Re: Akimichi

"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!"

"Tsunade-sama, we still have a few dozens of mission requests and not to mention the report of the internal matter of the village. In the afternoon you also have an appointment with a few lords of the surrounding towns."

A wailing sound could be heard from the Hokage office, Tsunade was despairing after went through a pile of paperwork. Lee's surgery was already done, and a week already passed since then. Tsunade then submerged in her new work as a Hokage, she was full of spirit for the two first day, got bored at the next day, and wallowing in despair ever since after.

"SOMEONE SAVE ME!!!"

*Poof*

"Hokage-sama, there's an urgent report!" An Anbu suddenly flickered in front of Tsunade's desk and immediately kneeled.

"Speak!" A half-smile showed itself on Tsunade's lips, she prayed that whatever is this would be able to make her excuse herself and dumped the rest of the paperwork to Shizune.

"Yes! There's a reinforcement request from the land of wind, last night their southern border was attacked by an unknown enemy. The enemy's ship was decimated, but many of their shinobi were killed."

Tsunade frowned, an attack to the hidden village or to the shinobi was a common thing, but a large scale attack to a normal civil area was not a common occurrence. Since the sand village could be said as their vassal village, they also obligated to help, not to mention the "kind" wind Daimyo has brought numerous businesses to the Konoha.

"A battle was taking place at night on a desolate seaside beach between Sunagakure ninja and soldiers wearing bulky suits of armor. Despite their best efforts, the Sand Shinobi were slowly overwhelmed by the sheer strength of their mysterious opponents.

"The only known survivors were the sons and daughter of the previous Kazekage -Gaara, Kankuro, Temari- seven other Chunin, and three Jounin. They were still stationed in the border waiting for reinforcement..." The Anbu kept went on to the details regarding the report, with things seemed graver by the seconds.

Tsunade's frown got deeper, she knew something was amiss. "How many ninjas are available in the village at the moment?"

"There are only twenty ninjas in the village that have not applied for any leaves nor in state of injury," Shizune said, she then checked another scroll on the other side of Tsunade's desk. "Based on the reported location, Uzumaki Naruto and Yamanaka Ino are currently going on a mission lead by Nara Shikamaru not far from that location. The other nearest one is Akimichi Chouji, he was applied for a leave for a few days to check the new town that he built."

"Contact them, tell them to scout the location while waiting for the others to arrive," Tsunade commanded, she then gave several series of commands.

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" The reporting Anbu was excusing himself to relay the Hokage's command.

---

-Chouji POV-

"Haah smells like the old days, I feel like a Cowboy. Yeehaw!"

My mind was relaxed as I rode my horse on the Pioneertown road, the town was still half complete, but it already took shape. I was wearing a cowboy hat, a leather belt, and leather boots. Cowboy style baby!

Some peoples said that I was crazy to build a town in this abandoned place with almost nothing besides sand on sight. Well, we all got pieces of crazy in us, though some have bigger pieces than others.

'Hey, Murasaki. Are you sure this is the place?'

'Yup, it should be around here. Though maybe it was sealed so I can't feel it anymore, it used to be around here. The crystallization of natural energy, the human of the past called it the stone of Gellel.'

I spent my money to build a town here not just because of a mere whim, Murasaki told me several stories of the past, including the story of the Gellel Kingdom and their Gellel stone. Though it's true I want to build a western cowboy-themed town, my source of money would be past relic of the Gellel Kingdom buried somewhere around here.

In spite of that, I won't rush things. I won't be able to mine it anytime soon, because I need more power and prestige to keep the Gellel stone mine for myself. Do you wonder why I didn't tell the village? Or anyone else in particular? As the old cowboy saying "It's better to keep your mouth shut and look stupid than open it and prove it."

