AN: Holy cow guys I'm sorry I thought I posted this last month! Anyways, Yep. I derailed it again. Haha..
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It was very easy to get the C Rank. Team Seven showed up on time for their meeting with Kakashi. They were each in their respective darker and more 'serious' respective uniforms and gear in preparation or to prove they were taking this request as the submissive tactic to their superior that it was. Kucho's hair was in it's usual style but that was rather forgivable, it wasn't like she kept her hair in some ridiculous length that would provide easier handholds and there were several dozen kikaichu latched onto the black ribbons he saw dangling from her hair. One who didn't know better, wouldn't realize that was a weapon in and of itself. Even Naruto had his dark bandanna he'd throw over his noticeable whisker marks and another for his hair (so he didn't need to rely on a henge ) looped around his belt. To complete the effect they radiated calm and all three bowed and asked rather nicely.
"We feel we are ready for an upgrade in mission ranks, Kakashi-sensei" Naruto said first taking care to keep his voice 'soft', or at normal levels for the rest of the world.
Sasuke immediately followed up with "It would do us good to get some real experience outside of Konoha." Kakashi fought a twitch of surprise every time the last Uchiha actually spoke willingly and without it entailing an insult.
Kucho however was the final one though Kakashi's eye was glinting darkly as he observed the still bowed forms of his team. The darker, the truly Anbu prodigy ninja within was exultant that his skilled genin were being respectful and even attempting to offer him reasons. This was good, it showed initiative and drive, cohesion in the uniform decision of the three. Best of all? Kakashi would love to see what they did in a true fight..
"We are ready to spread our wings under your direction, Kakashi-sensei." Kucho paused then and her tone twisted, regal and dangerous. On such a little girl it was still more cute but it held promise of what a nightmare she'd be as an adult. "It would be most unfortunate for those we interact with regularly if we started to feel...hindered..in our progress." though it was a too subtle hint Kakshi caught her suggestion that she would involve Anko and had to admit it was too lightly handled, but a good maneuver.
"Maaa...maa...I suppose..so an assassination? Sabotage?" He was teasing in tone but his eye watched carefully. Curious. They managed to all -save for Naruto- not react. Naruto flinched but it was much better then he had feared. It helped he could tell the flinch was from holding an outburst in too. Really, the blonde loudmouthed brat had come a long way. Apparently regularly sparring with his teammates and being encouraged to think wore him out, gave him an outlet for all that energy.
"You are the jounin-sensei." Kucho answered with a tiny wrist movement, Queen deferring to her elder and Kakashi chuckled.
"alright, come on my little genin..." Kakashi was pleased. He was of course fully aware of what the available missions would be, having perused them out of habit late the prior evening. His team was correct to ask for it; though their training was astounding they needed to be properly battle tested and scared to grow further before they learned to be too relaxed from spars rather then dangerous fights. Too many ninja focused entirely on 'safe' fights and then never developed the edge that would be necessary later on. Everyone froze to some degree on missions to start with, while Kakashi was fairly certain he knew precisely where each of the three under his command would falter he needed to be certain that he was there to push them beyond it. Only forcing them to rapidly scale past their issues during truly dangerous situations would turn them from having vast potential into being truly the potential soldiers he saw them as. Even just a little, in the back of their reptilian ancestral brains they felt secure here in the expanse of Konoha. They would not force themselves beyond that, to confront the primal instincts that would turn them from pulling a killing strike at the last minute to dispatching it efficiently and moving to the next. There was safety here, a hospital, many people around them. They had not seen the horrors of war and battle and despite all the incredible changes all three were still children playing ninja to him. Oh, certainly, Naruto had fought a traitor once upon the learning of his sacrificial role.
Even then however, he had held back and merely overwhelmed in large numbers with the finesse of a toddler swatting a child that had upset them. There had been no intent to kill, merely to stop.
Pacifistic tendencies were admirable, but like the many ANBU he knew who held such personal views, it only meant one needed to become more deadly so that you caused precisely the amount of destruction as needed and no more. Only the best could afford to be merciful. Sadly in a world of ninja, that often meant those souls twisted and corrupted at the horrors they were exposed to. Perhaps it was why Kakashi had always been so cold, he'd seen what had happened to his father on his many missions before the one.
