A.N.

I just wanted to say that the rating of the story may change to M in future chapters.


Chapter 3 – C-rank mission

The following two months after the bell test, team seven spent their time submerged in a never ending routine.

They would start their day by gathering at the appointed training ground in the morning, where they would wait for Kakashi for two or more hours. Kazuko and Haruka always yelled at him and Kakashi always came with a lame excuse.

After that they would continue their chakra control exercises, such as climbing trees up without hands, vertically, defying gravity. Haruka had the easiest time since he had the smallest reserves. Kazuko in the other hand, had the hardest time dued to her immense chakra reserve. At her very first time she almost broke the tree. While Sasuke had normal chakra reserves, he easily lost himself in anger and lost focus what made his training as hard as the jinchuriki.

They would follow their practice up by a lunch break where Kazuko usually went to Ichikaru's and said 'Hi' to Iruka.

After lunch the team gathered to complete D-rank missions necessary to team building, such as painting a fence, babysitting and of course…

"Do you see the target?" Kakashi asked over the wireless radio.

"I've a visual." Sasuke said.

"I'm five meters away." Haruka said.

"Me too." Kazuko said.

"Then GO!" Kakashi said as the three genins tackled the target, he then proceeded to examine while it tried to scratch the genins. "Pink ribbon in the left ear…"

Yes, the target, who was fighting for its life, had a pink ribbon, whiskers, paws and a tail, the target was the infamous Tora, the cat.

-}{-

Back in the mission delivery office, team seven reported the success of the mission: catch Tora, who was still fighting for her life clawing at the genins. The daimyo's wife accepted the cat and squish it hard, least to say the genins where thinking the same: serves you right.

"Well, we still have time." Kakashi said. "Anyone up for another mission?"

"Kakashi-sensei" Kazuko said. "I understand teamwork is important and I even agreed to avoid using shadow clones for the sake of improving teamwork, but please: No. More. Chores."

"We could give you the 'Catch the Uzumaki Mission'; however, for obvious reasons that precise one isn't available…" Hiruzen said as he thought for a moment. "What do you think, Kakashi, are they ready?"

"Well…" Kakashi said lazily. "They completed the tree climbing exercise, their teamwork is as good as it can get for rookies, they only miss combat experience. Yes they are ready."

Hiruzen nodded and said. "Send him in."

The door opened and a man smelling to alcohol entered the room.

"Your mission is to safeguard this man, Tazuna a master bridge builder and take him back to the land of the waves as long as the construction takes place." Hiruzen explained. "This is a C-rank mission."

The last part perked the interest of the genins, or it did until Tazuna opened his mouth. "This bunch of brats are supposed to protect me?"

"Don't you have another mission for us Hokage-sama, one that doesn't include a drunken jerk?" Haruka asked.

"Bah" Tazuna waved him off. "Like you brats could hurt a fly."

"You asked for a more challenging mission and here it is, take it or leave it." Hiruzen said.

The genins sighed in defeat and Kakashi said. "I think they'll do it."

"Better than chores." Kazuko said.

"Hn" Sasuke agreed.


Kazuko was excited, it hasn't been more of one day of traveling and it would take them at least another one to reach the land of waves. But still, it was the first time she set foot outside the walls of Konoha.

"I always wanted to explore the outside world, but Jiji never allowed me." Kazuko said after she was asked; why was she so happy? "Everything looks so different, even the trees are different, and that puddle… "

Kakashi stopped walking at the mention of the puddle.

"What's wrong? It's just a puddle." Tazuna asked.

"It doesn't make sense" Kazuko said as she voiced Kakashi's concern. "It hasn't rained for days and its sunny today, why is there a puddle here?"

Sasuke took a rock from the ground and threw it to the puddle, there wasn't any sound and no ripple effect. That confirmed to him as he said. "It's not a puddle, it's a genjutsu."

As soon as Sasuke pronounced those words, two figures leapt at them, wrapped Kakashi in a bladed chain and shred him apart like a piece of wood.

"One down." One of the men said. They were wearing Kiri headbands.

