The rain fell down, not hard, but not soft. The tall and silent Aburame walked down the streets of Konohagakure Village, hands in his pockets, sunglasses covering his eyes, despite the fact that there was no sun at all. He could feel his insects inside of him. They were his solace; his serenity. They kept him peaceful. They knew his troubles, and accepted them.
However, right now the Aburame boy had no troubles. He was content. He usually was. He crossed the bridge and stopped to look out at the calm stream below, the rain disturbing its surface and agitating it with ripples and sounds of water mixing with water. Shino was mesmerized. It was beautiful.
"Shino!"
Shino turned. His teammates, Inuzuka Kiba and Hyuuga Hinata approached him, followed by Yuuhi Kurenai, his team's sensei. They walked up to him and Kurenai smiled.
"Early as usual, Shino," she said. Shino nodded.
"God, how can you keep doing this?" the dog boy before him asked, swatting rain drops away, his white ninja dog, shying under his master's legs.
"Hm," was all Shino replied. Hinata was red in the face, as usual, looking down at her feet, her knees pointed inward to keep them from shaking.
"U-uh, I think what Kiba m-means to say, Shino, i-is that i-it's hard to understand why y-you would want to c-come here s-so early in the rain…" she said, her voice wavering. Shino wasn't worried as a stranger might have been. Hinata's voice always sounded like that. Shino surveyed her through his sunglasses.
"Well," he said in the indifferent voice he always used. "Why wouldn't I?" Hinata, thinking this was meant as some sort of critical remark, went bright tomato-red and couldn't stop her knees from shaking a little. Shino turned to Kurenai.
"What is our mission?" he asked. He was very straightforward. Kurenai smirked.
"As you all know," she began. "We haven't enough Jounin to assign to all of the A and S rank missions we keep receiving, so some of the Genin and Chuunin will have to step up to the task of completing some of these missions. That's what we're here about today." She paused and watched all of her pupils. She was surprised to see that even Kiba was rapt with attention. She continued.
"Unfortunately," she sighed. "Our team will have to be separated for a while. Kiba and Hinata, you will be escorting Asuma's team to the Land of Waves for a B rank mission. Shino and I will escort Team Gai on an A rank mission to the Land of Lightning. Does everyone understand that much?" Hinata and Shino nodded, but Kiba got angry.
"How come Shino gets to go on the A mission!?" he barked. "He's not that special!" Shino stood still, not showing it, but secretly annoyed by the dog-nin's actions. Kurenai rolled her eyes.
"Damn it, Kiba," she said. "You sound just like Naruto!" Kiba shut up, a growling noise still emanating from his throat. Shino turned back to his sensei.
"When are we getting briefed, Sensei?" he asked. Kurenai turned to him, a guilty look on her face.
"As soon as possible," she said sheepishly. "I apologize for the abruptness." Shino shook his head slightly, waving away the apology.
"Expecting the unexpected is what we, as shinobi do," he said.
"Well said, Shino," Kurenai said, smiling. Turning to the rest of the team, she said, "Alright, let's go." Hinata nodded and squeaked, "Hai! Kurenai-sensei!" Shino nodded, and Kiba just followed with a scowl.
The rain was safely outside and Neji felt immediately grateful at having escaped its wet touch. He and his teammates, Rock Lee and Tenten all followed their Sensei Might Gai up the round wide stairway to the Hokage's office.
"Come, my youthful students!" Gai shouted, his arm shooting above his head victoriously. "Let us see what divine mission our dear Hokage will present us with today!" Lee saluted and beamed as brightly and creepily as his idol/sensei.
"Hai! Gai-Sensei!" he shouted. Tenten giggled and shook her head. Neji just shook his head. The brunette prodigy did not normally approve of the behavior of his teammate and his sensei.
Team Gai continued to climb the Stairs of Youth, as Gai called them, until they reached the Hokage's Office of Passion, cleverly named by Lee who was immediately embraced by a sobbing Gai. Neji and Tenten stood by awkwardly as the mini Love Fest of Losers, accurately named by Neji, continued.
"Neji? Tenten?"
Neji and Tenten turned around and saw Kurenai and her team approach them. Immediately their eyes were drawn to the two green clad ninjas embracing before them. Kurenai raised her brow. She shook her head and stepped forward.
