A/N: Thanks to my quick searching and formulating skills, I was able to finish one of my papers in around 3 hours. Thank you page limits. Anyway, this chapter might be a bit long for one that might be called a "filler," and I probably won't be able to write one for a while unless the English assignment is one I could do quickly, or one where I will be able to finish each part in a day or so.
But back to the fic, someone (you should know by now) pointed out I did things out of sequence. I actually don't remember the earlier episodes, and being visually impaired, I don't know what happens on screen. So bare with me as I try to tell everything in my way. I also forgot to put in a quote that should have been in last chapter. I'll make Kakashi say it in this chapter after their first few mission. Enjoy!
Chapter 7: Are we Ninjas or Laborers!
"Are we ready for this," Kasumi whispered to Naruto as he nodded, "remind me what the plan was. I sort of forgot."
"Sakura and Sasuke will cover the other side of the target to prevent it from fleeing away," Naruto responded back as their "target" was looking around in confusion, "I will summon a group of Shadow Clones to cover the path behind it so it has no chance of retreat. While the objective is dodging and looking for a way out, you will be backup if we are not able to subdue it."
"Got it," Kasumi whispered as she hid in the bushes. Naruto prepared his Shadow clones for this mission as Sasuke gave the signal.
"Now Naruto!" Sasuke said as he lunged at the target, but realized the objective evaded him.
"Oh no you don't!" Naruto shouted as he activated his jutsu and blocked the target from retreating, "Get that cat!"
"MMMEEEEOOOOWWW!" the poor beast yelped as it leaped away from the hands of the Naruto horde, causing some to hit each other and dispel. It made an effort to turn right and evade through the path in front. Until Sakura was able to grab it by its feet.
"I got it!" Sakura shouted as she held up the cat in victory…until…
"MEEEOOOWW!" the cat yelled as its back paw swiped across Sakura's face, leaving a good size scratch across it and causing Sakura to release the cat.
"Ow!" Sakura whined as she covered her face, ignoring the tongue the cat shot her, "where is it?"
"It's attempting to escape through the bushes," Sasuke warned as Kasumi prepared herself. As the cat dashed in front of her, Kasumi placed her arms around the cat and as it thrashed in her arms, began to pet its head. The feline began to purr, and everyone was relieved.
"All it needed was to be petted," Kasumi smiled as everyone else glared at the cat, "stop doing that, you scared the cat with your plans of capture."
"It scratched me in the face!" Sakura protested as she used her arm to cover it.
"Yeah!" the Naruto group responded as they stared at the cat, "something is not right with that thing."
"You do realize this is just a small, playful creature," Kasumi pointed out as Sasuke glanced at his team mates.
"Let's just return this cat," Sasuke said as he headed towards the hokage tower to report on their mission.
"I'm still wondering why they call this a mission," Naruto said as he dispelled his clones and followed Sasuke, "we were trained for defense and combat, not retrieving flea-ridden fur-balls."
"Don't say that Naruto," Kasumi announced with a playful tone as she kept the cat calm, "you're going to hurt its feelings."
"Come on cat," Sakura's inner self thought as she followed everyone else, "scratch her like you did me."
"Why am I getting a strange feeling that someone is wishing me harm?" Kasumi spoke as she looked around. After she began walking, she put one of her arms over her face and sneezed, "Never mind."
After delivering the cat to its owner, Naruto began to complain to Kakashi about the mission.
"Come on Kakashi," Naruto complained as he looked around for something to look forward to, "that wasn't a mission, it seemed more like chores."
"People are paying the village to get these missions done," Kakashi began as Kasumi, Sakura, and Sasuke found the two, "what you just did was a D-rank mission."
"Is that what you call grunt work," Sakura said as Kakashi sighed.
"It's just the ranking system for the difficulty or danger of these missions. We tend to give Genin these mission as it is a way to train basic skills. All ninjas are able to do D-ranks. If your assigned one by the Hokage, you must complete it. All ninjas are allowed to receive C-rank missions as well. These missions actually have a level of danger in them, but with non-skilled opponents like thugs and common criminals. They are easy enough to fend off and a good way to train Genin fighting skills. The missions I can't trust you with yet go beyond the two. B and A-rank missions involve much more dangerous opponents who are extremely skilled in battle. Rogue shinobi are usually involved in these missions. As well, protection missions fall in this category if it is someone of importance. Unlike peasants, more dangerous assassins might be sent to kill or capture them. We need our best shinobi for those missions."
