"Ooof! Ugh...Harry?"
"You knew this was coming Pete!"
"Listen to me! I didn't kill your father!"
"Grrr!"
"He was trying to kill me, he killed himself!"
"SHUT UUUPPP!!!"
Another reference game for you guys. Guess the reference in a PM or Review. As always I encourage you to read and review, it helps me post faster and gives me inspiration and insight on which way to take the story.
Hurray!!! The story has 50,000 words! Huzzahs are in order!
Happy Late Halloween you guys! A ton of things have been happening with me and I haven't gotten that much time to write over the past few months. I'm just happy I was able to crank out another chapter for you guys. Anyway, I'll let you guys read the story now. Onward!
Chapter 11: First Taste
The quintet of Konoha ninja consisting of three rookie Genin, one Jounin and a Special Jounin walked towards the gates of Kusa. As they approached the gates of The Hidden Grass Village, the two sentries at the gate stood in front of the entrance protectively.
The two Chuunin gate guards wore the standard issue uniform for Kusagakure Ninja; A olive green flak jacket with grass-like leather tassels hanging from the shoulder area, light brown pants, green shining sandals, and a black Kusagakure headband.
Once the Konoha ninja were within thirty yards of the gate, the guards decided to make their presence vocal instead of just physical.
"Halt all five of you! What is your reason for coming to the Village Hidden in the Grass?"
"The Sandaime Hokage of Konoha sent using a mission that was requested by your Sandaime Oda, Shouta Kareha, a few days ago." Naruto stayed loudly. One of the ninja walked forward a bit and checked for Genjutsu.
"KAI!" He shouted. When nothing happened, they all visibly relaxed. Another ninja walked up to the gates, flanked by two Chuunin, and announced his presence to the group of Kusa and Konoha Shinobi.
"Okay, I will take you to see Lord Shouta. My name is Yuma, Jounin of Kusagakure. Follow me please."
Yuma, like all the other Chuunin ninja at the gate, wore the basic uniform of Kusagakure which consisted of a olive green colored flak jacket, light brown pants, a light brown shirt, black Shinobi sandals, a black Kusagakure headband, and several tool pouches around his waist.
The entourage from Konoha followed Yuma and the two Chuunin through the minor Hidden Village. As they looked around, they all received questioning glances and guarded stares. A few of them were downright untrustworthy or disapproving glares. After a while, Kido, who received tons of looks like that back in the Hidden Leaf Village, was getting annoyed. Naruto was as well and kept it to himself, but Kido wasn't as old as his Sensei and therefore not in as good control of his mouth as Naruto was.
"Why the heck is everyone looking at us like that?! It's so annoying!"
"Kido-kun!" Hinata gasped as she began to scold the young Genin about his rudeness.
"No, no. Do not scold the young Genin. It's normal for him to ask about the looks you and your team are receiving. The Sandaime Oda will explain it to you once we arrive at the Kusa Citadel in the village's center."
Once the group of Shinobi arrived at the Citadel and made it to the Oda's office, the leading Jounini, Yuma knocked in the large oak door.
"Oda-Sama. The entourage from Konoha, they have arrived and are with me now. May we come in?"
"Of course, you may enter."
The Oda's office was very spartan in its furnishings. There were two dark green couches on either side of the room, a chair in front of the Oda's very large oak wood desk. There were a few fungi plants in the corners of the office with a few ferns. There was a tall bookcase filled with books and on the walls were the pictures of the Three Odas that had led the minor village up until this point. Once everyone had filed into the office, and was settled, the all gave a bow to the Sandaime Oda.
The Sandaime Oda was a middle aged man in his early fifties with salt and pepper short hair, grey eyes, and pale skin. He was a man of average height and weight.
He wore an open green cloak, a green flak jacket with brown fatigues that was similar to the US Army. His flak jacket also had thick shoulder guards on them. He also wore wrist length, green, metal plated gloves, black pants, and tall black Shinobi sandals. Around his head was a Kusagakure forehead protector with gold colored cloth, which signified that he was the current Oda.
"I am Shouta Kareha, Sandaime Oda of the Village Hidden Among the Grass. Welcome to our village." The older leader said with kindness.
"Thank you for the warm welcome Shouta-Sama. I am Hikari Hyuuga and this is Haruto Namikaze. These are our students Kido Kagayaki, Mai Kurosawa, and Tenzo Yamamoto." She said gesturing to each of the aforementioned people on her team.
"It's great meet you all. That's good that you're here a day early. I've decided, for the safety of the cargo and the success of the mission, that I should add my own Genin squadron to the mission. I hope that this is alright with you."
"Yes that's fine. I understand your concern." Hinata stated.
"Great. They should be here any minute now." The middle aged Hidden Grass leader said.
Kido remembered what Yuma said about the looks they were receiving earlier and decided to ask the Oda.
Hey Oda-Sama, what the heck was up with all the looks we were getting as we came here? We're allies not enemies! Why were they staring at us?"
"To understand properly, I shall tell all of you a brief history of Kusagakure and its philosophy towards war, leadership, and development of our small nation." The man said as he suddenly appeared much older than he looked. He cleared his throat and sipped some tea from a small cup on his desk before beginning his history lesson.
"This village's Shodaime Oda, my great grandfather Meika Kareha, founded Kusagakure after your village, Konohagakure became a village. He, an older man in his late fifties, thought the idea of banding together for a better cause, was excellent. He would later bring together the few warring clans harmony. My great grandfather, being a very unsuitable for the job of the leader since his skill level was that of an upper level Chuunin as opposed to a Kage or even a Jounin, was kicked out of the Oda's office by the clans, and Kaneda Furuto, a more reliable, stronger, and much younger leader, replaced him. The Nidaime Oda, Kaneda Furuto, would lead the village to a easy, safe, and peaceful way of life by disassociating with other rising villages like Konohagakure. Though, it was a goal at all costs to make Kusagakure a supreme village." The Oda paused to sip some more of his tea before continuing his informative talk.
"Even so, during the first shinobi world war. Kaneda opted to stay hidden and not take part, so we watched as bystanders, ingesting information as they substituted it into their own systems to slowly climb the ladder of sociality. This movement would last until Kaneda perished in battle. It was as if his own stray from society caught up to him, he fell victim to war, becoming fatally wounded. He passed on to the next life, leaving his highly influential goals amongst his people. His dreams came back to bite Kusagakure as we were not able to function without his ideology, having no idea where he wished to take it."
