Thank you all readers for... Well... Reading, I guess. I don't like this chapter all that much because it feels rushed. Just a heads up!
Chapter 7:
"Alright, Naruto, are you in place?" Kakashi asked
"Yes, the target is insight." The blonde nodded at him before turning his head to face a few bushes.
"Sasuke, I assume you're in position as well?" Kakashi asked, facing the raven who gave him a nod in reply.
"Hm, and Sakura?" Kakashi finished as he turned back towards the bushes.
"I'm ready when you are." He heard the pink girl respond.
"Okay, go!" Kakashi ordered as all three of the Genin jumped out, Naruto practically crushing the captive.
"Red ribbon on the left ear? Got her!" Naruto smirked before the cat in his arms started to scratch up his face, he shouted in pain.
Kakashi sighed. "Target Taro the cat captured. Mission completed. We'll head back to the Hokage tower now."
Sakura giggled before following Kakashi and Sasuke back to the Hokage tower.
Naruto followed as well, keeping the cat away from his face.
"Mm, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto began.
"Yes Naruto?" The Jounin hummed.
"Why are we constantly getting stupid, crummy missions like catching cats?" The blonde asked, which Kakashi sighed at.
He saw the red building getting very close and decided to bury the question. He didn't feel like he needed to answer it.
"Good job on your mission Team 7. Please give Taro to the customer so she can be on her way." Iruka ordered and Naruto gave the cat to the large woman.
"Oh Taro, why would you run away from mommy? I was so worried!" She cried, squishing the cat up to her face. The cat growled and squirmed in frustration but to no avail did the woman release him. "Thank you, young shinobi." She smiled as she payed the reward money and walked out with her cat tightly in her arms. Team 7 then turned their attention to the Hokage.
"Good job, your next mission?" Sarutobi began, looking through a scroll with the letter 'D' on it. "Ah, babysitting a few kids from Konoha orphanage." The Third nodded to himself.
"Babysitting! Why can't we have a real mission?" Naruto burst out. Kakashi stared at the blonde. He was going to get in trouble for that later.
"Genin are marked down for D ranked missions only. Once you become a Chunin you can take C ranked missions but until then, you'll just have to deal with babysitting, catching animals, and cleaning." Iruka stated, crossing his arms.
"But we are capable of so much more!" Naruto claimed. Kakashi eye smiled and put his hand over his mouth. This conversation needed to stop before...
"I'll give you a C ranked mission guarding someone." Sarutobi finally pitched in. Kakashi sweat dropped. This was what he feared.
"Yes! Is it a feudal lord? Or maybe it's a queen?" Naruto asked, the Hokage only shook his head.
"Please, come in!" The Third announced as a door opened and an elder man with a bamboo hat entered.
"These are the Shinobi that are going to protect me?" The man said cockily, practically crawling under Naruto's skin. "The short one with a stupid face doesn't even look like a ninja!" He boasted, laughing a little.
"Who's the shortest?" Naruto asked as he looked at Sasuke, who was taller. He then looked over at Sakura, she was taller too. Naruto growled in realization. "I don't have a stupid face!" The blonde retorted. Kakashi sighed and gripped the boys shirt collar, stopping him from attacking the client, who smiled as he saw this.
"My name is Tazuna. Tazuna of the Land of Waves and master bridge builder." The man introduced. "Let's head out so I can reach home by evening." He smirked before turning around and walking out the door.
"Good luck on your mission." Iruka announced as Team 7 left.
As soon as Tazuna and Team 7 were at the gate, all of them stopped. Naruto started his way outside when Kakashi gripped his shirt collar again.
"Aren't you forgetting someone?" The Jounin asked, earning a frown from the blonde.
"I'll go get him." Naruto announced, running off into the streets of Konoha.
"Where's he going?" Tazuna asked. Kakashi turned to look at him.
"He has a pet that he forgot at home." Or so he says, Kakashi thought.
"How do you forget a pet?" The bridge builder asked. To which Kakashi didn't respond.
"I'm back." Naruto announced as he smiled.
"His pet is a clone?" Tazuna questioned, looking at the two Naruto's. The only difference was one was wearing an orange jumpsuit. The other was wearing a navy blue shirt with a red swirl in the center, a white robe with red flame designs on the ends that ran down just a little past his knees.
