Chapter 4 "No Words Were Harmed During the Making of This Chapter"
A/N: Everyone enjoying the holidays so far? Even if they haven't started I just thought I'd see if you're doing fine. Fun fact before we begin the chapter titles are gonna be random things from now on because I am no good at naming things. Plus it helps prevent spoilers doesn't it? That's just a pet peeve of mine. Anyway onto the December issue yes?
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It took all of Naruto's self restraint not to hurl the small creature he was holding at the Hokage "Mission complete Jiji… We got the cat."
"Ah very well, please give it to your client over…" the Hokage began however he was cut off by the large woman.
"Tora! I never thought I'd see you again baby! You managed to get lost again…" the large woman continued to speak to the cat in a voice one would use with a small child as she paid the attendants on duty however none of the ninja present listened to her. They've all heard it before. In fact it had become so commonplace that they had affectionately called missions dealing with the cat Tora-classed. Many of the younger children in the academy thought that a Tora-class mission was something full of honor and glory. All were disappointed when they learned what Tora-class missions actually were.
During this whole episode however the Hokage was speaking with Team Seven. "So Team Seven I see that your mission was a success and that no one was harmed…" he paused when he thought he heard Naruto say something along the lines of 'I got hurt.' However due to the quiet nature of the comment he couldn't be sure "As I was saying, you're next task will be a D-ranked mission and it will be to assist in helping the Bushi family construct a fence around their…"
"No! No no no no no! I won't do it old man! I absolutely refuse to be given another boring mission!" Naruto finally couldn't take it.
'I'm surprised he lasted as long as he has…'Iruka thought as he forced his face to contort with with rage "You will do whatever mission is assigned to you by Hokage-sama!"
"I'm tired of all these boring missions!" Naruto shouted towards Iruka before once again turning towards the aged Hokage "Come on Jiji-san! Give us a better one!"
Sasuke was watching this whole proceeding with an aloof interest 'Even the dobe has to be right sometimes it seems. These missions are tedious and not befitting someone of my talent and status.'
Sakura however was taking a much harsher view of the situation, while fighting the urge to smack Naruto for his insubordination 'How annoying can you get? I mean really now, just because these missions aren't filled with glory doesn't mean they're all bad. After all we get paid for it and we get to hang out with Sasuke-kun! What's not to love?'
Iruka finally couldn't take any more as he stood up to yell at his favorite student "You are just a rookie! Everyone starts with easy jobs and works their way up!"
Naruto took a step forward as he replied "Yeah, but we have the two top ranked genin from the graduating class on our team so shouldn't we be applying this to something more than catching cats!"
Iruka was visibly surprised at the logic of what Naruto said but he quickly recovered "Regardless ALL of you are just starting out! There is no reason for you to get anything difficult!"
"What about a low C-rank?"
"A…" Iruka started but was once again surprised 'He was paying attention in class for that? I'm impressed!'
Kakashi chose this point to step forward "While you do make a very good point Naruto I don't think that Hokage-sama would give you a mission like that. Even if all of us were-…"
"Very well." Hiruzen spoke up.
"Wh-what?" Iruka had nearly forgotten that the Hokage was beside him with how quiet the old man was being.
"They can have a C-rank."
"Bu-but they're just starting out! They…"
"I'm well aware of this Iruka. However it appears that Naruto, the worst of the team, feels they are ready for a low C-rank." Naruto frowned at this "And if he thinks that he and his team-mates can handle it I don't see why it would hurt. Besides I just happen to have one that a few gening would be able to handle by themselves. With the legendary Kakashi Hatake with them I'm sure that this will be a almost literal walk in the park."
"But they're just starting…" Iruka started but was stopped when the Hokage started speaking in a low tone.
"Iruka… I am your superior officer. Are you really going to question me I front of these impressionable genin? What if they learn a bad habit from you going unpunished? We couldn't have that. So if you really want me to show them what happens to those who disobey their superiors by all means continue."
"Yes Hokaga-sama. I'm sorry Hokage-sama." Was Iruka's swift response as he sat back in his chair quietly.
Hiruzen smiled before he spoke again, this time to the genin "Now if you think you're up to it, I think you'll do well with this protection mission…"
Naruto interrupted, his excitement getting the best of him "Alright! Are we protecting a princess or a… wait… Low C-rank… The way Hinata explained it that's nothing big so um…" Naruto paused as he pondered his excitement draining marginally "Alright who is it? Some old drunk who can't even walk twenty meters before he falls flat on his face?" all four members of Team Seven turned around when the door opened behind them.
