Quick Note: OC isn't genuinely handsome, unfortunately. It's all based on others' perspective.

Chapter 11

Another Mission, Another Problem

-Empty-

Sarutobi sighed. Paperwork could really be a pain in the behind sometimes. It was as if they kept getting stacked higher and higher without any form of decreasing whatsoever. Despite this, He usually just gave the rows upon rows of untidily tower based sheets what they were due without really any personal opinion escaping his lips, well, not in front of company at least. But recently, he felt like this torturing copies were mocking him with no end, period.

He didn't know if he wasn't doing as efficient as usual, or if the village's political problems were just getting out of hand. Maybe both? Certainly the latter though. First it was the slowly declining nature of their Anbu going missing through confidential missions that weren't connected suspiciously at all, then some of the villagers suddenly lost momentum in their local occupations for a number of accurately identical reasons that were just ridiculous.

Feeling unwell despite their immune systems working perfectly fine.

Suddenly receiving muscle aches during work hours despite, yet again, not having anything wrong with their inner body.

The list just kept going on, with no proof behind it, just like these darn papers! They were all connected with organic problems, but it could just be waved off as them just being too lazy to take responsibility. But it's been happening to people who do not slack off, not even on one occasion yet, before this, that is. Besides, they seemed too much of a coincidence to be happening on a regular basis, so the predicament was definitely out of the ordinary.

It was as if someone was giving them an undetectable disease or something. Could it be…?

"No, no." He shook his head to himself, sighing in recognition. It couldn't be Kenjo. I mean, he knew the boy was special beyond compare, but he couldn't be the cause of such an ominous dispute, right? Of course not. "Besides, the seal is still sealed, at least, that's what I hope."

Mizuki suddenly flashed through his mind.

That man…

He was going to do something stupid, Hiruzen could tell. But it wasn't as if he could really accuse the Academy teacher of any wrong doing. Nothing happened… yet, or that's what Tsume's Intel had said. He was grateful for the optimism Inuzuka had for Ken-kun, even if she wouldn't really admit it in the public's ear. Her history with him really changed how enclosed her heart was to everyone else. But Sarutobi couldn't tell if giving one of their only Anbu still present in the village the responsibility to look over both young Uchiha Sakuri and Tayamaru Kenjo at the same time.

I mean, he knew sparing as little Anbu as possible meant a thumbs up for the already declination, but could Uzuki Yugao even endure two moving targets at once, all alone? Maybe with bunshins, but while it was a twenty-four seven situation? That seemed too much to him. Tsume at least seemed faithful in the Anbu, but that didn't really quench his nerves enough.

Anyway, where was he? Oh yeah, paper number two thirty four… or was it number three forty two?

'What does this one say? Mm… another complaint from Kirigakure, I see. Seems like another one of their Anbu went missing as well. Accusing me of such feats as usual I see. When will that woman learn to leave the past alone? Is she still clinging onto the fact that we won the war?'

Again, these unusual moments really played with his aged head. Not only was the incident of missing Anbu happening to Konohagakure, but every single great nation on the map. Whoever was attacking the Anbu couldn't be one of the hidden villages, since they were all being affected by the same problem. Either everyone was doing the same thing to each other, or something behind the scenes was pulling the strings. But who could it be?

The Akatsuki?

They seemed a perfect candidate, not only him, but all five Kage assumed that much in the beginning. But the fact that they were receiving no information on the 'predator' was really weird to say the least. All they could do right now was point uncertain fingers at others, nothing else. Hopefully the culprit would be discovered soon, before another war settled in.

Kami knows they were already lacking the firepower from all the disappearances.

Which was probably why Anko reluctantly decided to 'babysit' Kenjo during his punishment in the first place.

Anyway, back to work, he guessed.

"Lord Third." The door opened up to reveal Ebisu. His face popped up in the office before, for a specific reason. Now that the man was back in his presence, Sarutobi could only assume news on a recent incident was riled up. Still, would it hurt the man to at least knock? No matter if it was an emergency, couldn't he see the work he needed to finish?

Sighing, he decided to let it slip due to his suddenly offended behavior.

Stress was not going to get the best of him. Not now, not ever.

"Yes?"

"The female from before would like to address a request."

"Request…" He put the ink-filled object down. "Very well, let she come in."

"As you wish, Lord Third." He bowed, exiting with a creak. Soon enough, he entered once more, but this time, with another face.

"A-Ah, Mr. Hokage." She bowed respectfully, nervous from the presence of such a higher up.

"Good day, young lady." He nodded with a friendly smile. "What do you happen to need from me?"

"Well… I…" She looked around the place uncomfortably, "I would like to return back to my village, Mr. Hokage."

"I see. Well, that, my dear, was already planned in preparation. I believe your parents would want nothing but your safety back in their arms. But, may I ask what happened, though?"

"W-What Happened?" She looked at him confusingly.

"Yes." He stared calmly at her. "You do remember stumbling in our village, do you not?"

"I…" She bit her lip, "…y-yes, I think… I think I do."