"Gai! Lee!" she called. "It's time to get briefed for our mission. You can do that after you come back alive."
"And where no one can see you," Kiba muttered to himself. Shino remained stoic, as usual. Hinata was red in the face, her mouth twitching slightly as if trying not to giggle. Neji and Tenten looked flat out embarrassed. Lee and Gai separated themselves, not at all perturbed by the now thick tension that filled the hall.
"Let us go!" Gai declared. Lee nodded exuberantly at his side and the two marched off, as though…as though…ah, DAMN IT!! I can't find a good descriptive term!! They're just too damn CREEPY! Ah, shit. I guess I should just continue, huh? Sorry 'bout that!
Anyway, team Kurenai and the rest of Team Gai followed, slowly regaining the composure they had lost during that slight episode.
As they approached the Hokage's office they heard something, every single one of them registering right away what it was.
"Come, on Granny, just tell me the mission already!!" came Naruto's loud voice from behind the closed doors that led to the Fifth Hokage.
"Damn it, Naruto!! Just shut up and wait until your teammates are here! Or are you just incapable of exercising enough self control to sit your ass still!!" Tsunade's voice replied, yelling just as loud, if not louder. Hinata went red at hearing Naruto's voice. Tenten muttered, "Oh no," to herself, while shaking her head. Shino seemed passive about it but Neji swore he heard a slight sigh escape the bug-user's lips, even from behind his collar. He had to bite his lip to keep himself from smirking. He completely shared the Aburame's feelings when it came to Naruto.
The group approached the door to the office and Gai knocked loudly.
"Finally!!" Tsunade shouted. "Get the hell in here!! I can't take this brat anymore!" Quickly, Kurenai and Gai ushered their students into the Hokage's office. The sight they saw did not surprise any of them in the slightest. Naruto, in all of his orange idiocy, stood with his hands on the Hokage's desk, leaning into her face. Tsunade was on her feet, her hands clenched into fists and resting on the other side of the desk, her face inches from his, her great blue eyes sparkling with frustration and irritation, her blonde hair swinging dangerously in front of her red face. Naruto snapped around as Kurenai, Gai and their teams entered from behind him. He looked them over. His eyes stopped on Kiba and they widened, as did the dog-nin's.
"You've got to be kidding!" Naruto shouted. "I have to go on a mission with him!?"
"Oh, and like going on a mission with you is going to be the time of my life!" Kiba shouted back at Naruto, seeming to forget what Kurenai had told him earlier. Tsunade's hand flew to her temple, angrily massaging it, a vein in her forehead threatening to burst.
"Shut up!!" she bellowed. Naruto and Kiba complied, but were staring daggers at each other. Hinata, Shino, Tenten, Lee, Neji, Gai and Kurenai stood to the side, looking quite awkward and surprised. Even Gai and Lee seemed to sense that intervention would only make the situation worse. They astutely remained on the sidelines while Naruto, Tsunade and Kiba fought it out.
A knock sounded on the door and Tsunade angrily shouted for the intruding party to enter. The doors opened and the young Yoshikawa Sai entered. She took one look around, raised her eyebrow and then asked, "Is everything alright?" Tsunade chose not to answer and Naruto returned his angry gaze to Kiba, who followed suit. Sai smirked.
"Oh, that's how it is," she said. "Well, anyway, I'm here for a mission, Hokage." She walked past Naruto and Kiba, turning to direct a look of amusement in their direction. She walked up to the very stressed Hokage and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Please tell me that those two are not going on a mission together," she whispered to the Hokage. Tsunade shook her head.
"They're not," she growled through clenched teeth. "Kiba and Hinata are going with Asuma's team and you, Naruto and Shino are accompanying Team Gai." She paused to steady her staggered and angry breathing. Sai patted her shoulder sympathetically, empathizing with what she was going through, as Naruto was on her team and thus, a daily problem for her.
"What about Sasuke?" Sai asked.
"He will be going with Kiba and Hinata to accompany Asuma," she said. She looked at Sai, momentarily forgetting about her problems with Naruto. "His injuries are doing much better and he's just so insistent about starting missions again as soon as possible. I'm worried about how it will affect him, and, to be frank, I debated about sending you with him and sending Naruto, Shino, and Kiba with Team Gai, but you are the only one who can keep Naruto in check and to send him and Kiba on a mission together would be…" she stopped and thought about what she was talking about, shuddering. "I don't even want to think about it!" Sai snickered, agreeing with Tsunade.
