Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Naruto.
Ch. 1: Joint Mission to Wave
It was a bright and beautiful morning in Konoha, Hiruzen noted. He could hear the birds singing their beautiful melodies in the trees just beyond the open window and the smell of late summer drifted into the Mission Assignment Room with a gentle breeze.
Focusing his attention back to the inhabitants of the room the aged Hokage looked at the two teams assembled before him with amusement. Team Seven and Eight stood ready for assignment. Team eight more so. Kurenai stood behind her three students, all of them poised and every bit professional. Kakashi, however, stood with a lazy slouch as he received exasperated glares from the female Jonin.
The old man suppressed a chuckle. Similar to their sensei team seven also sported a somewhat laid back stance. Naruto had his hands behind his head as he impatiently waited for a new mission. Sasuke had his hands in his pocket and his eyes surveyed the village beyond the window. Sakura, unsurprisingly, was the only one standing at attention, albeit a little more lax then team eight. The pink haired kunoichi occasionally sent affectionate glances towards her raven haired teammate.
"It seems you are all quite anxious to get your next assignments," Hiruzen stated with mirth. Most of the gathered genin all seemed to become more serious. Naruto, however, flashed a wide grin towards the older shinobi. The hokage began rummaging through various scrolls looking for something suitable for the genin. "Let's see here," he said. "Painting fences, cleaning the armory... hmm, it seems Tora has escaped from his owner... again..."
"Actually," the Jonin instructors interjected simultaneously. They looked at each other before Kakashi bowed his head allowing Kurenai to speak first. She nodded in appreciation. "I was hoping to acquire a 'C' ranked mission for Team Eight," she said, earning a quiet 'yes!' from Kiba. "Their teamwork since forming a squad has been most exceptional and I feel that my team is ready to take on the challenges and duty that may come."
"Oh?" Hiruzen asked, quirking an eyebrow at the young woman. He shifted his gaze to the lazy Kakashi. He studied the man for a minute, reading his body language.
"And I take it you share the same feelings towards your own genin, Kakashi?" the Hokage noted. The masked man nodded in agreement, smiling behind the blue fabric.
"More or less, Hokage-sama," he stated plainly. His squad became rather exasperated at jab at their pride. "They're a little rough around the edges, but I'm sure that when the situation arises my genin will be up for the task. As such I would also like to request a 'C' ranked mission for Team Seven."
Kakashi's request elicited an excited 'yeah!' from the blond genin making Kiba's excitement from earlier look almost sardonic. Hiruzen chuckled to himself while looking over the two teams. Even in the short time since their graduation from the academy the old hokage couldn't help but be impressed by their progress. Setting aside the pile of 'D' ranked missions, the older man pulled out a single scroll and set it on the middle of the table.
"As unfortunate as it is," he began. "I have but one 'C' ranked mission left for today."
The older man looked between the young shinobi gathered before him and observed their reactions. Hinata and Sakura both looked rather pensive, no doubt figuring what the worst case scenario might be if the other team got the mission. Kiba and Naruto both looked ready to explode with anticipation. Shino and Sasuke remained neutral. The old Hokage decided he would have a spot of fun with the genin.
"In order to determine who shall get the mission I've decided that both your teams will have to fight for it," he said in a serious tone. "The winners gets the 'C' rank mission and the losers get a year's worth of 'D' ranks before they're eligible for another 'C' rank."
The collective outcries of 'WHAT!?' brought a great deal of amusement out of the aged man. He laughed at the expense of the two teams of genin. Said teams simply glared at the Hokage as they waited for him to compose himself.
"I'm only kidding of course," the Hokage said, wiping a tear from his eye. He hadn't laughed that well in a long time. "But that does raise a problem. I could just give one team the mission and have the other run lower ranked missions until another 'C' Rank comes up."
"Or," Hiruzen paused adding dramatic effect. The two groups waited anxiously for the Hokage's response. Naruto and Kiba were both fidgeting on their feet. "What I can do is split this mission into two 'D' Ranks and allow both teams to participate. It will go in your records officially as a 'C' Rank, but you will only be receiving 'D' Rank pay. Is this acceptable?"
The genin present deliberated amongst each other before responding with a collective 'Yes Sir!' The Hokage smiled at their enthusiasm. He opened the mission scroll and scribbled a few notes at the bottom and finished by signing it with his official seal.
"Team Seven and Team Eight, by order as Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves I hereby assign you both to a 'C' Ranked escort mission to the Land of waves," Hiruzen said with authority. Both teams, surprisingly, stood at attention and followed his every word. "As such your priorities are to transport, protect and assist your charge during the period for which you will be away. As it stands you will be away until Tazuna, your client, has completed his work on the bridge in the land of Waves."
The Hokage looked to one of the door guards and motioned for them to bring Tazuna into the room. Tazuna was a fairly old man with grey hair and goatee. He wore a faded black, almost greyish-brown, shirt and tannish khaki pants. He had a traveler's pack on his back and carried a rather impressive bottle of sake. The man observed the two teams and made a grunting noise.
"So they're the ones who're supposed to protect me?" he asked, unimpressed. "Don't really look like much… especially the small stupid looking one."
Naruto laughed at the insult looking for whoever it was Tazuna was mocking. Sudden realization dawned on him when he noticed that everyone else was staring at directly at him. The blonde's eye twitched as he nearly assaulted the bridge-builder.
"I'll kill him," Naruto exclaimed as he was held back by the rest of his team. Everyone had a laugh at the blonde's expense.
"I assure you," Kurenai stated with a hesitant laugh. "These genin may not look like much but they're more than able to keep you safe during your construction."
The aged Hokage cleared his throat garnering the attention of those present in the room. He looked at everyone with a stern and serious manner. Some would assume they were in trouble if not for the proud smile that went with his gaze.
"You all will be given an hour to prepare for your mission," he said. "Use this time to gather any weapons, tools or other rations and supplies you may need. Once you are ready you are to meet at the main gate. I wish you all good luck and stay safe. Look out for one another for you are proud Shinobi of Konoha. Do this and I guarantee that everything will be fine."
Everyone in the room stood at attention and bowed respectfully before the Hokage. "Thank you Hokage-sama," they said in unison. With a nod the two teams were dismissed and quickly left to prepare for their mission.
A/N: Well there we go, my first chapter of a plot bunny that has been running rampant in my head for a while now. Hopefully it wasn't too boring for a first chapter, the real meat of the story will, hopefully, start showing up soon. I'm going to shoot for a weekly update, if that doesn't happen then I'll probably have updates every other week. Until next time, take care.