There stood an old man obviously from a coastal region "I can walk twenty meters ya brat! Hell I can even walk twenty three without help." He paused as he took a drink from his sake bottle "It's at twenty three and a half where the trouble starts." He shook with laughter at his joke although no one else in the room did.
After the man's laughter died down Sarutobi spoke again "Well Team Seven this is Tazuna and he's…"
"A super bridge builder. So this is the team that's with me? I thought I signed up for Ninja protection and not a bunch of snot-nosed brats straight outta the crib. Hell the short one doesn't even look like he's out of diapers yet."
The Hokage started speaking with Tazuna about the finer mission details and his utmost confidence that Team Seven was prepared however the members of said team were having a small conversation to themselves.
"Pst… Kakashi-sensei, what happens if we kill him?" Naruto whispered as he leaned sideways towards the older man.
"Hm…" He paused to think for a moment "Well I suppose, if no one notices, that we just don't get paid. Oh, and it goes down as a failed mission which wouldn't look good on your record." Pausing for a moment he added "Or mine for that matter. So I'd appreciate it if you didn't kill him."
Naruto pouted for a few second before replying "Fine. But I won't like hanging out with him."
"No one's asking you to Naruto."
"Hey! Don't ignore me you little bastard!" Tazuna spoke up from his location near the Hokage, who was shaking his head distastefully, as he noticed Naruto not listening to him "I see you over there talking to that mask guy. Whatever… Just make sure to give me super-protection until I get back to my homeland and complete my bridge. After that you can be short and stupid all you want." Tazuna roared with laughter at his own joke.
Sakura frowned at the old man 'I may not like Naruto but even I gotta say that's a little harsh.'
"Well…" Kakashi rubbed the back of his head as he eyed his increasingly angry pupil "How about you three go get prepared while I discuss a few things with the client? I think it'd be a good idea to meet up at the village gate in about… an hour?"
After all three of his students nodded with varying degrees of slowness resulting from confusion, apathy, and anger Kakashi dismissed them.
'This mission is much more befitting someone of my talent. I suppose I owe the dobe one for managing to get this mission for me. I suppose this just reinforces on of Father's favorite sayings.' Sasuke said the last part aloud "Even those who are weak have their uses."
Sakura was much slower heading towards her home as it wasn't very far away and to hurry would likely cause her to sweat which is something Sasuke wouldn't like. "I need to look my best after all." As she ran a hand through her hair she thought back to the client "I hope he's not always this mean. Maybe once he sobers up a bit… Still it's a mission with Sasuke-kun so a drunk client would probably move slower meaning more time with Sasuke-kun!" Sakura giggled slightly "I hope he's drunk all the time." She could barely contain her excitement.
Naruto found it harder than usual to restrain his anger as he entered his assigned room in the Hyuuga household. It was nearly as bare as the usual Hyuuga room with the exception of a small photograph of him and his team-mates.
Nearly slamming the door he started ranting the second he was sure his hosts would not hear "That old bastard needs some respect beaten into him." He fumed as he collected several of his items in a much more efficient manner due to the cleanliness of his room. "I'll show him short and stupid..." he grumbled before pausing a moment "Uh no, I'll show him how NOT short or stupid I am. That'll show him." Grinning with his new, granted not very good, plan he continued to pack for several moment.
A loud knock resonated on the door. "Oh uh… come in?" Naruto was not used to people visiting his room. Heck, he wasn't even accustomed to people visiting his house. One thing that hadn't changed since the fire was that people tried to ignore him as much as possible while he was in his room.
The door opened slowly to reveal Hiashi Hyuuga "Naruto may we talk?" when Naruto nodded Hiashi stepped inside and closed the door "I have been informed by the Hokage that you will be participating in a C-rank mission. Your first I believe."
"Yeah but why would Jiji-san tell you? Hiashi-sama?"
"As your semi-permanent host your duties are of import to me. You are a temporary member of the Hyuuga clan and as such I am privy to all your missions. It is my responsibility to make sure you do not become involved in something you should not. At least until you find a new home. Regardless as to that I must request something of you."
Naruto tensed up as he watched Hiashi suspiciously, having not entirely grown to trust the man just yet, as he spoke "Is this about the favor I owe you?"
Hiashi pauses before shaking his head slightly "Not at all Naruto. This is more of a briefing than a request. I apologize for indicating otherwise earlier. Your input is not required. Just listen. Time is short now for both of us so mincing words will only waste time."
'Sheesh… be a bit ruder about it please.' Naruto couldn't help but think to himself as Hiashi spoke.