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow at the response, but let it slip. "You were bruised, pretty badly. Thankfully, there were no severe injuries that would hold you longer at the hospital, nor anything more portentous. Might I ask what happened to you that would cause such external damage?"

"I…" She looked down despairingly. "Well I… urm… don't… quite remember what actually happened to me."

…

"I… I know I was fleeing from… something, but I can't remember what it was. Next thing I knew I passed out due to fatigue… and pain. But that's basically it. I can't remember anything else. I'm sorry if I don't sound too helpful."

"No. No, it's fine. You were really persistent on surviving, which is a good thing on it's own, so loss of memory might be an unfortunate consequence in such a rapidly pacing escape." She could have not even look back at her predator for all he knew, but it was really odd that she remembered everything only from the point of passing out, aside from fleeing that is, and not the attempt to stay alive from whatever significant person or thing that was on her tail.

Hiruzen couldn't help but think of this and how it might connect to the missing Anbu cases. It certainly seemed like the girl was on the verge of being kidnapped, or worse, but her appearance didn't really speak volume of her skills, much less being on Anbu level. If it wasn't though, then having her as a target of whatever was out there would throw whatever leads they had on it out of the window due to how nonsensical it would be for a random girl to be another prey for this odd incident.

"Where are you from, young miss?"

"O-Oh. From the Land of Waves, Mr. Hokage."

"The Land of Waves, hmm? Fine." He looked at Ebisu next to her. "Will you do me a favor and assign an escort for miss…"

"Arato, sir."

"…for miss Arato?"

"Hai! Am I expected to assign a particular ranked ninja, Lord Third?"

"Considering the inconvenient culprit who chased miss Arato, I'd say an Anbu would suffice."

"Sorry, Lord Third, we're all out of available Anbu in the meantime."

"Really? Already?"

"Unfortunately, yes, Lord Third." He nodded. "We recently assigned the last to take care of some inconvenience on the outskirts of the village."

"Oh, right." Sarutobi slouched back in his seat with thought. "Well, I suppose you just have to wait here in Konoha for an Anbu to finish their current assignment, miss Arato."

"B-But, I have to get home as soon as possible, Mr. Hokage." She said nervously.

"I'm sorry miss Arato, but regardless of the circumstance, our hands are tied at the moment."

"Might I suggest a candidate, Lord Third?" Ebisu asked.

"Mm? Do you have anyone in mind, Ebisu?"

"Yes." He nodded. "Why not assign Team Seven as the escort?"

"Team Seven? You mean send Kakashi's team?"

"Hai. They were successful on the last route to the Land of Waves, so they should be able to handle this fairly easily as well."

"But the danger of this specific assailant, Ebisu." The Hokage mentioned.

"I know. But I doubt Kakashi-sensei will have a difficult time taking care of whatever threat that lurks, Lord Third. Not to mention he was also an Anbu before."

"I suppose so. But I wouldn't want to chance whatever it is to be fairly uncomplicated for the Jounin."

"Then another team to accompany them?"

"That's quite the rash suggestion, Ebisu." He looked at the man carefully.

"My apologies, Lord Hokage. I suppose I'm only trying deplete the issues which hangs on your shoulders."

"I appreciate your concern, thank you." He nodded, giving it one last thought. "But who would be the team that will accompany them?"

"I guess any team who is available and would be willing to partake on this mission."

"Very well." Sarutobi finally decided. "Send a request to said teams so we can get miss Arato back to her family."

The young adult smiled brightly at this. "Arigatou gozaimasu!"

-Empty-

"Why do we need to team up again?" Naruko asked, lacking her usual enthusiasm. Really now, were they not enough for this escort mission? They did it last time without anyone else's help, so why was this any different?

"Because Lord Hokage said so, Naruko-chan." Kakashi hid as much annoyance as he could. Honestly, he told them before, numerous of times for her in particular, so why was she still asking him? "Apparently our client was attacked and we have no clue what we might be facing when we leave those gates."

"Don't they know who attacked them?" She raised a curious brow, their strolling closing in on said gates.

"Apparently, no."

"That's stupid." She placed her hands behind her head. "Some help they are. For all we know, it could be some sort of trap disguised by a bunch of thugs, like last time."

"Our client from last time wasn't the one who set the trap, idiot, so I doubt our current client has ulterior intentions." Sasuku explained irritably.

Naruko's eye twitched, but she attempted to hold onto her expression instead of averting to her usual scowl. 'Don't lose it, Naruko. You have to be the ideal BFF for Kenjo, so no bursting out with your uninviting annoyance! Think happy thoughts! Think happy thoughts. Think about Kenny-kun.'

She took a deep, yet vague breath before exhaling what she felt was a shoulder-weighted relief.

"Kenny-kun…" She smiled from the sub-conscious mutter.

"Hmm?" The boy in question glanced at her with inquisitiveness. Did he hear his name just now? "Did y-you say something, Naruko?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing." She smiled calmly, yet a subtle blush crept on her face when she made eye contact with the real thing. "Just hoping something exciting will come out of this."