The duet charged against the genins holding their connected bladed chain. Sasuke was the first one to react and threw a shuriken at the chain, pinning it on a nearby tree. However, the shuriken wasn't enough so he threw a kunai forcing the shuriken and their chain to stay in place.

The shuriken and the kunai wouldn't hold them forever but it did make an opening for Kazuko, who made a shadow clone and both redheads kicked the duet's jaws. She was nimble and they were short, it was an easy hit.

Seeing that if they stay connected, they would be overpowered by the genins, one of the attackers let the chain go and charged at Tazuna.

Haruka saw this and moved to intercept but he wasn't fast enough. Luckily Kakashi was. He graved the attacker by the neck, depraving him of oxygen, making him lose consciousness. Kazuko and Sasuke focused in the second one, between both they knocked him down.

"You could have intervened earlier." Haruka said.

"I wanted to see how my cute little genins did in real combat." Kakashi said with an eye smile. "And I wanted to know what or rather who their objective was. Anything you want to share Tazuna."

"What're you trying to say?" Tazuna asked.

"They're the demon brothers, Guzu and Meizu, two chunins and missing-nin from Kiri, and their objective was you, Tazuna." Kakashi said.

"Kakashi-sensei, I know what you're thinking and we can't just leave him on his own." Kazuko declared. "We should continue the mission."

"That doesn't mean we should continue in blind." Haruka argued as he looked at Tazuna.

"Alright, I'll be honest with you" Tazuna said as he sighed and looked down. "The truth is, I'm being targeted by a very powerful man named Gato."

"Gato?" Kakashi said with surprise. "As in the owner of the shipping Gato Company?"

"The same" Tazuna confirmed. "But that's only a cover, actually he sells drugs and weapons in the criminal underworld and my bridge is a thread to his domain."

"This is getting more complicated." Kakashi said. "This should be a B-rank mission if not an A-rank."

"My country is poor, we don't have the means to hire that kind of protection." Tazuna said and then he laughed. "It's not like you need to continue or anything, it won't be your fault if I die and I will be only missed from my ten-year old grandson and my daughter."

"We're tangling with the criminal underworld this mission will have repercussions" Kakashi thought, then he looked at his genins and saw that they were determined. "Fine we'll continue, at least until you get to your country."

"I win", thought Tazuna.


The group picked a boat to cross the river as quick as possible. They were welcome by the sight of an unfinished bridge.

"Is it that?" Haruka asked.

"Yes, that's my work." Tazuna said with voice just above whisper.

"This is as far as I can get you." The boatman said.

"It's okay you did great." Tazuna said.

"Good luck, Tazuna." The boatman said as he left.

The genins and the jounin took up positions around Tazuna and started to minder him with their guard up.

No more than an hour later, Kazuko thought she heard something and threw a kunai.

"Why did you do that?" Haruka asked.

"I think someone is following us." Kazuko said. Then the bushes started to tremble, so they prepared. Out of the bushes jumped a white rabbit.

"Just a rabbit." Sasuke said.

"It may be a good dinner…" Kazuko said and she thought for a moment. "But why is it white, we aren't in winter season."

"She is right" Kakashi thought. "Unless someone took it from a winter country and stored it away to foul enemies with an animal replacement."

A soon as Kakashi finished his train of thought, he felt a chill and yelled. "Everyone down!"

The genins and Tazuna did as ordered and a blade flew over them, the blade flew until it got stuck in a nearby tree and standing on top of the blade was…

"Momochi Zabuza" Kakashi said as he recognized the man from his bingo book.

"You must be Kakashi of the sharingan." Zabuza said. "It's my lucky day."

"Sharingan" Sasuke thought. "He isn't an Uchiha, he shouldn't have the sharingan, unless…"

"This one is out of your league, do not engage, I'll handle him." Kakashi said to his genins as he reached to his forehead protector and lifted it lo reveal a red eye with three comas around the pupil.

"I get to see the sharingan, I'm honored." Zabuza said. "I've also read your entry in the bingo book, the man who has copied over a one thousand jutsus, the copy ninja Kakashi."

"If you want Tazuna, you'll have to kill me first." Kakashi declared.

