Well, here's the first new chapter I've written since November. Well, I'm a liar, about half of this was written about two years ago.
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Chapter 6
"Whaaaaaaaat? That's so not fair!"
"I know, but that's what my brother told me!"
"I can't believe it!" Rei collapsed to the ground dramatically, then spread out on her back. "How come they got one and not us?"
"Ichi's annoyed too. But no one on his team seems bothered. Yoshi's too shy to say his opinion, and Aruka just says it's all because of Neji's greatness or something…"
Souta stood up. "Here comes Sensei. Perhaps now would be the time to question him about it?"
Tegowai stared at him, then broke into a grin and pulled him into a hug. "I knew you were bothered too, Souta! See, even Souta sees something wrong with it!"
"Alright, something wrong with what?" Kyoushu asked as he approached.
Rei gazed up at him looking heartbroken. "Sensei! Is it true?"
"Is what true, Rei-chan?" He asked, although he had a pretty good idea what they were talking about.
"That Neji's team got a C rank mission!" Tegowai and Rei chorused.
"Yes, it is," He answered pleasantly, ignoring the underlying question.
"But why?"
"Team Gai has been training nearly non-stop since graduation. They have improved greatly and both Gai-sensei and the hokage have decided that they are prepared," Kyoushu recited.
"But why haven't we gotten one, Sensei? Haven't we improved?" Rei asked, pouting.
Ah-ha, there it is… "Because I did not think you were ready for one. Now come on, lets keep training. You have a short dog walking mission this afternoon, so we don't have as much time as we usually do…" He started walking towards the training fields, but stopped a few moments later when he realized that they weren't following. He turned to face his students, who were stubbornly unmoving. Tegowai and Souta stood with their arms crossed and Rei mirrored the pose while sitting on the ground. "Okay, you three need to stop acting like children. It might be a disappointment, but perhaps if you focus more on training and following orders you will be prepared the next time a C rank comes up, alright? Now come on, or would you rather go babysitting again? The hokage offered that mission last night, and I don't think anyone's taken it yet."
With a few grumbles from Rei and Tegowai, then followed him off into the training grounds.
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The Hokage sighed, rifling through his paperwork. There were fifteen death certificates to sign, four adoption forms to be approved, and a meeting in three hours… it was too much work for an old man! Maybe I should find a successor and just retire already.
There was a knock on his door and he pushed the work to the side of his desk as Izumo walked in.
"We have captured a Taki-nin, hokage-sama. He insisted he speak to you before we took him to Ibiki. We have disarmed him, he was caught on the outskirts of the village." Izumo beckoned, and two men entered, one with his hands held behind his back with chakra cuffs. Then Izumo and the man who had brought the prisoner in bowed and left.
Sarutobi sat up straight, and took out a form from one of his desk drawers. He uncapped his pen, then looked up at the man.
"You are a Taki-nin, correct? Not a missing nin?" The man nodded, squirming in the chakra cuffs.
"You are aware that Taki and Konoha do not have an alliance? And that you were in enemy territory when you were captured? You were not on Taki ground?" The man nodded to each of these questions, and the hokage visibly relaxed. The man had confirmed that he had been on Konoha's territory, a huge relief. If a captured ninja denied this, the resulting disputes could lead to war. Sarutobi checked off some bubbles on the form.
"What is your name and rank?" He asked, pen poised over the paper.
The man looked up at him, his blue eyes flashing. "Odaki Isamu, chunin."
The hokage nodded, writing it down, noting the clan name. Taki was a fairly small ninja village, lead by the head of the Odaki clan. The village had been founded by a rouge kunoichi from the Mist, Odaki Chie. Her clan had grown to dominate Taki both in population majority and in influence. Konoha and Taki had a pretty shaky relationship at the present. It didn't help that the Fourth had killed the previous head of the clan during the last ninja war.
The hokage continued.
"Were you on a mission when you were captured?"
"No." This was also good. If this ninja was here on orders from Taki, then war could be brewing.
"Then why were you here?"
"I was looking for my daughter."
Sarutobi pulled out another piece of paper.
"Why would you suspect your daughter to be around here?"