"Yeah…" He trailed off, their last escort suddenly plaguing his mind. The moment he finally took note of the huge gap between himself and his teammates. The time he was so much help.

Sarcasm, everybody.

But that was then.

This was now.

He had gotten a good amount of training during the time period. Although he doubted it would really be half as much as the amount Naruko and Sasuku had gone through, he was still confident in himself. Something he lacked for quite some time now. It wasn't going to be counterfeit, this was going to be the real thing.

Today, he would find out how good he had gotten. How effective his side training during his student's would be. If he was ready to kick some serious ass, if there were butts to beat up.

If he was truly ready to graduate not only from the Academy, but also from his shell of doubt.

His fist clenched with rushing determination. This was it.

This was it.

This was really going to be it.

Naruko took a momentary gaze upon her BFF, his dedication shining through his red orbs. Dedication she, unfortunately, didn't see more times than she truly wanted to. He was feeling it. Hopefully he was up to it this time.

No, scratch that idiotic thought. Kenny-kun was ready. The outside world was going to be at his mercy, and it wouldn't be the other way around like last time.

Last time was gone.

This time was his time.

It was Ken-kun's time to finally shine through.

A fond smile made it's way onto her features, her own being absorbing some the energy he was emitting.

Yes, today was definitely going to be his day.

Tayamaru Kenjo's day.

"Kurenai." Kakashi nodded in acknowledgement, the woman's red eyes practically piercing his own from it's normal intensiveness.

"Kakashi." She nodded back, turning toward their client. "Let's make this quick, for Arato's, and for our benefit."

"Right." He turned to leave with the woman, the two adults giving recognition to the other's students.

If they took more careful observation however, they would've seen, and even felt the strong atmosphere surrounding the six Genin, around three of them in particular.

Inuzuka Kibira.

Hyuga Hinata.

Tayamaru Kenjo.

One with averting awkwardness.

One looking away with embarrassed redness.

One with a rainy downcast.

Yet, they did their best to give each other a knowing glance.

'Forgot Team Seven involved him.'

'Forgot Team Eight involved them.'

His pump barely took a hit before rejuvenating the damage.

It was fine. He was still in this. Tayamaru Kenjo was still in this!

Still tough, he would be lying to himself if he said that this mission was going to be anything but a long walk of awkwardness.

-Empty-

Knock. Knock.

"C-Come in."

Creak.

"Hey."

"K-Konichiwa."

"How are you coming along?" Step. Step.

"I'm f-feeling better than y-yesterday. Thank y-you for a-a-asking, miss."

"Tsume is perfectly fine."

Nod.

…

"…I see you have eaten your food."

Nod. "It w-was nice…"

He was still frowning.

"Is there something wrong?"

Shake.

…

"Kenjo."

Gaze averted toward.

"You know, if there's something on your mind, you can tell me, okay?" She took the plate.

Stare.

"…Okay?"

…Slow nod.

She lit a small smile.

"How is your leg coming along? Still hurts?"

Shake. "Th-Though, when I put p-pressure on it…"

"I see…"

…

"If… if you want…"

Stare.

"…I can, you know, take to the hospital. Maybe all you really need is proper treatment."

Stare.

"I was stupid to think I can handle something like this. I'll take you if it doesn't get better overnight, sounds good?"

Stare.

…

His gaze averted down to the plate, then toward the window.

…

"…Kenjo…?"

…

"…" She silently took her leave.

…

-Empty-

Scribble. Scribble. Scribble.

It was nice hearing that sound. It was the only sound Daichi Hachiro tolerated from his class, especially during exams, which was happening right now, well, aside from cooperating responses. The continued motions were enjoyable to watch; it made him feel as though his class wasn't actually made of loud-mouth individuals, but actual maturity. He knew no one was perfect, but that shouldn't mean these wild animals sitting formally on chairs needed go on like, well, wild animals!

This peace and quiet wouldn't last long though, he knew that all too well. After all, he was teaching for, what, two decades? A nice round of experience he had under his belt, if he would be honest about it, but even with such experience, one could only teach docile persons, not troublesome ones. That included the depleting sense from one student specially.

Ichiraku Ayame.

Oh, how he praised her on every subject she exceled in, especially his. She was a great student, brilliant mannerisms, the top of her class, the perfect embodiment of a role model. Now? All of that went down the waste like used toilet paper. He didn't know what happened, how it did, or when it started to take effect. It was so out of the blue. Was she hanging around the wrong crowd? That seemed like an accurate excuse. But time and time again, he overheard and oversaw the declining nature being dished out toward her peers who wanted her around.

She was rejecting their offers, bad or good, and yet, she wasn't accepting her place on top anymore. It was as if a thunderstorm shocked the living ability out of her to do good; hence it happened so suddenly.

Her constant distant mind from the class despite being present. Was there problems at home or something? He needed to speak to Teuchi-san as soon as possible after this. He should've done it long ago, but his constant faith in her had restrained myself from doing such.

