Sunset of the Uzumaki: Chapter 4: What does the C stand for?
"Report."
"Hokage-sama. The assailants have all been recovered, but they have all expired."
"What? I ordered you to take them alive?"
"Hokage-sama. When the ANBU agents arrived to support me, the enemy leader activated a seal that killed all remaining hostiles."
"Thank you for clarifying, Kakashi. Ibiki, report."
"Hokage-sama. My department has run autopsies on all four corpses. Aside from the one that the genin took care of, all three of the ninja were killed by a seal attached to their heads that literally scrambled their brains. As such, only faint readings could be taking from their brains, and we could not decipher any thoughts."
"Interesting. Inoichi, report."
"Hokage-sama. My team and I have done some research based on the bodies and the names we got from the genin team. It looks like the three of them are Kumo missing-nin. Our initial investigation places their departure from Kumo at three months ago, although we trying to get our contacts in that village to confirm. The leader, Nobu Shota, was a jonin before his defection. The other three members, Kaede Shun, Juro Ryuu and Yugito Nii, were all chūnin and members of his team. We have yet to find a connection between them and any other ninja group, be it a village or other missing-nin."
"If I may, Hokage-sama."
"Please, feel free to speak, honored councilor Shimura."
"We have two reasons to believe that these four ninja acted for Kumo. First, they acted in Fire country. As a jonin, this Nobu would be wary of steering so close to Konoha given our higher level of security following the Hyuuga incident. The value of an Uchiha and an Uzumaki is not worth the danger of facing a legendary jonin in a hostile nation for any sane missing-nin, and with a team of four, they could have afforded to take any number of safer missions in less policed states. Secondly, the seals. Suicide seals make no sense on missing-nin. They'd much rather flee if one of their members is captured instead of allowing the leader to kill them at will. These ninja are not just missing-nin; Kumo is after the Uzumaki and the Uchiha."
"Your analysis is both chilling and likely accurate. While we should avoid direct action so as not to cause a stir, we must prepare for future action from Kumo."
"Would you like me to inquire about the matter, Hokage-sama?"
"No, honored councilor, I have someone who would be perfect for this job. Kakashi, I want you to keep your team on high alert for future attacks. Dismissed!"
Naruto couldn't stop looking at Hinata, and he couldn't figure out why.
It wasn't just that she was cute; sure, she was, but Naruto thought Sakura was pretty cute, too, and he didn't stare at her all day. There was just something about Hinata that was strangely familiar, like he had met her before. At the same time, even as he studied her, something in him warned him to stay away, which seemed wrong to Naruto. Hinata couldn't be a threat, at least not more of a threat than any other Kunoichi. Does she look like someone I know? Thought Naruto, there's no one in Uzushio wit-
"Oy, Uzumaki, you wanna stop ogling Hinata? What, do they breed creeps in your clan?" Kiba jeered, yanking Naruto out of his reverie.
"Hey! Don't bring my clan into this!" Naruto threatened, turning bright red at the boy's accusation. "I was just spacing out!"
"It's ok, Kiba." Hinata said quietly, soft smile offset by the nervous finger gesture she was using. "I don't mind. There's no need to insult Naruto that way."
"Don't stick up for him, Hinata! First they brag about their C rank and then this guy turns out to be a genuine perv!" Kiba shouted before turning to Naruto. "I'll fight you right here, right now, sunshine."
Naruto started to get riled up before he regarded Kiba with a coy smile. "Fine. Let's go outside; first person to wrestle the other to the ground wins."
"Naruto! What are you doing?" Sakura scolded. "Kiba always picks fights, but he doesn't really mean it. Let's just finish eating, ok?"
"Sorry, Sakura, but I can't let that happen," Kiba apologized. "I'll never back down from a challenge, least of all from a foreigner who thinks he can do as he pleases. Don't worry, I'll make it quick."
"We should let this battle happen," Shino, Kiba's male teammate, began, "Why? Because Kiba speaks the truth. He does not back down from a fight. And the fight will be quick. Why? Because Kiba fights recklessly, causing most of his fights to be quick."
Naruto eyed Shino for a moment before shaking his head. Laying money down at the table, Naruto got up and started to make his way to the door before Hinata stopped him, grabbing his sleeve.
"Naruto, there's no need for a fight," Hinata insisted, "I'm not offended and Kiba's just riled up."
Naruto shot Hinata a blazing smile. "Thanks' Hinata, but I'm going to prove that this dog has more bark than bite."
Sakura sighed as she also got up, placing down some money. "That was just embarrassing, Naruto," Sakura chastised. "I know you have better material than that. If you're really going to fight, I'd better come out too."
