X. In which life is full of surprises.
This team is coming up nicely, is all that Shizuka can think while they run their laps. Who'll have guessed that the secret to manage Kakashi-sensei is positive reinforcement (because it confuses him when it's directed at him)? Show him you can be a good responsible student that's interested in learning and bam, he becomes an actual teacher. And even a decent one if one is willing to ignore that his previous teaching experiences must have been puppy rearing and ANBU training. All three have improved a lot.
And even better, they have learned to fight as a team. Even Sakura. And that's very important because Shizuka doesn't want Sakura to ever feel like she's been left behind. And it helps a lot to her confidence that Kakashi-sensei wised up –or was given tails- about Naruto's terrible chakra control, Sakura's really awesome one, but poor reserves, and Shizuka's room for improving in both, and now has them doing small chakra exercises. Like making a leaf stick to their forehead, while they do they do other exercises. Sakura totally aces them and has taken to patiently help Naruto when he has trouble. By the time Kakashi-sensei gets to teach them to tree walk, Sakura will be able to climb the whole thing in her first try, Shizuka is sure of it.
(But even with all the improvement, Shizuka can't help but worry about the mission to the Land of Waves. It was such a close call to canon Team 7. What if this is a thing that she'll mess up for not being Sasuke? Or for knowing to much?
And she doesn't know when it will happen because that arc began after a time skip.)
They'll get even stronger and they'll be able to take whatever life throws at them!
-o-
But life apparently throws them into the sewage.
Today's mission (and it will probably be just the one, because it will take them the rest of the day to get rid of the smell) is to find an heirloom ring that some rich person managed to let fall into a sewer.
Now, Shizuka doesn't get grossed up that easily, thanks in part to her bone collecting hobby, and neither does Naruto…. but Sakura looks about to cry when it looks like they have to step into the water to retrieve the ring (that fortunately got visibly stuck on a garbage cluster and thankfully isn't somewhere submerged in pretty much opaque wastewater).
Shizuka and Naruto look each other to the eyes. Naruto is obviously salivating a lot looking at the numbers of times he shallows, and he looks a bit pale. He is about to puke. She isn't that much better, but she's not going to ask him to do it, when she thinks –really, really hopes- she can do it without puking her guts out.
"I'll go." Her teammates look both so relieved. There's no way she's going to hold this against them. This is clearly Kakashi-sensei's fault for not having teach them already to walk on water.
She takes the first step and resolutely doesn't think anything else that isn't keeping her balance, getting the stupid ring and how much she loves her team.
-o-
They get to the surface, the ring secured, and making the effort to touch the less possible her sandals, she takes them off and lets them fall back into the manhole. Wordlessly Naruto takes off his own sandals and hands them to her. Sakura takes out her water bottle and helps Shizuka clean her feet as much as they can before she puts the shoes on.
They don't talk to Kakashi-sensei and he at least has the sense to look a bit guilty.
-o-
Kakashi arrives the next day to meet his team, and his customary thermos of hot coffee is instead full of a block of frozen tea that he's willing to bet is the cheap stuff. So basically they are letting him eat the cold meal*. Good thing he came prepared.
"Guys," he calls and they keep doing their exercises. He sighs. "Guys, come here and let's talk."
They come because he somehow got responsible, mature students.
"You been doing good and you deserve a treat." He's not going to actually apologise, or they'll expect he'll do every time he pulls a dick move. "So today we'll ask for a C-rank!" And he has one in mind, it's a nice milk run that gets to the mission desk periodically. Good for letting little genins gain some experience.
Naruto and Sakura look (and sound) really surprised and pleased. Shizuka still has a bit of a frown in her solem expression. But, well, maybe it will take longer to get again in the good graces of someone you literally got ankle deep in shit the day before.