Speaking of said student, his patrol around the expectedly focused classroom ended next to a certain brunette's desk. He peered curiously, then his eyes bulged in disbelief.

"Ms. Ichiraku!"

"Ah!" The whole class were shocked by the sudden noise, Ayame in particular. She panicked in her seat, looking at the source with worry.

Her sensei looked down at her with fury.

…Uh oh…

"What do you think you're doing on your answer sheet?!" He said with annoyance. He already knew what she was doing though.

"I ur, urm, urgh I am… ur…"

He grabbed the sheet and pointed at it.

"What's the meaning of doodling hearts on your paper!?"

Snicker.

Giggle.

LAUGH!

"I-I-I ur…" Her heart raced with the embarrassed redness painting her face.

"You, Ms. Ichiraku, will stay after school so I may talk to you and your father in person!"

Ooohhh!

"Silence, class!" He glared at the busy rowdiness of the other students. After fetching her another answer sheet, he handed it over with a warning gaze. "Don't try to doodle on this as well, or I will really consider a proper punishment."

"H-H-Hai!" She said frantically, getting to work as soon as the sheet was placed on the hard surface. 'Oh man! What have I done!?'

-Empty-

"Mikoto-san!"

The woman in question switched her regard to the source. It was one of her colleagues.

"The boss wants to see you!"

Her boss? That was strange. What does her employer want to see her for? Did she do something inappropriate? But she was working non-stop, only not on tea break due to regulations. Wait, could it be…

Knock. Knock.

"Come in. Ah, Mikoto-san, please, have a seat."

She did. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Yes, yes I did." He closed his eyes, a slight grimace wavering in. It was as if something was paining him. That… couldn't be a good sign. "I notice you haven't been working efficiently as you once have."

"W-What? But I did my schedule without fail, haven't I?"

"Yes, yes you have. But… your recently weakening pace during work hours has been obvious to me, to everyone for that matter."

Mikoto didn't answer, she just slightly looked down in silence, his piercing eyes not comfortable to stare at right now. She… guessed he had a point. The weight on her shoulders were probably becoming too much as of late.

"May I ask what's the problem?"

"I… it's really nothing, sir. I'll just have to pick up the pace as always." She looked at him determinedly, though it might have not been convincing as she wanted it to be.

"I… really want to believe you, but I can't. Not when you're juggling two occupations at once."

"Wha… what do you mean?"

"What I mean is, ever since you somehow convince the political industry to employ you whilst you still worked for us, you have been slowing down with your working stride, and I cannot help but think it's because of that very decision, Mikoto-san."

"No. No, it isn't. I was just… I can improve, sir, please, just give me another chance. Please!"

Her plea had desperation sparking in her eyes as backup, but again, he wasn't convinced too well. Nevertheless…

"Don't worry. You're very formidable in your work, Mikoto-san. I'll give you another chance, but if this continues to the point that you cannot keep up even with the adequate level we informed workers of, whether you have quit your second job or not, I'm afraid… I'd have to fire you."

Her expression showed true fear.

"But–"

"That's final, Mikoto-san." He said strictly. "You may take your leave."

She hesitated, wanting to reconsider the consequences, but knew it was pointless. Slowly gaining leverage with her legs, she opened the door, and silently closed it, a new sense of weight forming on top of her currently heavy one.

-Empty-

Creak.

He turned his head from his lying pose.

The same girl from before stared from the opened door.

She had a wary expression, visibly tightening her grip on her plushie.

She slowly made her way to the toddler.

He kept his gaze on her approaching form, the only sounds being heard were her footsteps.

Soon, she got to the side of the bed, her stare slowly beginning to focus on his features as oppose to anything else.

She opened her mouth to speak, but the sudden raising hand from the boy nearly scared her half to death. She tossed her toy upward in shock, fleeing with her tiny toddler legs like her young life depended on it.

The door was forgotten; it wasn't closed after her leave.

He kept his hand in the same position.

"…Hi…?"

-Empty-

"So, picked up anything else from her?" Kakashi asked through the silence.

"Define anything else." Kurenai asked back.

"Other than what we've already been informed with from the synopsis."

"I'm afraid we haven't." She kept her gaze straightforward. "Her memory seems strangely vague for someone who had a supposedly traumatic experience just a day ago."

"Think it has something to do with the missing Anbu lately?"

"Who knows?" She shrugged. "That being said, I would gladly take on the very next mission available for the outside experience, just to find out what's going on with this conspiracy."

"My first guess was the Akatsuki, but their goal, as far as we know, doesn't seem to involve taking out Anbu particularly."

"Then again, the Akatsuki as a whole is something that hasn't been completely structured out for thorough examination." Kurenai evaluated.

"True."

Apparently, their conversation, despite it's non-accompaniment, was barely made out from the Genin and girl from behind. It was the only conversation however which was uprooted from the group, the silence still high in the air.

Kibira and Akamari did their best to keep the distance between a certain green-haired boy and themselves in tact. Well, mainly Kibira, Akamari just followed her best friend as usual.

