"... Eh?"
A day has passed and Team 7 has finally made it's way to the village of Tokiwada. However, they found themselves in for an unpleasant surprise when they found out just what their mission was. Naruto felt a tinge of irritation in his entire body as he recalled his very first mission. This was no different. Actually, it was. It was much worse.
"Please, I beg of you!" Said a certain familiar overweight lady. "Find my little squirrel! Please find my Foamy!"
Chapter 7: His name is... Foamy?
Naruto thought it was weird that Tsunade neglected to tell them just what kind of mission they were going on. All she said was that they'd all learn something very valuable from it. Naruto thought it would be a mission worthy of his prowess. Instead he was sent to catch a damn squirrel? It was beyond ridiculous and he wasn't going to let Tsunade get away with it. He was going to be sure to give her an earful when they got back. Ao remained in the back, observing the four man cell. She'd seen Shinobi before, but they were just the strangest she'd ever seen. They were only her age after all. Sure, Naruto was older, but he was 17. Could people really become Shinobi at such young ages? Once they headed back towards her they all seemed rather down. Konohamaru though was just irritated. Naruto knew what was coming already, so he just braced for it.
"What the hell does that Granny think she's doing?! I'm the son of the third Hokage-kore! Why would she send us to look for a stupid squirrel! Naruto-nii-chaaaaaan!"
Indeed, Naruto felt the younger one's disappointment. But right now there was nothing he could do about it. They were already there, so they might as well help the lady with her squirrel. Naruto could only imagine what happened to the cat she had. They stepped outside of the illustrious mansion and instantly the blond Jounin gave an energetic sigh.
"Right then team! Lame or not we're gonna give it all we've got. I suggest we split into teams. Udon, you and Moegi search the upper side of the village. I'll take the south part. And Konohamaru..." He said, looking towards the young Sarutobi. For some reason he was grinning, which confused Konohamaru. "You can go with Ao-chan and search the central area. Someone has to keep her company after all~"
Konohamaru's face instantly lit up and he looked over to Ao, who's expression was unreadable as usual. She had a smile on her face, but how could he tell if she was really happy without seeing her eyes? Moegi smacked her forehead and dragged Udon along with her before dashing off through the crowd. Naruto gave a solitary wave and disappeared as well.
"Guess that leaves just us huh?" Said Konohamaru in a somewhat shaky and nervous voice. "S-So.. I'll show you how Konoha's number one Shinobi gets the job done! Heh."
Ao simply nodded in silence, her smile ever present as she followed behind Konohamaru. Hours passed since their 'mission' began and so far none of them have had any luck. Moegi had hoarded quite a large number of squirrels thanks to Udon's help, but none of them were the squirrel they were looking for. Naruto had gotten side-tracked by a Ramen store he happened to come across and Konohamaru wasn't fairing any better. He let out a frustrated yell and fell back on the floor, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Kusooo! Just where the hell is that thing? And why the hell would she even have a squirrel for a pet?!"
Ao had remained just as quiet as when this little mission began, but suddenly let out a small noise of surprise. Konohamaru stopped his little rant and sat up to look over at the blue haired beauty. "What is it Ao-chan?"
"O-Over there." She pointed towards a flower pot near a window which held a small critter inside. A critter with a small pink ribbon on it's head. It didn't look none too happy either. "Is that.. err.. Foamy?"
Konohamaru's eyes widened at how easily the squirrel was located by the girl and wasted no time in trying to catch it. The squirrel though didn't prove to be an easy target. The moment Konohamaru leapt towards it the squirrel made a mad dash and scurried down onto the floor, sending the young Sarutobi crashing into the window. Ao yelped at the impact and ran over to the boy, touching his now tomato red face.
"A-Are you okay?" Ao questioned in a worried tone. The squirrel almost seemed to laugh at the young Sarutobi's blunder, which caused him to fly into an enraged frenzy. He wasn't about to let some rodent make him look uncool in front of Ao.
"Get over here you little rat!" Konohamaru shouted as he made another leap for the critter. The Squirrel made a mad dash once more, but this time Konohamaru expected it. Rather than crashing face first into the floor he shifted his body in mid-air so that he'd land on his feet. He made another leap while he was behind the squirrel, but the squirrel had already begun to strife to the side. Ao noticed this and gasped, stretching her hand out towards Konohamaru and the squirrel. Konohamaru managed to catch the squirrel and celebrated his little victory with a small dance. Ao sighed in relief and ran over to Konohamaru's side, her smile even wider than before.
"Good job! You really caught it, Konohamaru-san."
Konohamaru's face lit up once more upon receiving the compliment and swung the squirrel around by it's tail as payback for all it put him through. "Yeah! Though it was weird. I felt as though it was running to the side to avoid me, but I still caught it for some reason... Oh well! I caught the little bastard!"
With their first mission over with the team regrouped and returned the squirrel to it's rightful owner. They almost felt sorry doing it too after seeing the way the woman smothered the poor thing. Naruto and company exited the mansion once more, this time to make their way back home.
"Alright! You all did a great job. I'm proud of you. Now let's go see Baa-chan and give her a piece of my mind!!!"
Moegi and Udon sighed, knowing just how that would end up. Konohamaru on the other hand was just as forgetful as his Sensei. He wondered though what Tsunade would do about Ao. Apparently she had no family and had lived off of anything she could find to survive. She was such a mysterious girl.
"Oh, now that we're here." Konohamaru began. "Ao, could you tell us how you ended up in the-"
Suddenly Naruto's eyes twitched and he pushed the entire team away from him and at the same time jumped forward. The entire mansion behind them suddenly collapsed a split second afterwards, but thankfully they were out of the rubble and debris range. Moegi stared in horror as the mansion continued to cave in, followed by the screams of the lady they had just helped. Amidst all the chaos there were four men, all of which held forehead protectors.
"It seems we've found the girl. Deburen-sama will be pleased. Capture or kill, whatever you preffer!"
The sound ninja arrive and claim an innocent life! What fate will befal squad seven and Ao?!
Chapter 7 -End-
Next chapter: A dangerous situation.