In the end, both teams ended up coming outside to spectate the fight, standing just outside of Ichiraku's. Naruto cracked his knuckles as he watched Kiba handing off his sleeping dog to his teammate. "Got any last words before I shut your mouth for good?" Naruto taunted.
"I'm surprised you could make it in whirlpool country," Kiba commented. "With those whiskers, how'd you deal with all the water? It doesn't really matter; everyone knows that a cat's doomed when faced with a-"
"Get on with it!" Sakura shouted. "You don't have to trade crappy insults all day first!"
"Fine, fine," Naruto placated, holding up his hands. "I was just getting into the mood."
Naruto glanced over at Kiba, but something caught his eye from behind the boy. Naruto's eyes widened as he saw a few familiar figures walking towards past Kiba. It had only been a few days since Naruto had met team ten, but the differences were shocking. Gone was the defiant look on Ino's face, the aura of boredom radiating off of Shikamaru and the carefree expression of Choji. Instead, Naruto saw Ino's blank stare, Choji cradling a bandaged arm and Shikamaru's grave expression, one eye covered by an eyepatch.
"Ino, what the hell happened?" Sakura demanded as she grabbed the blond girl's hands.
Ino shrugged Sakura's hands off and hung her head, stalking off toward the Hokage tower.
"Our mission didn't go so well," Choji offered cheerlessly. "We faced some ninja we couldn't handle."
"Are you all ok?" Sakura asked, concern filling her eyes.
"Not exactly," supplied a burly, bearded man, coming up from behind Shikamaru and Choji. Sakura started to inquire further, but stopped when the man continued towards the Hokage tower, uneven step revealing a bandaged stump where his right arm should have been. Shikamaru and Choji turned and followed the man.
The remaining genin stayed silent for a while, watching the retreating forms of Team Ten.
"Well, Sakura and I have to go meet Sasuke," Naruto muttered, all fight gone from his voice. "We'll have to have that fight later, Kiba."
The trip through the Uchiha compound to visit Sasuke disturbed Sakura. She had visited before to shop or have a meal. On those visits, the Uchiha had been kind and inviting, especially after learning that she was training to be a ninja. Now, though, as Itachi lead Naruto and Sakura to his home, the Uchiha observed the genin's trip as if watching an executioner. All Sakura could see around her was a wall of scorching stares and harsh whispers. Itachi greeted his clansman as he passed, but the only response he got was a betrayed look from one old man. Itachi pointed out different features of the Uchiha district to the genin as if he was oblivious to the reception. Before long, the trio reached a larger house on the edges of the compound emblazoned with a large Uchiha fan.
Itachi eased the door open, taking off his sandals and moving up the stairs in one fluid movement. The genin followed him in silences, eyes darting around to take in the décor. The home held a few low couches and little decoration. As Itachi lead his guests up the stairs, Naruto noticed the Uchiha fans on the walls and nothing else. Itachi walk down a narrow hallway, guiding the group past a few closed doors. Reaching a door at the end of the hall, Itachi rapped his hand on the door and then waited.
"Who is it?" rasped a voice.
"Your teammates are here to see you, Sasuke," Itachi called in. After a moment of silence, Itachi opened the door and ushered Naruto and Sakura in, smiling before closing the door and leaving. Naruto and Sakura shuffled into the room, taking in the assorted ninja tools and plain furniture that Sasuke kept in his room. Naruto glanced at the pictures on the dresser. One showed Sasuke holding his hitai-ate, Itachi and a woman who looked identical to the brothers. Naruto guessed that it was a graduation photo. The second picture portrayed a younger Sasuke riding on the back of a younger Itachi. The final photo wasn't photo at all. Instead, the classic-style family portrait feature Sasuke, Itachi, their mother and a man, presumably Sasuke's father, all sporting similar grave expressions. Naruto picked up the photo, looking into the eyes of the depicted Sasuke; his young, serious expression look a lot like his current facial expression: stern, but tired.
"You didn't come all the way here to stare at my photo's, did you Naruto?" Sasuke croaked, "If so, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
Sakura smiled as Naruto put the portrait down. "Hey, Sasuke," Sakura began, "How are you doing? You feel any better?"
"Yeah, I feel better. I can actually move again," Sasuke rasped, reaching for a glass of water from his end table "I didn't sustain anything serious, just chakra exhaustion. I should be up and moving tomorrow."