Surprisingly, the attacker hadn't shown their face yet. Maybe because of the sudden jolt of increased number of people, which, to everyone at least, was a ridiculous number to have for a mere escort mission, especially one that was so uneventful. Or maybe the predator was just not around in general. They probably got sick and tired of the wait, or that was what Naruko appeared to think.

Her gaze sub-consciously fell upon the Genin next to her.

Kenny-kun.

Gosh, was she using that nickname more recently than not. It was a forgotten name, left underground, buried alive along with 'kun' on it's own. Somehow it came back like an undead zombie, although probably not that undead.

She didn't really know if it was convenient to use that specific nickname in front of him though, his surprised expression for 'kun' alone seemed too… discouraging for her, despite the word being used half-knowingly, just like it's first usage back on the bridge this morning.

A sudden rustle brought her immediately back to reality, her kunai being pulled out instinctively. Not only her, but everyone was on their toes, their eyes taking care of their surroundings.

"All of you keep yourself ready." Kakashi checked with his eye.

Ken kept himself close to Arato, as with everyone else. Kunai in hand, Sasuku saw a bush nearby rustled. Impulsively, she threw the held blade, it's contents piercing through the green.

They all waited for whatever was in there to show itself.

But, it never came.

Time seemed to drag on for eternity, until Team Seven's sensei carefully made his way to the designated bush. They glanced at him for clarification.

He shook his head.

"Nothing's here."

"W-Was it just our imagination?" Arato questioned with uncertainty.

"We couldn't have imagined the exact same thing at the exact same time." Sasuku deadpanned, causing the teenager to look down with dismay due to her question.

"I sensed a chakra source in the bush, but it just suddenly disappeared when teme threw her kunai." Naruko implied.

"Gee, thanks." Sasuku said sarcastically.

"They might have escaped." Kurenai assumed.

Not wanting the abscond to be fruitful, Kakashi bit his thumb, did the necessary hand signatures, then slammed his palm on the ground.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

In a puff of smoke, an orange-brown pug appeared out of the settling dust, his gaze falling upon it's caller.

"Kakashi." He said in acknowledgement.

"Pakkun, I cannot sense any chakra signatures nearby. Could you identify their scent in the bush?"

"I'll try." He sniffed several times, the musky odor of nature hitting his nostrils, but also, a faint aroma took shelter as well.

"Anything?"

"I think I got a whiff of the target. I don't if it's who you are looking for, but I think I got a lock on them."

"Great. Lead the way."

Pakkun got to it.

"Someone carry Arato-chan." Kakashi looked back at the group. "If we're expected to catch the culprit, we need to make haste. Staying together as a group will also lower our chances of being separated from assistance if ambushed."

Nodding in understanding, Naruko took charge, earning a cute squeak from Arato. "Hang on tight." She smirked confidently at the female, before jumping from tree to tree along with everyone else.

With the concept nearly slipping her mind, she looked back concerningly. "Ken-kun, can you keep up?"

Fudge! Again with the 'kun'.

"Yeah, don't w-worry about me." He grinned sincerely, earning a nod of acceptance from his friend. Slowly however, instead of his ground-level pacing keeping his distance to them to a minimum, it gained unfortunate distance. Damn his inability! It was becoming a real nuisance right now, more than ever actually.

Where has all that spunk gone to?

Still, he kept running.

I thought today was your day?

And running.

You stupid fuck.

Shut up.

You worthless scum.

Shut up!

You will never be good at anything!

"SHUT UP!"

Why should I?

His eyes shot open from it's clutching agony, looking around hysterically. What in the…?

What was that?

Wait, where was everyone else?

Damn.

Shit.

Fuck!

He failed again!?

"D-Damn it!" He grinded his teeth, the birds mockingly chirping around him.

-Empty-

"Gosh."

"Huh?"

"Huh? O-Oh, sorry." He sheepishly chuckled. "Just th-thinking aloud."

"Oh. What about?"

He averted from the blonde, taking in the scenery in front of him. "It's n-nothing. It's just… th-them."

She looked as well.

A bunch of Jounin were on duty.

"Those Jounin?"

"Yeah…" He smiled fondly. "They s-seem so cool, h-how righteous they a-are."

"I guess you have a point there." She smiled as well.

"It must be s-so awesome, being a-able to use ninjutsu and s-s-such." He hugged his legs closer to his chest, her eyes laying upon his being observantly. "I w-wish I can be like th-them."

"But you will." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "We're going to join the Academy, aren't we?"

"I guess."

She probably didn't know yet. He tried to do those things like every ninja does. He failed miserably. Maybe he was missing something? Maybe that was what the Academy was there for? Maybe there was like that markings he saw occasionally they were suppose to have before they could actually do cool ninjutsu? He believed they were called seals. Fuuinjutsu? Yeah, Fuuinjutsu. That's what they were used for, right? Was that what Academy sensei are expected to do to them? Put seals on them so that they could be allowed to be real ninja? Probably. He guessed he had to wait to find out.