"You live with the Hyuuga clan and as such your performance will reflect our ability to take care of our guests. If you perform poorly it will reflect badly and there will be negative consequences. For both of us."
Naruto noticed that there didn't appear to be any malice to him. Instead it seemed that Hiashi was, at the very least, generally concerned about his performance. 'Maybe it's not just for me. But it is kind of nice for him to care even a little I guess…' Naruto snapped to attention when he noticed that Hiashi appeared to be expecting an answer "Oh! Uh… No need to worry Jij…" Coughing to cover up his mistake he continued "Hiashi-sama, I'll be the best damn ninja I can be. No one will be able to say anything bad about you guys!"
Hiashi seemed to regard Naruto for a few moments with some sort of vague curiosity before he replied "Very well. I shall leave you to gather your provisions in peace, however, before I go one last thing. You may wish to speak to Hinata before you leave on your mission. I am sure that she will be very eager to hear about your upcoming task. You two seem to be good friends. I am positive that she will be hurt if she finds out about the good news from someone else." With that last word Hiashi opened to door and walked away from the young blonde.
Naruto nearly slapped himself in the face as he hurried to gather the rest of his things. With everything that had happened he had forgotten about Hinata. Glancing at the clock he nearly sprinted at the door. He only had ten minutes left before it was time to depart.
"So anyway, yeah, that's why I'm the best guy on the team." Kiba was boasting loudly outside of the Hokage's building. They had just shown up for Kurenai to get their first mission of the day. Since it was directly after training they were given a few moments to rest outside.
"I may be wrong Kiba, but I seem to recall that you lost both matches against me." Was Shino's reply to the over-eager bragging of his companion.
Without missing a beat Kiba replied smiling "I was just going easy on you. It wouldn't be a good idea to destroy my team-mate's confidence would it?"
Shino poked Kiba swiftly on the arm allowing a bug to rest on his team-mate's jacket "I just planted one bug on your arm. However while you were distracted by this, I planted several more on your leg. You swipe at me but I dodge and retreat. Being none the wiser you are steadily weakened until such a time where I come back to finish the job. Sadly you're drained at this point and I take an easy victory. Hypothetically I just won."
Hinata laughed gently as Kiba joined in"Yeah I guess you did. But you wouldn't last twenty seconds if it were a… hey.. Is that Naruto?"
Hinata swiftly went quiet as she turned to face the approaching orange figure "Yes. That is Naruto-kun."
"I wonder what he's doing all the way out here? I didn't see his team anywhere near here." Kiba's musings were cut off as Naruto arrived.
Catching Hinata in a gentle hug he stared into her eyes "Hinata… I finally realized why you've always been so nice to me. I… I just had to tell you when I found out you felt the same."
"Felt the same?"
"I love you Hinata." Laughing a little as he kissed her cheek he continued "I guess I always have but I just didn't realize it. I know I may not be the greatest ninja yet but… If you'd be willing to try… I'd like you to be my girlfriend. Please?"
Hinata couldn't stop the flow of happy tears "Yes Naruto-kun I would love to be your girlfriend. It is what I have always wanted since I first met you."
Naruto smiled even broader as he softly whispered her name "Hinata…" his lips fell on her own before he withdrew "Hinata…" once again he kissed her swiftly "Hinata…"
"HINATA!" the sudden loudness of the blonde teen before her snapped her out of her day dream "Oh good you snapped out of it! Listen I don't have a lot of time I've got to hurry." Hinata hung her head in embarrassment for day-dreaming while Naruto was trying to talk to her but snapped her head up when he called her name again "I came to say good-bye. I've got a C-rank mission and we're leaving in about two minutes and I can't be late. Sorry I couldn't stay longer! Tell you all about it when I get back! See ya Hinata. See ya Shino. See ya Kiba." And with that the young blonde sprinted in the direction of the village gates.
"I can't believe he got a C-rank mission before us!" Kiba exclaimed "What a rip-off! We could handle a C-rank mission don't ya think Akamaru?" Akamaru barked before Kiba continued "Exactly! I bet he's doing something really fun like fighting bandits! Hell he'll probably have a whole lot of fun… Maybe he'll even end up fighting an enemy ninja or two. Lucky bastard. Not like he could handle it…" Kiba was about to continue before he noticed that Shino was glaring at him.
"Kiba… I am sure that Hinata would appreciate it if you were a little quieter." Moving to stand closer to Hinata who had been standing as though stunned since Naruto left he continued "I am sure that Naruto will be fine Hinata. He never gives up from what I've seen. He won't let anything stop him from coming back to the village to tell you about what he's done."
