As predicted, the two women drive hard back to Konoha, flying through the treetops and taking very few breaks.

Shizune's pleased to see the spark of life return to Tsunade's eyes. The older woman once again shuttered her emotions after hearing news from Jiraiya of Kushina's death and later of Naruto's abduction. She even ordered Shizune to stop sending missives to Konoha. However, neither Hokage made any further attempts to reestablish contact either.

The young brunette was certain Tsunade would just get up and leave when Takara began sharing her story because getting involved would drag her back close to one of her sources of pain. It's an immense relief knowing the sannin hadn't completely buried her emotions.

They travel in silence, keeping a grueling pace. Tsunade doesn't share any of her thoughts, but Shizune doesn't feel the need to ask either. She already has a good idea of the tumult of emotions her master must be feeling.

Days later at dusk they arrive home. They made the normally seven-day journey in three. Tsunade leads them through a special hidden side gate only ANBU and the two sannin can access, keeping to the shadows as they make their way directly to the tower. Shizune sincerely hopes at least one of the Hokage is still working. She doesn't relish the idea of seeking one of them out to disturb them at home.

Slipping inside the tower the two women head directly to the Hokage's office and wait mere moments after Tsunade knocks.

"Come in," Hiruzen's familiar voice calls out.

Shizune opens the door, allowing Tsunade to pass through first and approach a very startled Third Hokage as he chokes on his pipe smoke.

"Long time no see, sensei," Tsunade greets with a mischievous smirk.

Seeing the Third is still reeling in shock, Shizune takes her turn to greet him.

"It's nice to see you again, Hokage-sama," she greets politely with a bow.

"Um, good evening, ladies," Hiruzen finally manages to rasp out. Taking a deep breath he recovers his composure further. "As nice as it is to see you both, we haven't heard from you since Naruto disappeared. Obviously you aren't here for a social visit."

"We're not," Tsunade confirms honestly. "We've got some good news and very disturbing news. You should summon Minato for this."

Hiruzen eyes the blonde for a moment before coming to a decision.

"ANBU!"

A masked nin immediately appears kneeling before him.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?"

"Summon Minato immediately," Hiruzen orders.

"What should I tell him?"

"It's urgent and ignoring a summons is not an option."

With a nod the ANBU disappears.

"While we wait, would you both like some tea and enlighten me a little regarding your information, Tsunade?"

"Some tea sounds nice, sensei, but we'll wait on the rest until Minato arrives."

"Fair enough," Hiruzen nods.

While they wait, Hiruzen has chairs brought in for the two women as they enjoy some tea. It's only a matter of minutes before Minato enters the room, blinking in surprise at seeing Tsunade and Shizune.

"I never expected to see you two again," he drolly comments, closing the door behind him.

"Well, hello and good evening to you too, brat," Tsunade grouses.

"I'm disturbed at home and come in to find you two here, which can't mean anything good," Minato replies tersely, crossing the room.

"What bee buzzed up your ass?" Tsunade demands.

"Tsunade…" Hiruzen intones.

Noting the warning look in her sensei's eyes, Tsunade looks back over at Minato as he settles behind his desk and realizes he's truly not in the mood for any playful banter, suspecting he's been like this for a while. Probably since his daughter was stolen.

"Okay, no wisecracks," she acquiesces. Looking at Minato she suggests, "Might want to throw up a privacy jutsu. It's important."

Arching a brow Minato complies.

"What's going on?"

"We've got good news for you about Naruto, but first the bad news is she's in danger," Tsunade begins.

Ignoring the cold look in his eyes she recounts their meeting with Takara. While she speaks, Shizune hands Minato the scroll from the Uzushio kunoichi gave them. He immediately unseals the box and opens it, carefully examining each picture. He sets the encrypted scroll aside and passes the box over to Hiruzen.

It's well after nightfall by the time Tsunade wraps up her story.

The contemplative silence stretches out for several minutes as three of the office occupants watch Minato, now standing near his desk to stare out the window into the inky darkness.

"Kushina's and my greatest fear has been realized thanks to that bastard Raiden and his bastard son," Minato softly states, finally breaking the silence. "She loved and respected Atsuko and Takara a great deal, so I'm glad to hear Naruto is under their care. Means she's being loved." His voice turns cold as he adds, "But she's still a disposable pawn for Uzushio."

"Doesn't appear we can wait any longer to act," Hiruzen muses around his ever present pipe. "I'm also glad to hear there are some in Uzushio willing to defy Raiden. It's a small comfort that some still value our past alliance."

"I still have some lingering doubts, though," Minato replies, turning to eye the encrypted scroll sitting on his desk.

"Takara didn't tell us what was inside," Tsunade states, as if reading his thoughts. "She just said Atsuko sent that with the box as proof of their sincerity."