He'd seen it etch into 'Yamato' and Itachi as well.
There had been a dozen more over the years.
Obito...
Rin.
At least he was there to remember them. So many, were never remembered. That was only from their own generation.
He would not see such potential crippled in the three, whether Naruto would show signs of being another of the pacifistic souls did not mean he was to be the weak link. If need be Kakashi would force upon the blonde what he could not upon his own teammates, that being 'merciful' could very well cost you the life of someone precious to you.
He would not stifle their drive, if they were truly coming to him and asking that he push them emotionally and mentally as well as physically (and he was so blasted proud of them for that)...
There was one C rank..that was just perfect. Most C ranks were escort missions but while Kakashi had little doubt his team would do fine, he wanted to satisfy the darker nature of his inner ninja..he wanted not an all round or battlefield front line team..he wanted true shinobi. Exceptional. Ones that were as his father had trained him. He wanted to make them Hattake level. Ones that had never been a huge clan because they only kept to the best of their group. It whittled you down fast.
They had such promise though..
As their captain, their Jounin-sensei and mentor, Kakashi refused to hold them back.
"Yo. Team Seven requesting C rank mission Albatross." Kakashi stated calmly, fully slouched but his eye never left Sarutobi. The Hokage glanced at him, fully aware that Kakashi had suggested he may be training them to be the first ever from genin to specialized team..like Anbu only more. It was a project Sarutobi had scrapped because they'd never found a third member for Kakashi..and while Itachi had been promising he had been too much a pacifist (and truthfully to wrapped up in crazy clan politics that had no business in a real shinobi's life) to truly do what was needed. Sarutobi needed an ANBU level team that would be able to operate almost outside the Hokage's influence while still loyal enough to report. A team that would be able to find and destroy any poisonous rot on the grand tree of Konoha and prune the branches as well as operate as a lethal mission team. Kakashi had a chance..he wanted to see if they could became the team that Konoha needed but would never know. It was not a path of glory, it was one of extreme danger.
Shadows in the Shadows.
"Albatross!?" Iruka blurted out. "They're not ready for such a mission yet, they've not been out of the academy long and.."
"They are my soldiers." Kakashi said lazily but there was a tone to his voice and a glint to his eye that made Iruka, and many others there pale. A few even took a step back. Some of the other ninja noticed that Team Seven was not even blinking or surprised to hear the Killing Intent laced sound, soft as it was, from their sensei. If anything when he said soldiers Team seven had moved subconsciously into poses of 'rest' that any long serving ninja would recognize. Feet braced, apart. Hands relaxed but fingers softly curled by their weapons pouches. The three were in front of Kakashi but ever so slightly spread apart for ease of moving into proper formation. It was so entirely relaxed and natural to the three that it was clearly not intentional. It was the pose of a team that trusted each other and their sensei.
They were comfortable in the danger that their sensei exuded. So much so that even though the faint Killing Intent being leaked in his voice hadn't even made the three children flinch but had if anything soothed them. They not only subconsciously trusted each other but that if lethal force came up from Kakashi it would be in their best interest. It was..promising. Sarutobi took very careful note of it. Most genin never reached that point, most chunin at best would be jumpy and wary. It took rare individual's who were comfortable with danger at their backs. The only one he could state at that point that was likely to be there was Naruto, only because despite having the life he had and the fox sealed into him it seemed the blonde was always determined to see the best in everything. Kucho should have been terrified because she simply hadn't the chakra to handle such a dangerous threat even at that low level and the Uchiha should have bristled at the idea of another having such control over him.
What was happening was honestly far beyond the comprehension of the paper pushers and mid to low level chunin around the third Hokage at the moment. Kakashi was very subtly doing a show and tell. He was proving that team seven was as far from the best possible situation that had been expected as they could be. In the best way. He was underneath the underneath the deepest levels of code and half forgotten conversations with a young teen who had not yet learned his beloved sensei would die in a few days time leaving behind an orphaned son. Conversations on what could be done if they ever found themselves so blessed as to stumble upon a group. What the original idea behind Root was to be before it vanished.
