Chapter IV

SUZUME'S POV

Silence reigned in the room as I stood in the Hokage's office.

-Wait, what? What trouble? What do you mean? - I started off. No one seemed as surprised and worried as I was.

In front of me, Lady Tsunade, perfectly still. At my right, Kakashi, still reading the report.

-You heard well. But calm down, I will explain. - Lady Tsunade said.

-Just, let me see that. - I walked towards Kakashi and grabbed the paper from his hands. He looked at me and just stared. He looked worried, so I just gave him a look; I wasn't very pleased with the situation.

I began to read. I cut off some sentences that didn't matter. I could only focus on the apparently major problems:

Various murders. Mist Village in peril… Women and children disappeared last night… two men brutally killed… Criminals cut loose… Kidnappings, assaults, murder… in need of immediate help. No way out.

My eyes trembled as I kept on reading. The massive titles kept on going and going. My jaw dropped and my mind went blank. Everything vanished. My home, my former home, was falling apart. Families, children… everyone killed. I could feel the tears forming on my eyes. I couldn't stand the idea of thinking about the kind of massacre that was going on back there. I couldn't.

-So when do I go out? - I asked ferociously. I was worried, sad, astonished, pissed, furious. I never thought that so many emotions could be inside me at the same time. I was about to explode. I had to get out. I had to go to the Mist village.

-Hold it right there, missy. You're not going anywhere alone. - Tsunade said. Man, this was killing my time. I had to go, and she was holding me back.

-Okay, so, what's the plan? - I scoffed.

Kakashi took a step forward, and it reminded me that he was actually still there.

-Well, it is our mission, right? - He turned back at me, and Tsunade did as well.

-Hm, yes, I actually was assigning only you to do the job, but since we have a former resident of the Mist Village with us, she might be very helpful. - Tsunade said. She stared at me. I could notice she was worried too, but not as much as I was.

-You know the area better than anyone here in Konoha. You know everything about the village and this information can be very helpful when the mission starts. You should be leaving immediately, so go pack your stuff and be ready. - She looked at me and then she turned to Kakashi. –Go gather your students. They will come in handy. - She finished.

-Right away. – He began to walk towards the door. I intended to follow, but Tsunade spoke fast enough to stop me.

-Wait. There's something more. – She straightened up and stood back on her chair.

-Yes? - Kakashi said as his torso turned to face me.

-I'm assigning Suzume to a three-man cell. –

-Wait, what? What do you mean? - A three-man cell? What was she talking about?

-I got some ninjas from right here in Konoha with the same age as Naruto and Sakura. They will be your team for this mission. You'll be their sensei for this occasion. They are highly skilled and you seem to be a very good option for them. So, I trust you can handle it, right? - She got up from her seat, but didn't take a single step in any direction.

-Uh, yeah, I guess. - I said. I wondered whom my "students" for the mission would be. I mean, I had never been an official teacher, but I had things that were similar. Back at home I had a group of "followers". Young kids that were looking forward to learning from me. I taught them some taijutsu and stuff, but nothing too important. So, I wasn't really sure of how to react at the moment.

-You can come in now. - Tsunade said loudly, looking at the door.

I turned my body to face the door. I heard a low sound as the door was being opened. Kakashi came to stand right beside me, and we both waited as we saw three bodies enter one by one into the room.

Three silhouettes stood right in front of me, and I didn't know what to do.

-Guys, this is Suzume Morioka. You'll be under her watch until this mission is over, so I trust you'll follow orders correctly and without question. - She finished. –So, what are you waiting for? Introduce yourselves. –

-Hello, I am Suzume Morioka. - Kakashi turned to look at me when I said my name. I gave him look. They didn't need to know my true origins right now.

The three unknown faces smiled at me, and a voice I didn't recognize broke the silence.

-So, our new sensei, huh… AWESOME! - The voice came from a tall boy. He had brown messy hair, and beautiful green eyes. He was dressed in red clothes and his headband was placed on his neck. –I'm Kenji Kimura. So come on, let's get out already, I can't wait! – He made me laugh. I could see he had spark.

-Oh, shut up already, Kenji, we'll leave soon enough. - A female voice stood out and Kenji turned in the direction in which the sound came, and so did I. I saw a girl with short black hair that went down until the lower part of her neck. Her eyes were deep red wine and her face was pale white. She was beautiful indeed. She was wearing white clothes and black shorts, and she had the leaf headband crest placed in her right black glove. Her expression was normal, relaxed, but it looked like she was really annoyed by Kenji's enthusiasm. As I watched, she turned her face and looked at me –I'm Miria Hanari. Nice to meet you. - She made a face at Kenji and then turned back.

Finally, I directed my eyes to the third member that hadn't yet been introduced. I could see he was tall, and his hair was like a dark blonde. Kind of brown-ish, actually, but not as much as Kenji's. He was wearing mainly dark green clothes and a red scarf that almost covered his mouth entirely. His headband crest was placed on his right arm and he had dark brown eyes. He just closed his eyes and then let out a sigh. When he opened them, he looked at me and smiled a beautiful smile. –I'm Riichi Renzei. Pleased to meet you, sensei. – I smiled back at him and took a last good look at my new team. I was surprisingly happy, or pleased, I wasn't sure.

I had a new team and a new mission, and I was sure as hell that I would not screw it up.