"Well, there's one way to find out what's inside," Minato murmurs, settling behind his desk again and picking up the scroll to examine it closely. "It's expertly encrypted," he muses while scrutinizing every mark. "Kushina told me Atsuko taught her sealing, so that lends credibility to Takara's tale. This is definitely on par, if not above, Kushina's skill level."

"Do you think you can open it?" Hiruzen asks.

"Yeah, I think so. Give me a minute," Minato answers.

It takes several minutes before he opens the scroll. Spreading it across his desk he channels chakra into the seal. A small cloud of smoke dissipates revealing a full, lumpy, velvet satchel, a square, flat jewelry box and four wooden rectangular boxes.

Opening the satchel he pours the contents on top of the desk, causing the others to gasp at the glittering array of precious and semi-precious stones. Arching a brow, he then opens the jewelry box, containing gold chains, pairs of earrings and rings. Then opening the rectangular boxes he reveals kanzashi hair sets of gold and jade adorned with more precious jewels.

Having stood up with the others for a closer look, Tsunade releases a low whistle.

"Damn, you've got a fortune in jewels there, brat."

"Looks like there's something else sealed in the scroll," Hiruzen points out, nudging the rolled end to unfurl further to reveal another seal.

Minato promptly channels chakra until a folded note appears. Picking it up he silently reads before sharing the message.

"It's from Atsuko," he begins, not taking his eyes off the note.

"'Dear Minato,

These accessories used to belong to Kushina and I was guarding them for her until I could see her again. Since that's impossible now, they're Naruto's inheritance.

As much as I love her, Naruto doesn't belong with us in Uzushio, but rightfully with you in the place I know Kushina was happiest. I never agreed with Raiden's decisions and am deeply sorry for not doing anything sooner to counter his sins.

I hope the contents of this box prove my sincerity in wanting Naruto to go back to you. I also hope you can forgive me and may we finally meet someday in better circumstances.

Sincerely,

Uzumaki Atsuko.'"

Folding up the note Minato eyes the glittering array scattered across his desk.

"This kills all my doubts," he finally states. Turning his gaze to Hiruzen, who resumed his seat, he adds, "And you're right, we can't wait to act any longer. We've got to plan carefully and quickly."

"Agreed," Hiruzen nods. "We can't risk Fugaku catching wind of our plans."

"Takara confirmed what you already suspected about that traitorous snob keeping Raiden in the know about Kushina and everything," Tsunade agrees.

"Although Danzo would be willing to help, he'd also seize the opportunity to snatch Naruto away for Root training," Hiruzen muses thoughtfully.

"Over his dead body," Minato's steely voice intones. "I don't want his help. He undermines our decisions far too much and his help comes with too many strings attached. I'm about ready to deal with him, but Naruto is my priority."

"So how do you want to play this?" Tsunade asks out of curiosity.

"Depends," Minato eyes her shrewdly. "Are you willing to be more than the messenger?" He doesn't let her reply beyond arching a brow. "It's going to be an infiltration and it's going to get messy, but I need people I can trust. Can you and Shizune be our medics when we get back with Naruto?"

Tsunade gapes in surprise before falling into contemplative silence. They watch her struggle for several minutes.

"I don't know," she quietly admits.

"I can do it, Hokage-sama," Shizune determinately replies, causing everyone to gape at her in confusion. Meeting surprised gold eyes she assures her mentor, "I can handle the more serious wounds and you can handle the remaining injuries. Broken bones can take more time to heal and it'd be more efficient if I focus on the bleeding wounds."

"Think you can go that far, Tsunade?" Minato prods, shifting to look at her.

The older blonde considers it before reluctantly nodding.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Alright," Minato smiles for the first time since entering the room. "Then I want you two to hit the road and go about your usual business. It's too suspicious to have you hanging around while we plan this. I'll let you know when it's time."

"Okay," Tsunade nods. "We'll stay in the next village tonight before heading out."

"Shouldn't be too long until you hear from me," Minato nods as both women rise to their feet and take their leave.

After they're gone, he resumes standing at the window, staring out into the darkness.

"I never imagined I'd be getting help from anyone inside Uzushio," he muses quietly. "Not that I believed everyone to be blind loyalists, but it'd be no different than if all roles were reversed. Our ninja would fight just as hard to defend their home regardless of the circumstances."

Turning away from the window, he shrugs as he moves to settle into his chair again.

"However, the help we're getting is no less appreciated as it will reduce the bloodshed. I really don't want to completely destroy Uzushio, but we will cut down anyone who gets in our way or tries to take Naruto away again, regardless of who it is."

"Perhaps better leadership will take over once Raiden falls," Hiruzen comments thoughtfully.

"Maybe," Minato replies, with another shrug. "But we'll remain wary in case they retaliate." Pausing briefly, he adds, "I'm leading the retrieval."