Right there...the seeds were showing their shoots pushing above the earth. Ever so subtly, Sarutobi Hiruzen adjusted his hat to Kakashi. He saw. Oh...he saw.
"If Kakashi-sensei says we are ready for something, we are." Naruto stated. His arms were uncrossed and he did not yell or make a scene. That as much as the change in his attire had Iruka blink several times and then gaping at them still and making sounds as he was, Kucho had to interject.
"Should you not close your mouth Iruka-san, I cannot guarantee one of my kikaichu will not fly in."
"Hn."
Naruto barely kept his smirk to match Sasuke's expression off his own face. He could understand Uchiha to hear 'I hope he would choke on it, underestimating us..'
Yeah, Naruto spent way too much time around his hive.
And clearly Kucho.
Hive.
Team. TEAM!...Ah who was he kidding..he remembered how seriously she had all but stated they were family and always would be, completely not understanding why they made such a fuss over it. It was just logic and fact to the Aburame, which allowed him to believe her.
"Very well, Albatross is yours." Sarutobi handed the scroll to Kakashi after the silence stretched on, impressed that no further remarks had come from Team Seven. They were being shockingly mature about the situation. "Debrief them outside the borders. No packs or anything beyond what is already on you."
The team impressed quite a few as though the three children wanted to ask questions, obviously, they refrained. Instead bowing respectfully and following Kakashi out the door.
Not leading. And they moved as one, not one of the three children took point.
It made the next squabbling team that came in (a year older even!) seem...lacking.
"Kakashi-sensei?" Kucho asked when they were outside.
"This will be quick. We cannot bring anything additional for plausible deniability. You are all prepared enough I hope?" Kakashi would otherwise get something to tide them over, but Albatross was a week long mission that would hardly be comfortable. May take almost two weeks. It was a speed mission while also due to deception being unable to proceed at the usual run, as well as one with scheduled 'training' stops to mimic being out to learn the land. It was to be merely on 'accident' they would reach a small village a few days travel from Konoha and if they were heavily loaded down with items it wouldn't seem right. It wasn't unheard of for parents of civilian children who had dropped out to humor their offspring and hire a ninja (usually a chunin) to take them on a camping trip in the wild with few supplies. It was meant to scare off any remaining interest and get the children to settle into lifetimes of their non shinobi careers.
"Tags, kunai, water bottle, couple of bars just to be safe. Money of course and the usual debris in my pockets." Naruto rattled off.
"Shuriken, Kunai, wire, water, bars and extra bandages." Sasuke confirmed as they walked. All of team seven had taken to carrying water bottles and the Aburame bars daily in case Kucho couldn't bring them proper meals in quantities to keep up with teenage boys expending insane amounts of energy. As they had expected a C rank they had not prepared bentos. Okay they had known Kucho wasn't going to make them and neither was Gumoko-san.
"Water, bars, soldier pills and nutritional pills to make up for my having the weakest chakra, senbon, and extra cord to tie up my hair that can be used to also restrain and tie other things.."
"Nothing can restrain your hair Kucho-chan." Naruto said with a cheeky grin, Sasuke just smirked.
"Perfect." Kakashi said and nodded. They were not bringing their identification papers and as they walked out towards the gate, Kakashi began to explain the details. Such a good team, just following him like they did.
His sensei would have been so jealous.
"There's been a suspicious chakra pattern at a village a few days from here. You know about the 'falling Leaf trips?'" Kakashi said after a few more minutes of walking. His orange book was out as usual, but not held at quite the same height as when he was at ease. It was part of how his genin knew he was using it to pretend they weren't on anything more than a D rank for any eyes that may be following them.
Both boys glanced towards Kucho who thought for a minute; the faint buzzing of her insects communicating not even phasing the two walking nearly arm to arm with her. "The ones that those who drop out of the academy are permitted to take once or twice a year with a small group? Basically to mimic 'missions' and get the excitement out of their systems. It is considered something of a rite to take them, often meant to be more uncomfortable then actual missions tend to be so that they can leave with a feeling of having escaped a career they were unsuited for?"