"So is this the basic ranking system for you guys?" Kasumi asked as Kakashi shook his head.
"We also have S-rank missions. Those missions either involve the capture or death of extremely dangerous missing-nins that may pose a danger to the safety of the village. We also classify village defense as an S-rank mission. These missions are more difficult and important than the others, but all ninja classes may partake in the case of village defense. As well, I just gave you a few mission types, we have many others that fall into one of the ranks. As well, we sometimes may end up sending a wrong team to a mission. One that might be C-rank may turn into a B-rank mission if more dangerous circumstances appear."
"Making the more exciting rank exciting," Naruto commented as Kakashi looked at Naruto.
"I need to warn you, the danger level between C and B missions are completely different," Kakashi said as Naruto listened up, "we had many teams come back in critical condition or dead from the sudden change in danger. You may want to rethink and rephrase what you just said."
"If that's the case," Kasumi said as she walked towards her little brother, "I'll stick with D-rank missions for now."
"Huh?" Naruto stared in disbelief, "Are you sure you're my sister?"
"I just want you safe until you're ready," Kasumi responded as Naruto's stubbornness kicked in.
"But I am ready," Naruto said as he walked up to Kakashi, "what's our next mission."
"Well…" Kakashi began as he pulled up the briefing.
"Gardening is considered a mission!" Naruto shouted in defeat as he tried to water the plants as quickly as he could.
"You're going a bit too fast there Naruto," Sakura pointed out as she calmly poured water on the roots, "and you're supposed to water the roots, not the plant itself."
"At least this is slightly better than what Kasumi and Sasuke are doing," Naruto announced as Sakura gripped her watering pot tightly.
"Grrrr," Sakura growled as she dropped her "calm and slow" movement to rapid and careless.
"Didn't we just save this cat earlier?" Sasuke muttered as he climbed up the tree.
"I still say this is a bad idea," Kasumi said as Sasuke reached the top of the tree where the same cat from earlier was perched on one of the branches, "I'm just saying."
Ignoring Kasumi, Sasuke slowly crept up to the cat. It wasn't aware of the visitor at first. This gave Sasuke the chance to grab it before it tries anything.
"Got you!" Sasuke announced as the cat noticed Sasuke at the last second and leaped backwards, on Sasuke's face, "AAAAAH!"
"I told you," Kasumi teased as she watched her teammate teeter on the branch as his face is being mauled, "don't drop the cat."
"What about me!" Sasuke shouted as this scared the cat even more and pawed Sasuke in between the eyes, causing him to fall off the branch, "HHHHEEEEELLLLPPPP!"
Seeing the two falling, Kasumi went under the pair and prepared to catch, "don't worry, I got you."
Well, Kasumi caught one of them as the other plummeted to the ground in a heap. Kasumi then began to stroke the one she caught.
"Don't worry, the bad man isn't going to bother you," Kasumi assured as the cat purred in her arms.
Sasuke got up from his small crater and glared at Kasumi, "What?"
"Cats land on their feet if you didn't know," Sasuke said as he whipped dirt from his clothes, "humans don't."
"I knew you would be all right," Kasumi said as she kept the cat calm, "and the objective would have ran off if I caught you. Though, I think you should get your face patched up."
Sasuke put a hand over his face to feel all the wounds on his face, "It will eventually heal."
"Probably not fast enough for Sakura's taste," Kasumi replied as she headed back to the hokage tower with the cat again, "go get the others. I doubt watering plants was that time consuming."
"Fine," Sasuke muttered as he ran where his other team mates were.
"This is ridiculous," Naruto said as he entered the office of the hokage, "give us a real mission."
"I'm tired of that cat," Sasuke muttered as he applied a special patch given to him to seal the wounds, "I agree with Naruto here."
