'This new jackets a trip!' Naruto thought to himself as he ducked from wall to wall, leapt from tree to tree, and dashed from bush to bush, 'I've nearly made it all the way to the Hokage tower, and no one's spotted me!'

As Naruto sat perched in a tall tree, he spotted his teammates below him, slowly approaching the entrance to the Hokage's mansion.

'Hah, this'll be great,' Naruto leapt into the cover of a nearby bush, 'They'll all think I'm late, but I'll really be right next to them... that will impress Sakura!'

"Alright guys, everyones here... lets head inside." Kakashi spoke to his pupils, "C'mon, we don't have time to waste."

'Coming from the guy who was hours late to our first meeting!' Naruto stuck out his camouflaged tongue.

Sakura looked around, she didn't want to say anything. She was still angry with Naruto, but she still cared for him enough to not want him to miss their first mission.

"Kakashi sensei?" Kakashi looked at Sakura, a bored expression graced what was visible of his face. It was like he knew what she was going to ask, "Where is Naruto?"

"Oh, I'm sure he'll show up sooner or later, now come on."

The doors of the great Hokage tower opened, and the team scurried in. As they closed, Sakura found herself still worrying about Naruto.

Naruto on the other hand, was elated beyond care. He was currently walking directly behind his teammates.

'I can't believe they didn't spot me...but that was awfully mean of Kakashi to just walk in without me.'

Now that they were inside, walking down a populated hallway, Naruto had more trouble blending in. There were only so many shadows to hide in, and he knew that soon enough he would have to give away his position. Then, a miracle!

"Attention staff, we will now switch to emergency power, this is just a drill, repeat this is just a drill."

The lights turned off for a moment, then a the single emergency light illuminated a small fraction of the hallway.

'YES!' Naruto had no trouble blending in now, he merely followed suit as his teammates moved through to the next room. 'As long as this drill keeps up till we reach the Hokage's office, it will be smooth sailing from here on out.'

The drill went on just long enough for the team to reach the office of the Hokage, just as they walked in through the door the lights flickered back on.

"Ah glad you all found your way in the dark," The hokage chuckled at his bad joke, "Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto...let us what mission we have for you today."

Sakura almost argued, but stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to see Naruto flashing her a thumbs up. She jumped in fright.

"Sakura what's wrong." Kakashi looked down at her, and she stared at him in confusion. Sasuke had also noticed Naruto, and was confused as well, "Are you two okay? Naruto, do you know what's wrong with them?

Naruto scratched his head and grinned.

"No idea sensei."

The third Hokage stared at the strange spectacle before him, confused, and feeling out of the loop.

"May I proceed!"

The ninja quickly regained their composure. Kakashi nodded at the Hokage.

"Good, " The hokage shuffled the papers on his desk before continuing, "Now normally, I'd start a genin team such as yours on simple milk run missions...but you four are a special case."

The hokage stood up and walked to the window, staring outside over the village.

"The ultimate goal of ninja, is to grow strong enough to protect the ones he loves...and in order to grow stronger we need to meet challenges. I see no sense in wasting such a fine display of raw talent on simplistic missions... therefore, I am assigning you all to an C-rank mission."

Naruto's face lit up, 'A CHANCE TO PROVE MYSELF IN COMBAT!'

"Well where are we going, when are going, what are we doing!"

"Calm down Naru-"

"What are we gonna be doing, are we gonna fight th-"

"Naruto!"

The Hokage cleared his throat, silencing both Kakashi and Naruto.

"It won't be specifically challenging... our guards caught sight of three strange looking shinobi near our south wall, we want you to investigate...if they try to attack you will be there as back up for Kakashi...you will not yourselves engage in the fight unless instructed by Kakashi... understood?"

Naruto nodded absentmindedly, his thoughts drifting to the upcoming battle. His blood was burning and his heart was racing.

"You are dismissed, good luck."


'Alright!, this is going to be great!' Naruto could barley contain his excitement, "This is gonna be great!"

"Control yourself Naruto, this is going to be routine... odds are they're just some vagrants seeking shelter. I doubt you will see any combat."

Naruto ignored Kakashi, and smiled to himself.

"Naruto..." Sasuke spoke up for the first time that morning, "How did you sneak up on us like that."

Naruto chuckled to himself.

"Sorry Sasuke, thats my little secret." He scratched his head and smiled at the Uchiha.

"Naruto, no secrets between teammates..." Kakashi said absentmindedly.

"But-you-I-ugh! Fine, if you must know, my new jacket has a camouflage seal."

From beside Naruto, Sakura's temper flared.

"So, I see you got a new jacket after all." Feeling betrayed, she quickened her pace to keep in step with Sasuke.

"No Sakura-chan, I didn't buy it with-"

"Shh, Naruto...there they are." Kakashi stopped walking, "Something isn't right."

MORE to come, read and review