He smirks at Hiruzen's shocked expression.

"C'mon, did you really think I'd wait until a team brings back my daughter?"

Not giving his predecessor a chance to reply, his gaze turns steely again.

"I promised Kushina I'd keep our baby out of her clan's filthy hands. I failed in that promise, but I'm going to rectify my mistake and I'm going to make sure she comes home safe."

Taking a calming breath, he proceeds to clean his bejeweled desk.

"It's going to be a black ops assault focused on retrieval, but I'm not letting Raiden and Hiroto live to come after us," Minato explains while scooping the loose stones into the pouch. "My team will consist of trusted ANBU and jounin."

"Will you be including Kakashi?"

"You already know the answer," he smirks, tying the satchel closed. "For years he's been itching to sneak into Uzushio and snatch Naruto back." Replacing the lids on the kanzashi sets, he quips, "If I ordered him to stay I think he'd outright commit insubordination and join the team regardless."

Both men share a chuckle as Minato puts Atsuko's note inside the jewelry box before resealing the items into the scroll. Rolling it up he reestablishes the encrypted seal. Glancing over he notices Hiruzen's arched brow.

"To keep them safe until Naruto is ready for them," he explains, tucking the scroll into a vest pocket. "Since there's nothing more to do, I might as well go home for the night. It's going to take a few days to prep before I go get my daughter."

"You have to maintain your normal routine to keep from tipping off Fugaku and Danzo," Hiruzen agrees.

"Not that it's hard to avoid them," Minato groans while arching his back in a stretch. Relaxing he explains, "Fugaku avoids me unless we're attending the same council meeting and Danzo rarely speaks to me since I lost Naruto." He pauses briefly as another thought occurs to him. "When I get back I'm focusing on resolving the situation with the Uchiha once and for all."

"You have to," the older man nods again in understanding. "Danzo still approaches me regularly and clearly wishes to take action against the Uchiha clan instead of letting us handle it as peaceably as possible."

"Which is why I've got some prep work to do. I don't want him knowing I'm gone," Minato points out. "He'd take my absence as a free pass to do whatever the hell he wants. I don't want to wipe out the clan, not when Itachi and Shisui have been keeping us well informed that it's only a few in the upper echelons that want a coup d'état. It's their rhetoric that's feeding the clan's animosity."

Minato pauses to stifle a jaw cracking yawn.

Chuckling, Hiruzen comments, "Someone definitely needs to get some rest."

"So do you," Minato retorts with a glare. "I thought you were heading home right after I left earlier."

The old man shrugs, prompting Minato to roll his eyes in annoyance. Rising from their seats, they turn out the lights before exiting the office for the night.

"Shikaku! Where are you?" Yoshino's voice shatters the Nara clan head's quiet solitude.

"Troublesome woman," he grumbles to himself. Looking down at his young son sitting on the training potty staring up at him in curiosity, he adds, "You'll eventually agree with that assessment." Raising his voice he finally answers his wife, "I'm potty training Shikamaru like you told me to."

"When you're done come to the living room, you have visitors," she hollers back.

Arching a brow, Shikaku sighs wearily.

"Are you almost done?" he asks.

At his son's nod, he kneels down to help him clean himself and pull up his pants before lifting the child into his arms.

"C'mon, son, let's go see who it is and get it over with so we can go outside with the deer."

Emerging from the hallway into the living room he's more than a little surprised to see Minato and Inoichi settled on the sofa chatting with Yoshino. Seeing him, Yoshino immediately rises from her seat and walks over.

"They're both here to see you," she states, gently taking their son into her arms. Turning back to the two blonds, she asks, "Are you both sure you don't want anything?"

Both politely decline her offer, prompting her to disappear from the room.

"So what do I owe the honor of your visit, gentlemen," Shikaku drawls as he saunters over to the armchair Yoshino just vacated.

"You sent me a message asking me to stop by," Inoichi blinks in confusion.

It's Shikaku's turn to look confused as Minato politely coughs and raises his hand.

"I'm guilty of that minor subterfuge," he admits, simultaneously shocking and surprising both men. Looking at Shikaku, he asks, "Do you still have those privacy seals in place? It'd be great if you can activate them."

Scrutinizing his Hokage, Shikaku's only response is to flash through a few hand signs activating the seals as requested.

"So this isn't a social visit?" he asks Minato.

"No," Minato answers honestly. Turning his head to look at the other blond, he apologizes. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience and the misleading note, Inoichi, but secrecy is extremely important. I can't have too many meetings with the privacy seals active in my office right now or it'll attract the wrong kind of attention, so I decided to hold one here since I need help from you both and what I'm going to tell you is strictly classified."