"But, you are going to send Kakashi-Sensei with him, correct?" she asked. Tsunade nodded.
"Yes, I am," she said. "They're going to need two Jounin as much as your group will. Will you please shut them up so I can explain the mission?" She gestured angrily to Naruto and Kiba who had started a furious argument about who knows what, and were getting steadily louder. Sai walked over to them, grabbed Naruto's and Kiba's collars, pulled them apart and then bashed their heads together. The fighting stopped instantly and both boys howled in pain, clutching at their foreheads.
"Sai, what the hell!?" Naruto shouted.
"Shut up, idiot, so the Hokage can explain the missions," Sai commanded firmly. Naruto shut up, but scowled. He turned to Tsunade.
"Well, get on with it, Granny!" he growled, his head still smarting. Tsunade decided not to voice the angry retort in her mind. Instead she took a deep breath and said, "Well, until Asuma's team, Sasuke and Kakashi get here I can't explain Kiba and Hinata's mission, so I ask you two to just wait patiently. I apologize for the delay." Kiba and Hinata politely waved the apology away, but Kiba looked thoroughly angry. Tsunade nodded and turned back to the others.
"However," she said. "Since all of you are here, I will proceed to explaining your mission." She paused and cleared her throat and then sat back down at her desk and picked up a very formal looking peace of paper and read.
"Your mission will be to escort a family of merchants to their village in the Land of Lightning." Naruto's face fell.
"What kind of a mission is that?" he complained. "I've gone on harder ones than this, believe it!" Tsunade glared at him.
"Will you let me finish!?" she shouted, losing her patience for a second time that day. Naruto folded his arms in a clear pout. Tsunade continued, the vein in her head throbbing threateningly.
"Now, this is an A rank mission," she clarified. "And is more than just that of a simple bodyguard mission." She looked up at the group before her. "These merchants are the targets of assassins." She was cut off once again by a loud shout from Naruto.
"Awesome!" he shouted. "We're going to be protecting them from assassins?" He broke off, quivering with excitement. Sai rolled her eyes and socked Naruto on the head. He opened his mouth in protest, but Tsunade cut him off.
"Don't say another word until I'm finished, Uzumaki!" she yelled, once again on her feet. Naruto was silent and she continued. "Your task is not only to defend them, but also to rid them of their problem. You are to destroy the assassinating party and ensure their permanent safety. Do you all understand?" Gai, Lee, Neji, Tenten, Shino, Naruto, Sai and Kurenai all nodded.
"Good," Tsunade said. "Then I shall summon your charges; Nagasani Yoshi and his wife Kiu, as well as their three daughters." She turned to her black-haired assistant and barked, "Shizune! Send in our visitors!" Shizune bowed and nodded.
"Hai! Hokage-sama!" She turned and hurried out the door, her little pink pig following at her heels. Everyone waited in awkward and tense, and in Naruto's case, impatient, silence.
Shizune returned in a few moments and knocked.
:Come in, Shizune!" Tsunade ordered. The doors opened revealing Shizune and she led in a family of five; a man and a woman; Neji assumed them to be the parents; and three girls all about the Genins' age, and undoubtedly the children of the man and woman. These girls bore an uncanny resemblance to their parents. The father had a strong but soft build and his jaw was defined and strong. His eyes were green and big and all of his children had the exact same ones. Their hair was black, as their father's was, but they had the delicate features of their mother, who had a soft, petite body and an enchanting complexion, which showed in all of her children's faces. However much like their parents they looked, though, each still had their own unique qualities. One, the tallest, but not by much, had a look of permanent skepticism on her face and looked to be the cleverest of them all. The second tallest, had a small dimple below her left eye and looked to be the kindest of them all. And the third, the shortest, had soft cheeks and lips, by far the most beautiful of the three.
She noticed Neji appraising her and blushed, smiling to herself. She and her parents and sisters approached the Hokage and bowed low.
"Thank you so much for accepting our request!" the man said looking at the floor rather than Tsunade. Tsunade waved away the gratitude.