"These D-rank missions sound like jobs that the people are too lazy to do on their own," Sakura said as the hokage stood from his chair.
"I see you are all eager to go out of the village for work," the hokage said as Kasumi was going to say something against it before getting elbowed in the stomach by her little brother, "well, I'm glad you asked. It turns out that a C-rank mission that involves traveling to the Land of Waves was just received."
"Really?" Naruto said as the hokage nodded, "finally, some action!"
"It beats doing these chore missions," Sakura said as Sasuke was done applying the patch all over his face.
"It beats rescuing the cat again," Sasuke muttered as the hokage decided against telling them the same cat fell down a well, "any details on the mission."
"You will be escorting a bridge builder to that area in order to construct a bridge," the hokage began as everyone listen intently, "there are some people that wish for the bridge to never be built. Our client believes that many of his henchmen may try to attack him along the way to the Land of Waves."
"Sign us up," Naruto exclaimed as Kasumi pondered on what Kakashi mentioned earlier on teams sometimes never returning, "we're ready for it."
"Well," the hokage spoke after Naruto calmed down, "your sensei felt that you deserved a mission of your level."
"So where is the builder?" Sakura asked as the hokage realized something.
"He left earlier," the hokage said as he checked some papers, "he did not have enough money to pay for the mission and was going to return tomorrow with the payment. This mission isn't official yet. Return tomorrow to see if the payment was made and prepare to leave afterwards."
"Yes sir," all four of the Genin said as they started to leave the office.
"I actually have one more assignment for your team to do," the hokage stopped them as Kasumi turned around.
"If it involves the cat again, leave the rest of my team out of it," Kasumi informed as the hokage handed her the papers. Relieved that they will not be seeing the cat again, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura decided to head home.
"Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke," Kakashi called as the three exited the building, "I guess you were told already."
"Yeah," the three responded as their Sensei walked up to them.
"After some consideration, I decided you are all able to go on a C-rank mission," Kakashi said as he noticed the scratch mark on Sakura and the fading marks on Sasuke, "though, if you let a cat hit you so easily, I'm starting to reconsider."
"That cat isn't normal," Sasuke said as Kakashi stared at the group.
"Truth be told," Kakashi said as he remembered some painful memories, "a similar cat gave the team I was on the same grief in catching it. Though, Ob- well, never mind."
"Thanks though for giving us a better mission," Naruto said as Kakashi remembered what he was supposed to say.
"I need to tell you three something I forgot to say yesterday," Kakashi said as his team tried to pay attention, "I think Kasumi's little comment made me forget. It was about the meaning of the test."
"You mean that we are supposed to put our own goals aside for the betterment of the team," Sasuke said as Kakashi nodded, "we figured that out already. It helped in getting the bells from you."
"It is good you remember that," Kakashi said, "but remember this. those in the ninja world who don't follow the rules and regulations are trash, however, those in the ninja world who don't care about their teammates are worse than trash."
"That's a familiar quote," Sakura thought as she remembered her school days.
"No way I'll ever do that to my own team," Naruto thought as he stared at his other two teammates, and remembered Kasumi.
"Is there anything else you need us to hear sensei?" Sasuke asked as Kakashi shook his head, "I should be heading back home before I get dragged into doing another D-ranked mission."
"I think my parents need me to work around the flower shop," Sakura said as she headed off in the opposite direction from Sasuke. Naruto was left there with his sensei before Kakashi decided that he had enough time to read his book before it was night and puffed away. Naruto, finding no other living beings near him and an empty stomach growling, decided to head for the Ramen shop to eat.
Not long after, night quickly fell. Kasumi entered her apartment building and unlocked the door to her section of the building. As soon as she entered, her little brother greeted her.
"Hey sis," Naruto said giving Kasumi a hug, "how was your mission?"
"It went well," Kasumi said as she plopped onto the couch, "it turned out that it was running from its owner do to mishandling of the poor thing. Though, even after I showed the lady how to hold the cat, she probably will forget tomorrow and someone else will be chasing after it."
"That explains a lot," Naruto said as he remembered that he brought some food over from the shop. He went to the kitchen and pulled out the ramen slowly heated by the stove which was set on low. Naruto brought over the food and Kasumi smiled.