"So the Nidaime Oda just hid the village away from the others?" Tenzo asked.
"Yes. And it worked for awhile." Yuma said as he fielded the question for his leader.
"Therefore I, the Sandaime Oda came into power. I relayed to the people that it was my duty to them as the great grandson of Kaneda to live on his legacy and keep alignment with my great grandfather's ruling, but I knew that this would not last for long. I decided right then and there that it was in the absolute best interests of Kusagakure to open up trade with other villages before it was too late. In doing so, I successfully connected Kusagakure to the main routes of other villages, creating bridges across gigantic fissures, rivers, and ravines. Having fine results, I had found great partnership with Konohagakure and Iwagakure as we traded off old and new fungi as well as unique materials in which resided in the deepest depths of the forest and jungle around the village. Nevertheless, my reign was superb for Kusagakure as he introduced many jobs, and he made a once small town into a full fledged village."
"Wow it seems like you've taken your village to great heights and elevated its popularity." Mai said. The Sandaime Oda gave her a piercing look and began speaking again.
"No…I failed in one area; I did not take into account just why my great grandfather had actually secluded the village from prying eyes. During this war, Kusagakure was placed directly in between the grounds of Konohagakure and Iwagakure, and it was just then that our once trading partner, Iwagakure, swept in, besieging us as they took over with brute force. We are inferior to them, and were not exposed to the techniques that were indigenous to most Shinobi. Luckily enough though, there was a turning point in this war as Konohagakure has turned the tide in their favor. The destruction of the Kannabe Bridge a month and a half ago has cut off their Shinobi forces substantially in the Land of Fields, making most of the Iwagakure Army retreat. Nonetheless, the people, as an aftermath, hold great doubt of me as many lives were lost, ultimately reducing the village numbers to a smaller size. I fear it will be a very long time before my people will allow me to regain their trust once again. The civilians don't really trust any foreign ninja right now, even Konoha. Most of my ninja understand, but everyone is still on high alert."
"Oh that really sucks. I hope you can regain the trust of your people."
"As do I young man. As do I." Before anyone could utter another word, there was a knock on the door.
"Enter!" The Oda called out. A man wearing the Kusagakure Chuunin uniform walked in with three Genin.
"I brought the Genin you requested Oda-Sama."
"Oh perfect. You three are right on time. This is the Genin team from Konoha that I asked for. Come meet your mission teammates."
The first Genin was named Akahiro Fujiwara. He wore a dark blue shirt that reached his upper forearms, black pants that were tucked into blue Shinobi sandals, brown forearm length gloves, a black strap going from hip to his shoulder that held additional ninja tools.
His hair was a dark purple and it was in a short slicked back style with two shoulder length bangs framing his face. His skin was a dark tan color, while his eyes shone a fiery orange color.
The second Genin was named Fumiko Hara. She wore a sleeveless, form fitting, crimson colored dress that had two thin white stripes on the bottom hemline, and around the neck, grey thigh high leggings, black shin guards, black standard issue Shinobi sandals, two grey pouches with ninja tools, and thin black wristbands.
Her hair was in a thick braid that reached her shoulder in a dull grey color and her eyes were an onyx color. Her skin was a vibrant peach color, and her lips were coated in a bright violet shade of lipstick.
The final Genin of the group was named Hideo Watanabe. He wore a dull yellow shirt under a brown leather chest protector with black straps, and a fishnet shirt underneath the shirt. His pants were brown and were folded before they reached his brown Shinobi sandals. On his back was a large black rectangle held up by a singular cross body shoulder strap.
His hair was brown and very short, while his eyes were black and one of his teeth were missing. All three ninjas were around the age of fifteen years old and had been Shinobi for nearly three years.
"Hey I'm Akahiro, what's up!"
"I'm Fumiko, pleased to meet you!"
"Hideo."
"Well I'll fill you guys in on the situation now. Since the attack and siege of the Northern part of the Land of Fields by Earth Country's ninja village Iwagakure, our civilian convoys have been harassed and raided by their forces. But last month, Fire Country's ninja village, Konohagakure destroyed the Kannabe Bridge, causing the enemy to abandon their campaign, and severely limiting the ninja still here. We had to send Chuunin and Jounin to handle this mission up to one month ago, we can now send Genin. The reason I hired Konohagakure for this mission is our forces have been reduced to about sixty percent of our numbers. About half of them are Genin. I want to spare as many of my men as possible. The reason I'm sending these Genin? I trust them and they are some of Kusagakure's most promising young Genin and I want them to gain a bit more experience before sending them off to the Chuunin Exams this year. On this mission, there will be bandits, and maybe some Genin to Chuunin level Iwagakure ninja. Your mission is to guide one of our civilian trading caravans to a small shipping town in The Land of Fire by Saturday afternoon. Afterwards, you can return to your village while my Genin return here. The caravan will be ready tomorrow morning. Any questions?"
"Yes actually." Hinata surprisingly said.
"You have the floor Hikari-san." Shouta said, gesturing towards her.
"What are the capabilities of your Genin?"
"Akahiro is a clan heir who holds the Panda Summoning Contract, has numerous Ninjutsu techniques, and is proficient in Taijutsu. Fumiko is a Fuuton user, is knowledgeable in Genjutsu, and can utilize shape manipulation. Hideo is skilled in assassination techniques, and Raiton techniques. While they are a good team, I believe your team's skill set will cover them and vice versa to create a solid unit. If anything should go wrong you two should be able to handle it. I ask that you do not interfere unless the Genin are in danger of losing their lives." The Sandaime Oda finished before rubbing his chin and leaning forward in his chair.
"You know the skills of my ninja, what about your ninja? What skills do your young Genin possess?
"Oh well I'm glad you've asked. Kido here is skilled in Katon and Fuuton Jutsu, Kenjutsu, and Taijutsu. Mai is proficient in Medical Ninjutsu, knows a few Suiton Jutsu, and is good with kunai. Tenzo is a strategist, with a Doton Affinity, and a few stealth Jutsu.
"We have no further questions."
"Then our meeting/mission briefing is complete. Meet back at the East Gate at 9:00 AM. Aoi here will show you to your hotel rooms. I wish you success on your mission tomorrow."
Everyone bowed to the Sandaime Oda and left his office. The Konoha entourage was led to a nearby hotel to stay at for the night and they decided to go and explore the village for a few hours after they had unpacked, then meet up at the Kusa Citadel to find a good spot to sit down and have dinner. As they stood by the hotel, they finished making their plans, and reaffirmed them.