"It's nothing, really," she said. "I have your assurance that you can pay us for this mission so I will be sure to provide you with your money's worth. I can assure you that these are some of the best ninja in Konoha." The lie rolled easily off her tongue. Naruto, everybody there except the clients knew, was the most irritating and unskilled ninja in the village. However, there was some truth to it, as two Jounin, Kurenai and Gai, and two of the most skilled Genin, Sai and Neji were being sent with Naruto.
The man looked up gratefully.
"Arigato!" he said, gratefully. His wife reached out and gripped his hand hopefully. He turned to look at her with relieved green eyes. The sisters exchanged looks of happiness and hope. The tallest, and most likely, the eldest, stepped forward. She bowed her head respectfully.
"We, my sisters and I wish to thank you, Lord Hokage, for aiding us in our time of need," she spoke. Her voice was sharp yet soft, and it was drenched with sincerity and gratitude. Her sisters bowed in agreement and thanks and their parents looked at them proudly with fond eyes. Neji felt a slight pang. Is this what it would be like to have a real family? Well, if you exclude the fact that they were being chased by assassins.
The Hokage shook her head.
"Please, save your thanks for your escorts and bodyguards, once they defeat your pursuers," she said, and then paused. Neji realized then that Tsunade wanted one of them to step forward and assure the family that they would indeed, defeat the pursuers. Smoothly, and right on cue, Neji stepped forward and bowed.
"You can be assured," he promised, speaking to the parents as opposed to the family. "That we will not let anything happen to you or your kin. We only ask that you cooperate with us and place your full trust in our abilities as shinobi, and we will do the rest." Short and sweet. Tsunade smirked. Naruto and Lee looked away with something that could be classified as jealousy on their faces. Shino looked stoic, as usual. Kurenai looked impressed, and Gai stood proudly, basking the fact that his student was so intelligent. Tenten, however, wasn't looking at Neji. She was grinning at the sisters' reaction to his small speech. They were all blushing and eyeing him carefully, trying to be subtle about it, not that Neji would have known anyway. He was oblivious to flirting. The parents looked at Neji and smiled.
"Thank you, young Leaf nin," the man said. "Would you grace us with your name?" Neji bowed as he responded.
"I am Hyuuga Neji, sir," he replied. He turned and indicated to his teammates respectfully. "These are my companions and fellow shinobi of Konoha Leaf Village. Tenten." Tenten bowed. "Rock Lee." Lee followed suit. "Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto clumsily dipped forward, trying to hide a look of envy and irritation. "Yoshikawa Sai." Sai bowed, like the others. "Aburame Shino." Shino dipped forward without removing his hands from his pockets. Neji turned to face Gai and Kurenai. "And these are our Sensei," he said. Being the polite and civil offspring of the Hyuuga clan that he was, Neji allowed Kurenai and Gai to step forward and introduce themselves.
"I am Might Gai," Gai boomed proudly, his hands on his hips. Kurenai shook her head and stepped forward, smiling at the family.
"I am Yuuhi Kurenai," she said. "It is a pleasure to be protecting you and your daughters, but I feel as though we are at a disadvantage." She turned to the sisters. "You know our names, but we don't know yours." The sisters smiled, and once again, the eldest stepped forward.
"I am Kiku," she said, and bowed. She indicated to the second eldest and second tallest. "This is my sister, Kyoko." The kind looking one bowed and straightened. Kiku then proceeded to her third sister. "This is my second sister, Kimiko." The beautiful one bowed and glanced at Neji quickly and fleetingly but returned her gaze to the floor disappointedly when she saw he wasn't looking. Kurenai looked over each of them and nodded.
"Arigato," she said, bowing. She turned to the parents. "You have very beautiful and polite daughters," she said. "As my companion's student so truthfully said, we promise we will let no harm befall them." The family nodded gratefully. Naruto, being Naruto and being unable to stand silently for so long, stepped forward.
"When are we leaving?" he asked, an edge in his voice. Tsunade turned to him and tried to hide her impatience as she answered.
"Immediately," she said. "You have one hour to prepare but, you must leave as soon as you're done. As long as the Nagasani family is here, we are in danger as well. The sooner you leave and destroy the assassins the sooner both they and you will be safe." Naruto nodded, a grin of anticipation beginning to spread across his face. He was looking forward to this!