"Good, 'cause we can't let your slow behind slow us down," Naruto teased, almost causing Sasuke to spit out his water. "After a mission like yesterday, I think we need to train." At that, all three genin grew serious. "We did do pretty good. I mean, we got that one guy with our formation. What was his name, Katy? Kade? K-"
"Kaede. His name was Kaede," Sasuke broke in, covering one eye while staring off into space. After a moment, Sasuke put his hand down, regarding his teammates with wide eyes. "We really killed him, didn't we? God, I didn't think it'd be like this."
Sakura crept up to the bed and reached for Sasuke's hand only for him to recoil. "Sasuke, it's ok. We talked about this in the academy. Your first kill is supposed to be really hard. They say to try not to think ab-"
"I can't stop thinking about it," Sasuke blurted, once again focusing his eyes on his blanket. "The Sharingan, it keeps playing it for me over and over again. I can see his fear, see the heat melt his skin. Melt it. Hell, I can smell his flesh burning, I can taste it in my mouth." Sasuke's gaze jolted to his team, his twin tomoe paralyzing them. "Was it worth it?"
*SMACK*
Naruto drilled Sasuke with a hard look as the dark-haired boy rubbed his cheek. "Of course it was worth it, Sasuke! What's wrong with you?" Naruto shouted, grabbing Sasuke's shoulders and shaking them, "You fulfilled the mission! If you didn't kill him, we were all dead! Get a hold of yourself."
Sasuke's head dropped in shame as he brushed off Naruto's hands. After a few moments of silence, Sasuke lifted his gaze to meet Naruto's, blue eye's meeting black. "Thanks, Naruto," Sasuke breathed, deflating back onto his futon, "You're right."
Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. "Sasuke, you should talk to Itachi about this; I'm sure he can help with the Sharingan thing," Sakura suggested. Sasuke nodded as the room lapsed into silence.
"Well, at least we know what level we're at now," Sakura commented, "So we know how much we need to improve."
"What we need to do is beat Kakashi," Naruto corrected. "The sooner we do that, the sooner we can pick up new techniques."
Sakura palmed her chin. "You Status Seal seemed to work well. We could try the same setup that we used on… that we used yesterday."
Sasuke shook his head. "That won't work on Kakashi. It only worked on Kaede because he wasn't expecting Sakura's genjutsu or Naruto's seals," Sasuke explained. "Kakashi's prepared for both of them."
"We could learn more seals or genjutsu," Naruto suggested. "That way we could surprise Kakashi. We only need to win once."
"You misunderstand what I'm saying," Sasuke huffed, "It's not that we can't use new seals or genjutsu or even more Fire Release jutsu on Kakashi; it's that he knows what to expect from each of us. If we ever want a chance of beating him, we have to mix it up." Sasuke paused for a moment, face frozen in thought. "Naruto, you don't know many ninjutsu, do you? Do you know anything beyond the basic ones and Shadow Clones?"
Naruto shook his head in response. "No, I don't. I left before my mom taught me anything else."
Sakura perked up. "I've got it! Don't the Uchiha have the largest jutsu library in Konoha?" Sakura asked, waiting for Sasuke's nod to continue, "Well then, couldn't we learn some jutsu from your library to help out."
"I don't think so," Sasuke replied with a frown, "at least not without approval from a council member. Tell you what: I'll ask Itachi; he's a council member. If he approves we'll see about what we can do."
"Sounds good," Sakura confirmed. "Well, you'd better get your rest. Get well Sasuke! Don't forget to ask Itachi about you know what."
Sasuke nodded with a smile as Naruto and Sakura made their way out of his room. Naruto paused in the doorway. "Sasuke, you're coming to a team lunch tomorrow. Noon. Yakiniku Q."
"Whatever. Get out of here, Uzumaki," Sasuke conceded, shooting Naruto a smirk as the boy left the room.
Team seven assembled in front of the Hokage's desk two days later, all looking rested once again.
"I would like to congratulate you four once again for you excellent work on your mission," the Hokage praised. "I understand that such a mission may be traumatic, especially as a first C rank. Would you feel comfortable doing more C ranks?"
Naruto glanced at his team before answering. "Hokage-sama, I think we're ready." His teammates underscored this statement with a nod.
"Good, good," the Hokage sighed in relief, "I was hoping that this mission didn't scare you away from C ranks for good. Let me be frank with you, team seven. Your team has a unique position; having both an Uzumaki and an Uchiha gives you an innate advantage and makes you look stronger on paper." The Sandaime regarded the team before continuing. "I intend to use that to the fullest. If you have noticed, a lot of missions so far, even if they were just D ranks put you in the public eye. You trip to the capital looks good on your record, too. I plan on putting your team in the chūnin exams as Konoha's 'ringer.' To really maximize your effectiveness in the exams, I'm going put your team through more than I usually would. I'm going to assign you a series of C ranks to pad you records and build you skills so that you can perform well in the exams and bring glory to Konoha. Do you think you can handle it?"