"Okay then. So Tenzo, you're going to the Shinobi Library, right? Kido and Mai, you guys are headed to the shopping district, and then to the training fields?" Naruto asked. They replied positively.
"Okay then. We'll be at the park if you guys need us." Naruto said before Hinata stepped forward and began looking around and getting close to Kido and the other two Genin.
"Remember, this is still a Ninja Village. An allied one, but still. Don't show too many skills and don't release sensitive material. Kido, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT use your Bloodline under ANY non life threatening circumstances. Be aware that while we're in the village, we are still in unsafe territory. If any of you three need our help for any reason, throw a kunai with an explosive tag attached to it up into the air. We'll see the explosion and come right away."
"Right Hikari-Sensei." The thirteen year olds said in unison.
"Okay then we'll see you three in about three hours at the Kusa Citadel." They all nodded and walked in their own individual directions.
"So what do you want to do in the park Naruto-kun?"
"How about some Chess, Shogi, or Go? I'm not that great at Shogi or Go though. In fact I'm terrible at them."
"It's okay Naruto-kun. I'll teach you."
"Oh cool! I'm in! I wonder how Obito is doing right now…?" Naruto wondered.
Back in the area of an unknown village in the Land Of Tea, Team Minato had just finished up a B-Rank mission in The Land of the Sea. Team Minato had grown more close with one another, and Kakashi and Obito had foraged an unbreakable friendship, and Rin had seen the outcast Uchiha grow from a ecstatic, but immature boy that she cared for, to a happy and maturing man. Ever since he gained his Sharingan, he had been training nonstop with Kakashi on his Mangekyou Sharingan abilities, Minato and Naruto on his speed and stamina, and reading up in the Uchiha Clan Library to master better Katon Jutsu. He wanted to make sure he never lost anyone he cared for, or himself to the fires of the 3rd Great Shinobi War.
"Hey Kakashi, was Madara a z-zombie, or an old man when you fought him?" Obito said with a bit of fear on his tongue.
"Well yes and no. He was a reanimated zombie, then he used the Rinnegan to come back to life." Kakashi answered.
"This sounds terrifying. I'm not a coward, but I hope I never have to fight against him." Obito uttered.
"It's not cowardly to not want to fight the second most powerful ninja in Shinobi History. I'd be worried if you weren't scared." Kakashi said.
The teens were heading home though The Land of Tea, when they had their path blocked by a small group of six Kirigakure Chuunin. Kakashi had seen them before they blocked their path and began to think of why they would be here.
"Why in the world are Kirigakure Ninja this far away from Kirigakure. What could they possibly be looking for here? I'm sure they didn't just meet us by coincidence. Something fishy is going on here!" Kakashi thought to himself. Just as Obito and Rin caught up to Kakashi, the Hidden Mist Chuunin drew their kunai and settled into an attack position. Kakashi, who had spent the previous month reforaging his father's White Fang Blade with Tenten's help, drew the newly crafted White Fang Blade, while Rin held a handful of shuriken and Obito drew a singular kunai.
"What's up with these Hidden Mist losers? What are they doing way out here?" Obito asked Kakashi.
"I'm not sure, but something's not right. Don't attack until they make a move, but keep a sharp eye." Kakashi instructed. Rin and Obito nodded and watched the Kiri Ninja closely. The Konoha team and the Kiri squad were at a standstill for five minutes but it seemed like an eternity before a Kiri ninja convulsed and ran forward, kunai in hand. This prompted the other five to do the same. Rin jumped back and launched her shurikens while Obito and Kakashi dashed towards the trees. Rin flew through a few hand signs while calling out her Jutsu and suddenly the four shurikens multiplied into thirty-two.
"Shuriken Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" (Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu)
The six Chuunin simply jumped over her attack, but she smiled and launched a hail of kunai at where they would land. Two of them were hit by the kunai and the other four had maneuvered out of the way. One of the men died instantly and the other had a few kunai in his shoulder and leg. He quickly yanked the three kunai from his leg and threw them at Rin, who jumped back even farther. Kakashi noticed that they had totally ignored them and instead chose to continue their assault on their female teammate Rin. She ended up jumping into the foliage, but then was kicked hard back onto the dirt path. Another group of Kiri ninja came out of the tree line. They were much like the attacking Chuunin in their movements, except they were Jounin and ANBU.
"Obito! We—!"
"I know Kakashi! I'm going to save her! I'm going to use the Mangekyou Sharingan to do it!" The young Uchiha said with determination.
"Obito! Wait! We need to do this as a team. It looks like there's about 25 Kirigakure Ninja. Most of them are Jounin level. I'll mow some down and you finish them off after I've gotten their attention." Obito soundlessly nodded, determined on rescuing the girl he loved.
"Raikiri!" (Lightning Blade)
The incredibly loud chirping of one thousand birds gained the attention of the Kiri ninja just in time for Kakashi to cut right through the midsection of one of the Kiri ANBU. He then systematically zig zagged through enemies by slashing, slicing, and impaling them. They screamed in pain from Kakashi's Lightning Jutsu carving through their flesh. At the end of his run, he had killed twelve Kiri Ninja. Most of them had turned and looked at him hatefully. One of them had grabbed Rin and stabbed the brown haired Kunoichi in the shoulder, and Obito took that as his chance to swoop in. They were all about to begin stabbing her, but then came more screams and shouts of pain. They turned to see Obito mowing them down like wheat in a field using a Mangekyou Sharingan enhanced version of his Fireball Jutsu. He then sprinted at the remaining men with two kunai coated in Fire chakra slicing and stabbing each man repeatedly and using Kamui to phase through opponents and keep himself protected. He cleared all of the Kirigakure Ninja and dashed at the main Ninja; A Kiri ANBU who was holding a kunai to Rin's neck. Obito saw what was going on and leapt into the sky, intent on rescuing the girl that he loved. The Kiri ANBU gripped his head for a second and tightened his grasp on Rin.
"If you so much as take a step, form a hand seal, or even a sneeze, I'll slit this woman's throat!"
Kakashi stopped dead in his tracks and glared at the foreign ANBU. He knew if Rin died, Madard would find out, and lure Obito into his clutches once again. He racked his brain for some kind of plan or strategy he could use to free Rin from this man without getting her killed.
"Give me the secret documents you stole from our Mizukage's Office! Now!! If not, you can watch this bitch die you tree hugging Konoha freak! You've got five seconds!"
Kakashi did not know of any secret documents, nor was his, or any Konoha Team for that matter, anywhere near Kiri or the Mizukage's Office.