"Not because of official business. I used to tell her stories… She ran away from home to try to become a ninja."
"Your daughter's name and age?" Sarutobi asked. Perhaps if Konoha nin were to find and return her, it would improve their relation with the Odaki clan.
"Ai, age eight."
"Height?"
"Four foot six."
Sarutobi finished noting this. "Alright. I am going to dispatch a team to search for your daughter. I will have to send you to interrogation, but if you are completely honest, you will not be hurt, and will be released soon." He called for Izumo, who took the man away. Sarutobi examined the team lists. It would be a good idea to send a new genin team… this is a low rank mission, without traveling into another country… it would be good training for in the field…
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"Rei, you need to learn this. It's a simple technique. I'm not going to hurt you; I'm only putting you in a genjutsu. Understand? It's only an illusion. Now could you please stop whining and pay attention?" Souta and Rei sat cross-legged under a tree. The sun had just started to set, tinting the sky a faint orange. Souta was shaping Rei's hands into a seal, and Kyoushu was sparring with Tegowai a few yards away.
"It's really hard! Besides, your genjutsu is really scary. I just can't do it!" Rei was complaining loudly.
"We've been going over the dispel technique for the past two hours, Rei. Now I'm going to try again, so take a deep breath and get ready, okay?"
Rei nodded, and formed the seal she had been practicing.
"Let's go." and all of a sudden, Souta was gone. So was Kyoushu… Rei was conscious of noise behind her, slow ragged breathing. She turned around, to see Souta's face inches away from hers, a wicked grin contorting his usual stoic expression, his eyes visible and bulging, his icy irises engulfing her, swallowing her whole…
"Rei." She was suddenly at the training grounds once more, shaking. Souta was sitting across from her, his eyes hidden under his colorless hair, as usual. He shook his head. "You can't seem to do it. Kyoushu-sensei," He said, turning to face his teacher. "This is hopeless. I've been working with her for hours, and she still can't get the hang of it." Kyoushu and Tegowai were circling each other, arms held across their chest. "Alright, one minute, Souta." Kyoushu replied, as Tegowai leapt forward, one arm curled inward at his side, the other striking upwards towards his sensei's face, hands clenched into fists. Kyoushu easily deflected the blow, grabbing his student's wrist and upper arm, using Tegowai's momentum to flip him over his shoulder. The unfortunate genin landed in a dead thorn bush a few yards behind him. Kyoushu turned to Souta.
"You have been at it for a while now… We'll just have to try again another day. Now, there's something I have to talk with you guys about."
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Rei, Tegowai, and Souta followed their teacher into Sarutobi's office. The hokage was seated behind his desk, and Ibiki was standing at attention beside him. Rei inched away from the tall intimidating figure, but Kyoushu approached him with a smile.
"It's been a while, Morino-sempai," He said with a bow.
Ibiki nodded to him, a thin smile on his lips. Rei and Tegowai shivered. "It indeed has been, Dokujin. The two smiled at each other for a few seconds longer than would normally be comfortable before Ibiki looked away, towards the hokage. Sarutobi looked at them warily.
"I do hope we won't have any incidents today, Ibiki, Kyoushu. Now, lets begin." He turned to face Kyoshu's students. "Your Sensei has advised me against assigning you a C class mission," Here Rei turned to glare at said teacher. He didn't blink. "However another lower class mission has arrived today. I feel it would be good mission practice for your team." He nodded to Ibiki to continue.
"Odaki Ai, 8 years old. Blue eyes, black hair, four foot six. She has run away from her home village, Taki, and her parents have reasonable suspicion that she is in this area. Your mission is to locate her and to bring her back here where she will then be returned to her home. We do not have a photograph, but we are told she wears her hair loose to her waist and dresses in light colored kimonos. It is likely however that she is dressed in some sort of black outfit with pants and she may have tied her hair back, so do not depend on that description." He finished his short briefing.
"That is all," Sarutobi said. "Now please wait outside the tower, I would like a word with you sensei. Kyoushu?"
Kyoushu nodded and his students were escorted out by Izumo. A few minutes later, Kyoshu rejoined them and led them towards the village gates.
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Finally a real mission! What will happen? Stay tuned!