~Scroll 9~

"Now, the next assignment for Kakashi's team will be…" Sautobi began as he looked through his list, "Mm… to baby-sit for the council of elders… to run errands to the neighboring village… to help dig sweet potatoes…"

"No." Sasuke growled; causing all eyes to focus on the group.

"Excuse me?" Sautobi asked.

"No, no more grunt work." Sasuke demanded.

Sakura looked nervously around to gauge the adult's reaction to Sasuke's outburst. She did not mind the 'grunt work'. It was safe and in the village, which meant she could always come home at nights. Plus doing 'grunt work' gave her a chance to be closer to her beloved Sasuke. However, as she looked around, Sakura noted that only the Hokage and Iruka showed any real signs of emotion, even though she could not identify it. It was a cross of relief and anger. All the others, however, were either blank-faced or concerned as they looked at the teens or each other.

"No," A Council Elder sneered, "Team Seven is not ready for any assignments other than D-ranked missions."

"I agree." Replied the other Council Elder; causing many of Clan Elders to nod in agreement.

Sautobi's lips were drawn then; the only sign that he truly was angry.

Iruka looked ready to explode but caught sight of his son shaking his head. Iruka clutched his fist around his pencil; nearly snapping it in half.

Kakashi looked away in disgust. He knew what the Council was doing. In fact they all did, save for Sasuke and Sakura. They were purposively giving Team Seven D-ranked missions in hopes to prevent Naruto from advancing further as a shinobi. However, their plan had one major flaw. They did not count on the Uchiha heir being on the same team as Naruto. By trying to keep Naruto from advancing, they were also keeping the Uchiha heir from advancing. Kakashi was about to state this fact, of course keeping the whole Naruto thing out of it, when Sandiame dismissed them without giving them a new assignment.

Sasuke stormed out with Sakura running after him and asking for a date. Naruto quietly walked out, which worried Kakashi for he never knew the blonde to be so quiet. It was unnatural. Kakashi remained behind in the shadows. He was bound and determined to show the Council the error of their plan, and by the look on Iruka-sensei's face, so was he.

/

The next day, Team Seven met again on the old bridge. Sasuke was still fuming about not getting a higher ranked mission. He believed it was because of his two teammates. They were the cause; they were holding him back from advancing. They were useless and idiotic. He wondered if it was possible for him to be reassigned to another team.

The teen glared at Sakura, who was invading his personal space by cuddling against his side. Sasuke wondered at times of the girl's intelligence. He was not happy. He was in such an extremely foul mood that he might actually hit her. He violently shoved her away and walked to the opposite post he was leaning against. Sakura looked at her crush; confused as to what had cause such a violent reaction out of him. She was about to stand next to him again when she noticed that he was standing next to Naruto. She huffed and remained where she sat.

Although she had told herself she would try to be nicer to Naruto, years of programming by her parents could not simply be washed away, especially after what her parents had said the night before. She had not meant to eavesdrop on her parents. She was just finishing bringing in the laundry when she heard her father say Sasuke's name. Curious, she listened in since her father had never stated any interest in the affairs of the Uchiha heir before.

"It's because of that demon that Uchiha will not advance in the ranks." Her father had stated.

"They should have looked over the team pairing before announcing it." Her mother had replied, "If they had, then they would have been able to avoid teaming the demon and Uchiha together. Of course, I personally think they should have put the beast down that day."

Sakura did not remain to hear her father's reply. She had walked away and thought over what she heard. It took her awhile to understand who her parents were referring to as 'beast' and 'demon'. There was only one other person in their group that her parents could be talking about. Sakura knew it was not herself because her parents would have called her 'Princess' and it was definitely not Sasuke because her father referred to him by name. At first she thought it was her sensei when she suddenly realized it was impossible because he was a Jounin already. Thus, the remaining person had to be Naruto. Now, that she thought about it, she could remember the villagers always giving Naruto dirty looks. She never thought much about it; believing it was because of his poor upbringing that made the villagers hate him, but… After hearing the names her parents had called the teen, she was beginning to wonder. Was there something about the blonde that no one, save for the adults, knew about? If so, what was it? And if it was so bad then how come Naruto can still smile?

"Ne, Sakura-chan, you okay?" Naruto asked. He was kneeling before her. His expression reminded the pinkette of a cat she once owned.