"I was wondering whether you would say that." Zabuza said as he made a hand seal. "Ninpou: hidden mist jutsu."

The area was soon covered with a thick mist that didn't let the genins see more than a meter throughout. They could feel the strong killing intent, so strong that let the genins pinned down in their place.

Kakashi did a quick hand seal and turned to his genins. "Don't worry, I won't let my comrades die, even if they kill me."

"Are you sure?" Zabuza said. He emerged between the genins and Tazuna.

Kakashi, holding a kunai, quickly stabbed Zabuza, just to turn him into water and appear behind him. Zabuza slashed cutting him in two halves which also turned into water. Then Kakashi appeared behind Zabuza putting a kunai in his neck.

"It's over" Kakashi said.

"I'm impressed, you looked through my plan and even made a water clone with the water of the mist…" Zabuza said.

"But you didn't look through all of it…" The real Zabuza said from behind Kakashi.

Kakashi slashed the water clone's neck to dispel it, Zabuza landed a strong kick on him, pushing him at the nearby lake.

Zabuza did a series of hand seals and a bubble started to form around Kakashi, leaving him trapped in the water prison jutsu.

As another water clone rose from the water, Kakashi became concerned. Zabuza needed one hand at the bubble to maintain the jutsu, but the water clone alone may be too much for the genins.

Kazuko weight the situation as a plan to free their jounin-sensei. "Sasuke, when I tell you'll throw it."

Sasuke nodded wondering what her plan was.

Kazuko made a hand seal and two dozens of clones appeared. They all charged at the water clone as the original Kazuko lent a fuuma shuriken to Sasuke. While the shadow clones distracted the water clone, Kazuko yelled "Now!"

"I see" Sasuke said as he as he expanded and threw the fuuma shuriken to the original Zabuza while the clone was distracted fighting other clones.

Zabuza saw the shuriken coming and easily graved it by the handle. "Did you really think an oversized shuriken was enough?"

To Zabuza's surprise the shuriken turned into a familiar redhead holding a kunai with an explosive tag. She smirked as she stabbed his arm with it. Zabuza was wide eyed when he saw the tag ignite. Zabuza was forced to realize his jutsu to grave the kunai and throw it away with the redhead, who just dispelled during the explosion.

"Great plan and teamwork." Kakashi congratulated as he locked eyes with Zabuza. "I'll take care of the rest."

Both Zabuza and Kakashi started with a series of hand seals, both identical and they called at the same time. "Suiton: water dragon bullet."

Two powerful water shaped dragons appeared and collided in the middle canceling each other out. Once the water cleared, Kakashi and Zabuza locked in a taijutsu fight until they separated again.

"Strange…" Zabuza thought. "It's almost like he…"

"He is reading my moves." Kakashi said as he perfectly mimicked each one of the hand seals Zabuza was going through.

Zabuza saw something that took him of guard, a silhouette behind Kakashi, a silhouette mimicking his moves. Then Kakashi called the move he was planning to use. "Suiton: great waterfall Jutsu."

A huge current of water burst out of the lake and slammed Zabuza against the trees.

"Can you see the future?" Zabuza asked, too weak as to move.

"Yes" Kakashi said with a kunai at hand. "And you are going to die."

Suddenly a senbon flew and pierced Zabuza's neck.

"Thank you for taking care of him." Said a boy not older than the genins, wearing a Kiri hunter-nin mask. "I've been hunting him for a while."

Kakashi eyed him and then asked. "Mind if I confirm?"

"Go ahead." The masked ninja said.

Kakashi put his fingers over the body's neck. "He's dead."

"Now I must dispose of his body." Said the masked ninja before disappearing.

"Who was him?" Haruka asked.

"A Kiri Hunter-nin" Kakashi said as he eyed the place Zabuza stood. "Well, let's go"

As soon as Kakashi tried to take a step, he first collapsed face into the ground. Haruka immediately went to check on him and said. "He'll live, just a major case of chakra exhaustion, Sasuke help me carry him."

Sasuke nodded and went to help Haruka as he thought. "Maintaining the sharingan may cost a lot of chakra, I must keep that in mind…"