"Thanks for the food," Kasumi said as she remembered that she ended up skipping lunch earlier today due to missions. Kasumi then turned to the kitchen and turned to her little brother, "do we ever cook something at home?"
"I just like to eat," Naruto said as he sat on the chair, "do you have any skills in the kitchen."
"Actually…" Kasumi thought as she realized she hasn't made a single dish in her life. It was either bought, or Raven used to bring some over, "I never learned how to. Makes me think why we even have a stove or oven other than to heat things up."
"We have lived like this for over 9 years," Naruto said as he stood up from the chair, "I don't see the need to learn how to cook."
"I don't know," Kasumi said as a nagging feeling was bothering her at the back of her head, "I guess I can't rely on buying everything to eat."
Naruto turned his head and started to look around, "Hmmmm, why do I have the feeling someone is upset and angry."
Kasumi then had a strange feeling inside her as well. If it was who she think it was, Kasumi wasn't going to get a good night's sleep, "Errr, I guess it's the haunting spirits of other people who are upset on our laziness to learn how to cook." Kasumi then looked around as the words, "Funny, you hit nail on the head" was whispered.
"Don't be crazy sis," Naruto responded as Kasumi resumed in her consumption of the ramen, "anyway, I don't care about that. What I do care about is tomorrow's mission."
"That is if the client pays up," Kasumi said as she devoured the food quickly, "Huh?"
Naruto stared at his sister as she started to look around the room. Kasumi started to eat slowly afterwards, "What just happened to you?"
"I was eating too fast," Kasumi said as she began to hear things. What she heard was, "Show better table manners please."
"Well, I really don't care how you eat sis," Naruto said as Kasumi flinched and put a hand on her ear, "Are you okay?"
"OW!" Kasumi moaned as she felt that her ear was just tugged by an unseen force, "Don't worry, I think the cat got me earlier today on my ear."
Naruto looked at the said ear and found nothing wrong with it, "What are you talking about sis?"
"Never mind," Kasumi said as she resumed her slow paced eating of her ramen, "but back to what we were talking about, when the client pays up, expect a little trouble to come your way."
"Random crooks and thugs," Naruto said as Kasumi looked up and then back to Naruto, "it is not as exciting as fighting regular shinobi, but at least it is better than random jobs around the village."
"Just don't get yourself killed," Kasumi said as Naruto stared back at his sister in disbelief.
"I thought you had more faith in me than that," Naruto stated as Kasumi shook some of her ideas out of her head.
"You're right," Kasumi responded and finished the rest of her ramen, "I think you will do fine on the mission."
"You sure know we will," Naruto said as he pumped his fist in the air, "but I'm getting tired. I'll hit the hay for tonight."
"I better go to sleep as well," Kasumi said as she began to stand and head to her room without putting away her bowl or showering after a long day. Suddenly, another, longer pain was inflicted on Kasumi as she felt her hair being tugged towards the direction of the bowl, "Okay, Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"
"…Good night sis," Naruto said as he headed to his room. Kasumi was quickly back stepping to the abandoned bowl, and another whisper was heard.
"Pick up after yourself please."
Doing so, Kasumi grabbed the bowl and carried it off to the kitchen. She placed it in the sink and attempted to go to her room to sleep. Key word would be "attempt."
"Not again," Kasumi groaned as her hair was painfully pulled for the second time.
"Are you really going to sleep dirty like that," a voice in Kasumi's mind said as she recognized the voice.
"Ugh, when did you become my mother," Kasumi said as another painful tug was felt, "Ow!"
"I wouldn't think a grown woman like you would act like this," the voice said as Kasumi, tired of having her hair spiritually tugged, ran towards the bathroom, undressed, and leaped into the shower. Turning on the shower, Kasumi then groaned as another tug was felt.
"I just searched through your mind that you haven't bathed for 3 days!"
"Stop going through my mind whoever you were- OW!" Kasumi groaned as yet again, she had her hair tugged.
"I'm older than you so treat me with more respect than that."
