. Hakkai drove really fast.
�Probably not,� Hakkai responded, not commenting when Gojyo leaned one arm on his shoulder.
Gojyo let out a long sigh. �Crap, I�m so bored. We should have stayed in Konoha tonight, especially with all the cute babes, like that Tsunade chick.�
Naruto balked. �Tsunade-baa-chan? She�s not a babe�she�s fifty year old!�
Gojyo�s cigarette dropped out of his mouth. �What?! No way! She�s too hot!� He�d gotten a good look at the woman. There was no way she could have been fifty!
�Illusionary technique,� Sasuke said. �Rumor has it Tsunade is vein and doesn�t like people to see what she really looks like.�
�Che.�
Goku glanced at Hakkai, but the brunet was just smiling as usual. He kicked Gojyo�s leg anyway. �Stupid pervert kappa!�
Gojyo retaliated until Sanzo shouted a customary, �Shut the hell up or die!� and the group settled down (more or less) until they reached a town a short while later.
There were still a few hours of daylight left, but Hakkai slowed down anyway. �Should we stop, Sanzo?� If it was any normal day, they would, especially since Goku had to eat.
�Yeah, I�m hungry!� Goku put in, leaning over the monk�s seat to peer at the blond�s disgruntled face. �Please, Sanzo?�
Sanzo carefully didn�t meet that pleading gaze. �Do what you want.�
�Yay!�
-
The Inn they found surprisingly had no restrictions against animals, so Hakuryu got to sleep with them thankfully. This pleased Hakkai, because he didn�t really want to leave him outside in a strange land.
Sanzo arranged their rooms. �Gojyo and Hakkai are sharing.�
�Naturally.� Gojyo smirked and winked as he took the keycard Sanzo held out to him.
�Sakura gets her own room.�
�I, um,� the girl blushed, �wouldn�t mind sharing with Sasuke-kun.�
�No,� the monk said sternly. �Absolutely not.� He handed the disappointed girl her keycard. He was well aware of how teenagers were and there was no way in hell he was going to let a bunch of twelve year olds start shacking up, especially when they were more or less under his care.
�Ah, Sakura-san, would you mind watching Hakuryu tonight?� Hakkai asked, thinking that the offer might placate her.
Sakura smiled. �You don�t mind?�
Hakkai glanced at Gojyo, who was leering at him. �No, not at all.�
�And Goku, Naruto, and Sasuke share,� Sanzo added, handing out the last keycard. He was going be alone, and preferred it that way.
Goku pouted. �Sanzo, why can�t we share a room?�
�No,� Sanzo said firmly, feeling no need to explain himself.
Goku sighed, knowing full well that the blond was pushing him away again. He contented himself to spending more time with Naruto, and dinner of course.
-
Sasuke tried to tell himself that he wasn�t angry over Naruto immediately agreeing to share a bed with Goku. There were only two in the room, so it was only logical unless one of them wanted to sleep on the floor. And Sasuke certainly didn�t want to share his bed!
No, what really bothered him was that the two just wouldn�t shut the hell up! They kept talking and giggling like a couple of little girls having a sleepover.
�Shut up!� he yelled, not for the first time.
Goku snickered. �Is he always that cranky?�
�Yeah!� Naruto giggled. �I think something must�ve crawled up his ass and died.�
�Sanzo�s like that most of the time. Only he hits us and shoots at us.�
Naruto was familiar with Sanzo�s behavior after spending the day with the group. �Yeah, I guess I�m lucky Sasuke doesn�t have a gun.�
�If you don�t shut the fuck up, I�ll get one!� Sasuke shouted.
�Yeah, right. You know they don�t make them here, teme.�
Sasuke clenched his teeth tightly and pulled the blanket over his head. He was tired and he wanted to sleep, damn it! Naruto�s and Goku�s giggles fell to a quiet murmur, and he was almost asleep with something soft hit his head, hard.
Naruto had hit him with a pillow. A pillow.
Sasuke threw off the blanket, enraged, to see Naruto and Goku standing, poised to hit him again.
He stared at their frames illuminated in the pale light coming from outside. �I can�t believe this is happening to me��
Naruto smirked at his dark-haired rival. �What�s the matter, scaredy-cat?� he taunted, using the insult that had been exchanged between them since the Land of Waves. �Afraid of a fluffy little pillow?� He swung at Sasuke�s head, this time sending his hair into disarray.
It was stupid. It was childish. He just wanted to sleep. But his arm swung on its own accord, hitting Naruto�s head soundly. From there it was hard to tell who hit who next�it was a chaotic three-way attack, and the room was soon filled with their shouts and laughter.
It was� fun. Sasuke was too busy to be angry at Naruto for keeping him awake, or to worry about Itachi, or to mourn his family. There was only this moment, this room, Naruto and Goku, and for a short span of time that was all that mattered.
Shortly after they knocked over the lamp, their door was kicked open and Sanzo fired off a few rounds at the wall. �Shut the fuck up!�
�Well, you know if you'd just let him sleep with you in the first place...� Gojyo called from down the hall, sticking his head out of his and Hakkai�s room.
�SHUT UP!� Sanzo turned back to the three teens. �Go to sleep or else!�
The boys scrambled into their beds immediately, cowed. Sanzo slammed the door shut. Goku and Naruto started giggling again.
�He�s scary!� Naruto commented in a hushed tone.
Goku nodded. �We should probably go to sleep though.�
�Yeah. Night.�
�G�night.�
�Night, Sasuke!� Naruto called to the other side of the room jeeringly.
�Whatever,� Sasuke grunted. It soon became quiet, but now he found he couldn�t sleep. He hadn�t� had fun like that since before it had happened. Even then, it hadn�t been like tonight. He puzzled over it long into the night.
Naruto smiled and curled up on his side of the bed, feeling oddly content. Sasuke-teme has a nice smile, he thought, never remembering a time when he�d seen the dark-haired boy smiling so freely. Thinking about it, he fell asleep.

TBC.
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Perception of Strength