~Chapter 7~

Trippy trip

She listened to the smooth gliding of the fabric against her skin. Silk did that at times – becoming like a breeze in both sound and form. Her appreciation of the clothing was empty of any feeling, though, as each pin brought her closer to the moment she was to change…something.

She still had no idea what exactly she was supposed to change. Saving lives? Sure, that part was quite important. Too bad she was supposed to save the world at the same time.

"You're all ready, Moyoshi-san." She didn't like the smile plastered on that woman's face. Like there was actual beauty in the world. It was obviously fake, though. You couldn't really smile during war – it didn't suit the atmosphere.

"Thank you." Rena was no stranger to falsely-shown contentment either.

The mirror in front of her could barely contain the entire pattern of her kimono, whose multiple layers did nothing to make her dandy in appearance.

'Might as well wear armor for all this weight on me.'

She pinched the outer layers of her dress, lifting it to allow her feet some room for movement. She stopped mid-motion, though.

"Are you sure this will work? I don't see enemies biting this whole charade we're trying out. Who in their right mind will walk so many miles in this kind of clothing?"

"More people than you'd care to know," answered a voice from outside the room. "You don't have to run those miles in it. This will be your disguise once you reach the border with Grass."

"Is it even plausible? A noblewoman walking straight through a war zone just because she fancied visiting someone?" She clicked her wooden shoes to the door, failing to hold her balance as she did so.

"Civilians don't really care for the war, Moyoshi-san." The door opened further, revealing the black-haired Jounin Commander slumping in a chair near it. "The rare ones that do are definitely not among nobility."

"I'm sure that's not true, Nara-san. You make it seem like shinobi and civilians are two different entities living in separate worlds, theory which is denied by my mere involvement in this."

"But you're a special case, aren't you, Moyoshi-san?"

"Perhaps," She threw the shoes in a corner, going on barefoot as she approached the chairs in the waiting room. "But I'm no shinobi either."

"You're more of a shinobi than you think." She glanced at his profile briefly, curious at the way his eyes caught the light. It might've sounded like a compliment, but his gaze told a different story.

"Well, I'll definitely be testing my supposed abilities as one and rather soon as well," she sat, bunching layers of material in her hands. "Any advice?"

He smiled a bit at that, but otherwise said nothing. They both stood in silence for a while, waiting for the sun to come up. When the sky got warm at the margins, she got up, turning towards him in question.

"Well?"

"Make it worth it."

She stared at him and past him, nodding once after giving it a thought.

"How will you know it was worth it in the end?"

"Hm, don't kid yourself, Moyoshi-san," he chuckled, walking away. "You'll spell it out for me as soon as I see you."

"Sensei, what are we waiting for?" asked Obito, on the verge of losing his patience from too much excitement. "The sooner we go, the better!"

"The mission's parameters got changed the last minute," explained Minato, his eyes following every figure heading towards the gate. "It seems we'll do a pretend escort mission as a cover up instead."

"Escort mission? Who are we going to escort, Sensei?" Rin seemed confused, both at the news and at the way Minato's eyebrows scrunched slightly.

"It wasn't mentioned in the report, but I have a bad feeling about this." He really hoped the redhead that was heading their way was simply doing some shopping…near the village entrance.

"Oh, good morning, Rena-san!" greeted Obito, violently waving his hand at her.

"Good morning, guys," she smiled pleasantly, stopping in front of them. A filled up bag was tugging at her shoulders.

Kakashi stared dispassionately at her and simply turned towards their team leader.

"No."

"Ah, sorry, Kakashi-kun," the flustered blonde answered to his unspoken words. "I'm afraid it's out of my hands."

"What is out of your hands?" the clueless Uchiha inquired.

"Oh," muttered Rin, her confusion growing at the situation.

"I'm coming with you," stated the woman before them. "I'll be the lovely princess you are to escort," said Rena, tucking her hair behind her ear with arrogant timing.

"We're screwed."

"Hey! I'm doing you a favor in here!"

"I don't see how you coming on the mission with us will make it any easier. You'll just be in the way."

"Maybe that's the purpose," she answered truthfully.

"Yesss! Rena-san's coming as well!"

"Dumbass, don't you know where we're going?" sneered Kakashi, having stopped his teammate's excited movements with a well-aimed punch to the head.