"Are we sure the dead have age," Kasumi said as she now felt a painful smack across her face, turning her head to get sprayed in the eyes by the jets of water, "what the…"
"I just wanted to test that out," the lingering spirit in Kasumi said as Kasumi scrambled for the soap.
After a painful lesson on how to shower better, Kasumi walked out of the bathroom with a white towel around her form. She quietly stepped into the living room, and crept into her room.
"That was the most painful shower I had to endure," Kasumi thought as she was quickly smacked across the face, "I'm getting the feeling you just like to hit me."
"I admit," the spirit's voice said in Kasumi's mind as she started to change into her sleeping robe, "it started to get fun after the 6th time."
"Haha," Kasumi sarcastically, the spirit laughed as Kasumi groaned. Tired, and annoyed with the pain in her face and head, Kasumi fell onto her bed, and quickly drifted to sleep…
"Why did I want to sleep again," Kasumi thought as she returned to the strange place with the distorted spirit, now staring at her with extremely pale eyes, "I'm probably not going to have a good-night's sleep tonight."
"So, you don't know how to cook?" the spirit asked as Kasumi shook her head, "This isn't good. And I heard you wanted to raise a family."
"Hey, stop reading my personal thoughts," Kasumi complained as the spirit giggled.
"Well, I wanted to see what you were doing for the years you vanished," the spirit responded as it now floated on its side, "I sort of question your life style, but your still manageable."
"Define manageable?" Kasumi said as the ghost floated around Kasumi.
"By any luck, I could turn you into a functioning woman to take care of Naruto and any others you tend to find," Kasumi noticed that the ghost's somewhat visible eye winked at her.
"Hey," Kasumi protested in her invasion of her privacy, "it is not nice for a stranger to know my life."
'If you only could see,' the spirit thought as she remembered what she was trying to remember to say to her daughter, "right, I have to now teach you how to cook."
"I have to learn while asleep," Kasumi groaned as even in unconsciousness, she is still in constant movement and thought, "whatever happened to someone's mind being their own sanctuary."
"Not anymore," the distorted ghost said as she began her basic cooking lessons.
After an extensive lesson, and the ghost's word that she will guide Kasumi on her meals as she cooked, Kasumi was hoping for the next day to occur.
"I hope you remembered everything I said," the spirit said as Kasumi tiredly nodded, "I hope so."
"Well," Kasumi said as she wondered for a moment, "do you have any idea what is with the bridge builders situation?"
"My dear," the spirit began as it spun in place, "I already told you that I live inside Naruto. I sort of put a fraction of the small amount of chakra I put in him to you. Going to other people may take longer, and the man wasn't around."
"Well, it didn't hurt to ask," Kasumi said as the spirit floated up to Kasumi and slapped the red-headed woman, "Never mind that."
"Now that you mentioned Naruto," the spirit began as Kasumi rubbed her face, "you have to teach him better manors."
"Can't you do that," Kasumi asked as she was yet again slapped, "ow."
"You're his living sister," the spirit said as Kasumi floated away from the ghost, "why do I have to do all the work? You should be teaching him a bit better on his manors."
"I noticed though," Kasumi said as she looked at the spirit, "why haven't you spoken to Naruto. He has never mentioned anything about a spirit."
"I sort of have to keep myself hidden from him," the spirit answered as it floated over Kasumi, "I will appear to him as my actual self. I need to stay hidden from him until the right moment."
"That sort of sucks," Kasumi said as the spirit floated next to Kasumi, "you seem like a friend or something to Naruto."
"Right…friend," the spirit muttered as it began to fly away, "I'm going to leave you alone," the spirit said as it began to vanish, "good luck on your mission tomorrow. And if Naruto is in danger, I'll show you where he is. Bye!"
"Bye," Kasumi said as her form began to vanish, and she quickly fell into a dream.
A/N: I guess nothing was accomplished other than the extent of Kushina's communication to her Daughter. I was wrong, I thought this chapter would be short. They are actually getting longer. I think that since I finished one of my papers so quickly, I ended up feeling a bit typy, if that's even a word. Oh well.
Remember to read and review. (or favorite and alert. Just tell me how you think the story is doing).
"It is not a word."-Dragon-Wolf Tamer