"You really look up to ninja, huh?"

"Of course." He said, nearly sounding offended by the question. There was nothing he truly wanted to be other than a ninja. Being entitled a monster really made his future dim. He was so close to taking his life. Now with his angelic hope next to him, blessing him with her company every single day, his future was brightened once more, even more than before. His ambitions were back on track. "E-Especially the Hokage. He's s-such an awesome guy. I l-look up to him the most."

The blonde looked at the ninja from afar. Hokage, huh? A bright smile covered her face like a blanket. She knew she wanted to be a ninja. She was fond of them too. Everyone was. It was just common sense to be. But the Hokage? The highest level of respect? He looked up to him like everyone else does, including her.

But his opinion…

…his attention…

…his eyes.

They sparkled for the man in the red building.

His attention.

She wanted that most in life.

She wanted him to look at her the most.

She wanted him to view her the most.

Jealousy bubbled forth, but something overlaid it.

Her calling in life. It switched places.

Being a ninja? So last year.

There was only one way to truly gain respect from everyone. There was only one way to truly be the center of his world.

Her mind was made up, more so than ever. Her destiny was sealed. Yes, she knew what she wanted to become now.

The young girl wanted his attention.

The only way…

The young girl needed his attention.

…to do that…

The young girl would graduate from the Academy for him, and…

…was to…

…become…

…become…

The greatest Hokage there ever was!

For him.

Believe it, dattebayo!

-Empty-

"So, have you told Mimi-chan already?"

"Huh?" Sakura averted from her aiming sequence. Naori looked at her expectantly. "Oh, urm… yeah, I did." She threw another shuriken at the target, it missed.

Again.

The blue-haired girl noticed. "So, how did she take it?"

"Not very well." Haruno took out another sharp tool.

"Well, that was expected."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." She threw, and missed.

"But is she going to stop feeling that way?"

"Who knows…?" She sighed, scrambling her hand in the pouch for another. "She definitely didn't seem very enthused about the idea."

"Hopefully she does see things in a different light." 'For her sake, that is.'

"I doubt it."

"What do you mean?" Naori asked, taking a swing at her own target, nailing it like it was child's play.

She bit her lip considerably. "Well, I don't know what really happened, but when she yelled at me, I was thrown out of her room by a gust of wind."

…

"I know it might sound crazy, but I think she did that. I don't know how, though. Mimiru never showed any signs of ninjutsu before, and for her to suddenly do it without any learning experience seems too disbelieving."

"…Yeah, you probably imagining it."

"Hey." She furrowed at Naori. "I know I sound uncertain, but I know what I saw! I thought at least you would understand."

Naori giggled innocently. "I'm kidding, Sakura-chan. Of course I believe you."

"That doesn't sound too convincing." She deadpanned.

The blue-haired Genin just giggled further. Silence crept in again as they steadily finished their training. Usually, Naori would bring up such an obvious problem like Sakura's lack in accuracy, but the situation between the two Harunos seemed reason enough to have a strayed mind. In any case, Naori was too in her own thoughts to ever give two shits.

Mimiru forming a gust of wind? Interesting. 'I didn't think she would unlock it so early. Guess it will soon be time to act.' A sickeningly bright smile took form on her lips. 'I hope you'll be ready when time comes around, my lovely prince.'

-Empty-

"So, Ayame," One of her supposed friends strolled next to the girl, the others moving with them, "Who's the lucky guy?"

"H-Huh?" Ayame blinked, a flabbergasted expression accompanied by a flushed tint appearing on her facial features. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't be like that." She grinned deviously. "We all saw and heard what you drew, so stop denying it. Does he know?"

"Kn-Know what?"

"Your love for him, girl." A girl said from the other side. "Or is it unrequited?"

"Gosh, I just love unrequited love!" Another said in the group. "The problems the love-struck person has to deal with are simply juicy to no end!"

"Maybe they're already going out."

"Is that it, Ayame? Are you going out with this stud?"

"Have you gotten to first base already?"

"Second?"

"Third!?"

"Homerun!?"

"W-What are you guys talking about?" The questions were too much.

"What we mean is, have you already had sex with him?"

"N-N-Nani!?" Her whole face became pure red.

"You have, haven't you?"

"Her expression says it all."

"N-No we didn't." She tried keeping herself under control. If there were sprinklers around, her steaming self would have already triggered them.

"So you do have someone on your mind."

"N-No I don't."

"Gosh, just thinking about how passionate your sexual interactions might be makes me so hot."

"Yeah, it's like a real life Icha-Icha moment."

"Wait, you read Icha-Icha Paradise?!"

"Of course. I'm not ashamed to admit it. A girl has to have an outlet now and then. I'm only human after all."

"Man, you're such a hentai."

"Again, I'm not ashamed to admit it."

"How about you, Ayame?"

…

"Wait, where did she go?"

-Empty-

"Hand on, where's Ken-kun?" Naruko stopped her movements, taking a worried glance behind her.

"Did Dead Last really fall behind during such a crucial time?" Sasuku glared behind as well, taking a break.