He does seem to be very cat-like. Sakura thought, Maybe… Maybe that's…

"I'm alright." Sakura replied which was awarded with a bright smile from the blonde.

"Good 'cause if not, I'll beat the Teme for ya!" Naruto chirped.

"Don't call Sasuke that, baka!" Sakura shouted as she shook her fist at him. Then she stopped and looked at him curiously, "Why would you do that anyway?"

"What? Beat the Teme up?" Sakura nodded. It was Naruto's turn to look at her curiously, "He's the only one I know that would and could hurt you and get away with it."

Sakura stiffened in shock. She had not realized… Of course, she wanted to deny that Sasuke would ever harm her, but she could not. He may not have harmed her physically but…

"If you won't look after yourself, Oneechan, then I will."

"Wha --" Sakura gasped, "What did you call me?"

Naruto blinked.

"Oneechan. Why?"

Sakura was stunned. It was strange to hear anyone call her 'big sister'. It felt… nice. It warmed her heart. How can he be a beast or a demon? She asked no one.

"Nothing, it just… nice to hear." Sakura answered with a smile, "Call me Sakura-nee, okay?"

"Hai!" Naruto chirped then looked away as he grumbled, "About time!"

"Hunh?"

"Yo!" Kakashi puffed into existence.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura growled.

Sasuke glared at the jounin in annoyance.

Naruto stood next to his teammate with a clearly un-amused expression.

~His tardiness is no longer amusing.~ Ka'a grumbled.

~If he doesn't watch it, he's gonna wake up finding something precious to him a bright neon green color… and I don't mean his book.~ Naruto threaten. Ka'a agreed.

"Maa, maa, I'm sorry I'm late," Kakashi waved, "but you see I had to show a flock of sightless crows the error of their ways…"

"LIAR!"

Naruto stilled as his eyes widen.

~Ka'a..?~

~I heard, Naruto-dono.~ Ka'a replied, ~Your sensei was with the council…~

~Trying to get us a better assignment!~ Naruto was excited, ~Do you think he succeeded?~

~I do not know.~

"Believe me or not, come on. Let's not be late for our assignments." Kakashi retorted as he led his team back to the Tower.

/

"Team Seven," One of the Council Elders bland-fully stated, "after much review and reluctance, it has been agreed upon for certain expectations to be met, higher missions must be assigned…"

~It would seem he had succeeded, my Patient One.~

~What do they mean by 'certain expectations'?~ Naruto asked.

~I do not know.~

~I mean the only 'certain expectations' they expect outta me is to die; preferably you with me.~

~And I highly doubt they expect much out of the female banshee… Tell me, my Kind Jailer, why did you call her 'oneechan'?~

~Eh… She's older than me and my littermate so why shouldn't I call her 'sister'?~ Naruto asked; curious as to why Ka'a was interested in what he called Sakura-nee.

Ka'a was stunned. He had not expected that explanation from the human child. He had not expected his young Jailer to equate a member of his team as a 'littermate'. It was purely a demonic trait, or so Ka'a thought, to develop a social grouping. Often times among demons, it begins among siblings or littermates. For Kitsune, the need for social/familial grouping was a genetic imprint. Kitsune were social creatures. They needed a family or a close-knit group of friends. It made Ka'a wonder of how much of his own genetic imprints had been passed onto his human host. How much of a kitsune are you, my Little One? Ka'a thought to himself.

~I bet it's Sasuke.~ Naruto send; startling Ka'a from his musings.

~The Uchiha?~

~You know… The whole 'certain expectations' crap. I bet it's him.~

~It's not much of a bet if it is the only logical conclusion left.~ Ka'a replied.

~Hunh… Never thought about it that way…~

"We have decided to permit Team Seven to attempt a C-rank mission…"

Sakura and Naruto gasped in surprise. While Sasuke still looked annoyed, the raven-haired teen knew he could achieve better missions on his own. Kakashi was pleased. He was pleased and disappointed that it took the threat of destroying Uchiha Sasuke's potential to give his team a chance to prove themselves; however, it was not without a condition that even he refused to accept if it were not for Iruka-sensei firm belief in the blonde.