Without further preamble Minato details Tsunade's visit the week before and what she relayed regarding her meeting with Takara. After giving them a few minutes to digest the information he speaks up again.

"I'm going to lead the retrieval to get Naruto back, but since I've got two predators loose in our village I have to plan this carefully, quickly and discreetly."

"You already had my help since the day Naruto was taken," Shikaku reminds him.

"Whatever you ask, I'll gladly help too," Inoichi nods.

"Great," Minato grins at the other blond. "Because I want you to become Hokage."

Both men gape at him in shock. Recovering quickly, Shikaku busts out laughing along with Minato at Inoichi's gob smacked expression.

"What?" Inoichi barely manages with some coherency.

"You heard me," Minato continues chuckling. He becomes serious again. "I don't want anyone knowing I'm gone, especially Danzo and Fugaku. Fugaku because he'll race to send a warning to Uzushio and I also feel he'd make our enemies aware of my absence out of spite. Since Kumo's botched attempt at kidnapping Hiashi's daughter and my refusal to cave to their demands of turning him over to them things have been tense. And I don't want Danzo aware because he's itching to destroy the Uchiha clan and I don't want that since it's only a few conspiring a coup d'état."

"So Danzo's that close to striking?" Shikaku asks, eyeing Minato.

"Yes," he nods. "He's been abusing Root, using it to undermine our decisions. He hasn't dared to approach me about the Uchiha, but he's been pestering the Third, insisting we need to take more definitive action to resolve their antagonism towards the village."

"Translation, he wants to do something bloody and violent to shut the Uchiha clan down once and for all," Inoichi concludes.

"Exactly," Minato confirms. "The timing is perfect to get Naruto back because we've got great intel, but lousy because of those two," he sighs wearily. Pinning Inoichi with a shrewd look, he adds, "I need you to henge into me and maintain my routine in the village during this mission."

"Why not just leave a clone behind?" Shikaku asks in confusion.

"I could create one sturdy enough to last the entire time," Minato concedes. "But there's too much risk of it dispersing at the wrong time. Inoichi only has to keep up appearances and knows how mimic me if the need arises." Rolling his eyes, he adds, "He won't panic in a tricky situation like most of our comrades would. They're great on the battlefield, but in some situations it's like throwing a firecracker into a chicken coop." He shares a laugh with the two jounin before continuing. "If nothing goes wrong, the retrieval should be quick, but if something does, Inoichi can keep up the ruse while Hiruzen runs things."

"Well, you always wanted to be Hokage," Shikaku teases his friend, prompting more laughter.

Calming, Inoichi looks at Minato.

"Of course I'll do it. It's an honor, Minato-sama."

"Thank you, Inoichi," Minato smiles. Focusing back onto Shikaku, he continues, "And, of course, I need your help planning the assault. In fact, I'd like you to come along. I'm not intending to annihilate all of Uzushio, so it's going to be tricky getting in and out with the least casualties. Plus, there's the task of taking out Raiden and Hiroto since they won't hesitate to keep trying to steal Naruto away from me again."

"The old 'cut off the head of the snake to kill the body' scenario, right?" Shikaku asks, earning a nod from Minato. "You're more than capable of planning this operation, but I'm honored you'd ask for my help," he states with a slight bow.

"It's my honor to have you both helping me. I'm truly grateful," Minato states sincerely. "I've almost got everything in place, so it'll happen soon. Inoichi, I'll let you know when I need you. I can arrange a special 'case' for you at T&I to explain your absence in the village." Shifting to look at Shikaku again, he adds, "I'll need you to discreetly seek me out when you've got something in mind so we can compare notes. Once we have a plan in place, we're heading out immediately."

"I'm already way ahead of you, Minato-sama," Shikaku nods. "I'll stop by in a couple of days to avoid attracting the wrong attention."

"Good," Minato nods. "Again, thank you both." He rises to his feet. "I've got to head back. I'll see you both soon."

Inoichi and Shikaku climb to their feet to bow before he disappears in a bright flash.

"I guess I should brush up on my 'Minato' impersonation," Inoichi quips to Shikaku.

"That must mean you're having ramen for lunch," Shikaku retorts, earning a chuckle from his friend as he walks him out.

"Hey, Asuma! Are you our third wheel for this mission?" Genma calls out from where he reclines on the lower bough of a tree outside the main gates.

"Yeah 'cause they need someone capable of accomplishing this mission," Asuma retorts, approaching him.

"Great, it's starting already," Raido groans from where he leans against the trunk of the same tree Genma is in.

"It's no fun if we take it too easy on the kid," Genma grins down to him around his ever present senbon.

"Nineteen is a lot older than just a 'kid,'" Raido drolly points out gazing into the branches above.

"He's still a kid," Genma replies before calling out to Asuma again, "Nice apron, kid."