"I'm gonna go look for him." She skipped a branch to lay her feet on the same one Sasuku-teme was on. "Take Arato-chan with you."

"What? Why me?" She took her on her back nonetheless, only to keep the client from falling out of panic.

"Just do it, teme." She shot her a glare before backtracking carefully.

"Damn it." The Uchiha cursed, but made her way toward the rest. 'You better keep him safe, idiot, or so help me I'll really pound you in the dirt!'

"Ken! Ken, are you around here?! Answer me if you are!" Naruko shouted desperately, averting left and right for at least a glimpse of green hair. She knew having too much faith in him was a bad idea. He was fast, she knew that, but traveling on ground not only took more agility, but it also wasn't as convenient as traveling through trees. Her indecisiveness got the best of her, and now she made him lose track of them. Stupid head, stupid head, stupid head! What a good start to show Kenny-kun she was more of the ideal friend than anyone else. Maybe it really was better for him to forget about her…

'No, no no no!' She wasn't going to think like that. 'Think optimistic, you! Don't let your fears get the best of you.'

Any further thinking would have to wait though, since a flying kunai interrupted her frantic searching. Guarding her with her own, the forceful clank was followed up by the landing blonde and a glare toward the offending direction. She squinted her gaze for better focus, but jumped to another branch when several shuriken from a different direction carved their way in her previous spot.

'There's more than one enemy, then?' Realizing it at the last moment, she blocked another flying kunai from behind. 'Wait, there's three!? Maybe even more…?'

Damn, she was surrounded by unidentified ninja. Scanning every direction possible, she attempted to find the source of attack. She didn't. Trees and trees and trees. Just flippin trees. Then who was attack–

Cut!

She hissed, a kunai had sliced through her clothing, scratching her left arm. Naruko leaped onto the ground in retreat, the direction where it came from having no sign of life other than nature.

'What in the world!? Where are they?!'

A sudden group of sharp ninja tools flew from different angles. The blonde dodged left and right, clashing with nearby kunai and shuriken in desperation. Unfortunately, she wasn't successful to get out of it unscathed.

Cut.

Cut.

Cut.

She let out a groan for each of them. She wanted to shunshin, she wanted to bunshin out of there, she wanted to hide. She just wanted to simply get away from the onslaught, but the attackers didn't give her the time of day.

Finally, it stopped. Metal was scattered everywhere like a warzone, some bloody, some not. Naruko's clothing was a mess, her laceration spilling slowly dripping warm liquid. She took a knee.

Damn it!

Then, feet took to the ground.

The Genin looked up with a sting to her grimacing expression.

-Empty-

"Ah, Teuchi-san. Please, have a seat."

"Arigatou, Mr. Hachiro." Teuchi gave Ayame a glance, before taking his place next to her.

"I don't want to take too much of your time, so I'll get right to it." Hachiro glanced at the silent student of his. "Ayame has… not been doing very well in her studies."

"Oh?" The man's eyes lit up with surprise.

"Unfortunately, yes. It has been shown for a while now. I should have addressed the issue with you earlier, but my faith in her got the best of me. Nevertheless, she kept dozing off to her own little world in class, not taking note in her studies, more interested in her thoughts if nothing else."

"I see." He simply said, averting toward the downcasted girl next to him.

"I feared she was hanging out with the wrong crowd, so to speak, but what she did during her exam today proved otherwise."

"What did she do?"

He took a sheet of paper under his desk and slid it to the parent's concern. "She doodled some hearts instead of answering question one."

…

"I believe she has some… intimate feelings for someone." Hachiro continued, watching the man's continued gaze upon the sheet. "I don't know if you noticed it or not, but I felt like I should address the matter nonetheless."

"I see." He said calmly, but Ayame could only imagine the furious suppression on his facial features, the furiousness she was too afraid of even taking in with her eyes, much less be right next to.

"I know your daughter can do better. She was the best in her class in terms of academic skills, on top of the grade even. I believe all she needs is a disciplinary nudge in the right direction, and I think you are the only one who can give the necessary push."

"I understand. Thank you for bringing this matter to me, Hachiro-sensei."

"You're welcome." He nodded, and soon, the duo left his classroom.

To summarize the walk to home, the journey was filled to the brim with a dense sense of awkward silence. Ayame didn't like it one bit. She wondered what was in store for her when they got home.

She could only imagine.

-Empty-

"The trail ends here."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Kakashi inquired.

"What I said is what I meant." He gazed upon the silver headed man. "It just suddenly ends. I can't pick the odor up either."

"Are they too far then?" Kurenai asked curiously.

"No, it couldn't be. They might have shunshin'd away, but even with that being the case, Pakkun should pick up the scent."

"So, what do you expect might be the roadblock?"

"My guess is that they might have changed their aroma when shunshining, which would be highly coincidental, or they might have used a transportation jutsu."

"Strange we didn't even find any trace of them leaving that bush though." Kurenai looked behind, doing an instinctive roll call with her eyes.

