A.N: Since I haven't seen you guys' reviews before I posted Chapter 13, Thank you Kira Neami and Katarin Kishika for leaving my first two reviews in the longest while! I'm glad you both like the story!

And sorry for updating so soon. xD I'm vomiting updates right now. ^.^'

Chapter 14: The 'Client'

They all stood in training grounds seven after waiting an extra hour for Kakashi to arrive, each and every one of them with every weapon that they owned on their person, and exhausted looks marred heavily on their faces. They were hardly even well-rested.

And even though the four students arrived right on time, Kakashi didn't arrive until an hour later when the sun was higher in the sky, greeting them with a typical greeting of, "Yo," and once he was dealt with a double-powered yell from Sakura and Naruto for being late, he fixed them with the excuse of, "I saw a black cat, so I had to take the long way," as he looked them over to make sure that they had everything.

And, once he was finished, he nodded in satisfaction.

Sakura wore her usual dark green thigh-length dark forest green shorts underneath her maroon and white dress with a thick white outline of a circle on the front bottom center of the dress resting on the front flap, and her long pink hair was down and flowing a little past her shoulders with her hitai-ate being worn as a common headband, along with her customary blue battle sandals. Her wrappings wrapped around her left leg, and on top of the wrappings was her blue kunai holster, then behind her hooked to her back pocket was her tan shuriken pouch.

To the left of her, Sasuke wore his usual blue shirt with the red and white Uchiwa fan on the back, along with his usual white shorts, and blue battle sandals with his hitai-ate tied securely around his forehead, letting his free black spiky locks fall as they pleased around it. His kunai holster was attached to his right leg, though, and his shuriken pouch was also hooked to the back of his shorts.

On his right, Naruto stood in his usual blue battle sandals, orange jumpsuit pants, his mainly orange jacket with navy blue material patched near the top and around his shoulders, and along the back of it which held a red whirlpool, and on his left sleeve was something that looked like a slingshot attached to his shoulder. Around his forehead he wore his standard hitai-ate shining proudly with the leaf emblem, as his short, spiky blonde locks fell messily over it.

And above him, Kagome wore thigh-length black shorts with a long ankle-length royal black half-skirt that was wrapped halfway around her waist with the train lagging behind her, though it showed the front of her shorts and legs easily with her usual black calf knee-high boots. Also around her waist, she wore a thick dark blue sash that held her 'new' sword in place along with a black mesh undershirt, and a dark blue long-sleeved shirt that barely showed her midriff covering the mesh top, so that her family tattoo showed vaguely through the mesh material. Her waist-length blue-tinted black hair was pulled into its usual high ponytail, and her bangs fell into her eyes.

"So, what are we doing?" Naruto asked curiously, leaning against one of the three poles in the center of the field, the one that Kagome sat comfortably on while trying to stay awake.

Sasuke leaned against the other side of the pole, and Sakura sat in front of the pole with her legs crossed and her eyes closed. She didn't want to do anything yet, not until she got some food in her system, and some rest over her head. This hour was too damned early to be out and preparing for work like this.

Kagome, on the other hand, was actually a little used to it, having had to wake up early to train with Sesshoumaru and then be sent off to Itachi immediately after, but this- last night was the one time that she went to bed late, and she was about near falling asleep while sitting on her butt, literally. Her eyes drooping even told her story. She was fighting mentally just to keep her attention on what was going on as he consciousness fought back, slowly trying to slip away.

"We're going on our first mission, as I have told you before..." Kakashi eyed the four that was resting on the center pole with something close to dissatisfaction as he thought over what his old sensei had ordered the teachers of the fresh genin. Of course, taking away the custom 'bell test' that was in the system for generations was part of his displeasure. But, he's thought it over, and maybe putting them into hypothetical situations where they really needed to work together would make them a more efficient team than the other test's results.

Though, he wasn't planning on his team asking him countless questions about the mission. Seriously; did he ask as many questions when he was a brat? He probably didn't...

"What mission is that?" Sasuke asked with a frown on his face. Are we even ready for it?

"You're going to lead a man back to his home," Kakashi answered nonchalantly, taking a small orange book out of his shuriken pouch that was attached to the back of his work uniform.

Sakura and Kagome blinked simultaneously, giving their new sensei odd looks. We are leading... a man back to his home?; they thought.

"Uh..." Kagome had a frown mirroring Sasuke's own. "Did he get lost or something?"

Naruto tried not to laugh at the situation that Kagome had brought to his imagination, though it was a good one. Why are they leading someone to their own house? He reached up and tugged on the dark blue sash tied tightly around Kagome's waist making her look down at him in surprise, as every one of her teammates glanced at her blankly.

"Ano... I don't think he's talking about a stray dog, Kagome-chan," he snickered.

Kakashi sighed.