None of the genin waited before nodding.
"I wouldn't have expected anything else. Your next C rank is already at the mission desk: good luck. Team seven dismissed."
"Your mission today, team seven, is to take this missive to Tanzaku-gai-guy, where you will give it to a courier stationed there. The route should be clear, but beware of bandits. Any questions?"
Sasuke's eyes skimmed each side of the road, his ears peeled for any sound of attack. The boy even periodically flared his Sharingan just for insurance. During his latest flare, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye, spinning midair to throw a kunai. All four shinobi changed direction, bounding over to Sasuke target to find a skewered squirrel.
"While I appreciate your vigilance, you might be a little too jumpy, Sasuke," Kakashi scolded.
"We trust you, Sasuke," Sakura reassured, pinning him with a sympathetic smile.
Sasuke nodded and took off again, trying to shake the images of the ambush from his head.
Sakura tried to ignore the sights and sound of Tanzaku-gai-Guy, focusing on picking out potential enemies in the crowd. After Tanyu, the city, while large, didn't impress Sakura too much anyway. Sakura observed the crowds of tourists visiting street vendors, restaurants and casinos. They formed a faceless mob that would be great for hiding assailants. Glancing over at her team, Sakura noticed that even Naruto looked serious.
Sakura did quirk her eyebrows a little as the team strayed into the red light district. Unlike the rest of the town, this section held a decent number of shinobi, all with Konoha headbands. Kakashi, at the head of team, changed streets at random, nearly colliding with several people. Finally, after a half dozen of these unplanned detours, Kakashi ducked into a seedy building, walking directly to its dirty bar and taking a seat. Sakura tentatively sat next to him, surprised that no one questioned a couple of young people taking a seat.
"No alcohol for you three," Kakashi drawled, fixing his team with a stare. "We're on business, and I don't know if you three can handle you liquor." Kakashi then waved over a bar tender and ordered a drink. "Now, our contact knows to meet us here. Don't look for him; just have a water or something and look inconspicuous."
"Right, a couple of kids hanging out at a seedy bar looks real inconspicuous," Naruto quipped.
"You're right," Kakashi affirmed with a smile. "You three are technically adults; sensei take their genin out drinking all the time." Kakashi downed the rest of his drink before standing.
"Wait, where are you going?" Sakura asked.
"I'm going to case the place. We wouldn't want to be ambushed again, would we?" Kakashi replied with a smile. "You three will meet with the contact and deliver the package. When you're done, wait a little bit and then leave the bar. I'll meet up with you three when you get outside of Tanzaku-gai-guy." Kakashi then stalked off before any of his students could question him.
"You're fine now, aren't you?" Kakashi questioned.
"Yeah, but what kind of sensei leaves his team to handle a mission like that solo!" Naruto complained. "It took us almost five minutes just to convince the courier that we were the right team."
"We had a tail when we left as well," Sasuke added. "It took us an hour to lose him."
"How'd you do that, anyway?" Kakashi queried.
"Well, first we tried the tactics they gave us in the academy," Sakura supplied, "but those didn't work at all. Then I came up with the idea of using Naruto's clones and a Henge."
"Ah, I see. So did you send out the Henged team first and then go after them?" Kakashi hypothesized.
"Nope! We did the opposite!" Naruto chimed in. "We went first. Anyone as smart as the guy following us would follow the second team. After all, my Henge is really good."
"That explains how you three got away from me," Kakashi gasped, "I followed the second team."
Kakashi had to sprint to avoid his student's wrath.
"Great job, team seven," the Hokage praised. "You completed the mission efficiently and without interference. How'd you feel about this mission?"
"It was pretty easy," Sakura offered. "At least compared to our last one."
"Well I'm glad to hear it," The Sandaime replied. "Take tomorrow off and report to the missions desk the following day to take your next C rank. Dismissed."
As the team filed out of the Hokage's office, Kakashi addressed his students. "Meet up tomorrow at the usual time and place. We'll do some more training."
Sasuke's Sharingan whirled as he faced Kakashi, their limbs a blur in complex taijustu. Sasuke deflected two blows to the gut only to find Kakashi's fist hurling towards his face. A moment later, Sasuke found himself a distance away as Naruto's clone got its lights punched out. A panting Sasuke nodded to his teammate before charging back in.