"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Kakashi shouted to the masked ninja.
"Don't play dumb with me! I want those Documents now! Time's up!" He shouted to Kakashi as his cold steel kunai was raised into the air and brought down in a dangerous arc towards Rin's unprotected body. Kakashi saw the whole thing happening in slow motion due to the Mangekyou Sharingan as he used his Kamui to try and warp the man's kunai away. His younger body was much less adept at utilizing the Kamui technique and thus, was much slower than normal. Rin screamed out at her impending death hoping for miracle.
Obito came down and drove his flame covered kunai through the back of the Kiri Ninja's skull with such force, that the tip of the kunai pierced through the front of his skull and shattered his mask, exposing his shocked and pained expression. His blood sprayed onto Rin and Kakashi as Obito tore his kunai from the man's head. When he stood up, he was drenched in the blood of thirteen enemy ninja.
"Don't you EVER touch her!" The young Uchiha growled lowly.
Rin and Kakashi started at Obito's bloody and intense looking visage with shock and a newfound respect and appreciation for him. Once they had gotten over all the adrenaline, Rin ran to Obito and hugged him fiercely while lightly crying on his shoulder. The intense visage on Obito's face melted away and was replaced by a calm happy smile. He then fell down in exhaustion. Kakashi ran to his friend's side and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You did great Obito. Looks like you finished your new technique. What are you going to name it?"
"How about I name it; Katon: Nijū Honōnoken!" (Fire Style: Dual Flame Blade)
"That sounds very impressive Obito." Kakashi said in encouragement to his best friend.
"Rin…are you okay?" Obito asked as he held her.
"I-I…Obito-kun…you were impressive and…" Rin said before she grimaced from the wound on her arm.
"You're hurt Rin. You should get it healed." Obito commented as she raised a glowing green hand filled with healing chakra up to her damaged arm. After a few moments, the wound was closed and the muscles were healed.
"That was really weird. Why would they accuse us of stealing from the Mizukage's office? Hey Kakashi, in the future, do we go to war with the Hidden Mist?"
"No, we don't. Konoha is neutral with Kiri in the future. It's more of a 'Don't mess with us and we won't mess with you' kind of policy. Anyway, we need to figure out what's going on here. More importantly, I'll be reporting our findings back to Hokage-sama. For now, I'm going to check the bodies for any information and anything of value, then we should get moving and head back to Konohagakure quickly."
Just as Kakashi was checking the final body, a ninja with a kunai in his back slowly rose up behind Kakashi and raised his kunai. Obito had turned to look at Kakashi for the signal to move out, but saw the man rising up behind his best friend.
"Kakashi look out behind you!" The goggle faced Shinobi shouted.
Time seemed to slow down as Kakashi turned around to see a kunai arcing down towards the back of his skull. The glint of the dark steel blade shimmered slowly as it made its way to Kakashi's unprotected form. Obito was already running towards the revived attacker, attempting to close the thirty yard gap, but surmised that despite his efforts, he wouldn't make it in time. He closed his eyes, and looked away, not wanting to see the silver haired teen die.
'Dammit! All that time and effort for nothing. Naruto…you'll have to carry on without me. Hopefully you'll have Obito as a Sensei."
The squelch of flesh being pierced seemed to echo for miles as the kunai met it mark. Buried all the way to the hilt in his skull. Dark blood began to quickly flow from the fatal wound and spilled around the kunai.
'And we had just become best friends. Now it's over. I can't do this! I can't look at my friend like this!' Obito thought as he cried m silently.
Obito knew he couldn't keep himself from witnessing the scene, so he cracked open his eyes to peer at Kakashi's corpse. But he didn't see Kakashi's corpse. He saw Rin wielding a kunai that was sunk hilt deep in the front of the Kirigakure Ninja's head. He looked at Rin's face and then to Kakashi's. On Rin's visage he saw only a high level of determination. On Kakashi's face, he saw relief and thankfulness.
"Shunshin no Jutsu!" Rin whispered to herself before she kicked the corpse back into the dirt, leaving the blood soaked weapon in his head. The two boys started at Rin in awe. She noticed that they were staring at her and she put her hands behind her back and giggled nervously before speaking up in a pseudo-tough voice
"What? I'm still a ninja. I've got to protect you guys as well and make sure we all stay alive." They still looked at her in awe, but Obito was the first to recover.
"Wow Rin… that was awesome! Why didn't I think of that?" Obito praised as he scratched his raven colored hair. Kakashi couldn't resist this moment to take a shot at Obito as he jokingly added his two cents to the conversation while giving Obito a slick eye smile.
"That's because she's smart, and you're not." Obito ground his teeth in mock anger at Kakashi before he began to chase him down the path and away from the bloody scene Team Minato had created, unaware that someone had been watching them in the shadows. The eavesdropper pulled back into the forest and formed the half ram seal. A second later, a grainy, multicolored image of a decrepit old man with white hair and a long navy blue cloak came into view.
"Our mission has failed my Lord. We could not acquire the boy. Nor could we kill his teammates. It seems they have gotten stronger since the cave-in six weeks ago. Should I go after him myself?" The figure in the projection was silent for a few moments, then spoke.
"No. Return to me immediately."
"As you wish my Lord." The spy then took off in the northwestern direction, making sure to avoid coming into contact with the teens he was tasked to eliminate.
Back in the Hidden Grass Village, Mai and Kido had just finished window shopping and had arrived at the training fields. They were in an area with a small pond and a waterfall nearby with a large open area bordered by a forest. Before they could begin their stretches, a huge blast of wind came from the opposite side of the clearing. The Konoha Genin jumped up onto a nearby tree, not wanting to be hit by the Jutsu, which had destroyed the tree that was behind them. Fumiko and Hideo walked out from the tree line and looked at the two younger Genin. Fumiko whispered something into Hideo's ear and he shook his head. They both walked forward and Hideo beckoned for them to come down from the tree they were perched on. Kido and Mai did so, and the two slowly approached their soon to be mission partners with scowls and guarded stances.
"What the hell is wrong with you?! Why'd you attack us?!" Kido shouted.
"Well we were walking west and we wanted to see if you're good enough to be on our squad. Fumiko thinks you've got what it takes, but I'm not convinced."
"Are you serious?" Mai yelled towards the two Kusa Genin as they both slid into a ready stance.
"What are you—!" Kodo started to shout but was cut short as he was forced to block a kunai aimed directly at the center of his Leaf Hitai-ate.