"This mission is to protect a certain someone." The Council Elder said, "Please invite him in…"

Naruto stilled as he heard something soft in the air. It was foreign from what Naruto was familiar with in his village. The tone had steady rhythm as if someone was gently beating on a drum, but it sounded a bit metallic. Another sound accompanied the metallic drum; the sound itself was vaguely familiar. Naruto tilted his head toward the closed door behind them to hear clearer when the door suddenly opened.

"What's going on here?" A gruff and aged voice demanded, "They look like a bunch of wet-nose brats…"

An old man grumbled as he took a long swig from his bottle. Naruto crinkled his nose. The man's scent was sour and heavy with sake. The man was weathered-tan with short cropped grey hair and a beard. He had the appearance of a craftsman and a fisherman. Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He tasted past a sour scent and the bitter scent of sake, and found the scent he was looking for… salt! Sea Salt! Naruto's eyes snapped wide in excitement! This man was from the sea! Naruto had never been to the sea. He began fidgeting from foot to foot in barely contained excitement.

"Especially…" The old man let out a crude belch, "the flat-chested blonde. She looks like she's gonna pee in her pants… It's a joke right? You kids aren't ninja, are you?"

The teens, even Sasuke, were stunned. Sasuke and Sakura glanced at Naruto, who was looking around for this 'flat-chested blonde'. Did they receive a new teammate that he had not been told about?

Now that he mentioned it… The other two thought. They could see a bit of effeminate qualities in their blonde companion that they had never noticed before. Such as the teen's petite form was slender and had a feline grace, which was usually hidden behind baggy clothing. And his round, heart-shaped face had a cherub quality, which was slowly fading away to reveal high cheekbones and perfectly chiseled jaw line… All in all, the blonde's companions could see how the old man could have mistaken Naruto for a girl.

~I see no blonde girl. Do you, Ka'a?~ Naruto asked.

~I believe, my Beautiful One,~ Ka'a was fortunate and grateful for his self-control or else he feared that his amusement at the old fisherman's comment toward his host would have offended said host, ~he's referring to you.~

There was silence as Naruto snapped to attention. The blonde could hear his sensei attempt to stifle a chuckle, which broke his silence.

"I'M A BOY! YOU ASSWIPE!" Naruto bellowed.

"Oh really?" The old man growled, "You'd look more convincing in a dress and pigtails."

"ASSWHOLE!" Naruto growled back, "I'm gonna kill you!"

"Wrong." Kakashi managed to recompose himself as he wrapped an arm around the teen's middle; effectively keeping the teen away from the old man. "No killing the old man you've been assigned to protect."

"The cyclopes, I can believe is a ninja but the three snot-nosed brats… no." The old man griped then turned to the Council, "I want someone else."

Suddenly Naruto ceased struggling.

~Naruto-dono?~ Ka'a called. This was becoming troublesome to the great demon. One moment the teen was full of life and energy, a force to be reckoned with and then he would go completely still. It was as if the teen could hear something that not even a demon could hear. Ka'a had already concluded that his Jailer was keen on words… Perhaps his Beautiful One had heard something that they did not.

~Naruto-dono? What is it?~ Ka'a gently whispered.

~He doesn't want us… He's scared… worried…~ Naruto's voice was soft; reflecting how much of a child he truly was.

"There is no one else." The Council Elder sneered, "Unless you wish to wait until next week."

The old man looked hesitant.

Naruto could sense the man's reluctance to accept them as his protectors. Was it because they were 'kids' or was it something else?

The man took another swig of sake, which caused Naruto to crinkle his nose. He could scent the strength of the cheap liquor. The old man then turned around to face the teens and their jounin teacher.

"I am Tazuna, a bridge builder of ultimate renown…" The old man declared, "until I am safely back in my own country, where I'll be completing my next bridge, you'll all be expected to protect me… Even if it costs you your lives!"

Kakashi released Naruto from his grip and glanced at his other two students. Sakura, he knew, was nervous as she kept glancing at Sasuke's direction and yet surprisingly at Naruto as well. Sasuke for the most part was expressionless, but Kakashi knew that the self-proclaimed avenger was angry that anyone would suggest that he would chicken out. Then the jounin looked down at his most unpredictable student.

Naruto was still. It was unnatural and yet it was a stillness that was still moving. Kakashi cannot help but be reminded of a big hunting cat.

Nature's beautiful killing machines. They were the epitome of absolute stillness and movement.

Then the stillness ceased.

"Do you wanna leave tonight? Or tomorrow?"