"So it's for losers to whine over how lucky they are to not be ninja." Sasuke said with a bit of disgust. Naruto just nodded in agreement.
"Sound pathetic. Basically they were too lazy to really work on being ninja, or didn't want to put out the effort. The fact I passed showed it doesn't take much to pass, so you have to really not show any desire to do so or an entire lack of regard for authority and no talent. Since we started working together it's obviously a lot of the fact that yanno, I am capable of pranking shinobi way above my level that showcased I had potential, just not in the class room. For someone to not show any potential, or even book wise as some of the dorks we graduated with didn't even manage the exams..wasn't there that Lee kid a year ahead of us?" At the twin nods of his brunette teammates Naruto continued. He was the most talkative one on the team after all.
"Yeah. So anyways, really the only true requirement to graduate is that you really want to be a ninja and you have some sort of a smidgen of use. Even the idiots who can't do much can do the paperwork basics so you have to be lazy, physically suck at anything, no chakra control, and no skills in paperwork..um..means they would be pretty lousy at anything really even in civilian jobs huh?"
Kucho and Sasuke shared a look over their blonde teammate's head, mismatched gaze behind rose glasses and dark eyes that hid most everything clearly agreed. Somehow the blonde must not need to breathe when he rambled.
"Exactly. When they have two or more a chunin usually shows up and just all but kidnaps them. They aren't allowed to pack and making do with what they have on, and usually a single kunai which to be honest usually has to be given to them..keeps the civilian's happy they are just that. It seems to cut down on frustrations for those who didn't make the cut. The goal is to make them miserable so they don't want to be ninja after they are kicked out. That way they don't hold their failures against the shinobi they run into beyond hiring us for menial labor, which as you three have learned is useful for establishing teamwork. Even the unorthodox sort you have."
"that's why we aren't packed. Because, it is more believable if we forget things, we are going to go at a slightly faster than average civilian's pace and otherwise not show any capable jutsu or talents.." Kucho mumbled to herself.
"No awesomeness?" Naruto pouted but Sasuke nodded, eyes narrowing.
"Someone has attacked one of the groups before?"
"Ahh..no. But there is no reason to go where we are otherwise."
"Danger assessment of the surroundings on the way to location?" Kucho piped up, eyes flickering behind her glasses from Naruto to Sasuke, amused to see how put out they were that the C rank was going to be pretending they were not ninja. The dark Aburame Queen was right there with them, however. Going slow and not enhancing their muscles or speed with chakra was entirely the opposite of what they were used to attempting. Her Kikaichu would even have to hide entirely which was..well it never happened.
Poor little beetles, they wouldn't get to ride on her ribbons to feel what flying would be like. Nee-chan three's hive would be so disappointed about that. They weren't winged and so it was something of a delight for her third hive's members to be able to take turns riding on her ribbons. The kikaichu of that hive even had a rotation worked out so that everyone got fairly regular chances. She'd have to make it up to them..
"Low. Potential for random bandits and the like but really this is a good test for you to try to not act like ninja. It's a highly needed skill to blend in, and not to forget how to move and act like a civilian often throws off suspicions of you."
"that is part of why you slouch?" Kucho asked and Kakashi nodded.
"Also why I learned to have a book out often, usually the assumption is I am not paying attention and thus people underestimate me. Deception and misdirection are not to be underestimated. Unless in battle and I give permission there is to be no jutsu permitted. If it is a low level battle, should we be attacked, you are permitted taijutsu and your weapons only. No Kikaichu, no chakra. Keep your chakra calm and it will register as low level if at all there."
Kucho pouted, and it was a true sad one rather then just a huffy expression. None of the boys on her team wanted to comment on it, but finally, Naruto fidgeted.
"Um Kucho-chan...? You...aren't happy we got a C-rank?"
"My poor Nee-chan three's hive won't get to ride on my hair ribbons..."
It really was saying something that none of the boys around her reacted to that. Kucho's adoration of her kikaichu was right up there with Naruto's ramen obsession and Sasuke's ..well..pick an issue really.
"Hmmmm..on second thought..you three look too much like capable little ducklings..Change of plans!"
None of the kids looked amused at hearing that. Truly, their sensei was insane.