"Isn't it dangerous for her, Sensei?" intervened a worried Rin.

"…It is. Orders are orders, though," concluded the blonde, even though he himself wasn't happy with the new arrangements. "Let's go then."

The four shinobi took a standard formation around Rena, protecting the client and the medic in case of attack. Minato lead the way, while Kakashi and Obito bickered in the back, taking the rear behind the two girls.

"What role will you assume, Moyoshi-san?" asked the Jounin, barely turning his head towards her.

'We're back to Moyoshi-san, huh?'

"Daughter of Takigagure's Daimyo. Off to marry the second son of the Earth Daimyo."

He turned at that.

"Are you sure that's usable? We're at war with Iwa. I'm sure they'd be aware of any political movement of the sort."

"Don't worry, the marriage is already somewhat planned by both sides. The only thing Iwa isn't aware of is what the bride looks like," she said, smiling at his bemused expression. "Even the formal kimono Shikaku's thrown at me is full of traditional patterns from that area."

"The only thing that remains is the reason as to why you were escorted by Konoha shinobi if you are intent on forming an alliance with Iwa," said Kakashi, suddenly paying attention to the conversation.

"Oh, but who says you are Konoha shinobi, though?"

"What?"

"A genjutsu would be enough to make that squiggly line on your hitai-ate similar to the one from Takigagure. All I hope is that Iwa shinobi aren't aware of who you are just by your appearance."

"…"

"Guys?"

"They might have an idea about sensei," said Rin. "He's been in their Bingo book for quite a while."

Rena threw an exasperated glance at said Jounin. "What? You're already famous?"

"'Already'?"

"Ugh, never mind. We might not even need the damn cover if everything goes right."

'Which it won't.'

They continued on for a while, the silence between them rarely disturbed. As they were passing the hidden valley of some green fields, Minato stopped them to rest, taking out a map as they were prepping lunch.

"We are to pass the border with Kusagagure in a couple of miles. The village has already been invaded by Iwa nin, so there is a high chance there will be several ambushes along the way." He moved his finger along the border, stopping at a roughly-sketched bridge near their location.

"Our mission is to infiltrate their defense and destroy their supply line that goes over this bridge." He lifted his head and looked at his team. "Since we now have two Jounin on our team, we'll split into two groups. Kakashi," he turned towards the grey-haired teen, "you'll lead the rest towards the bridge and continue with the mission. I'll head towards the war zone to deflect any possible wave coming towards you."

Kakashi nodded solemnly, although he wasn't even slightly content with the plan. "What about Rena-san, sensei? Will she take part in taking it down?"

"I'll be your cover in case there's any Iwa-nin coming your way," she stated simply, her posture relaxed and her gaze confident. 'I am so going to regret this later on.'

"We're set then." The blonde got up and briefly searched his pouch for something. A moment later, he was handing one of his triple-prong kunai to the newly-instated Jounin. "It's a graduation present, so to speak," he laughed. "Use it when you need me and I'll be there."

The smiling Rin started searching her bag as well, revealing a neatly packed medical pouch.

"Here's mine." Kakashi thanked her for it, all the while listening to how exactly she'd packed it this time round. Rena could see how uncomfortable Obito had become with the whole situation. It also didn't take a genius to guess how he was about to cover it all up and she wasn't about to stand another scuffle between the two.

"Come here, you," she said and trapped poor Kakashi in a suffocating hug.

"Ugh, get off me." His protests fell on deaf ears.

"Oh, are you embarrassed, you grumpy little prick? Come he-argh!" The sudden absence of the body she had been cuddling with made her fall face down in a painful heap of limbs.

"No hugging from now on," muttered Kakashi as he was coming back from up the hill.

"Well, no making me face plant from now on either," she grumbled, trying to get the dirt off her clothes. "Anyway, my and Obito's present still needs some polishing, so I thought I'll give you a nice replacement for now." She smiled widely at grey-haired teen, who was making minute steps to hide behind his sensei. Obito barely registered what she had said, but when he did, she stepped on his toes rather violently, making him yelp and forget his words.

"Oops, seems I'm still dizzy from the fall."

"Sure you are…"

She glanced back at Minato, who was following their antics with a smile on his face.

'Probably enjoying the little peace they have left.'

"Well, 'sensei'?" She asked humorously. "Shall we start on our way?"