As Sasuke reached Kakashi, he felt a pull in his gut as he switch places with Naruto. Sasuke rushed through hand signs, watching as Kakashi pelted Naruto with blows. The blond's taijustu wasn't quite good enough to handle Kakashi and he had no dōjutsu to compensate.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon!" Sasuke called as he launched a fire dragon at Kakashi. Sasuke watched as Naruto substituted with a clone and Kakashi tried in vain to block the flames before being consumed instantly. Unfazed, Sasuke searched the clearing for his sensei, panting from the chakra needed from his last techniques.
"I appreciate that you're taking this seriously, Sasuke, but I know you can do better than that."
Sasuke found himself staring at the sky, Sharingan focusing on the birds above. Next time, Sasuke thought as he blacked out.
"There are reports of bear attacks in Nishiura village," the chūnin at the assignment desk droned to team seven. "Your mission is to pacify the bears in the surrounding forest."
"What do you mean by 'pacify'?" Sakura asked.
"It's up to you. You'll probably kill them, but if you can come up with an alternate solution, be my guest."
"They're just… sitting there."
"Ah, good point. Makes it easier to kill them, then."
Sakura blanched at her teacher's comment. Team seven crouched in trees overlooking what could only be described as an encampment of black bears. Dozens of the animals lounged about, some sleeping, some eating stolen food. None of them, not large or small, did much of anything.
"Let's get to it," Kakashi pressed, pulling a kunai. "The sooner we finish here, the sooner we can head back."
"Can't we put them under a genjutsu?" Sakura questioned. "They can't control their chakra, so theoretically the genjutsu would never wear off."
"Until the chakra powering it runs out," Kakashi countered. "Anyway, killing these bears will be a valuable experience for you three.
"Sakura, we killed a man last mission," Sasuke broke in, fixing the girl with a hard stare.
Sakura pulled her eyes away from Sasuke in shame, pulling out a kunai and leading the charge.
"Excellent work, team seven. Nishiura's village elders speak highly of your professionalism and efficiency. Keep up the good work."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Sakura intoned, bowing before filing out of the Hokage's office with the rest of her team.
Naruto concentrated on the delicate dance that his sensei and teammates partook in, waiting for his chance to enact the plan. This time would be different; they had caught Kakashi off guard by charging him all at once, abandoning their complicated formations for a brawl. At least that's what Kakashi must have thought. The Naruto fighting with his team was nothing but a clone, an understudy until Naruto joined the fight for real.
Sasuke feigned a sweep, causing Kakashi to take a step back. Sasuke tried to intercept his sensei with a roundhouse, but the man slapped the boy's leg away. Naruto's clone tried to catch his sensei off guard with an axe kick, but Kakashi just grabbed the clone's thigh, absorbing most of the impact. Seeing an opportunity, Sakura rushed forward, fist rocketing for Kakashi's chest unprotected chest. As Kakashi dropped Naruto's clone and rallied his arms for a block, Naruto performed a quick substitution with Sakura, shooting out his right hand.
"Kai!" Naruto yelled, activating a Flashbang seal and blinding Kakashi. Sasuke seized the opportunity, snatching the bell from Kakashi.
"HAH! Take that, sensei!" Naruto shouted, pumping both of his arms in victory.
"Nice work," Kakashi chuckled, opening his eyes and smiling at Naruto, "but you're not the only one who can bend the rules a little, Naruto."
Naruto started as he sunk into the ground, his teammates following suit.
"Great, genjutsu."
Sasuke and Sakura approached Itachi, the older Uchiha lounging on his patio, peering into a small pond.
"Well, Itachi," Sasuke began, "Did you ask the council?"
"I did," Itachi replied, tossing a pebble into the pond.
"And?"
"Sit, Sasuke, Sakura," Itachi chided, motioning to the patio beside him. "There's no need to rush."
Sasuke rolled his eyes as he took his seat. "Well, what did they say? I'm really too old for you to keep playing this game, Itachi."
"It's not a game, Sasuke," Itachi corrected, "I'm trying to teach you a little patience. The council agreed to give Sakura partial access to the Uchiha library."
Sakura beamed. "Thank you so much, Itachi!"
Itachi shook his head. "Don't thank me yet. They agreed to let you access the D-rank jutsu and Bukijutsu sections, so nothing fancy."
"What?" Sasuke burst out, jumping to his feet, "Itachi, that's absurd! That's barely even useful."
"It's the best I can do, Sasuke," Itachi explained. "My position on the Uchiha council isn't strong; I am the youngest member, after all. Ninja have made due with less than a compendium of low-level techniques from around the globe. Sakura can visit the library any time, assuming either you or I is with her."
"It's fine, Sasuke," Sakura assured, "It stinks, but it's better than nothing."