Brown eyes narrow in irritation at the jab directed toward the twelve guardians sash proudly tied to his waist. He takes another drag on his cigarette.

"Thanks. Are you interested in borrowing it to help cover that thinning hair you're desperately trying to hide with your hitai-ate?"

"Hey!" Genma indignantly protests, causing Raido to bust up laughing.

"Nice to see the party's already started," Shikaku dryly comments as he joins Raido and Asuma under the tree.

"Hey, Shikaku," Genma waves. "What are you doing here? Don't you have some deer to rustle?"

"I'm your captain for this mission," Shikaku answers looking up to Genma with his hands on his hips. "Now get your ass down here."

A baffled Genma immediately drops down to the ground and falls in with the others trailing behind the Nara as he starts walking down the road.

"No offense, captain," Raido begins. "But I thought as clan head you were exempt from taking missions."

"Not unless our Hokage orders it," Shikaku replies. "Let's take to the trees."

The three mystified jounin follow, leaping from branch to branch in a steady pace.

"Why would the Hokage assign you an 'A' ranked mission?" Genma questions Shikaku from his position on the left flank.

"This isn't an 'A' rank."

The three jounin look at each other in surprise.

"Excuse me, captain," Asuma ventures from his rear position. "Do you know what our mission is?"

"Yes," Shikaku tersely answers. "Now quit chatting and save your energy for running faster. We've got a long way to go in a short time."

"Yes, sir!" all three chorus, understanding it's time to work.

Driving hard, the team reaches a village near the southeastern coastline of Fire country in four days, arriving mid afternoon. The three jounin stopped trying to get specifics out of Shikaku after the first day, accepting they won't get the mission details until they get to their destination.

Upon entering the village they're surprised when they keep walking on and exit again out the other side. Knowing better than to ask, they tacitly resign themselves to following Shikaku until he tells them to stop.

When they approach a small expanse of forest, Shikaku speaks just loud enough for them to hear.

"Take to the trees again. Keep to the shadows and remain unseen."

Without waiting for a response he disappears into the leafy canopy. The rest of his team silently comply and follow him several more kilometers until they reach the steep coastal cliffs at dusk. They easily make the dangerous climb up the stony walls to a large cave well hidden in the shadows of the sheer, craggy cliffs and slip inside.

Deeper into the darkened cave the shadows lighten from the chakra lamps illuminating the assembled group of six patiently waiting for the approaching men. Shikaku is the only one who isn't surprised to see Minato accompanied by three ANBU, with Tsunade and her apprentice Shizune sitting next to him. The three jounin immediately recognize Hound lounging against the wall at the back of the group, but are unfamiliar with the brunet male in the raccoon mask and the female with long, dark purple hair in a cat mask crouched down next to him.

"Team Shikaku reporting in," Shikaku drolly informs Minato.

"Glad you could join us, gentlemen," he replies cheerfully while waving them closer while remaining crouched.

Raido and Genma in particular don't fail to notice Minato isn't even wearing his usual jounin uniform, but is decked out in ANBU gear, save for the mask.

"Sorry for the delay, Hokage-sama. We would've arrived this morning as planned, but were slowed by a bad storm," Shikaku apologizes as his team settles into place with the others.

"That's okay," the blond waves off. "Our contact has been delayed too." Meeting the confused gazes of the three jounin, he continues, "Obviously you three are curious about your mission, so while we're waiting, I'll debrief you."

It takes Minato only a few minutes to outline the basic mission parameters. When finished, he reaches into a pocket and draws out a scroll. Opening it, he channels chakra to the three seals inside and three ANBU uniforms complete with masks appear on the parchment.

"You might want to go ahead and change into your gear, Shikaku, since we don't know when our contact will get here," Minato suggests.

"Yes, sir," Shikaku nods.

Gaining his feet, he walks a short ways back toward the cave entrance while drawing a storage scroll from a pocket.

"As for you three, since this is a black ops mission, you will change into ANBU gear," Minato explains, handing each a uniform. "Uzushio will rightfully hold Konoha responsible for this incident, but not only do I want to throw them off with an anonymous attack, I also want to make it as difficult as possible for them to drum up sympathy with other shinobi nations without definitive proof."

He gestures in the direction Shikaku headed, prompting the three nod in silent understanding and proceed to move away to change their uniforms. Minato doesn't wait long until they return properly dressed and masks in place. Shikaku wears a ram mask, Raido a leopard, Genma a hawk and Asuma a monkey.

"Excellent," he nods in approval.

"Someone approaches," Hound reports.

Everyone silently climbs to their feet and tensely watch the darkness deep within the cave lighten from a flashlight as the bearer comes into view. A young, strawberry blonde woman with long curly hair blinks in surprise at the assembly before her, causing her to halt abruptly a short distance away.

