As the Clock Hands Turn

Journey to the Wave

Regular speech: "Wryyyyyy."
Thoughts: 'Wryyyyyy.'
Summon's, higher beings regular speech: "Wryyyyyy."
Summon's, higher beings thoughts: 'Wryyyyyy.'
Locations: Somewhere in the deep ocean...
Techniques: Kawarimi!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or JJBA.

Chapter II

Team 7 has been travelling for an hour now. Everything seemed to be quiet in the forests of the Land of Fire. During the summer life flutters with both numerous roaming animals and thick trees, on which shinobi of the Leaf mostly travel through the country, jumping from one branch to another in a quick succession, crossing up to tens of kilometres a day. It is a crucial skill for a ninja to have, and the most useful. Alas, our group can't travel that fast at the moment. Well, their companion can't.

"Tazuna-san, you are from the Wave, aren't you?" Sakura asked to liven up the conversation.

"What of it?" the man answered grudgingly.

"Kakashi-sensei, don't they have ninjas in the Wave?"

"No. Countries as small as the Wave don't," answered their mentor. "Hidden Villages are mostly located in the Great Nations. Land of Fire – Hidden Leaf, Land of Water – Hidden Mist, Land of Wind – Hidden Sand, Land of Lightning – Hidden Cloud, and Land of Earth – Hidden Rock. These villages possess immense military power, and they have constant power struggles, many of which result in confrontations, which then lead to wars," Kakashi paused, reliving some of his painful memories. "But they don't actually rule the countries they are in, they're only on even terms with their respected governments. And countries as small and secluded as the Wave, because they aren't a subject of interference to any of the villages, don't have the right to have one," and so Kakashi concluded his little geography lesson. The genin absorbed the lesson of a jonin, and each had their own thoughts about it.

'Wow! I didn't realise how great Hokage-sama is, having lived up to such age and constantly facing other Hidden Villages. The weight of it all must be unbearable,' thought Sakura.

'Did I really defeat the old man back then? Is my Sexy Jutsu strong enough to take down a Kage?' pondered Naruto. He would have to get creative if he really wants to surpass the Third.

Sasuke, however, abandoned thought. 'Am I the only one who didn't sleep in on the classes in the academy? What a pain.'

In the following hour nothing seemed to be out of order. However, when passing a puddle on the road, Kakashi seemed to have noticed something, but shook it off just as quickly. Then, behind the backs of the travellers, a figure rose from the water. It split into two cloaked shinobi and attacked the lazy jonin.

"What?" was the only thing Kakashi could say before being torn to shreds by a chain that connected each attacker's gauntlet with sharp claws.

The team and Tazuna exclaimed a collective 'What?', the sudden ambush successively having taken them by surprise.

"One down" muttered the first brother.

"Second down" muttered the second as they readied to strike down Naruto.

And then, when the boy should have faced a sharped chain, he saw the attackers standing there, not moving a muscle, as if he was looking on a stopped frame on the television, or on a photo.

'Wh-What the hell?' thought Naruto. Never before has he faced such an occurrence. 'Is that an illusion? I heard trained shinobi talking about such a case in battle. Is that a jutsu or genjutsu they used? No, they wouldn't be under the spell of their own technique, nor the would create a genjutsu instead of just finishing me off. And a lame one at that!'