Sighing, Sasuke sank back to his seat, stewing for a moment. "Alright. What about Naruto?"
Itachi shook his head once again, tossing another pebble into the pond. "They flatly refused, as we expected. 'The Uzumaki have taken enough from us already!' Akachi always did have a taste for theatrics."
"I expected as much," Sasuke admitted. "Let's go, Sakura. We'll see if there's anything valuable in the beginners section some other time."
Naruto had begged off from going with his teammates. He figured there was no way that the Uchiha would let him into their library, so the time would be better spent elsewhere. Naruto drifted through the streets of Konoha, greeting villagers when they spoke to him, taking in the scenes. After a few months of having him around, the villagers had calmed a little when it came to seeing Naruto, some even striking up small talk. Likewise, Naruto had warmed up to the village. Sure, it wasn't Uzushio, and Naruto doubted that he'd get used to the size, but something about Konoha just felt right to the blond. The trees surrounding and garnishing the village lent color and smell to the village, the Hokage monument watching over the village, the ninja running to missions or enjoying time off, all of it swam around Naruto, filling him with a sense of home. Just not as much of a home as Uzushio.
As his walks often did, Naruto's trip took him past the clan compounds. Some, like the Hyūga compound, had walls so high that all one could see was their clan crest. Naruto preferred the ones like the one he was passing, the Yamanaka, because they were open, inviting, almost to say that the clan was nothing more than a piece of Konoha itself. It reminded Naruto of Uzushio; the Uzumaki didn't have a clan compound, they just lived in the village with everyone else. Now Naruto could see an older couple walking into their homes and a young Kunoichi training, her short, platinum-blond hair bobbing as she attacked a dummy with a kata. Naruto considered approaching her, but her intense expression told him otherwise.
Naruto paused as he passed the Uzumaki clan compound, but he figured there was no use in visiting today. While it was called a compound, the Uzumaki clan compound was more of an embassy. Only a few Uzumaki lived there year round. The ones who did acted as messengers, informing the Uzumaki in Uzushio of goings on in Konoha and vice versa. Naruto had visited a few times, but he didn't have much in common with the people who worked there; they were more clerks than they were shinobi.
Reaching his apartment, Naruto prepared a cup of ramen, thinking while he waited for it to heat up. I could train some more today, Naruto thought, but there's not much point. I already know I the seals I was learning in Uzushio like the back of my hand now. As he munch on his ramen, Naruto decided to read one of books that Jiraiya had left him on his last visit to Uzushio. Tales of a Gutsy Ninja, huh? Guess I'll give it a try.
The Hokage's serious face surprised Naruto when he approached the mission assignment desk.
"Team seven, your mission today is a C rank," The Hokage began. "Maibara village has been having trouble with bandits recently. A large group of them killed three merchants in a botched highway robbery. Your mission is to locate and eliminate these bandits." At this, the Sandaime set a scroll down on the desk, which Kakashi retrieved. "Your mission scroll will contain identifying features and their suspected whereabouts." The Hokage fixed each member of team seven with a stare, [looking into their souls]. "Dismissed."
"Kakashi-sensei, they're just kids."
Finding the bandits hadn't been difficult; their camp consisted of a couple of tents a few miles outside of Maibara, exactly where the scroll had speculated. Naruto's mouth formed a harsh frown as he watched a half-dozen teenagers cook around a fire, one laughing as another told a joke. A few of the teens looked injured; one had an arm in a sling and another sported a bloodstained head rapping.
"See, they're even using a fire when they're supposed to be in hiding," Naruto continued. "They clearly don't know what they're doing."
"If they're just kids, what does that make you three?" Kakashi retorted. "And just like you three, they gave up their second chances when they decided to pick a career in killing. Now, these aren't animals; we can't afford to hesitate. They may not be ninja, but plenty of kids drop out of the shinobi program and decide to use their skills elsewhere."
"When do we strike?" Sasuke asked, face a wall of stone.
"As soon as possible," Kakashi replied. "Survivors of the raid identified a couple of men along with these teens. They're likely asleep, so now is the perfect time. Are you ready?"
Sasuke nodded sharply, Sakura responding in kind, although with less gusto. Naruto, however, fixed Kakashi with a hard look.
"Naruto, this is what we do," Sakura whispered, unwilling to look at the blond. "Better that we get our first kills here then somewhere more dangerous."
Naruto slammed his fist into the earth below him, stifling a scream between clinched teeth. "Fine, then," Naruto bit out, "Let's get just get it over with. What's the plan?"
"Nothing fancy, no jutsu," Kakashi responded. "Make it quick. Sasuke, you lead. We'll form up on you."