"Woah, intimidating group," she eyes everyone warily.

"Depends on the situation," Minato answers, stepping forward. "Are you friend or foe?"

"Friend," she nods firmly, taking a confident step forward. "You can ask psycho quack and her zookeeper," she gestures at Tsunade and Shizune. Ignoring Tsunade's growl, she introduces herself formally with a low bow, "I'm Uzumaki Takara of Uzushio."

"I'm Namikaze Minato," he replies with a polite nod.

"Cool!" she gushes excitedly, surprising or baffling the assembled Leaf nins. "I never thought I'd get to meet the Yellow Flash!" Eyeing him up and down appraisingly, she adds with a wink, "Now I know why Kushina married you."

"Why are you late?" Tsunade snaps in irritation before an amused Minato can reply. "You were supposed to be here this morning."

"I got lost on the road of life," Takara answers airily with a wave of her hand, grinning at Tsunade's irritated twitching.

The younger blonde notices the glances aimed toward a shinobi with wild, silver hair bearing a dog mask and got the feeling he's rolling his eyes at them.

"I'm late because Raiden waited until the last minute to give me permission," she continues seriously, getting back on track. "He questioned why I needed another training leave so soon and why only two weeks. I had to do some major bullshitting about brushing up on my all weather combat experience and not needing a full month to do it," she shrugs. "Helps he's an idiot who keeps his nins homebound far too much to get a lot field experience. Anyway, I lucked out the crone he married wanted me to stick around to be her maidservant." Arching a brow while smirking, she adds, "Nothing pisses Raiden off more than when she treats his troops like her servants. He feels it undermines his authority, so he sent me on my way just to irritate her."

"You're here now," Minato nods, preventing Tsunade from retorting. "Let's update each other and turn in for the night. I'd like to start out early tomorrow."

"Actually, about that," Takara interrupts with a raised finger. "I know you're calling the shots, but I'm going to strongly suggest we get going now. Water levels underground are rising, which is another reason I'm late. And with another storm expected to hit within a couple of days, that's just going make it even more dangerous." She gives him a moment to consider it before continuing. "It'll take us about three days in these conditions to cross over, but there's a couple of spots underground we can safely camp out and I can show you the plans I brought with me."

"Plans?" Minato asks.

"Yeah," she nods. "I brought the floor designs for the castle and a topographical map of the surrounding area."

"That's great," he compliments before frowning in confusion. "But why a topographical map? The terrain can't be that hard to manage."

"It's not, but fuinjutsu is our thing and there are traps designed to nail you specifically," Takara points out. "I can explain more in detail later, but I know where these seals are because I helped lay them out." At his surprised look, she emphasizes, "I meant it when I said I want this mission to succeed."

"Alright then," he smiles and nods in appreciation. Turning to Tsunade and Shizune he reminds them, "You've got your orders. If all goes well, we should be back in a few days."

"We'll be ready, brat," Tsunade nods. Looking at Takara, she sternly warns, "And you better get them there in one piece."

"Hey, I'm not going through all this trouble for the shits and giggles," Takara pithily retorts. "I'm the one most at risk in doing the right thing by Kushina, so don't tell me not to fuck up this operation, you psycho quack. Besides," she darkly smirks with a sinister glint in her hazel eyes. "I owe you some payback for trying to kill me for no good reason."

"Anytime," Tsunade quietly snarls.

Shizune places a retraining hand on her arm when she takes a threatening step forward.

"Tsunade?"

"What?" she snaps at Minato.

"Get going."

His terse tone catches her off guard and she comes to her senses. Throwing one last dirty look at a smug looking Takara, she grudgingly leads a relieved Shizune out of the cave. Minato returns his attention to Takara.

"We're ready when you are."

"Not quite."

She ignores his confused frown. Drawing a scroll from her pocket she drops to one knee. Unfurling it, she briefly glances up and quickly counts out the number of ninja present before unlocking the same number of seals marked on the scroll. While she works, she explains what she's doing.

"I brought along some head lamps just in case. I didn't think you'd bring that large a team along, but I anticipated at most twenty ninja."

While she speaks, she unseals the lamps then passes them out.

"These were made in Ame with some nice little modifications," she continues. "Not only are they much lighter than the typical mining lamps, but they are powered by chakra, so you don't have this annoying battery attachment to deal with. The range is longer and the beam is brighter. You'll also notice the lamp can be adjusted over your masks, so you don't have to deal with getting everything to fit right on your head."

Lifting his eyes from examining the lamp in his hand, Minato eyes the young blonde while she hands out the last one.

"How did you know we'd be wearing masks?"

"I didn't," she replies easily, walking back over to pick up the storage scroll and put it away. "That's just how they were designed." Seeing his arched brow, she sighs in irritation, adding, "For certain missions, like assassinations, our nins wears masks. And if the occasion calls for it, these headlamps come in handy."