"Okay that's it! You want a fight?! Then you'll get one! Don't take it too hard when I bury you in the dirt!"
"Bring it on newbies!" The male Kusa Genin taunted. The two members of Team Six darted right for Hideo at top speed, which surprised the older Genin. Mai was forced to slow down and block a few shuriken used to gain her attention. Fumiko slid into the path of Hideo, blocking Mai from helping Kido.
"Your opponent is me. I may not want to fight you two as badly as my teammate, but I do want to see your abilities for myself. Besides, I can't let my teammate get double teamed."
"Okay then." Mai said as she drew two kunai. Holding them in a reverse grip, she charged at the older ninja. Fumiko blocked the initial slash, but was left with a small cut on her face after the follow up attack was quicker than she expected. The attack had distracted her enough for Mai to land a well placed kick to her chest that sent her stumbling backwards. Mai quickly launched the kunai in both her hands at Fumiko, but instead of hitting the off balance teen, they completely missed, shocking the Konoha native. She launched more shuriken that had the same result of falling short of their mark. Fumiko launched at her and landed a powerful right hook to her face, followed by a jumping kick that knocked her headband off and sent her crashing into a tree. The younger girl recovered and wondered to herself how she could defeat her opponent.
"Like it? It's an ability of Fuuton users. I can twist the wind around me so that way weapons are useless against me." The wind user said as they reengaged each other.
"Taste this!" Mai pointed both her hands at her opponent, mimicking a gun with her fingers. A ball of water was generated at her fingertips, and was fired at a high speed, shooting it at the Kusa Kunoichi.
"Suiton: Suireiha!" (Water Style: Water Spirit Wave)
The water style attack tore at the braided kunoichi's side as she attempted to dodge the fast moving attack.
"Gotcha! Just one more should knock her out!"
"Suiton: Suireiha!"
The water Jutsu crashed against her body and sent into a tree, cracking the natural structure.
"I didn't use that much power?! That means…KAI" The blonde girl snapped out of the Genjutsu to hear an attack being sent her way.
"Fuuton Reppu-Ookami!" (Wind Style: Gale Wolf)
Two wind wolves were charging at Mai and slashed at her from both sides. She was having continuous trouble keeping up with them, which the several cuts and gashes had attested to. She finally gained some breathing room and threw a single kunai at Fumiko that once again banked left and embedded itself in the grassy earth.
"I told you that wouldn't work. You'll have to try gander than that."
"I think I'll be just fine in three seconds." Mai said as Funiko's ears picked up the sound of sizzling. She looked down and saw the kunai had an explosive note wrapped around the handle. Her eyes widened as she jumped away. A half a second later, an explosion rocked the area. A singed log dropped to the burned ground and Mai immediately launched a spinning backfist behind her and smacked Fumiko in the mouth, causing her to bleed from the lip. She got to her feet and put a hand up to signal the end of the fight.
"You're a solid Genin with some good tactical skills. You've made the cut. Now let's see how our boys are doing."
Kido jumped into the air and purposely telegraphed his comet strike with his sword. As expected, Hideo barely sidestepped it. However the shock came when he had an uppercut connect right with his chin, leaving him dazed, followed up by a drop kick that knocked the air out of Hideo's lungs. Hideo rose up and clapped his hands together after a few hand seals.
"Raiton: Kanden Haribari!" (Lightning Style: Electric Shock Needles)
Kido dodged most of them, but a few of them hand hit his arm, causing the appendage to go numb for a brief period.
"Damn it! My arm isn't very responsive. That means no Jutsu until I can physically reverse the effects."
"And here I thought you were supposed to be 'the best young Shinobi that Konoha has to offer'" Hideo exclaimed in a mocking voice.
"Konoha must not be as strong as we thought if they call you the best!"
"Raiton: Jibashi!" (Lightning Style: Electric Murder)
The Lightning Style Jutsu surged wildly at the golden eyed pariah as he leapt towards a tree, then bounced off and away from the Lightning. He focused his chakra towards his arm, and the feeling returned. He leapt at Hideo with his right arm raised. Hideo however, saw the attack coming and grabbed the young ninja's arm. He laughed, until Kido's left arm lashed out and his fist slammed into the yellow garbed teen, breaking his nose. Regaining some of his balance, he threw a sloppy left hook that Kido ducked under. Kido delivered a short burst of quick punches to Hideo's midsection and then kicked him in the chest knocking him to the ground a few yards away. He stood up and formed the half ram seal, not out of the fight yet.
"Raiton: Denki Kumo Kāba!" (Lightning Style: Electric Cloud Cover)
The area was covered in a thick cloud-like fog that had random sparks of electricity crackling within it. The sparks would randomly jolt and attempt to zap Kido. Not only that, but kunai and Shuriken from random directions attempted to penetrate his skin.
"Fuuton: Reppūshō!" (Wind Style: Gale Palm)
He jumped back and spread the Wind Jutsu over a wide area and dispersed the Lightning Jutsu, shocking the Kusa ninja.
"Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!" (Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu)
Hideo was struck with the brunt of six Phoenix Flower missiles and each exploded on him, leaving his clothes singed. When the last one hit him, he crumpled to the ground. The veteran Genin struggled to pull himself to his feet, so Kido rammed his shoulder into Hideo's chest, knocking him into his back. He stepped next to the defeated ninja and pointed his sword at his chest.
"Am I good enough now?"
"Y-yes." Hideo squeaked out.
"Good! Don't you ever call Konoha weak, insult me, my team, or our skills!"
"Hey knock it off you two! Why in the world are you annoying our guests? They might be from a foreign land, but that land just saved our asses from Iwagakure."
"I'm really sorry Akahiro-kun. It was all Hideo's idea! He talked me into it! Blame him!"
"I'm pretty sure that was your Wind Jutsu that caused the fight."
"But, but, it's that dummy Hideo's fault!" She squeaked out as Hideo hobbled over to Fumiko, supported by Kido.
"Eh…I'm over it. Just quit messing with them and go home the both of you. Actually to the hospital. Kido you really beat up Hideo and Mai you put up a fight against Fumiko."
"I'm training to be a Medical Ninja so I can just heal them. I need the practice anyway. Every little bit of training counts."
"Che, probably some Genin welp who thinks that she can be just like Tsunade." Hideo said. Kido stomped on his foot and let him drop to the grass below with a thud. As he nursed his foot, Kido began to lecture him in a scolding, yet calm tone of voice.
