"Don't talk like that," the old man said. "You have a very simple mission."
"I am to escort Jiraiya, the toad sannin!" Naruto exclaimed. "There must be a million ninjas out for his blood. You think this is simple?"
"Well in my day, genin teams only got D-rank missions," the old librarian grumbled to himself as he and Naruto stacked some books.
"Yeah, well times are changing. All the countries are arming themselves again and it won't be long before Konoha has to go to war."
"But against who?"
"That's the problem. Konoha's the strongest village in the world," Naruto declared, "But we're no match if the Rock, Sand and Mist villages ally against us."
"Who said they're going to?"
"Oh they will, talks are already underway. I just know this," Naruto said. "Now listen, if anything happens while I'm away be careful alright?"
"I can take care of myself Naruto," the librarian said. "Good luck on your trip though. Something tells me you'll need it."
"Think so, Mr. Obvious?" Naruto grinned and then grabbed the old librarian's frail hand. "Thank you, I mean it."
The librarian nodded and smiled a bit. Naruto walked out of the dusty library wiht a big grin on his face, a lot of cash in his pocket, and lots of books to read on the trip. He walked across the village, marvelling in the sights, sounds and smells. Fish cooked in the market place while vendors tried vainly to sell their goods. Konoha was Konoha was Konoha, the most beautiful place in the world despite its... difficulties. People just aren't that nice to me, Naruto thought to himself.
He found he did not care. He had extended his reading to REAL books instead of just manga and a phrase from Tao Te Ching struck him right then and there like a thunderbolt.
He said it aloud. "Always without desire we must be found, if the deepest mystery we would sound. But if desire within us be, it's outer fringe is all we shall see."
Be without desire, Naruto, that was the secret of being a good ninja. Tne old man had told him that, and Naruto trusted the old man for his word. The librarian was wise, kind and not only that but he really cared about Naruto. He was the one who painstakingly taught him to read, despite being half blind and all. Naruto was really grateful to the old man for that. He really was.
At the outskirts of the village there was a little stream where Naruto sometimes went to catch fat salmon fish. It helped suplement his dinner, especially when the vendors charged him more than necessary. The fish there was delightful, Naruto loved them and he thought it was his own private spot so he was a bit dissapointed that Kurenai had made that the team meeting place.
Still he would get to meet Jiraiya and he had never met the toad Sannin. He heard some wonderful things about the toad sannin though, well not heard, read more like. He was eager to meet.
When he got to the little clearing in front of the stream, he saw that the team was already there, along with a tall man wrapped in a gigantic white beard. He wore red robe like things and carried a sword at the waist. He also had sharp glinting eyes that attached themselves to Kurenai's chest.
"I'm here," he called out to his team.
"Oh good, Naruto, we thought you weren't going to show up," His sensei said, relief evident in her voice. "Wouldn't be the first time one of my students decided to skip a mission."
"I only skip when its D-rank, miss," Naruto grumbled. "You know they're useless."
"Naruto, those missions build teamwork. You don't see Kiba missing missions do you?"
"That's because he's a-"
Kiba growled.
"Come on, hurry up, I need to be at Rock Village yesterday. And so they were off on Naruto's first real mission.