Pulling out her headlamp, she silently demonstrates how to charge the power cell behind the bulb housing by placing her palm against it and channeling chakra for a few minutes before placing it on her head and adjusting the strap. They all follow her example and soon everyone has their lamps in place and adjusted comfortably over the top edge of their masks.

Looking around, Minato nods in approval.

"Pack up the rest of our gear and move out."

Hound, Raccoon and Cat promptly comply and soon the cave is only illuminated by their headlamps. He fixes his gaze back onto Takara.

"If you would please lead the way."

"Absolutely."

Turning around she leads them further into the cave as it narrows down into a low, tight, twisting space that forces the taller nins, like Minato and Hound, to hunch over. It doesn't take long before their path opens up somewhat into an arched niche of dangling stalactites and a forest of stalagmites jutting up at their feet.

At first glance it appears they've reached a dead end, but Takara gingerly weaves through the nearly two meter long stone protrusions off to their right and leads them around a corner, proving the area they're in is much bigger than it first appears.

Finally they reach a sort of balcony edged by stalagmites with a dark abyss dropping on the other side. Four ropes bearing thick evenly spaced knots are securely anchored into the rock wall behind them, draping between the stalagmites before disappearing down into the darkness.

"I originally had a grappling hook that I tossed to climb up," Takara explains, while tugging on each rope to test them. "But with all the moisture from the underground rain runoff I anchored the ropes to the wall to make it safer to climb down."

Releasing the last rope she looks at the nins crowding together along the narrow path.

"It's a long drop down. We've got to climb down over 150 meters to the next part of our path."

Reaching out she lifts one of the ropes a little in demonstration.

"These ropes are chakra compatible, so it'll be that much easier to maintain your grip and they're strong enough to bear the weight of ten people. If we give enough space between each of us before starting to climb down, we should have no problem reaching the ledge we need to get to. However, there will be some spots where you'll literally be dangling in midair. You won't have the luxury of channeling chakra to your feet to anchor yourself to rock wall to aid your descent, so it's still going to be very dangerous."

Minato nods in understanding, prompting Takara to grip a rope in glowing hands as she channels chakra. Throwing one leg over a narrow gap between stone spikes, she carefully maneuvers until she's on the other side and begins descending into the darkness.

"Hound, Hawk and Cat," Minato states.

Nodding in understanding, each move to the remaining ropes and begin their climb down.

Minato stands with his remaining ninja, alternating between monitoring the rope anchors, studying the surrounding cavern and peering over the edge down at the others steadily climbing down. From what they can see, the sheer walls of the shaft are smooth except the occasional undulating curtains of misshapen rocks dotting the way down. Nothing else but fathomless blackness fills the void beneath their descending comrades.

When the first group are distant miniatures, Minato looks at the others.

"Raccoon, Monkey, Leopard and Ram, you're next."

"I should stay and monitor things up here, Hokage-sama," Ram offers.

Minato's only answer is a firm, blue-eyed glare with his right hand planted on his hip while his left points at the remaining rope.

"Troublesome," Ram mutters before stepping over to the indicated rope and disappearing over the edge.

The blonde Hokage continues monitoring the progress of his teammates and waits until they too appear as miniatures before starting his climb down.

True to Takara's words the chakra rope makes the climb much easier, especially on the parts where the rock wall arches away and he is literally suspended in mid air. Minato finds those moments a little unnerving. There's no telling if there's a bottom to even attempt to safely land on. So he forces himself to continue easing down instead of on the void below.

It takes a few more tense minutes before his feet touch the solid, jutting expanse of rock leading to another cave where the rest of his team anxiously wait for him.

"Nice of you to join us," Takara smirks.

"Thought it was a nice evening for spelunking," Minato quips.

Takara laughs amidst a couple of headshakes and likely eye rolls from the rest of his team.

"We're not too far from where we can camp for the night," Takara states, jerking her head down the cave entrance they're standing in.

"How did you figure out how to get from Whirlpool to the cliffs through here, Takara?" Minato asks as they file through the narrow, twisting tube gradually sloping downward.

"By getting lost," she tosses over her shoulder. "I stupidly started wandering some of the deeper caves in Uzushio without knowing what the hell I was doing. I figured if I kept heading up, somewhere I'd find an opening. It was a shock when I was looking at home from across the sea."

"I can imagine," Minato agrees, amusement coloring his voice.

"I did venture into the nearest village because I was hungry as hell," she continues. "I rested up a couple of days before heading back to the cliffs and making my way back home."

What started out as a distant rushing sound when she started her explanation gradually increases to a roaring din, making any conversation impossible. The cause is obvious when they step into an enormous cavern.

