Brow furrowed, I stared at the wet glob of pulpy paper lying at my feet. "I don't understand."

Minato laughed. "The paper reacts to your chakra and shows your nature accordingly. It only works when you run your chakra through it, but I figured you'd do that on your own and I wouldn't need to tell you. It looks like I was right."

"How did the paper react to the others?" I wondered, staring up at the clear blue sky in thought.

"Kakashi's paper crinkled, Rin's crumbled, and Obito's burst into flame," he offered, smiling kindly.

Slowly, I lowered my gaze back to Minato's face, searching it for some kind of sign of what this was all about.

"What did your paper do?"

He shrugged and reached back into his vest pocket, pulling out another sheet of paper. He held it carefully, staring thoughtfully at the blank, smooth sheet for a few moments before it tore in half in his fingers. He looked back at me knowingly. "I'm wind."

Resisting the urge to laugh, I said, "That means we're all different types. What are the odds of that?"

"It's pretty common for a team to be made up of all different chakra types, actually. Usually a person's chakra type corresponds with their personality, and teams are rearranged to work well together because of their differences. It makes for a balanced and powerful team," Minato told me, reaching up to scratch his head like he often did when he was trying to explain something.

I nodded. That makes sense. "So that means we'd be good on a real mission, right?" I asked, trying to be subtle about hinting at harder missions.

Minato grinned. "That's the thing. The team's been assigned a mission that will take place in the Hidden Cloud village, and it's a B-rank mission, much harder than your C's and D's."

"You mean we're going on a real mission? When?" Now I was excited. Finally, a real mission!

"I'll give the details at the next team meeting at Ichiraku's tonight. I've already left notes at Obito and Rin's houses, but I trust you can pass on the message to Kakashi?"

"Of course, sensei!" I exclaimed, using the honorific for the first time in my excitement. Shattering the self-image of "stoic, calm, and cool" that I'd somewhat built up, I bounced eagerly on the balls of my feet,already planning to go straight to downtown to buy more travel-esque clothes and re-stock my weapons. I was going to need a new short-sword, of course...

"Alright, I'll see you later at Ichiraku's, Aoi," Minato laughed. "Seven o'clock, don't forget."

"I won't, sensei!" I called as I watched him jump quickly from rooftop to rooftop, heading in the general direction of his apartment.

When I returned home from downtown with new clothes and a full restock of weapons, including a new short sword and some scrolls, I found Kakashi waiting patiently on the couch, staring blankly at a fuzzy ramen commercial on the television.

"It's about time you got home," he muttered. "We're going to be late at this rate."

"It's fine," I replied nonchalantly, waving a dismissive hand. "Sensei is late all the time. Anyway, I just need to change and then we can go."

He turned to look at me and raised a curious eyebrow. "Change?"

I held up the bag and grinned. "More versatile than the ripped up clothes I'm wearing now. And I got this awesome new sword that I wanna show off."

Kakashi rolled his eyes but motioned for me to go change, probably so we could get on the way. Most likely, he was hungry, but he would never show it. I wasn't even sure if it was physically possible for him to pass gas in any way, or for his stomach to growl. He seemed to be endlessly stoic.

"I have an announcement to make," Minato declared as he set down his ramen bowl, now drained of broth and noodles.

Kakashi, for the most part, ignored our sensei, though I could tell that he was listening by the way his eyes shifted slightly in Minato's direction before redirecting themselves back at his dinner. How he managed to get his mask down and eat without us seeing was beyond me, unless he put up some kind of genjutsu. Thinking about it, that idea did seem like a clever way to keep his face hidden...

Rin and Obito turned to Minato, Obito with excitement and eagerness over his face, Rin with a simply expectant expression.

Minato grinned knowingly at me before addressing the team as a whole.

"We've been assigned a mission."

Kakashi pushed a slice of pork from one end of his bowl to the other. "So?"

"It's a B-rank."

Immediately, all attention was directed on our sensei.

"No way!" Obito exclaimed, practically bouncing up and down in his chair. "A real mission! Finally! It took Lord Hokage long enough!"

Rin nodded. "I have to agree with Obito on this one. I think we could have handled a B-rank a while ago. Where are we going with this one?"

Kakashi answered for Minato, still staring boredly into his broth. "The Village Hidden in the Clouds."

"How did you know that?" Minato asked, his voice high in surprise.

"I heard you talking to Aoi outside the apartment earlier. You really need to work on knowing when there's genjutsu being performed, sensei. You're getting rusty."

He hid his chakra signature using genjutsu? That's impressive. I've never thought of that... I thought to myself, making a mental note of the technique before promptly laughing at my sensei's expense.