"No, I'm not," but his eyes curved in mild amusement as he began to explain the mission to them. "You have to get him home and keep him out of harm's way... work together... and get the mission done. The mission won't be properly complete until the man is home without a scratch on him."

"Alright..." Sakura started. "But, who exactly is he?"

"I don't know for sure..." Kakashi trailed off rubbing his chin thoughtfully with one finger. "Though, we have to meet him at the Hokage's office, and we're already an hour late."

Kagome, Naruto, and Sakura fixed him with a hard glare as Naruto and Sakura began to reprimand him. "You're the one that came here late!"

They all stood in front of the blonde Hokage and a small group of Chuunin including Iruka sitting at a long desk-like thing, each of them staring at him intently after Naruto asked where they were going. They were in the Mission Hall. And to Naruto's ire, the old man that called Sarutobi-jiji 'sensei' was also there, albeit leaning against one side of the desk while scrutinizing the group of students in front of him with scrutiny.

"Tou-san, Ero Sennin," Naruto greeted happily.

"Gaki," the man had greeted when Naruto bounded into the room with a smile on his face before turning his attention back to the older blonde. "Minato, I still don't think this is a good idea."

"Nonsense, Jiraiya-sama," Minato commented quietly. "This is more likely to work than the other... I saw it done in neighboring countries... and their cells were practically inseparable, and were 90% of the time successful. The other ten percent of the time, is irrelevant."

Kakashi stared at his old sensei, almost pulling out the book that Jiraiya wrote, but stopped himself because he didn't want Minato to see what he had succumbed to. He let out an agitated sigh. Now I guess Princess Yume's ending is going to have wait until later, he thought dejectedly.

"Ah... Kakashi, Kagome-hime, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, and Sakura-chan," Minato called out to them, officially greeting them since they've arrived there with a grin that scarily matched Naruto's own at that moment. "Your escort-ee should be here in a moment..." he finished sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

Jiraiya laughed at the sight of his flustered student. "Looks like Kakashi wasn't the only one who decided that they will get here when they want to."

Team seven, already having realized with impatience that if their client was anything like Kakashi, they'll be waiting for hours. What type of client takes forever whenever they're the ones that had ordered for escorts? Naruto grumbled quietly in his spot

"I've been awake since six o'clock," Kagome whined, leaning on Naruto's shoulder tiredly.

"I've been awake since 5:30," Naruto commented, looking down to her with energetic eyes.

Before some type of contest broke out about who was up longer, or who had more energy, Jiraiya decided to cut it off to reassure them.

"If I know Miroku, he'll be here soon... He's probably just reacquainting himself with the bathhouse..." he chuckled a little perversely.

The women's bathhouse, Minato sighed, an irritated vain nearly popping into view on his head. How in the world did he become a monk?

Minato respected the man, of course. He used to babysit him, actually. But... he guessed that his pervert sensei had been around a little too much and had rubbed off on the poor kid... now he was Konoha's and the Land of Demons' self acclaimed playboy. Luckily that was the least bit tamed when he met the taijaiya, Sango. Minato sighed again. If she attends this mission, then Kakashi's team is in for a …eventful… mission.

Sakura stared at Jiraiya with confused eyes, trying to figure out what he meant before turning to Sasuke to see if he understood what the man was saying. Apparently Naruto and Kagome already had, since their eyes were nearly wide with shock, and disgust.

"I'm sure Sango-san will be able to drag him here in time," Kakashi commented, eyeing Jiraiya knowingly.

Kagome's eyebrows rose.

"Well, whenever he decides to get here," Naruto mumbled into Kagome's ear. "We'll probably be halfway finished with the mission." he grinned.

...

Sasuke stood, getting bored counting the number of floor boards that the room had before he turned to Kagome with interest clearly on his face. He wanted to know something ever since she left his house the other day. "Kagome, what did Itachi-nii tell you?"

Sakura turned also to look at the girl with confusion also on her face. She knows Itachi?—The Uchiha prodigy, and first born - the rightful heir?

"What do you mean?" Kagome questioned, ignoring the looks she was receiving.

Everyone else deemed what they were saying was unimportant as they let the subordinates in cell seven have their conversation, with Naruto glancing wildly between Kagome and Sasuke, along with Sakura.

"When are you getting your sword from him?"

"My custom made sword won't be done yet for another week," Kagome smiled brightly, her energy coming back to her as she tapped the sword held to her hip by her sash. "But your brother gave me his old katana yesterday."

Sasuke glared at the sword held to her hip with tight lips, but he mentioned nothing else further, giving up on even trying a conversation. It wasn't worth getting irritated over.

...

It felt like another hour had passed between the bunch that were all joined in the Mission Hall, and squad seven were contemplating just going home, and putting the mission off for another day, as Kagome hummed the beat to a child song that she learned when she was younger, Kagome, Kagome.