"How about shutting up? She's one of my teammates and could probably beat you with a few light taps. She's the most advanced Medic Ninja in the Leaf ranks in our age group. So do you want to get healed or not?"
"Grr. Heal me…" He grumbled.
"What was that? You should speak up." Kido as a parent would to a child.
"Heal me!" He shouted. The younger Genin decided to rub it in a bit more.
"Ah ah ah! Say please."
"Would you p-please heal me…?"
"Sure! We'd be happy to do so! But Fumiko comes first since she's already started on your teammate."
After everyone was healed and able bodied, the Konoha Genin and Kusa Genin parted ways.
"Ah ha ha ha ha! No way! Did you really say that to him?"
"Of course I did Sensei! He was such a jerk! I just had to say it! He was so riled up too!" Kido practically shouted as he stuffed two pieces of sushi into his mouth.
"Kido, do you really think it was wise to anger one our teammates for this mission?" Tenzo asked.
"Ah who cares Tenzo! They're not going to flip about it. Besides, it's not like I was being a jerk for no reason. He was being a jerk to Mai so I helped her out."
"Let's hope it does not come to that Kido and the mission goes smoothly."
"You're over analyzing the situation again Tenzo. We'll be fine, right Mai?"
"Uhm yes of course we will. There's no need to worry about the Kusa Ninja. It's their country that this mission is benefiting. I'm sure they wouldn't ruin it out of spite."
"You didn't show them your 'special ability' or any advanced Jutsu you know did you?" Hinata asked her students. They shook their heads signaling a sigh of relief from the time traveling Hyuuga.
"Okay then. But don't count on them to have your back completely. Well at least not Hideo. I guess we don't have much to worry about after all. There are six Genin and two Jounin."
"That's the spirit Tenzo! Now quit yapping and start stuffing your face with this tasty kuzumochi!" Kido cheered as he held a plate of sweet opaque gelatinous cubes covered in dark honey to all of his teammates. All four of them took a piece each and tried the chilled dessert, and their eyes widened as the flavor overtook their taste buds.
"Wow that's really good Kido! Why isn't this dish in Konoha?"
"Because it came from the Land of Wind. I was actually surprised that this place had some on the menu. It's not as good as my mom, but it's still tasty."
"Well now that we've all eaten, we should go and get some rest so we can wake up for the mission tomorrow." Hinata instructed.
"Okay you heard Sensei guys, let's hit the hay. Last one there has to buy lunch when we get back to the village! Ready…set…GO!!!" Kido shouted after they had paid the bill and walked outside.
"How do you think it's going to take for him to realize that he doesn't have the key?" Naruto chuckled as he watched Kido leap off across the rooftops.
They all woke up bright and early for the remainder of their escort mission and the entirety of Team Six waited for Team Kusa to show up. The caravan was waiting by the gates with three Kusa Chuunin holding the reins inside three separate protective wagons filled to the brim with weapons. They didn't have to wait very long before the group of three Ninja rounded a nearby corner and walked up to their temporary teammates.
"Yo!"
"Good morning guys! I hope you guys had an awesome sleep, because this is the part where you're going to be acting as a ninja and not like a kid. No fooling around guys. Pay close attention and follow your Sensei's lead."
"Yeah Akihiro is right. 15% of all Genin will die on their first mission outside of their home village." Fumiko added, agreeing with the purple haired Panda Summoner.
"A-actually since the war broke out, that number has r-risen to 31% for Konohagakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure. Kirigakure and Sunagakure have risen to 39% and for minor Hidden Villages like Kusagakure, Amegakure, Takigakure, and Yugagakure, it has increased to somewhere between 47% to 50%." Tenzo said with a hint of fear in his voice. Mai became very pale when she heard the statistics that Tenzo relayed. But regained her color when Kido spoke.
"Well don't sweat it guys. We are not one of those 31% of all Genin. We're gonna see home again so don't panic." Naruto decided that his students had heard enough and it was time to complete their mission.
"Okay that's enough. It's time to go. Kido and Akahiro in front, Mai, Hikari, and Tenzo in the middle, and I'll be in the back with Fumiko and Hideo. We'll be running there since the caravan will be riding relatively quick so we can arrive at our destination without being ambushed. Let's move everyone!" And just like that, Naruto's call began the remainder of the mission.
As they approached the border of The Land of Fire and The Land of Fields, the sun had risen high in the sky. Aside from some mild interference from a bandit group, there weren't any issues whatsoever. Kido and Team Six has been stellar and had not required the aid of their two Senseis and were keeping composure. Kido and Akihiro were itching for some more substance to their opponents. In other words, they wanted to encounter some enemy ninja. They would soon get their wish granted when a group of 12 Iwagakure ninja launched a hail of Kunai at the ninja. Hinata stepped forward, intent on protecting her students and the Kusa ninja.
"Hakke Kūshō!" (Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm)
All the offending kunai wee blasted away, leaving the attacking ninja exposed and the six Genin and two Jounin to form a swift counterattack plan.
"Haruto-Sensei, you're with Hikari-Sensei attacking the three Jounin, and we can handle the rest by staying with our respective teams and handling the oncoming Genin and Chuunin." Tenzo said quickly.
Kido, Mai, and Tenzo all got into their standard battle formation and charged their opponents. The three younger Genin worked in tandem to eliminate their war enemies who were at Genin and Chuunin level. They had successfully eradicated five Iwa ninja while the older Kusa Genin took down four Genin level ninja as well. Tenzo looked around and saw Team their Senseis battling two on two with some Jounin, but felt that something was off.
"Guys? Something is wrong. Where is the other ninja?"
"What do you mean Tenzo?" The blonde haired medic replied to her bespectacled teammate.
"I mean I don't know where the twelfth ninja went. I counted the number of attacking ninja, and we killed nine of them and our Senseis are fighting two of them. That leaves just one, but where did he—?"
"Fuuinjutsu: Gogyō Teppeki!" (Sealing Jutsu: Five Elements Iron Wall)
A large double layered barrier that was a hazy clear color was erected in a one hundred twenty square foot radius around the three Genin. A large Iwa Jounin burst forth from up out of the ground and landed an uppercut on Kido, who only managed to block the attack partially, but still felt the sting of his jaw being bruised. He got up into a ready position and saw the Jounin standing there as his two teammates ran to his side to make sure he was okay.
"I'm okay guys, the punch just kinda hurt." Kido said to his teammates.