"Yeah, I mean he's going to be the hokage right? He can't do that if he doesn't come back." Kiba took a stab at trying to rectify his earlier faux pas.
Their attempts to cheer her up meant more to the young Hyuuga than either of her team-mates woud ever know. 'I just hope Shino and Kiba are right. Please stay safe Naruto-kun.' Was her last thought before her sensei returned from the Hokage's office to inform them of their next task.
In a town far away from the walls of Konoha a buxom blonde woman sat in a dirty casino whose name had faded off the sign. Beside her sat a brunette carrying a small pig. The brunette cast unhappy glares at the blonde when she drunkenly called for another hand of card. The brunette woman did not seem shocked at all when the blonde lost "Stupid cards. Ugh I hate these things… Why do I even bother?"
"Because you're a compulsive addict who can't control herself." The brunette's foul mood seemed to spill to the surface.
"I can stop whenever I want. But I don't because that's for quitters and say what you want about me Shizune, I am no quitter." The blonde smiled as she placed more chips on the table before turning towards her companion once again "Besides, what gives you the right to be so angry? I'm paying for your expenses aren't I?"
"Yes. With my money."
"It's an investment Shizune! You'll be rich before the night's out. Trust me." Turning back towards her opponent, a portly balding man in his fifties, she said "Ha, my hand's unbeatable!" whether this was a bluff or honesty was never proven as a large plume of smoke erupted off the table.
"Ah Tsunade-same… You are still alive." Came a slow drawling voice from the cloud of smoke. The instant the smoke had disappated Tsunade was able to make out the medium sized dark green slug with short eye-stalks and yellow stripes.
"Osoi! Of course I'm alive! Who in the hell told you otherwise!" Tsunade's face betrayed her dislike of the slug as she continued "And get off the table. You're ruining the cards."
"Ah hello Shizune-chan. You are beautiful as always. It seems that everytime I see you I think you cannot get any more lovely. But I'm always happy to be proven wrong on this case." The slugs awkward compliment caused the young brunette to smile and nod in thanks. Slowly her turned back towards the gambling senin "As for who told me, it was my last summoner."
The smile on Shizune's face dropped instantly as her mentor turned towards her "Tsunade-sama I…"
"Shizune! Why in the hell would you go around telling the slugs I was dead? Thought you'd become the next big slug summoner huh? Wanted to take a crack at the legendary medic nin? Thought you've gotten good enough to take me out did you? Maybe you just wanted the slugs to abandon me well I can tell you something little girl I…" Tsunade's rant, as well as Shizune ineffectual attempts to explain, were cut off by Osoi.
"It was not the angelic Shizune-chan who implied this."
Shizune breathed a sigh of relief before she asked "Well then who told you she was dead Osoi?"
"A young man named Uzumaki. I believe his first name was Naruto." The slug replied in a much faster tone than he did with Tsunade.
"Uzumaki… That name sounds familiar but I just can't place it." With a small sigh and a wistful glance at the table Tsunade turned towards Shizune "Pack up everything Shizune, we need to leave as soon as possible."
Shizune was so shocked by the reaction her mentor was having that she took a step back "You're done gambling? Really? You still have money though… Not that I'm not glad but… why?"
Tsunade glared at the younger girl "In case you didn't notice something's come up. Some little bastard managed to find where I hid the scroll. I didn't think any of those repossession bastards would be able to find it. Tsk… We need to find him though. I suppose I could always ask Jiraiya. He seems to…"
"The boy is in Konoha."
Tsunade immediately stiffened her look of rage falling into one of shocked sorrow "Konoha… How do you know?"
"He was wearing the head-band. It's similar to the one you wore when you lived there. As well as the one that looked absolutely divine sitting upon Shizune-chan's forhead. It was a different shade though. A slightly lighter blue then you wore."
"Thank you that will be all." Came Tsunade's terse reply.
The slug slowly turned before replying "No respect. Farewell my angelic Shizune-chan." And with that Osoi disappeared in another puff of smoke.
After a small moment of silence Shizune spoke up "Are we… Are we still going?" she knew of her mentors hatred of being near, much less in, Konoha.
With one last longing look at the dealer who gestured at her cards she said "We have to." And with that, they made their way towards the exits to begin their journey.
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A/N: I hope you children enjoyed this chapter. It's the end of the Introduction Arc. Next up… THE WAVE ARC! I wonder what will happen? I mean, it's not like "we can all recite the wave arc in our sleep" –Brown Phantom…. But anyway I plan on doing something a little special with the wave arc and I really hope you enjoy it as much as I have planning it. Merry Chrinnakwanziladays Everyone.