"Kagome, Kagome," she mumbled as she finished the song, "Who's behind you now?"

Just then, the door to the hall slid open, making a cheerful sound as it slammed against the other side of the doorframe, sounding completely out of place in the impatient, and tiring atmosphere as a man with short violet-tinted black hair pulled back in a tiny ponytail at the base of his neck, a bright red slap mark glowing on his right cheek, as his violet eyes stared dreamily beyond the Hokage and out the window where pretty clouds were present.

Kagome took the time to look him over to discern what the man was, and why he needed kids' assistance as she mentally noted that this must be that 'Miroku' that the old guy mentioned.

He wore houshi robes, she realized. Black baggy hakamas, dark violet haori, and a lighter, loose-looking violet sash tied securely at his left hip. And his under his shirt, which was a long-sleeved one, he seemed to have a long glove that reached into his sleeve of his right arm, where the glove only protected his middle finger where a golden banned ring was, holding the one-finger glove in place, though the glove covered nearly his entire palm, being sealed securely with what looked like beads, and tan maintenance sandals adorned his feet.

She assumed the beads were prayer beads.

"Ahh… Lord Hokage, Master Jiraiya…" he greeted charmingly as he still stared dreamily beyond them, not even seeing them. "I'm sorry I'm late; Sango-chan had caught up to me."

Naruto stared oddly at the man that had just walked in. There was another one of them? He thought that this village was only big enough for one pervert, he shook his head. Obviously the guy had took a slap to his face after being caught spying. And from the looks of it, this 'Sango-chan' probably hadn't taught him much of anything, it seemed like he'd grown use to the treatment.

"Miroku," Minato sighed, finally looking up from his stacks of papers on his desk. Miroku was supposed to be here at 7:30… but now it's; he checked the clock on the far wall that was hanging above the sliding doors – 9:30… he just hopes that this mission will go fine without amiss despite them setting out late. The other teams have already gone. "Where were you?"

"I was on my way here, when this lovely lady had came along, and –"

The four kids didn't bother trying to listen to his excuse, deeming that it wasn't even worth listening to. They just wanted to get this mission over with.

But, apparently the men in the room seemed to all understand as he continued to explain, except for Minato who was now glaring at the man subtly.

"I see," Minato deadpanned at the end of Miroku's explanation. "You already know Kakashi. And well, this is my son, Naruto," he grinned, nodding toward his pride and joy, before moving his gaze to the little black-haired girl, moving down the line to introduce the rest of squad seven. "And Kagome-hime, Sakura, and Sasuke."

Miroku turned his deep thoughtful purple gaze down to the children, with a disguised grin on his face as he talked as if all was right with the world, tilting his head in the slightest to meet eye to eye with the four of them; he wasn't that tall. Probably only an inch or two taller than Itachi was. "Hello, hello; Konoha's new generation!"

Minato stared as he watched the man's cynical gaze lingered on the pair of Naruto and Kagome, though the kids didn't seem to notice anything about his gaze, rather paying attention to his earlier antics, and looking a bit offended that he was just brushing it off.

"You're just as bad as a pervert as Ero Sennin, aren't you?" Naruto demanded with narrowed eyes.

"Oi, gaki," Jiraiya called from his spot leaning on the desk. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?"

Kagome giggled quietly as Miroku leaned back in response to Naruto's accusation, while everyone else waited in baited silence for Miroku's reaction, "Of course not! I am a monk… I just have a wretched condition… this hand is cursed," he sighed forlornly, lifting his gloved hand to show the young blonde, while looking away abashedly. "And if I don't solve it, by requesting a beautiful maiden to bear me—!"

"Miroku!" Minato cut him off with a glare.

Kakashi snickered quietly, leaning against the wall while watching the perverted monk with an expectant eye.

"Can we please just go?" Sakura almost hissed at the men.

Kagome absentmindedly nodded in agreement with Naruto and Sasuke.

"Very well then, we're off on our way." Miroku grinned, resting his hands on both Kagome and Naruto's shoulders. "You guys are so impatient," he sighed again.

Everyone in the room sweatdropped, staring in disbelief at the man, as Kakashi pulled out a small green book; Battle Tactics Paradise, which was also written by Jiraiya, instead of his Icha, Icha book.

"So long, Hokage-sama," Kakashi waved, turning around with his students and client, heading out the door. "Hopefully we can get there by sunset."

AN: It's official, I am a victim of Inspirational Updating Vomit for this story xD Though, I guess it's a good thing, I hope. ;)

Anyways, the first 6 chapters are being edited right now, and I'll replace them when I'm done.

-There isn't much to do, but edit the grammatical issues, and add a few more narrations, so the Updates with new chapters might slow down again until I sort out the beginning.