"Guys we're trapped in a barrier with that Jounin! We need a plan before he kills us!" Tenzo said in a panicked tone of voice. The Jounin cracked his knuckles and stood tall at 6'4 and was very powerfully built. Naruto had defeated his Jounin with minimal effort and Hinata was closing the Tenketsu on hers when the Iwa ninja spat blood at her and laughed when he heard his comrade's Jutsu being activated.
"Ha ha ha! It's over for those brats now! The only way to break that barrier is to kill the caster! And those brats are nothing compared to Shoto! They're gonna d...urk…!" Hinata had heard enough and pressed the Tenketsu point over his heart and killed the enemy ninja before she turned to Naruto and asked for a plan.
"I don't have one, but they're going to have to just beat this guy. Let's hope their teamwork is better than his skill." Naruto said grimly.
The Kusa Genin were banging on the barrier at first and then began casting their strongest Jutsu at it, but with no effect. Akihiro held up a hand to halt anymore attempts to break the barrier.
"Guys there's nothing that we can do. It's out of our hands now and they're going to have to deal with that ninja. Let's hope at least one of them lives."
"You're going to die on this mission and there's nothing you can do about it. Look at you three brats. Not even real Shinobi yet are you? Look at the four eyed brat over here, quaking in fear. Then again, he's probably the smart one. Give up, and I'll kill you all painlessly. I'll give you thirty seconds to decide."
They all looked at each other with varying degrees of fear etched into their young faces. Mai was terrified, Tenzo was close to wetting his pants, and Kido was frightened. He realized that they would die if he didn't step up and lead the other two. Kido cleared his throat and pushed his fear to the back of his head and spoke in a powerful and steely tone of voice.
"Guys...we have to fight this guy with everything we've got, and we can't do that if we show him we're scared. We…we need to hide our fear and show him that we will defeat him! This is just like our Genin Exams!" Both of his friends started at him for a second before nodding with determination. They all turned around and glared st Shoto.
"Oh so you lot want to fight? It's your death." He said as he rushed forward.
They charged the Jounin before Mai and Tenzo jumped in opposite directions and Kido slid under his punch and kicked him in the chin. He tried to react, but was knocked off balance by Mai punching him in the face and Tenzo kicking his thighs. Kido drew his sword and made a few choice cuts on the man's arms and flak jacket. They all jumped back and cast their own Jutsu.
"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" (Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu)
"Doton: Kajiu no Doro!" (Earth Style: Mud Weights)
"Suiton: Mizugan!" (Water Style: Water Gun)
The Mud Weights clamped onto his legs and arms, slowing his movement speed as he narrowly dodged the Fireball but was caught by the Water Gun blast and sent tumbling. He stood up and cast a Jutsu.
"Fine then you'll die screaming!"
"Doton: Iwa Toge Chakushu no Jutsu" (Earth Style: Rock Thorn Launch Jutsu) twenty five small earthen shards were quickly launched at Team Six. Mai has her side grazed by them and collapsed, holding her bleeding side.
"ARAGH! I'LL KILL YOU!"
"Fuuton: Repūshō!"
A tremendous amount of chakra was poured into Kido's Jutsu and was surging ahead at Shoto.
"Doton: Doryuheki!"
Renzo used the wind Jutsu as a distraction to attack from his side. He leapt into the air and launched a punch at Shoto's head. Unfortunately, his fist was caught and Shoto slowly crushed Tenzo's hand in his much bigger one. He kept squeezing the tactician's hand until he heard the bones break and Tenzo screamed out in pain.
"Now that's what I wanna hear!" He shouted as he twisted Tenzo's wrist and broke it. He then slammed him into the Mud Wall and used him to knock Kido away when he saw him charging. Kido quickly rolled his feet.
"Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!"
The attacking Jounin was caught mid dash by the small projectiles and suffered several burns to his arms and face. He was then assaulted with a chakra enhanced roundhouse knee strike to the ribs that caused him to cough up a bit of blood. He quickly knocked back his Genin opponent and formed some hand seals and slapped his hands on the ground.
"Doton: Bakudan!" (Earth Style: Bomb)
Out of nowhere, the ground shifted quickly and then exploded right under Kido, launching the surprised teen into the air with various cuts, bruises, and burns scattered across his skin. He tried to right himself in the air, but received a crushing elbow to the stomach that sent him crashing into the ground. He stood up shakily and watched Shoto form a short series of hand seals.
"Doton: Kouseitan Kawa!" (Earth Style: Elemental Skin)
The Iwa Jounin's skin turned a dark grey color, signifying his affinity with earth. Kido started in disbelief as he had read about this technique being used by Dorogakure to wage war against his people.
"Like it? It's unbeatable and makes a perfect shield against weapons, Taijutsu, and most Ninjutsu. You're dead kid. And so are the rest of your little friends. This is a true ninja, kid. Not whatever you're doing. I've been a ninja for twenty five years! My skill and experience will trump your 'natural genius'. You three brats from the tree hugging Hidden Leaf will learn this final lesson. This is why the Hidden Leaf will fall and the Hidden Stone will be recognized as the most powerful of the Five Great Elemental Nations!"
"Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu!"
Four fiery missiles shaped like dragon heads raced towards the Iwa Jounin. He stood and took the brunt of the attack. When the smoke cleared, he was unscathed by Kido's fire jutsu.
"Oh so you know a B-Ranked Fire Technique? What's your name?!"
"Kido, Kido Kagayaki! The future ANBU Black Ops Leader and protector of Konoha!!"
Yes! Show me more! Throw everything you've got at me boy! Show me who Kido is!"
"Katon: Ryū Kaenhōsha-Ki!"
Kido used both of his hands to blast his Dragon Flamethrower Jutsu and poured three times as much chakra into the technique than normal. The flamethrower was as wide as a small house and four stories tall charged forward hit the veteran ninja head on. The force of the Jutsu tackled him until he slammed up against the barrier wall. Once the onslaught was over, the man fell to one knee and laughed maniacally. Kido however, noticed that some of the Elemental Skin technique had melted off and the Jutsu cut through the defense and burned his torso, left arm, and the left side of his face.
"I need more chakra! Something more powerful" Kido thought as he gathered up more chakra.
"I've never seen anything like that Jutsu kid. Maybe you're not just playing ninja like your little pals there. A ninja kills, no he slaughters his enemies and does so with no remorse or feeling. Emotions are for the weak. You killed my comrades. They were weak and foolish enough to die by the hands of mere Genin and ninja of a minor village. Your teammates are near death's door and you're fighting with all you have left in the tank. Be a ninja and care about your own safety and not theirs. I might spare you if you can do that while I kill your little girlfriend!"