Minato blushed a bit, flustered at the nickname, but nodded nonetheless. "We'll meet here as soon as you're done. Kakashi, you're in command. Rin, Obito, I trust you to protect Rena-san well."

"Stop worrying about us and just go," Rena ushered him. "You better just worry about yourself and take care not to get hurt."

Minato smiled at his team and nodded in understanding before jumping away in the opposite direction they were heading.

The four just stood there for a few seconds, taking in how it felt in the absence of their leader.

"Kakashi-kun, can I hold that kunai for now?" said Rena, looking at the weapon Minato had given his student.

"Why?"

"In case some shinobi might go past you and attack me. Plus, I feel we'll use it later on and I'll probably be the only one free enough to do so."

Kakashi stared at her in suspicion, but handed her the kunai either way.

"Don't worry, I'll give it back," she said, patting him on the head. She took her hand away before he managed to slap it.

"We'll be using your cover to avoid any possible ambush. Rin, Obito, cast a genjutsu on your hitai-ate." The three of them started doing the proper hand signs, the only weird thing being that when they stopped, nothing happened.

"…Did you put it on already?"

"What? Yes," answered Obito, checking his teammates' headbands. "We all have it."

"It's possible that you aren't affected by it," commented Rin with a far-off look on her face. "Your lack of chakra should make it impossible for others to put you under a genjutsu, since there's no energy to disrupt."

"Lack of chakra? Wait, wha-".

"Well, isn't that nice? Although I don't know how useful it'll be for you guys."

"Huh? How come?"

"I wouldn't even know whether you are caught in a genjutsu or not, since I can't even sense them. The only time this could come in handy is when you ask me what I see."

"I doubt we'll need your help, Rena-san," spoke Kakashi all of a sudden. "The type of genjutsu you are referring to is the easiest to get out of."

"Just in case, then, sheesh." She stared at them a while, thinking of any gaps in the plan she might have missed.

'Our cover will be blown, with or without headbands, if they recognize Rin.'

"You might want to do something about your appearance as well. Just in case."

"Well, it's not a Henge," mumbled Kakashi. "I guess a couple details could be covered."

She saw them going through the signs yet again, not seeing what changes were made. The look of confusion on her face gave her away.

"I erased my cheek marks, made my hair blonde and made my eyes blue, Obito's lightened his hair a bit and Kakashi's changed his to a dull brown," Rin commented, looking at her teammates putting away any other telltale objects - Kakashi's missing straps from his sword made him look even more like a kid, but she wouldn't have said that outloud. Ever.

"I'll go change now." Rena stomped over the hill near them, searching for a place remote enough to keep her privacy. "Don't even move until I've told you I'm ready!"

The three remained at the base of it, heeding her words in silence.

…

"…Wait, what do you mean 'lack of chakra'?"

"You're so slow, dumbass."

"Hey! I'm no dumbass, you bastard! Plus, I've felt her chakra before."

"She's sort of a special case, Obito-kun," spoke Rin, stepping in before things escalated. "She has no chakra to speak of and the one you've felt was probably planted so that she seems normal."

"But…how?"

"Ah, I wish I knew," sighed Rin. "She's full of secrets, our Rena-san."

The three waited at the bottom of the valley for a while, until a tiny voice could be heard from where Rena had gone to change.

"Um, Rin-chan? Could you come here for a bit? I think I messed up the order."

Kakashi resisted the urge to facepalm while Rin hurried over the hill to help the redhead with her obi. A few minutes later and a newly-dressed Rena showed up, walking stiffly to the boys who were trying to hold their laugh. Well, metaphorically speaking, since Obito was doing anything but and Kakashi really didn't need to try that hard to hide his smile with that damn mask on.

"Hah, your walk!" Obito could barely gasp those words out before he was taken over by another fit of laughter. Kakashi's amusement had faded into despair, though.

"How will anyone believe you to be nobility? You'll ruin our cover before we even start it."

"Oh, don't worry your grumpy ass with this. I can be very convincing when needed," she answered whilst roughly grabbing at the extra material. "Now isn't needed, though."

She tried folding it to make room for at least some movement, but it just wouldn't budge.

"Gah, where did I put that kunai?"

"Wha – Rena-san!" Not even Rin's cry could stop Rena's vicious attack on those titan layers. She sliced the sides that weren't visible, freeing her legs and damning the piece of clothing at the same time.