"My name is Minaru, I am Naruto's pet and guardian, I guess you could say." The one with the white robe introduced.
"You don't look like a ninja anymore then he does. Why do you look like him?" The bridge builder pondered.
"Because I like being human and I can't transform into something I've never seen." Minato lied quickly.
"I see, I guess we should head out then." Tazuna advised as he began walking out of Konoha.
Naruto's eyes lit up as he walked into the forest. Minato stepped closer to his son before whispering to him. "Are you excited for your first real mission?" The Fourth asked.
"Excited! That's not even a quarter of how thrilled I am!" Naruto shouted, no longer keeping the conversation at a whisper.
"I'll try not to intrude, but if I sense danger, then I'll help you out." Minato smiled and Naruto smiled back.
"Those two are certainly close." The bridge builder commented.
"Ah, yes they are. Reminds me of someone that was once close to me." Kakashi replied.
"You must've been close to them too. It just doesn't seem like a pet\owner relationship at all." Tazuna stated. Kakashi nodded and looked down at the ground. His foot just barely stepping in a puddle. He smirked and looked back up.
Minato looked at the puddle and noticed his student had saw it too. He eyed Kakashi before continuing down the path, scooting a little closer to Naruto protectively every step they took.
A large metallic pair of claws formed from the water and two large figures erupted from it. Chains shot out of their wrists and wrapped tightly around Kakashi. Everyone stopped to watch the scene. Both men then yanked their arms back, pulling the chains even tighter as Kakashi split into several pieces.
"Kakashi-sensei?!" Naruto and Sakura shrieked.
Both men turned around to face their opponents. One towards Minato and Naruto. The other toward Sakura, Sasuke and Tazuna.
Sasuke and Minato, as if in sync, both lunged at their targets. Both enemies, shot a chain at their approaching targets. Minato and Sasuke quickly threw out a few shurikens, pinning both chains to a tree trunk. Sasuke then cut the middle chains links, disabling any future use.
'Tch, showoffs.' Naruto thought, clicking his tongue.
Both rogue nins lunged at the three remaining targets. Naruto, Sakura and Tazuna.
The ninja raised his metallic claws and lunged and Naruto. The blonde couldn't think, his mind clouded in fear and shock. He raised up his arm in defense. He let out a gasp as he felt the metal pinch his skin, then cut it open. "Naruto!" He heard his father yell out to him.
He opened his eyes, pieces of metal flying before him. He looked over to see the orange fox father of his with his teeth in the man's arm. He let his arms drop as he noticed Kakashi had the other ninja unconscious and in his arms. He let out a sigh of relief as he felt himself get a little unsteady. Kakashi quickly threw the two rogue ninjas into a tree and tied them up.
"Naruto are you okay?" Minato asked, shifting to his clone like form and running up to him.
"Y-yeah, just a scratch, that's all." Naruto stuttered, holding out his arm to reveal the long scratch. It dripped red and a sickly purple.
"It's infected with poison. Maybe you and Minaru should head back to Konoha, in fact, we all should head back to Konoha. This is no lon-." Kakashi was interrupted.
"No, we will continue this mission! I feel fine!" Naruto announced, to which everyone looked at each other nervously.
"If only we could just get the poison out..." Sakura pondered.
Naruto smirked as an idea came to mind and he pulled out a kunai.
'Just get the poison out!'
He stabbed the kunai into his cut and traced it's mark before reaching the end and removing the now purple liquid covered kunai.
"Naruto, are you insane!?" Minato shouted, caressing the boy's arm in his own.
"I got...the...poison out." Naruto said with a smile, his eyes fading to a dullish daze. Kakashi took out some bandages and nudged Minato with them but he refused. He grabbed the boy's wrist and pulled it close to his mouth. He began licking his wound, hearing everyone gasp at first but then quiet down.
By the time Minato had reached the tip of the cut, all of it was healed. He looked up at his son's face to see he had gone unconscious. He stood up and put his hands together, releasing his Henge and picking up Naruto with two of his tails.
With three tails swishing rapidly and his son comfortably on his back, Minato then turned to face the rest of the group.
"Please continue, what were you saying earlier?" Minato asked Kakashi, his head slightly tilted to the side.
"Uh, ah yes. I was saying that this mission is no longer a C-ranked mission."