"NEVER!! I'LL NEVER SURRENDER!! DON'T YOU LAY A FINGER ON THEM!!" Kido screamed as he launched twenty kunai and shuriken at Shoto. They struck true, but bounced away as Shoto rushed at Kido. A fist was slammed hard into Kido's stomach making him cough up blood before a crushing roundhouse kick connected with his jaw.
"Ha ha ha haaaa! Show me your skill, not your emotions!" The Jounin shouted as he dashed over to Mai with a sadistic smile on his face.
He grabbed her forcefully by the back of her neck as a handler would a cat by its scruff. He tightened his grip, causing her to scream and leak tears from her eyes. Kido was struggling to stand, holding his side as he pulled himself up and prepared for more.
"I-if you want to kill them, you'll have to kill me first!" He said with malice in his voice. He locked eyes with his two defeated teammates for a short time. Mai struggling against his grip, and Tenzo laying on the grass holding his wrist and nursing his broken hand. Kido saw him out of the corner of his eye moaning in pain, but his face showed cunning.
"Jump on three!" Tenzo mouthed to Kido. Kido squinted in understanding. On three, Kido jumped high into the air, weaving hand seals and screaming as Tenzo rolled to his feet and launched himself right at Mai.
"YES DO IT! SACRIFICE YOUR OWN TEAMMATE FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY! AH HA HA HA HA!"
As Shoto was waiting for Kido's jutsu, he didn't hear or see Tenzo until the junior tactician put the remainder of his chakra into his fist and slugged Shoto in the cheek as hard as possible, causing the Elemental Skin to crack . He then jumped snatched Mai out of the enemy's grasp and jumped away as Kido finished his final hand seal.
"Shakuton: Shinsei Taiho!"
(Scorch Style: Nova Cannon)
A wide beam of plasma erupted from Kido's hand and struck the unsuspecting Iwa ninja and destroyed his Elemental Skin technique, leaving him stunned with second degree burns.
"GO NOW!" Kido shouted as they all ran towards the incapacitated ninja and impaled him in different parts of his body. Tenzo stabbed him in the ribs with a kunai, Mai caught him in the lungs with two kunai, and Kido drive his sword through the ninja's heart.
"Killed by a few Genin huh? I guess everyone has to die sometime."
After a few seconds, they pulled their weapons out of the man's body, and he fell into a pool of his own blood.
"I guess so huh." Kido replied back to the bow dead man as the barrier around them fell.
"Hey Mai, Tenzo… are you guys okay?"
"We will be soon." Tenzo said as Mai cried into Kido's shoulder and Naruto and Hinata came running over.
"Thank Kami you guys are okay! We're so sorry! If it weren't for us, you wouldn't have gotten hurt!" Hinata said apologetically.
"No it's okay Sensei. We knew we could get hurt being ninja. It's up to us to strive to make sure nobody can hurt us or our friends." Kido said.
"I'm glad you guys are okay though. You had us worried for a minute there." Naruto said.
"Hey guys, umm…that was some impressive teamwork and skill. To tell you the truth, we probably would've died fighting that Jounin. It's good you guys won though."
"No problem Akahiro! Now let's get patched up and back on the road again! We've got a mission to complete!" Kido shouted.
Three hours later, they dropped off the supplies and the weapons at the hub and were on their way back to Konoha. Meanwhile in Kusagakure, Akahiro was giving the mission report to the Sandaime Oda alongside Fumiko and Hideo.
"So my young ninja, was everything run smoothly?"
"Yes…up until the point when we were ambushed. The three Konoha Genin nearly died. But they succeeds in killing their foe."
"Hmmm…they were overwhelmed by bandits and thieves?" The older man questioned.
"No. The three Konoha Genin were caught in a barrier and forced to fight a Veteran ninja who was at Jounin level by themselves."
"What?! Really? Without any assistance whatsoever?"
"Yes Oda-Sama."
"Anything that is noteworthy of their performance?"
"Yes actually. Kido Kagayaki, the Genin Leader of Team Six has a rare and unique Bloodline called Scorch Release. It looked very powerful and was strong enough to destroy a Jounin level absolute defense."
"Well…this certainly livens things up. Given the fact that his Sensei did not mention this to me, they must have wanted to keep this information a secret. The boy's surname as well; Kagayaki. That clan was one of the founding clans of Suna, but did not join the village much like Uzushiogakure, as well as having a close friendship with Uzushiogakure and had aided both Konoha and Suna in the First and Second Great Ninja Wars. Unlike Uzushiogakure, they kept their village relatively hidden and stayed out of most major conflicts unless attacked. We need to gather more information about this boy, his clan, and any aspects of the plans for his future."
"What! But Sandaime-sama, they're our allies! Why would we want to spy on them?!"
"Hold your tongue Genin Fujiwara! I know it is morally wrong, but in case you have forgotten, our village still uses espionage tactics to gain information about what goes on in other villages to survive. If we don't raise the intensity, we could be wiped out! We can't afford another war of attrition with anyone, much less the Hidden Stone Village again. We will do what we must. I hear Konoha is hosting the Chuunin Exams, so we will use them to our advantage and gather information on Kido. I shall be enrolling you three, along with four other teams in the Exams. If there's nothing else, you three are dismissed."
"So we all stabbed him in different parts of his body, and he died shortly after. We completed the mission, and so here we are Hokage-Sama." Kido finished, reciting the final details of the battle for the mission report.
"Well then. Congratulations on completing your first C-Rank Mission and your first B-Rank Mission, simultaneously. I heard that this Shoto Jounin was near our borders a few days ago and I was about to send a team of Jounin to eliminate him, but seeing as you already did so, I'll mark it down that you were assigned this mission as well. Good job Team Six. You know… the Chuunin Exams are coming up in two weeks. Are you three interested in participating? As of today, you're the only Rookie Team who has had an offer extended to them." The Hokage asked them after replying to the mission report. The three Genin looked at each other for a second and nodded at the same time.
"We accept Hokage-Sama!" Kido said.
Well the first Arc is complete! Now onto the Chuunin Exams Arc! I'm opening another poll for what fights you would like to see most. If they aren't up there, submit your own opinions and I could make it happen.
I also apologize for not updating for so long. School, Church, Work, moving out of my parent's house and into my own place, and losing my laptop have made it very difficult to write.
As usual, any reviews or PMs are greatly appreciated and actually contribute to my story. Until next time guys.