Minato scowled. "You little ass..." he muttered before continuing. "Anyways, we're leaving in two days, so I want you guys to be ready, alright?" His vibrant blue gaze swept over us, establishing eye contact with each of my teammates and I in turn to be sure that we'd heard him.

Obito spoke up, his eyebrows furrowed in irritation. "How come Aoi got to know before the rest of us?"

"It slipped out when she asked about my reasoning behind the chakra-nature test," our sensei answered with an unconcerned shrug. "I wouldn't be too worked up about it if I were you, Obito, she's got only two days left to master the jutsu she will be assigned shortly. You've already completed your practices with the Fireball jutsu, yes?"

The young Uchiha scratched the back of his neck modestly, an embarrassed expression passing over his sharp features. "Um, well, not exactly, I've still got a little ways to go..."

"Then I suggest you get to practicing," Minato suggested with a nod of his head in the direction of the training grounds. Obito laughed sheepishly and stood to make his leave.

"I'd better join him," Rin mumbled. "I've been spending too much time in the library reading about medical ninjutsu to have time to practice my Mud Wall Jutsu..."

Kakashi just smirked under his mask, remaining silent until our sensei turned to him.

"And what of you, Kakashi?"

"I've already mastered the chidori. I've been increasing my endurance since than so I can execute more than one within a small time-span. I've reached two, maximum, as of three days ago."

I raised my eyebrows in alarm. A person can almost feel the vibrations of the chakra in the air when he executes that jutsu. It takes up a phenomenal amount of chakra. How can he use it twice even in one day, let alone within a few minutes of each other, without being dead at this very moment?"

Minato's expression of surprise mirrored mine closely. "That's impressive, Kakashi, but don't overwork yourself. Why don't you take the next couple of days to help Aoi with her jutsu?"

"I'm sure I can master it myself," I said icily before Kakashi could reply. "I'm a fast learner and I've got plenty of chakra to spare. My skill level is high, that's been proven already by my past experiences."

My sensei let out a laugh. "You're too cocky for your own good, Aoi. That's why I've chosen a B-rank jutsu for your assignment."

I raised a single eyebrow and opened my arms in the classic lay it on me gesture. Minato plowed on at my signal.

"The Water Dragon Jutsu."

Kakashi's mouth dropped open behind his mask. "Sensei, you've got to be kidding! She can't master that in two days! It took me nearly a week to get even a weak chidori to form- a jutsu of the same level can't be mastered in that little time, even by someone with her experience and skill level!"

The corners of my mouth drooped down southward in irritation. "I'll master this jutsu in plenty of time, good sir, and you can count on that." My words dripped with defiance. I would prove him wrong. I'd have this jutsu down so well that I could write a book about it in my sleep by the morning we left for the Village of Clouds.

"That's the spirit!" Minato cheered with a grin, tipping his ramen bowl back to drain it of the last of the broth before standing. "I'll meet you two at the front gate two days from now, an hour before dawn. Good luck to you- and Aoi, do try your best not to die, okay?" He chuckled knowingly before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

I hadn't noticed the paid bill lying on the counter until a few moments after my sensei had left.

"Where are you going?" Kakashi asked tiredly from his sprawled position on the couch. I was halfway through the door, grey messenger bag slung over my shoulder. I turned my head over my shoulder to look back at him as I answered.

"The library. I'm going to find a couple of books about this Water Dragon jutsu and read up on it tonight. Practice begins tomorrow." I turned and had the door almost closed before something stopped it, pulling the large slab of heavy wood back. I spun around in surprise, having not expected the sudden halt in my journey.

"Aoi, wait," Kakashi said softly, holding the door open. He stood closer than I would have guessed, only a few inches away. His charcoal eyes were soft with a sort of understanding, and his voice was low, reminding me of distant thunder in the brewing of a storm. "Let me help you."

"I-"

"You won't master this on your own in only fifty-one hours, less than that if you allow yourself food, hydration, sleep, and rests in between practices. Let me help you."

I stared up at him, shocked at his offer of assistance. "Why do you want to help me?"

He seemed to search my eyes for a moment before replying in a tone that spoke subtly of a cover-up, "Because genjutsu alone will get you nowhere on this mission, and a comrade lagging in physical offensive attacks only serves as deadweight, and we can't have that. If you're coming on this mission, you're going to pull your weight. I'm going to help you accomplish that."

Even though I could sense that this was not his true reason, I could understand the reluctant truth behind his words. If I was to master this technique within the allotted time-frame, I was going to need adequate assistance. Kakashi was the only person in the entire world that could provide what I needed right now.

Nodding reluctantly, I gave in, saying quietly, "Thank you."

Catching my gaze again, he stared at me meaningfully, trying to convey some sort of unspoken message. "Anything you need."