Though I didn't and won't look stupid by hiding that fact, I won't look smart either as I can't prove the truth about it since I haven't found it myself. And to be honest, it's a selfish d.e.s.i.r.e of mine to be the one in control, to be a tycoon. It's my dream since I was a little boy in my past life, the reason? I can help many peoples if I have an astronomical amount of money.

Peoples starving? Here, buy more food for everyone!

They're sick? Call the best doctor!

Do they lack education? Let's make a school and hire the best teacher!

Everything will be solved if I had enough prestige and money!

As I enjoying my afternoon riding my horse toward the horizon and reminiscing about my life and dream, I saw a Konoha messenger bird, my mood immediately plummeted. I know what that entails, an urgent mission it is!

"Can't I relax for some more...?"

---

-Third POV-

Meanwhile, with Shikamaru.

He was leading Naruto and Ino to do a mission near the border of three countries -Fire, Wind, Tea- to capture a lost pet ferret and deliver it to its owner in the nearby village. Apparently, the owner was a leader of a nomadic tribe that has been moving from one place to another in the continent. Some of them were a merchant, some were a bard, and the rest were the children.

But while on they were on their way to gave the animal back to its owner, they were attacked by a mysterious man clothed in knight-like armor. The said knight-man was accompanied by the strange armored soldiers.

Though the strange armored soldiers were easily defeated by Shikamaru, Naruto, the knight-man, and the pet ferret all fell off a cliff. Currently, their whereabouts were still unknown.

"Still no news?" Shikamaru frowned as he asked Ino for confirmation.

"No." Ino was concentrating on using her clan's mind-body switch technique and used a bird to scout the surrounding.

As Ino was searching for Naruto, Shikamaru stood while leaned on a tree, he was guarding Ino and keep his eyes on the giant mechanical moving structure that indirectly causing Naruto to fell off a cliff.

"I found him!" Ten minutes later, Ino finally shared her finding to Shikamaru.

"Can you fetch him? And be careful with that strange knight-man. I will investigate what that thing is..." Immediately, Shikamaru flickered and went into the giant mechanical structure. While Ino too flickered and immediately went to fetch Naruto.

After his short training with the Anbu corps, the main thing that he learned was to be stealthy. And after he learned how to literally move in shadow from Gengar, his stealth ability shot through the roof. Shikamaru went inside the mechanical structure unnoticed, he saw that inside there were many of the strange armored soldiers patrolling. 'So this is your base, huh?'

Without knowing the identity and the intention of the other party, Shikamaru won't act recklessly. So his priority was to stealthily gather all sorts of information from this place, and to be found out was not an option. It's only after more than an hour of infiltrates that he finally found a mechanical structure and found what appears to be a lab with many children in capsules.

'Holy hell... What kind of distorted place is this?' Shikamaru frowned, he might be already familiar with Killing, but it's his first time to be in touch with a children's experimentation.

Besides the capsules, he saw three persons -One man and two women- talking to each other. The man wore a priest-like robe with a spectacle adorned his face, while the women wore a knight-like armor similar to what the knight-man that attacked Naruto wore.

"Haido-sama, please forgive us. There's no news about the Gellel stone yet, and the attack was failed." The two women were kneeling behind the priest-like man, the said man was staring at the children in the capsules.

"For the Utopia, we must find it quickly. Else, the holy sacrifice of these children will be for naught." The man, Haido, turned his body and faced the two kneeling women. His face showed a benevolent smile, while his eyes reflected on what it's appeared to be a pity. "It's all for the Utopia, for the world where the weak won't be oppressed, and where there'll be no war."

"For the Utopia!"

Silently, Shikamaru went out of that place. When he was outside, he was a bit surprised to see a Konoha messenger bird flying around in a big circle a bit far from where the mechanical structure was. Shikamaru whistled mimicking the bird's sound to attract the messenger bird, after a few tries, the bird finally approached him.

'The land of wind was attacked?' Shikamaru kept on reading the message until his eyes glinted as he reaches the part where the attacker was described. 'Isn't that...?