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Naruto's POV (Southern Swamps of Irminsul - Terra (Traveling))
Morning
Naruto had quite a crazy sight in the last few days, yet there was no doubt in his mind that the sight before him was the craziest yet. Sasuke's having gained his own summoning clan had been annoying and surprising, but he could accept that. Muri's professing to find Sasuke disturbing was unpleasant but unsurprising as such not a true problem. But what he saw before him baffled him. Sasuke Uchiha was showing a warmer side…
Naruto and Muri flew through the air with impressive speed. The Taka Clan had proven useful thus far, and the duo of Scanning Eyes and Crushing Talons had proven loyal to their new summoner. Faithfully carrying the four of them through the air. However, they seemed to detest Naruto for some odd reason. He swore Scanning Eyes, who had begrudgingly agreed to carry them for travel, was flying rougher than his clan mate. Naruto clung to it tightly, barely holding on in some instances; the turbulence was so great Muri had turned into his scarf form to adhere to Naruto all the better. Yet Sasuke and Yuno seemed relaxed and comfortable as they rode Crushing Talons. (1)
All the same, Naruto was shocked by how lovingly Yuno hugged Sasuke. Almost like she was his sister, her smug smile spoke of some enjoyment. Naruto could understand loving one's family but was surprised that all the same Sasuke had allowed it. The male Uchiha was obviously not enjoying it, a frown etched on his face. But all the same, he didn't shrug her off. 'Bastard has a heart after all.' Naruto thought to himself.
The team of four were traveling to the Western River Plains of Irminsul. A night of celebration with the Blechumi had hosted their reunion, and the group had information pooled before they went to bed. During this time, they established the Northern Mountains of Irminsul and the Southern Swamps of Irminsul, which were likely clear of the "Master" or their friends. With that in mind, it had limited their search to the Eastern Forest and Western River Plains. Both had been unsearched, but with Naruto and Yuno's knowledge of the wolf clan's involvement with the Master. Combined with Muri's hunch that they lived in the west and their sight of the barrier around the Chakra Anchor in the west, they had quickly decided to head there. They would search the east after combing and checking on the Chakra Anchor.
They would check out and deal with the barrier if it was a problem; Muri was confident he could destroy it given sometime. Afterward, they would search out the wolves and their allies in equal measure.
Naruto stooped over to whisper toward the head of the Scanning Eyes. "Hey, this is kinda a bumpy ride! Anyway, can you smooth it out?" Naruto tried diplomatically. But as a silence stretched out, Naruto felt his temper flare. "Surely your ears aren't near your head. If they were, you wouldn't ignore me!"
"You are not one of our humans; be grateful I do not consume you." Scanning Eyes spoke gruffly.
"Sasuke~! Scanning Eyes is being mean to Naruto-kun~!" Yuno called out dramatically.
"Stop the act," Sasuke replied with a roll of the eyes and a smirk. Simultaneously, he signaled for Crushing Talons to come closer to his clan mate so they could all speak. "Scanning Eyes, treat my allies as you would me. Your behavior shames us both, remedy that if you would be so kind."
Scanning Eyes offered no reply, but their flight evened out the same way.
"Thanks Yuno… you too emo…" Naruto trailed with a roll of his eyes. While Sasuke had accommodated him, he couldn't help but notice he waited, and that smirk…
"Why do you insist on calling me that?" Sasuke asked with a scoff.
"You're antisocial, emotional, and prone to being stubborn. It's not that far off." Yuno chimed in, though she wilted to a fierce glare from Sasuke.
"Thanks, Yuno," Naruto snarked with a shit eating grin. "But yeah, if the shoe fits."
"It does not," Sasuke replied plainly. "Emo people are self-harming, troubled people crushed by their woes. I feel empathy and pity for them in that order. I do not wish to harm myself nor see things as nearly so grim and helpless. I am pessimistic due to the things I've seen and experienced. Not due to some perceived flaw in myself or the world. For a shinobi, such is commonplace. I find people like the two of you, Yuno, and you Naruto, to be much stranger. We are soldiers and merchants of death living by the order of the few. Your clan was slaughtered in the previous war and my crushed in a supposed coop. The fact you two can act so carefree is nothing less than incredible to me."
"Hmm, well said, cousin…" Yuno said with a hum. "Thinking of a response…"
"Well, Kakashi-sensei told me something about that." Naruto countered. Something about Sasuke had always subtly rubbed him the wrong way. Originally, Naruto had been jealous of Sasuke in their few classes. Now, he found his negative attitude simply grating. That may be why he felt like challenging everything he said. Naruto kept his cool but went with his gut as he replied. "He said the strongest and most promising are often some of the most eccentric or aloof. The burden of becoming strong and skilled strains both the body and soul. Acting out is simply a way of relieving tension. The same way as acting stuck up helps you-" Naruto attempted to bite back the insult, but it slipped through all the same.
"Heh," Sasuke responded with a simple chuckle. Naruto was shocked again, having expected to fight the Uchiha for the smallest of slights.
"Let me speak the unique language of male Uchihas." Yuno chimed in. "They often communicate silently, with pointed glares, short grunts, or even outright silence."
"Sounds like Neji…"
"Shut up, Blondie." Sasuke replied with ease.
"Old Sasuke likes to bite back; probably pleasantly surprised he had the chance to. He definitely didn't think you'd offer much verbal sparring." Yuno explained with a smile.
"Stop demeaning me, Yuno. If he couldn't understand that much, it's not worth explaining." Sasuke sniped back at his family.
"Weird…" Naruto trailed off with an akward smile.
"Says the jinchuriki," Sasuke replied with his own smaller smile. It shifted to his regular cold expression as he switched the topic. "Either way, the River Plains will be our newest search location. We need to be prepared for heavy resistance; likely, this Master will have affected the Chakra Anchor Muri spoke of."
"The Chakra Anchor somehow influences all summoning techniques throughout Terra and Earth," Yuno added. "Muri had said the Okama Clan claimed if someone ever managed to control it, they would, in theory, be able to control all summons."
Naruto flinched as his golden scarf formed into an elongated raccoon form, keeping himself wrapped around his neck. "We should likely expect the Master to be present, but more than that, the barrier is to seal in the Chakra Anchor. This Master must've chosen to do that instead of dealing with the nature golems. That would explain their goal, more than likely the Chakra Anchor was their intended target from the start. Somehow the allies they've taken from us must be aiding them somehow."
"Nature golems?" Naruto asked with a raised brow.
"Being made of hardened minerals and living chakra," Muri informed. "Roughly a dozen of them patrol the canyon where the Anchor lies. No one knows where they came from, but they defend it relentlessly without rest or food. Whole clans have perished attempting to fight past them. This Master likely realized this and erected the barrier to escape from dealing with them directly. Should the barrier come down, we must avoid facing them; even the four of us would struggle to survive."