Chapter One: A New Mission!
"Oh come on Grandma!" a boy with spiky blonde hair and blue eyes wearing an orange jacket with black sleeves and orange pants yelled. A black headband was proudly worn on his forehead and he finished the look off with black shinobi sandals. "What's up with all these crappy missions you keep giving us?"
A woman with blonde hair tied in two ponytails and brown eyes, wearing a grass-green robe with the kanji symbol for gamble on the back. She wore a sleeveless grey kimono-style blouse with a dark blue sash tied across her waist. Her trousers were in the same color. She wore opened toed sandals with low heels on her feet. The woman rubbed her forehead out of frustration.
"Naruto, stop being so disrespectful!" a girl with shoulder-length pink hair and emerald green eyes yelled. She wore a sleeveless red top with a white circular design on the back and tight black shorts. She wore black gloves on her hands and black high-heeled boots along with pink elbow protectors and a pink-apron like skirt around her waist. She finished the look with a crimson-colored headband worn around her head to help accent her face.
"No, it's alright Sakura." The blonde-haired woman said as she let out a long and tiring sigh. "Now Naruto, what's so crappy about these missions?"
"Well number one, walking dogs is something that only Genin should be doing!" he yelled, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm getting tired of doing things that they should be doing!"
"You're still a Genin you idiot." Sakura thought as she shook her head.
"Number two, I hate picking weeds for that mean old village lady! Every time I accidently pick one of her flowers, she always hits me with that damn rolling pin of hers!" he yelled, rubbing his head.
"Not like you were doing it on purpose." Sakura thought sarcastically.
"And number three, that stupid cat either needs to get a new owner, or he needs to be put on a leash! If he scratches my face one more time, I'm going to strangle that little demon!" he yelled as he rubbed his face.
"Even though you were the one who kicked it in the side." Sakura thought, rolling her eyes.
The blonde haired woman sighed as she pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. She looked at the ranting blonde in front of her with bored eyes. "Are you finished?"
"No! Number four, I-"but his ranting was cut short when a hand reached over and covered his mouth. "I'm sorry Tsunade-sama, he'll be quiet now."
Tsunade sighed. "I hope so. So Kakashi, I take it the missions were successful?"
"Yes Ma'am." A man with spiky silver hair and black eyes said. He wore the standard Jōnin uniform with blue sandals and a navy blue headband. The only thing different was that he wore a mask that covered the lower half of his face and his headband covered his right eye.
"That's good. I can mark those off my list." Tsunade said with a sigh.
"Hold on, you still haven't answered my question!" Naruto yelled. He was able to pull Sakura's hand away from his face long enough to speak. "Why do you keep giving us crappy missions?"
"It's because I don't have anything else to give you Naruto. Plus, I need to get all of these missions out of the way. They're taking up too much space on my desk." Tsunade said as she put her hands before her, elbows on desk.
"Well I'm pretty sure that if you looked hard enough you would be able to-"Sakura's hand covered his mouth again, silencing him.
"Look Naruto, how about I do this?" Tsunade said, rubbing her temples. "If I find a mission higher than a D-Rank, you'll be the first to know."
Naruto moved Sakura's hand. "Make it a B-Rank and you got a deal!"
"Don't push it." Tsunade said through clenched teeth. "Be grateful I'm even letting you know when I do receive a mission that I think you'll be able to do."
"Alright, alright, I'll be good." Naruto said as he raised his arms defensively. "But remember, you promised!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, now don't make me change my mind." She said as she shooed them out of her office. The three walked out the office door. Tsunade sighed as she sat back in her chair and relaxed. "I swear, that boy will be the death of me!"
"So he was basically being his usual self, loud and obnoxious?" a girl with long blonde hair clipped in a ponytail and big blue eyes. She wore a sleeveless purple top that exposed her navel and a purple skirt. She wore fishnets on her arms and legs, and finished the look with blue sandals.
"Yeah." Sakura said as she handed the girl some money. The girl took it and handed Sakura some flowers. "I just don't know what to do with him Ino."
"Oh, don't worry. You should be used to it by now." Ino said. "Now who are these flower s for?"
"I'm buying myself a gift." Sakura said with a smirk. "Plus, the vase in my room seems pretty lonely. It needs some company."
"Oh wow." Ino said as she rolled her eyes. "You think you're so special that you have to buy yourself a gift."
"You're just jealous because I actually have money to buy something." Sakura said as she turned around and began to walk out the door.
"Hey, don't make me take those flowers away." Ino said as she sent a glare in her friend's direction.
"I'd like to see you try!" Sakura said.
"You want to fight?" Ino slammed her hands on the counter.
"Bring it pig!" Sakura yelled as she clenched her fists. After a minute of glaring at each other, the two began to laugh.
"Get out of my shop Billboard brow." Ino said with a smile. Sakura waved 'goodbye' and turned around and walked out the shop.
"I mean, who does she think she is? She can't just send me on all these D-Rank missions! Its mutiny I tell you, mutiny!" Naruto shouted as he stuffed a bowl full of noodles in his mouth.