Gazing around, their headlamps flit along stunning rock formations dwarfing them. The cavern is many thousands of meters high as deep and wide. Minato figures Konoha could easily fit into the space if the intricate rock designs formed by thousands of years of dripping water were to be cleared out.

Some light beams expose several tall, cascading waterfalls gushing millions of liters of water per second into a deep underground river basin before rushing out into the deeper depths of the earth.

Takara tapping Minato on the shoulder breaks him from his awed reverie. When he looks at her, she gestures for him to follow, prompting the others to fall in line behind him again.

Takara leads them through the cavern. At times they have to climb over enormous rock outcroppings, utilizing chakra to maintain their grip on the smooth, steep surfaces.

Eventually their rugged path curves away from the waterfalls into another deep branch. The roar of the water diminishes significantly as the young blonde climbs further on and higher along the outer walls. The branch winds away and soon they come upon a rock window as big as a pair of double doors, which Takara promptly climbs through.

Minato leads the rest of the group through the opening and stares in amazement at his surroundings. They're standing in a long, roughly rectangular rock room approximately ten meters wide, fifty meters long with a three-meter high ceiling. The floor is soft dirt. Off to the left side, along the length of the room are crude windows overlooking the expansive cavern he guesses were possibly formed by the merging of stalagmites, stalactites and layers of solidified mud.

Takara waits patiently in the middle of the room with her hands on her hips. She watches the Konoha nins fan out and explore the room in awe, peering out through the windows.

"This is certainly unexpected," Minato observes, stepping over to her.

"It's one of many neat surprises I discovered down here," she grins.

Looking up, she points above her head, directing his attention to a large, crudely circular opening in the ceiling. A vertical cave.

"I think water used to gush in from here a long time ago, but it's been dry during the rains. I've used this spot for a fire and the room didn't fill with smoke. We can camp out here for the night and not worry about being discovered by the enemy."

After sweeping the room, Ram comes to stand before Minato.

"It's a great spot to camp," he reports. "It's situated high in the cavern where, at best, anyone out in the cave can only see our lights through the openings. From the angle they wouldn't tell how many are up here unless we're all standing looking out the openings. We'd sense anyone long before they reached this room."

Minato nods in agreement before turning to Monkey and Leopard.

"Get a fire going," he orders.

The two nod in acknowledgement. Takara moves out of their way as they get to work. Minato then turns his gaze to Cat and Raccoon.

"Break out the chakra lamps to give us more light while we set up to camp," he orders. Turning to the Ram, Hound and Hawk, he adds, "Set traps, sensor and privacy seals. There won't be any watches."

Nodding in acknowledgement they move off to carry out his orders.

"It's a secure location," he states when he notices Takara arching a brow at him. "I'm truly not questioning your honesty or sincerity, but this is too delicate an operation to trust to chance. It's not unlikely that you could've been followed without knowing it." He pauses to smile ruefully. "And it's not unlikely we could've been followed either." Becoming serious, he adds, "I wasn't cautious enough with Hiroto and it cost me my daughter these past four years. I'm not repeating that mistake."

She considers it before nodding.

"Can't really argue with that," she agrees, scratching her chin. "I was careful, but it's not inconceivable to think my asking for another training session wouldn't spark suspicion," she shrugs helplessly. "Then you've got their number one lackey, Fugaku, pissing on your doorstep with those creepy eyes of his, so yeah, better safe than sorry."

"It's been a long day for all of us. Why don't we bed down for the night and tomorrow we can conference over what's new since Tsunade delivered your message to me?" he suggests. "I've got a few questions, but some of my team have been traveling nonstop for the past couple of days. I'm sure you're also tired from your journey as well."

"Yep," she sighs wearily eyeing the activity around them. "And our little trip into Uzushio is going to be a hell of a lot more trickier from here on out and only partly because of the storms." She watches as the Konoha nins start breaking out their sleeping rolls before adding, "I better get my shit out then."

Minato doesn't reply as she moves away to stake out her spot near the fire to unseal her bedroll from a scroll. He watches everyone for a few more minutes before following suit by slipping a storage scroll from a pocket and unpacking his own gear. Within a half hour everyone is bedded down for the night.

150 meters = approx. 492 feet

10 m = 33 ft

15 m = 49 ft

3 m = 9 ft

A/N: I likely won't be posting a chapter next week. I've got the next one started, but since I haven't updated Facilitating Between Heaven & Hell, I'm determined to get that one moving before refocusing on this and my other stories. If the next chapter was complete it'd be a different story.

Don't know when I'll update again, but it's not going to be another year or any such crap like that. I'm refusing to fall again into that cycle. This is just an FYI kind of thing.

Anyhoo, hope you guys enjoyed and if the mood strikes, please review. Toodles.