Ino's POV
Ino nearly fell as Naruto was snatched away. Her instincts homed due to her training with Anko, had made her attempt to dash after them. But suddenly, a body smashed into another, the two of them falling as three more ran upon them to check on them.
Ino glanced from her downed position, seeing Samui across from her in the same position. Samui had reacted like her, and the two had crashed into each other due to it. She felt her anger flare as she surged to her feet. Samui did so as well, seemingly upset for some absurd reason. Before the two could race toward each other, Neji stopped Ino, and Kurotsuchi stopped Samui. Fuu ignored such sprouting wings and flew off toward Naruto.
"I'll check on him~!" Fuu alerted as she chased after the blonde.
Ino paid no mind, however, and Samui and her sent death glares at each other. Both, however, were calm enough not to fight. This allowed Neji and Kurotsuchi to step back and allow the two to face each other.
"What the hell is your problem?" Ino asked, annoyed. "Why do you keep trying to interrupt me dancing with my teammate? Hell why is a Cloud shinobi so insistent on being around him anyway?"
"The first time, as well as this time, was not my fault." Samui countered. "However, retaliation is childish. And furthermore it isn't a political matter nor a concern of you. Your his teammate not his partner."
"Childish?" Ino asked, further insulted. "I get it. I may not have watermelons on my chest. I assure you I'm all women. Also I know what I am and what I am not. Besides, it was my dance, not something you have the right to interrupt. And I assure you-"
"Yes, childish, one a teammate isn't someone you get to monopolize to yourself. Two if you're insecure with your size, it's not my problem. And three, maybe that's why you weren't promoted." Samui sniped back. "Besides, I think Naruto prefers his woman to be cool, not possessive!" Samui sniped back.
Ino growled at that; this woman seemed determined to stay in her way. First, she ruined her tribute to Naruto, her shot at Chunin, and now seemed determined to steal the blonde away entirely! "Firstly, I'm not; I have enough back problems. Secondly, Naruto prefers someone with a vocabulary larger than the world cool and one who knows a bob cut is acceptable; thirdly, I'm not possessive. Just concerned about a foreign shinobi attempting to seduce my teammate."
"Ahuh, or maybe you're just an uncool sore loser." Samui snapped back.
"You little bit-" Ino paused as she visibly reigned herself in. "Not now, but sometime soon, we'll settle this." She promised. Samui merely nodded in agreement before she stomped off. Ino did the same after a few seconds of glaring.
"Do they even remember Blondie got swiped?" Kurotsuchi asked curiously. "Also shouldn't you help the Blonde Bastard?" She asked Neji, who had watched the whole situation with much less enthusiasm than she thought would be reasonable.
"No, no, they don't, and no, no, we shouldn't," Neji answered. His Byakugan is active and staring at where the blonde must be. "Naruto was taken not too far from here, and Fuu is catching up shortly watching. There are two shinobi orchestrating the meeting. It seems they merely wished to get his attention. I don't know why, but it is unlikely to be a violent reason. As such, I refuse to involve myself in every piece of drama Naruto inexplicably finds."
"Right, that ruins my fun, so… wanna dance?" Kurotsuchi asked Neji with a smirk.
"I suppose so."
Naruto's POV (Nearby Snowscape - Land of Iron)
Naruto was calm as he zipped through the air. Honestly, if not for the water tentacle slowly soaking his kimono, he would be content to allow this to happen. That whole dancing situation had been confusing and alarming. Naruto never knew women could be so confounding. Though he supposed it seemed he was missing something and, as such, was making it worse. The whole situation was confusing, so as far as Naruto was concerned, this was a welcomed excuse to escape it.
Naruto shuffled into his robe and drew a scroll. His progress with Fuijutsu was slow; his mother had occasionally aided him with such, but Naruto had never been all that skilled at it. Though always had trained diligently in the art, it made his mother happy. Naruto however, with consistent effort and time, managed the most basic of seals. With a pulse of chakra, he released Riptide and slashed through both strands of water with ease. The momentum carried him lower in the air until he landed on a slope with a lack of trees filled with snow. There stood two shinobi, Magetsu and Suigetsu of the Mist, they stood staring at Naruto, Suigetsu's arms solidifying as Naruto slid to a stop. Naruto offered both a confused stare but cautiously dipped into a defensive stance. Two-on-one combat was still preferable to the odd situation he had been in before.
"Naruto Uzumaki, we wish to speak to you," Suigetsu offered somewhat kindly. It was obvious that Naruto was forcing it to some degree, and Naruto prepared his chakra to fight.
"I told your younger brother we should ask him to speak to us. It's a miracle he didn't try to kill us." Mangetsu said with his face in his hand. "Please do not misunderstand Uzumaki; we mean no harm."
"Funny way of showing it, swear I can't have a peaceful night…" Naruto mainly complained to himself. "Listen, if you wanna attack me, just do it, I am not in the mood for mental gymnastics. And would rather just get it over with so I can get some alone time."
"I don't like his attitude; we don't need him, brother." Suigetsu quipped as he paced toward Naruto. The blonde subtly started to flow chakra into Riptide. "What kind of fool willingly allows himself to be taken?"
"Well, it would be an unfair fight…" Naruto started with a smirk. He felt mischievous and relished Suigetsu's dismissive snorting; he was taking the bait.
"No such thing-" Suigetsu started, but Naruto did not have it.
"You should've probably brought more guys. Not much of an ambush if I can smash through ya, ya know?" Naruto taunted.
"You think that little match in the exams was how I fight?" Suigetsu asked, incensed. "Let me show y-"
"Suigetsu!" Mangetsu roared and flexed an impressive amount of chakra, stopping the two in their tracks. "We have no time for your games. We're here on business." Naruto watched as Suigetsu obediently stepped silently behind his brother. What on earth did they want to discuss with him? Couldn't he just enjoy his night?
"Alright, so what the hell do you all want anyway?" Naruto asked bluntly. "You really could've just asked."
"Do you know of the Civil War inside the Mist?" Mangetsu asked.
"Um, well, somewhat? Most sources have cited information as difficult to validate due to propaganda from both sides." Naruto answered slowly. He had heard people discussing the topic but wasn't overly familiar with it.
"Half true," Suigetsu snarked. "The Bloody Mizukage certainly releases plenty of propaganda; the rebels, however…"
"Let's walk him through it, brother." Mangetsu chided before continuing. "For years, the Mist had suffered under the cruel reign of the Third Mizukage, a man who had developed a unique and deadly style of water jutsu. His power was unique and politically ingrained within the village. His reign had seemed absolute until a new prodigy arose."
"The jinchuriki of the Three-Tails died; as such, a new host was chosen." Suigetsu chimed in. "The third chose him himself and decided to train and raise him. The training was whispered to be cruel and unending. It was not only of the mind but the body. The Third spent years creating what he called the Hero of the Mist. And to be fair to the long-dead bastard, it worked."
"Yagura was trained to be a hero?" Naruto asked. "Why would that be bad?"
"Yagura is no normal man; his sanity has been shattered by the cruel and relentless life he had lived due to the third. Perhaps the beast simply drove him mad; it mattered little. He was no hero of the Mist; he was a beast. Yet the man thought himself different. Even in his odd mind, the ideals of the Third took root. Yagura is obsessed with being a hero. It's certainly odd, but Yagura worked hard to achieve that goal. Crushing criminals, corrupt officials, and intruders with a zealous lust. Was able to sway the Third towards a more reasonable rule."
"So how does somebody raised to be a hero lead to the "Bloody Civil War"?" Naruto asked.