"Well Naruto, she is the Godaime." A man with fairly long brown hair clipped in a ponytail and brown eyes said. He wore the standard Chūnin uniform with a black headband worn on his forehead. There was a horizontal scar going across the bridge of his nose. "Usually whatever she says goes."
"Whatever, I need something more challenging Iruka-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Just be glad she's actually going to let you know when she finds a mission for you. She wouldn't just do that for everybody." Iruka said as he finished his bowl of noodles.
"Yeah, I know, I'm special." Naruto said with a grin. Iruka smiled. "So, are you paying for this meal Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked with a grin.
"You aren't going to pay for it, so I might as well." Iruka said with narrowed eyes as he reached for his wallet. At that moment, a female voice was heard behind him.
"Um, pardon my interruption Iruka, but I have a message for Naruto." The two boys turned around and noticed a woman with shoulder-length dark hair and dark eyes standing there. She wore a dark blue kimono with white trims and black open-toed sandals with low heels.
"It's alright Shizune." Iruka said as he finally pulled out his wallet.
"So what's the message Shizune?" Naruto asked with wide eyes.
"It's from Tsunade-sama." At the mention of her name, Naruto's eyes suddenly lit up with excitement. "She's requested that you come to her office immediately. It's something important."
"Alright, I bet she's found a mission for me!" he cheered as he stood up straight. "I'll see you later Iruka-sensei, and thanks for the meal!" he got up and ran towards the Hokage's tower.
"He's always so full of energy." Shizune said.
"Yeah. He always is." Iruka replied.
Naruto rushed through the Hokage's tower. Turning down a couple of corridors, running up a flight of stairs, he eventually made it to the correct hallway which the office door was located on. He walked down the hallway and eventually made it to the correct door. He grabbed the door handle and turned it. He walked inside and was surprised at who was waiting there.
One of the people was Sakura. She looked back at him and nodded her head.
There was a boy with long brown hair clipped in a ponytail and lavender-shaded eyes, wearing traditional black and white robes with black sandals and a black headband worn on his forehead.
Standing next to the boy was a girl with fairly long brown hair tied in two Chinese buns and big brown eyes. She wore a long-sleeved white blouse with red pants and black sandals. A black headband was worn on her forehead. There was also a very large scroll attached to her back.
Naruto walked forward and stood next to Sakura. He then whispered to her: "What are Neji and Tenten doing here?"
"They're here to help you on your mission." Tsunade said, obviously hearing his question.
"What happened to Kakashi-sensei?" the blonde asked.
"He's currently on an assignment with Guy and Lee. That's why Neji and Tenten are here. Neji will be the leader of this mission, and I added Tenten because I didn't want her to feel left out." Tsunade explained.
"Wow, thanks for including me." Tenten thought with narrowed eyes.
"Oh." Naruto said.
"So what is the mission Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked, very curious.
"The mission I'm giving you is classified as a C-Rank mission. You four are to escort this very important document…" she pulled out a medium-sized scroll, which was black with red trims and was decorated with shining red gems. "…to Ankoku no Kuni."
"Ankoku…no Kuni?" Tenten repeated, puzzled.
"Yes, Ankoku no Kuni. You may not have heard of it before, but it's a secret land that has not participated in any of the Shinobi Wars. From here, it should take you at least three days. It's located in the east."
"So what is the important document?" Naruto asked. "What does it say?"
"I can't tell you that because that is classified information. Only the eyes of the Kurokage can see this. It's of most importance." Tsunade told the blonde.
"So what are the risks?" Neji asked.
"Along the way, you may be attacked by bandits. Ankoku no Kuni has a history of having renegade shinobi appear and attack anybody, so be careful. The rank of the mission could be changed to B-Rank, depending on the type of bandits you're dealing with." Tsunade told the white-eyed boy.
"Alright." Neji reached over and took the scroll out of Tsunade's possession.
"During this mission, you four must stay alert. Ankoku no Kuni is also home to some very dangerous animals that will not hesitate to kill you. Keep your guard up and watch out." The blonde woman explained.
"Okay Tsunade-sama." Sakura said to her master. "We'll be careful."
"Good. Now it's best that you guys leave out tomorrow morning. Think you guys can handle this mission?" Tsunade asked.
"Of course! This mission will be a piece of cake!" Naruto said as he gave a thumbs-up.
"Good, now you're all dismissed!"
"So does everyone understand the mission?" Neji asked.
"Yeah. Take the scroll to the place, give the scroll to the man, and then come straight home." Naruto said.
"That's basically the run-down of the mission. Other than that, we also need to be on the lookout for enemy shinobi and dangerous animals." Neji explained.
"Understood." Sakura said.
"Our objective is easy to understand, and we will complete this mission. Do I make myself clear?" Neji asked.
"Whatever you say." Tenten said with a sly smirk.
"Good, now let's move out!" and with that final sentence, the four disappeared.
Ankoku no Kuni(Land of Darkness)
Kurokage(Dark Shadow)