-o-
When they go to request their mission Shizuka is busy half dreading, half hoping to see Tazuna step into the room, so she gets a bit distracted from the procedures until Iruka-sensei protest that they are too fresh form the academy to get a C-rank mission (after being his student for so long, one gets conditioned to pay attention to his voice).
"Relax, Iruka-sensei," says Kakashi-sensei doing placating motions with his hands, and then turns to address the Hokage. "I intended to get the Silk Road one if no-one was assigned to it yet."
Iruka calms instantly and the Hokage makes a thoughtful noise around his pipe while he moves the papers on his desk until he finds the correct scroll.
"I was intending to give it to Saito-kun's team, but the other team is still undecided."
"Isn't he still in the hospital?"
"He is, but it's a good opportunity to ease his genin into work under someone else. I was aiming for an experienced chunin, but if you take the mission instead of another chunin-genin team, I could sent Norimura-kun with them."
"I see… well, Team 7 takes it."
"Very well. I'll summon Norimura-kun to let her know her new orders. The caravan parts in two days. I suggest the two teams meet before that. You are dismissed."
They salute (except Naruto, who waves) and go. Shizuka realises is the first time since she woke up in the hospital that she doesn't know what's supposed to happen next.
-o-
Norimura-kun turns to be one Norimura Momoko, a recently promoted chunin that looks very eager to prove her competency to "Kakashi-sempai".
"This is the first time you are in charge of a team, isn't it? Why don't you lead this mission, Momoko-kun?"
"Yes, sir!"
"It wasn't an order, Momoko-kun."
"I apologise, sir!" The genins that came with her already look longsuffering. Momoko turns red and runs a bashful hand over one of her twin braids, but quickly composes. "I'm just very excited, sempai. And it's my first time leading a team, but I have worked previously with Team Saito."
"Well, then this will be a good experience for you. Why don't you do the mission briefing?"
"Yes, of course!" she says and then looks a bit at a loss. One of the other team's genin nudges her a bit with an elbow.
"We still don't know each other, Momoko-nee"
"Yeah, right! Let's begin with introductions! You must already know, but my name is Norimura Momoko." She says sounding composed again, and then points at each of her team's genin. "And those are Suehisa Hotaru," the one who elbowed her, a boy with brown hair, brown eyes and a sword. "Ikeno Chise," a green-eyed, dark-skinned girl with her blondish hair held back in a non-nonsense bun. "And Sekisaki Gari," a boy wearing more obvious armour than either of his teammates. He has pale, sort of beige-ish eyes and pink hair.
"I know," he comments. "My parents had a sense of humor."
Kakashi-sensei likewise handles their introductions (and when he finishes introducing Sakura, Gari grins at her exclaiming "we are in the same boat!"), and then Momoko explains their mission.
"Every month a caravan goes from Konoha to Yamaguwa -a commercial town north from here- and then back. It's a very safe road, and if they encounter bandits usually the mere presence of shinobi is enough to deter them from attacking. The only reason they request two teams as an escort is the large amount of people and wagons that sometimes travels from Yamaguwa to Konoha." She takes a deep breath and continues. "The expected travel time is two days, three if the cargo is especially heavy, and once we arrive to Yamaguwa we'll get one or two days of down-time before the caravan is ready to travel back. We are to meet the clients tomorrow at 0700 at the gates… How did I do, sempai?"
Kakashi-sensei sighs, apparently he still isn't used to people to look up to him.
"It was a good briefing, Momoko-kun. Now, how do we end it?"
"Oh, yes, sorry. Dissmised!"
Kakashi-sensei nods and begins to walk away, raising a hand in farewell. Team 7 looks unsure at his retreating back, but in the end he calls: "Come on guys, we have things to do."
Shizuka says her goodbyes along Naruto and Sakura, and hurries after her teacher, feeling reassured now that she has some information.
notes
* 冷や飯を食わせる (Hiyameshi wo kuwaseru) - (lit. Letting them eat cold meal) Giving the cold shoulder.
- Thanks for reading !