Nodding, Sasuke spared one last glance to Naruto, sorrowing eking into his dark eyes before they flashed red.
Sasuke tried his best to console his teammates later as they puked into the river, but he couldn't stop himself from hurling as well.
After being debriefed, Naruto took his usual route home, passing Ichiraku's without a glance; he wasn't very hungry tonight. He threw a wave at his landlord before bounding up the stairs to his room. He jammed his key in the door, turned the doorknob and slammed the door. Strength spend, Naruto slid to the floor, crying as he curled his knees to his body. He tried shaking the tears out of his eyes, but new ones replaced them like reinforcements to the front lines. In the movement, he caught sight of something on the floor next to him; picking it up, he found an envelope addressed to him. Still shuddering, Naruto tore open the letter, tears staining the page.
Hey Kid,
Sorry I didn't write earlier; I got your letters, but I've been taking more missions now that you're away. You know that Uzushio's light on jonin as awesome as me. But that's not important. To answer your question, I've not been up to too much; ya know, training, eating and stuff. Missing you. (Moms are allowed to say mushy stuff like that occasionally.)
You description of your team killed me; I know Kakashi, so I can guess about what kind of torture that must be. He's not so bad once you get to know him, though. I'd give Sasuke some time; he has a lot of reasons to hate you. Just do your thing and I'm sure you'll worm your way inside of his heart soon enough. That's kinda your style. You'll have to tell me more about this Sakura girl when I see you; I'd like to meet her before you two get married. I kid, I kid.
God, I miss you so much, Naruto. It's so weird to not have you here. I'm so, so proud of you. I still can't believe you're actually a shinobi now. You father would be over the moon if he were still here.
That's all from me. What's new with you? What have you missions been like? Make any new friends? New enemies? I can't wait to see you again.
With love, your mother, Kushina.
PS: Have you been keeping up with your sealing? I made a scroll with a few more seals for you to practice, but I can't mail clan secrets like that. You can pick it up at the clan compound in to town.
Naruto read and reread the letter until he fell asleep.
Sakura ducked another one of Kakashi's punches, rushing through hand seals for a genjutsu. Kakashi shoved Naruto's flying form out of the way and rushed the girl, forcing Sakura to abandon her jutsu for defense.
"You know, switching up who hides underground isn't going to change much," Kakashi commented as he sidestepped Sasuke's attempt at a Headhunter jutsu. "I think today's lesson has gone on long enough."
Sakura didn't even have time to think before Kakashi revealed his Sharingan, knocking her out.
"See anything you like?" Sasuke asked Sakura as she browsed the Uchiha clan library.
"A few weak genjutsu," she replied absentmindedly. "They could help a little, but nothing game changing. None of these weapon styles seem like they would suit me either."
"You do punch pretty hard," Sasuke commented, "You ever think of using Tekko?"
"I saw something on those earlier, but those would force me to stay in the fight. I don't think our team needs any more close-range brawlers," Sakura countered.
"Fair enough," Sasuke conceded, plucking a scroll of the shelf and reading.
A few minutes of quite study later, Sakura tapped Sasuke on the shoulder. "What do you think about this?" Sakura asked, offering a scroll to Sasuke.
Sasuke jerked back a little after reading it. "Really? Do you think this is you?"
"I don't know, but I think it would serve my purposes well," Sakura conceded, "I at least think I'll try it out."
Sasuke shrugged in reply, handing the scroll back to Sakura. "If you say so. I know a good Uchiha blacksmith; we'll see what he can do."
"Team seven, you've done well in your last few missions. You've exceeded my expectations for you," the Hokage complimented. "Kakashi informs me that you all are recovering alright after dealing with those bandits."
"We did what we had to do," Sakura said with a shrug. "It was hard, but Kakashi has been helping us get over it."
"Excellent. Well, I've got a very special mission for you today. I'm assigning your team its first B-rank."
"A B-rank?" Naruto questioned, "Isn't that kinda early? I didn't think genin took B-ranks."
"They generally don't," the Sandaime conceded, "but like I said earlier, I'm accelerating your team's workload because you are to be the premier genin team of Konoha. I will explain further when you return from this mission, but I'm confident you can handle this.
"You mission is to investigate an issue in the Land of Waves. As you probably know, one of your fellow genin teams, team ten, took a C-rank in Wave a few weeks back. That mission ended in failure when the client lied about the details of the mission. Instead of protecting an old bridge-builder from bandits, team ten fought A-rank missing-nin Zabuza Momochi and some of his compatriots. Team Ten's sensei decided to pull his team out after sustaining a few injuries on his team and letting the bridge-builder die.