"That's…expensive," muttered Rin, not really able to look away from the slaughter.

"It won't be worn by anyone other than kunoichi anyway. They will definitely appreciate the little twist," spoke Rena, proud of her work. "And it's a damn mission during war. I can just say a rowdy enemy attacked and did it for me."

"Even the enemies have more fashion sense than you," Kakashi mumbled, putting his two cents in the foreign-type of conversation.

"Shouldn't we go on our way, 'Captain'?" said Rena, ignoring his words. "We do have a damn bridge to ruin today."

Kakashi just turned around and walked straight ahead, not waiting for the scrambling others behind him.

"It smells weird in here," whispered Rena, trying to discern whatever she was walking on.

"The longer the war, the weirder the smells get," said Obito wisely.

"…That makes no sense."

"Yes, it does!"

"Actually, it does in some way. The more creatures die and the more diverse the poisons become, the more the chemical reactions in nature morph into something else."

"R-right. Same thing I was trying to s-"

"Look out!"

Rena's arm was forcefully pulled to the side, making her lose her footing. Just in time, as well, since all it took was for her to open her eyes to see how many kunai would have pierced her otherwise.

"Come on," whispered Rin, dragging her to her feet before she could think. The three teens were all fully focused on the darkness before them. Kakashi shifted his head slightly, the dim light catching the way he was moving his nostrils as to pinpoint the danger by the smell.

"Show yourself!" screamed Obito, clutching a kunai in his hands.

"Oh, the kid's got spunk," a voice rang from up in the canopy. At least that's where Rena heard it coming from. The rest were confused, she saw.

'Genjutsu.'

"Up," she tried to whisper to Rin, right before they had to duck as a single kunai made its way towards their faces.

"Brave of you to move, darling," said the not so suave man coming from around the trunk of a tree.

She barely spared him a glance before losing her ability to breathe. The Iwa-nin before her was triggering a series of thoughts and messed up scenarios that she had no desire to dwindle on. She should be thinking of a solution to this.

'Asolutionasolutionasolutionasolu-'

"Ah, there you were, shinobi-san," Rena said suddenly, exhaling loudly. She stepped away from Rin and continued towards the Iwa-nin whilst reaching the inside of her sleeve. The ninja before her tensed at her movements, a kunai now in his hands.

She paid him no mind as she let a relieved sigh the second she touched the surface of the scroll.

"I think documentation is in order," she said simply, giving him the scroll with an almost practiced ease.

"Open it and throw it on the ground," he growled, still not willing to move any further.

"How barbaric," Rena muttered and did as he said.

The thin parchment rolled to his feet, revealing a signature he could have recognized in his sleep.

"The Tsuchikage?" he whispered, eyes widened. He picked up the scroll and did the standards signs to rid the document of any chakra that might have concealed a fake. When nothing happened, he lifted his gaze to the woman, only then noting the motifs sewn on her clothing. His eyes widened further.

"Your Highness," he said, bending at his waist enough to reach the ground.

Her eyebrow twitched minutely in surprise. 'Didn't think it would work.'

"Are you part of the convoy that was supposed to lead us the village?" Kakashi asked all of a sudden, offering a plot for Rena to work with.

"No, I'm not," he answered, frowning. "Neither I nor my teammates have any knowledge of any convoy that is supposed to pass this area." He looked at the scroll in his hands, staring yet again at the signatures to make sure they were real.

"W-we weren't supposed to meet in this area," spoke Rin with a tremor in her voice. "The meeting point was miles from here, but the group never arrived."

"The convoy didn't arrive? How much time has passed since your supposed meeting point?" he asked all of sudden.

"A-about five hours," answered Rin, the fear in her voice well placed to make the matters true.

"Why? What do you know?" Kakashi asked.

"A Konoha team was expected around this area today," he said, his eyes darting around with worry. She could almost feel the three tensing behind her.

"We haven't met either team," replied Kakashi . The silence that followed was self-explanatory.

"I'll have to consult my team on this matter. Please continue on your way. This area is under our jurisdiction."

'Your jurisdiction, my ass.'

The Iwa-nin made no further comment and, after returning their scroll, departed at top speed.

The four of them stood dumbstruck in the middle of the forest, letting the adrenaline wear off little by little.

