Naruto and Sai walked behind her as she headed outside. She stopped and looked around at the battle scarred village. She sighed deeply but did not shut her eyes or look away. Naruto put a hand on her shoulder, "You want to take a minute for yourself Hamako?"
She shook her head, "No... There's nothing more that can be done here. Uzushiogakure was my home, well this isn't Uzu anymore. It's nothing but ruins now. Even if I stayed, what would I do? Live like a hermit on the grounds of a destroyed village? I'll go with you instead Uzumaki-sama, my entire life has been to serve your clan, it's all I know, thus it is all I'm willing to do."
Naruto looked at her strangely, 'She's kind of like Haku... only knowing how to really serve. Doesn't she have her own dreams and goals? The way she's talking it's as if as long as there is an Uzumaki about she can move along.' "No Uzumaki-sama Hamako."
Sai walked out ahead of both of them, "Let's go then. Naruto-senpai, I think it best if Hamako-san travels with you. I cannot take her with me into Konoha, and even if I could I couldn't get her set up as a citizen."
Naruto nodded, "At the very least I'll see you out of Nami no Kuni. I need to re-up with my squad though. Kakashi's going to chew my butt out once I get back. This wasn't supposed to take this long to do."
Sai shrugged, "It could not be helped senpai. If you tell him of your encounter with the Akatsuki he should understand completely, but do remember to keep my involvement a secret."
Naruto watched Hamako pick through some of the rubble nearby, "Understood. Though how in Kami's name I'm going to explain Hamako to him and everyone else is beyond me. But I'm not leaving her here. No way in hell I'm doing that. I'll come up with something by the time we meet back up with the others, don't you worry." He called out to the white-haired girl, "Hamako, are you ready to leave?"
Sai nodded as she came back over, "I wasn't worried at all senpai. If nothing else you could actually tell the truth about where she came from. I don't think that would matter too much if you did."
Hamako made it over to Naruto, "I'm ready to leave master."
Naruto palmed his face, "Master? Really? Hamako come on. You're not my servant, you're not under my command. You're a girl that's my age, aside from owning any person, owning you would be strange." 'Strange and Ero-sennin and Kakashi-sensei would never let that fact die.' Hamako shook her head vehemently, "That is highly inappropriate master. You won't let me call you Uzumaki-sama and now you dislike being called master. Your clan are my retainers, how else am I to show you your proper respect... master?" She finished with a smirk.
Naruto grumbled and turned to Sai, "Sai-kouhai, help me out here. Talk to this girl for me."
Sai gave him one of his trademark smiles, "She is apparently your property now Naruto-senpai. That would make that your job."
Naruto gave Sai a dry look, "You sure don't treat me like a senpai Sai. Aren't you supposed to listen to me?"
"Kit shut up and pay attention!"
Naruto's eyes snapped to attention as he began to look around for any sign of trouble. Sai caught on to Naruto tension as he quickly followed suit and began looking around, back to back with Naruto. Naruto's fingers drifted up to his sword that he was grateful to have as his last one had been pieced apart during his last confrontation, 'Can you tell me where they're coming from Kyuubi?'
A growl came from within his mind, "Whoever it is, they are doing a great job of keeping themselves concealed. All I know is what you know; that there is someone's presence around here. Be careful, you're not getting us killed in this wasteland."
Naruto's eyes panned over to Hamako who was looking around in confusion, "Master, what's going on? Is there something wrong?"
Naruto's eyes widened. Couldn't she sense the intent rolling around the area? The way she handled seals she had to have been a ninja, right? "Hamako, what ranking were you?"
Hamako gave him an odd look, "I wasn't a registered ninja master. I had basic training like a lot of people did but everything I did was focused on seal making. I was trained alongside the Fuuinjutsu Corps. I don't really know any other ninja arts."
Naruto would have sighed deeply in grief at that moment. If it was Deidara again, the only advantage they would have in the fact that Sai now had enough strength to fight all out and the fact that the entire village was now their playground would be negated by the fact that they now had to protect someone.
Naruto quickly made a dozen Kage Bunshin and sent them over to Hamako, "Keep her safe, no matter what! I don't care what you have to do. He looked over his shoulder at Sai, "Let's take this elsewhere."
Sai nodded as the two disappeared in a leaf and ink shrouded Shunshin.
Hamako tried running out to find them, but were kept back by the Kage Bunshin, "I need to go with Sai-san and Master! Why are they leaving?"
The Kage Bunshin in charge shook its head, "I can't let you go after the boss Hamako. Things are about to get ugly out here."
XxX
Appearing elsewhere in the village, Naruto drew the blade from his back with a loud ring of steel, "If it's Deidara again I promised Kyuubi I would cut his arms off. I really hope it's Deidara."
Sai pulled out his scroll, "How will we go about fighting him this time senpai?"
Naruto grinned, "That's going to be the easy part. We have tons of space. You can try to take it to him from the air if you like while I have my own method of reaching him."
Sai nodded, "That will do for now senpai." Upon both coming to an agreement on how this was to be handled, they were both caught in a fiery explosion. Deidara watched from a distance laughing loudly, "And there you go! What happened to that strategy of yours boys, un?" He then blinked blankly, "Oh... I wasn't supposed to kill the jinchuuriki, un."
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