"The Daimyo of Wave contacted us; the situation there has spiraled out of control. The main village is currently ruled by a group of missing-nin. They have imposed their own tariffs on all incoming trade and fought off the Daimyo's small force. Initial reports from an Uzushio scout indicate that the ninja operating in Wave are weak but numerous. Most of them appear to be former genin-in-training from nearby Kirigakure. Zabuza has not been spotted in the area since Team Ten left, so it is likely that he abandoned the area after fulfilling his hit on the bridge-builder.
"Your mission is to deal with ninja problem in Wave however you see fit. Kakashi will use his judgment to make the decision, up to and including total annihilation of the ninja there. Restoring Wave would benefit Konoha in many ways. I trust your team can handle it. You are dismissed; you depart for Wave in three days; use this time to prepare."
CHAPTER END
When you think of the ideal ninja, what do you see? Most shinobi think of an all-around fighter who uses all of the ninja arts to secure victory. Well, they're wrong. If you look at legendary shinobi, you'll see that they fight in all different ways, using different jutsu, tactics and gimmicks. However, all of them utilize one specific thing in general to gain victory. I'll call this a "win condition," the move or set of moves that a ninja relies on to actually get the kill.
A great example of a win condition comes from my former student, the forth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. Minato is renowned for his skills as a seal artist, his Ninjutsu prowess, his speed and a dozen other things that would make you think that his success came from his overall skills. Nope. The reason why Minato was so dominate was his usage of his signature jutsu, the Hiraishin. This jutsu by itself was capable of demolishing entire divisions during the third shinobi world war and took Minato to victory against all of his peers. Before he started using the Hiraishin, Minato was an excellent shinobi, his genius talent combined with blistering speed making him a top tier jonin. However, Minato did not become a legend before he settled on his win condition, the Hiraishin.
Now what does that have to do with you, the everyday ninja who doesn't have access to S rank jutsu? Well, you can still find the win condition in your own arsenal. By doing this, you'll be able to train more efficiently and think clearly in a fight, because you already know exactly how the fight's going to end: either you hit your opponent with you win condition, or you die. Simplifies things.
I know what you're saying. "What about the third Hokage? Doesn't he know like a lot of jutsu?" That's true, but that feeds into my next point: you should never fully rely on a single win con. The Sandaime does have a primary win con, his adamantine staff. However, his enormous library of jutsu allows him to pick and choose jutsu to directly counter opponents if need be. Minato also developed another offensive jutsu later in his life that served as a great secondary win con (I can't really share what that is, because it's not very well known, but just think of something really cool and super dangerous. You're probably close).
So, when you train, find your primary and secondary win conditions and focus on setting yourself up to use them. That way, you'll always have a few tested plans going into a fight. One thing to leave you with: some people have successfully found their win conditions, but they are team based. Take the famous Ino-Shika-Cho combination, for example. It relies on all three members working in concert, but each gameplan basically boils down to setting up the Cho to hit hard. If you've got the luxury of a long term team, try building win conditions together.
-Jiraiya of the Sannin, in his book "Short lessons for novice ninja," essay entitled "Finding Your Win Conditions"
Terms:
Bukijutsu: Weapon techniques. Similar to taijustu in that it refers more to physical skills than chakra control, Bukijutsu covers the usage of all weapons from shuriken to glaves to swords. Some weapon styles have their own sub-classification, like Shurikenjutsu for shuriken and Kenjutsu* for swords, but they all fall under the umbrella of Bukijutsu. Bukijutsu refers both to weapon techniques with and without chakra.
Suicide Seals: Suicide seals a specific kind of seals employed by hidden villages onto some shinobi. These seals can be activated to kill a shinobi, usually upon the failure of a mission. These seals can usually be activated either remotely or by the shinobi hosting the seal. These seals can protect shinobi from torture, keeping them from revealing village secrets.
* Not to be confused with Kinjutsu, forbidden techniques.
Authors Note: Hey people! Thanks again for reading. Special shoutouts to the guest reviewer who caught my editing error last chapter; word really sucks some times. I appreciate all of you, even you. Yes, you. If you like the story, go ahead and drop a following, a favorite and review. They help me and make me happy.
This chapter was a lot jumpier than others; let me know if that worked for you in the reviews. I wasn't sure if the constant jumpcuts would be confusing to read.
Unfortunately, I got sick last week, which put me out of writing for two days. That means no sidebar just yet. I've got some stuff left to do today, so I'm gonna edit one in tonight. Expect it by 10pm.
That's all I have for you lovely folks. See ya next week!
-Salty Lightning