"Should we take the long road to the bridge? Now we definitely know there's an enemy team up ahead."

"They will definitely suspect us then. Even more so, with a 'Konoha' team on the run," replied Rena.

"They aren't supposed to know of our mission," said Kakashi quietly, voicing what they were all thinking.

"There's a quick answer to that, really," answered Rena. "It can't be much different to how we obtained our own cover story."

"A mole," exhaled Rin, dreading the implication of her own answer. "But with what clearance? They must have someone planted in the … Oh."

"Yep, that's pretty much it," said the redhead, stretching her back. "But that's something we'll worry about when we get back."

They went on straight towards the bridge, seemingly relaxed but with thoughts running miles a minute and with slight twitches of their fingers at every sound. That didn't last long, in the end.

Maybe it was the familiarity of the Iwa-nin's chakra that gave him away, but the three teens tensed all of a sudden, making Rena stop in her tracks.

"The Iwa shinobi's back," whispered Kakashi. His nose twitched. "And he brought his team with him this time."

Their hands drew closer to their weapon pouches while they moved slowly to surround Rena from all sides. When three bodies blurred mere feet away from them, Rena almost jolted out of her skin while her three guards drew kunai without a sound.

"Nice of you to wait for us," the one in the front said, clearly the others' leader. He looked at each of them carefully, measuring them up with his dark, beady eyes. His eyebrows bunched at the sight.

"You sure this is the team?" he asked one of his teammates, gesturing towards the nin they had already met before.

"There's no other, Captain."

"Has the convoy issue been solved?" asked Rena, straightening her back in the process.

"There was no co-" tried one of them to say, but was stopped in his tracks by their team leader with the raise of his hand. That same hand went to his ear, pressing a button.

"You specified brown hair as a trait," he talked lowly into the receiver, drawing confused glances from Rena and the team. The answer that came made his eyes alternate between the two girls before him. "Understood." What followed was complete chaos.

The Iwa-nin attacked them without notice, the Captain visibly aiming for the girls while his teammates blocked any attempt Kakashi and Obito might have made at stopping that. Rena stumbled backwards, pushed by Rin in an attempt to let her handle the man twice her size. The kunoichi was barely fast enough to avoid the punches of the enemy and it was quite obvious the fast pace was tiring her up. Her hand was alight with chakra, but with no use. Rena decided then to intervene.

'Just a tiny bit to the right,' she thought, willing the left side of the nin's armour to stop its movement, leaving a wide opening to the chakra scalpel Rin thrusted in his armpit. The man grunted in pain, staggering on his feet from the hit. He was now eyeing Rin with wariness, the new set to his jaw speaking of his determination. He somehow willed his almost useless left arm to lift into an indistinguishable set of signs making disappear all of a sudden.

'W-what?'

Rin retreated to Rena's side, her kunai in front of her. "Where is he?"

"I-I don't know."

"What?"

"I don't think it was genjutsu. He must have messed with the light," whispered the redhead, her heart beating furiously.

"How right you are," a voice said from right behind her and then it all went black.

"…-ither match the description," a voice could be heard, talking furiously without an answer to be heard. Silence followed, broken only by hurried steps being taken mere feet from her. She kept her eyes closed, keeping the façade of her still being passed out. That didn't take much effort, though, since her head felt like it was about to implode and any minute movement made her sick.

"No, no brunette and both look in their early teens."

'Wow, thanks.'

"The kunoichi?" the man whispered almost to himself. She almost stopped breathing when she heard him walking towards her. Fortunately, or unfortunately, he stopped a few feet to her left. She dared to crack her lids open, seeing the exact moment the Iwa nin managed to disable Rin's genjutsu, who had yet to wake up.

"Huh, we got her," said the smug ninja in the ear transmitter.

'Shit.'

She managed to close her eyes right before the man turned to her, an order sounding in his ear.

"Shouldn't we keep her as spare?" he questioned. The sudden buzz that answered his question meant someone was strongly disagreeing with him.

"Y-yes, ma'am," the nin stuttered, bowing to thin air. "I'll dispose of her immediately."

'…Well. Double shit.'

...Hey. Sorry for disappearing. Um, got no explanation for that. I'm back now, though :) Please review if you feel like it.

P.S.: Only Rena is mine.