"Yeah. They might be very skilled in their camouflage."

"So it see– wait, where are the other two members of your team?"

"What?" He looked behind him, only to find a troubled Sasuku. "Where's Naruko and Ken?"

"Dead Last lost track, so the idiot went back to find him."

"What?"

Shino glowered distastefully.

"Oh no, Ken-kun." Hinata clasped her hands together, as if in prayer.

"Ken…" Kibira's eyes gave off a spark of worry. Even Akamari didn't like the news one bit.

"Damn it." Kakashi cursed below his breath. "It would be dangerous to split up for more ground, neither do we have anything on us with Ken-kun's scent."

"We can split in two groups to keep our numbers from depleting too much." Kurenai suggested.

"You might be right. Each of us can lead two students, while one of us can keep an eye on Arato-chan."

"Correct." She nodded. "I believe you are better off keeping an eye on her though. Besides, your team has gone on an escort mission before, so the experience from both of you would be enumerable compared to my own."

"You are right." He nodded back.

"Hinata, go along with Kakashi-sensei's group."

"H-Hai."

"Alright, team, the rendezvous is this spot here." Kakashi announced, summoning one more ninken. "Go along with them just in case you are needed."

"Roger." Shiba nodded.

"Let's get to it then."

-Empty-

"What do you want, you bastard?" Naruko spat through gritted teeth, standing up rebelliously.

They didn't answer though, their mask covering their face.

"You smell like one of them."

"W-What?"

"Your smell." They said through the white mask, their gender being distorted from the claustrophobic disturbance.

"Listen, bud, I don't know what the hell are you talking about, but you'll regret messing with me like that."

They didn't reply, earning a scowl from Naruko.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Puff. Puff. Puff. Puff.

The clones rushed in for an assault.

Puff. Puff. Puff. Puff.

Skillfully taking down all four, they were back at square one. Naruko grimaced from the loss, and the calm nature of the scumbag.

"Nice moves, but I'm afraid it won't be enough."

"Is one of your comrades a Shudame?"

"What?" She looked at them curiously.

"A Shudame." They said, still calm.

"Man, you really have a weird way of elaborating, not to mention interact, huh? Don't worry, I'll knock some sense into you. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Puff. Puff. Puff. Puff.

The clones rushed in again, this time however, they did it a bit differently. Instead of being reckless, the front clone ducked, with the second using her back to leap in the air, over the target. The first immediately used her palms to do a front flip, launching forward with both feet. The masked person however grasped the oncoming ankles and swung them upward, knocking both airborne clones to smoke-ville.

What they wasn't expecting however, was the second bunshin to drop a paper bomb before her dispersing departure. The opposing person jumped backward in retreat, but was met with a suddenly awaiting Naruko from behind.

The blonde smirked, attempting to kick the enemy back toward the bomb, but like previously, was grabbed by the ankle, being thrown like a ragdoll toward the soon-to-be exploding item instead.

Again, surprising the enemy with yet another move, the fourth and last rushing clone grabbed the tool out of midair, throwing it with precision. Naruko doubted it was going to land though, so to compensate for it's demise, the last flipped upside down, the thrown clone landing perfectly on her feet.

Acting as a spring, the denied bunshin was launched once again to the expectedly unharmed scumbag. The bomb was indeed evaded in midair, she knew that much, but what she didn't calculated was the returning paper bomb. Stabbing the soon dispersing clone, the exploding radius caught the last survivor, puffing her away as well.

Naruko grimaced even further, but didn't have time to mourn for any of them when a sudden kunai cut through the smog, heading right for her face. She barely ducked in time, but didn't see the rushing form of a certain masked person, receiving a massive knee to her mouth, sending her back up to her feet, only to be assaulted with a thunderous foot straight through her gut.

She coughed out thick saliva, before the blow finally took effect and not only sent a rush of aggressive pain through her intestines, but also sent her as a horizontal rocket through an entire tree, snapping the wooden organism in half.

"You are too careless and evident. You lack balance in your strategy, and seem to be a one-trick animal."

Naruko slowly got up, her guts feeling like they were ready to be thrown up out of her pie hole. She coughed a considerable amount of times, before finally getting to her feet. "I-Is that the best you got, punk?"

"No." They simply replied, the flat tone unreadable.

"It b-better not be, cause you punch like a girl!"

"You seem female to me as well."

"Y-You know what I mean!" The female glared angrily.

"I'll ask you again. Where is the Shudame you were with?"

"Stop talking gibberish already!"

"…Fine. I'm afraid I'll just have to beat it out of–"

"Hey!"

The sudden voice made their heads turn.

"I d-don't care what's the r-reason," Red orbs impaled the nearby mask dangerously, Ken's body burning with anger, "nobody h-hurts my friend and g-gets away with it! NOBODY!"

-Empty-

End of Chapter

Well, I guess that's it for Chapter Eleven. This one was really fun to type out, despite the problems it conjured.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed reading this one, and thank you in advance for your reviews, the favs, and the fols.

Until next time.

-Narurific-