Just two days later Sakura decided she'd had her fill of training for awhile and disappeared to be on her own "Is something wrong with Sakura-chan, she's kind of been off for a few days now" Kakashi frowned as he realized his sole female student was where she usually was.
"She just said that she wanted to think without all of us around" Haku shrugged, he couldn't tell the girl what to do or how to spend her time and she hadn't done anything by herself in forever, choosing to help them get use to the Leaf Village.
Kakashi wrinkled his brow then spread out his senses only to realize that she really wanted to be alone if she was going so far as to use one of her chakra suppressing tags, he couldn't even feel her chakra "Though now that you mention it she has been weird" Karin commented.
"What's this the brat's not training must be the end of the world or something" Juzo walked onto the training field moments later after the others and didn't spot the girl training like she usually did, it was way to bizarre.
Off to the side the current wielder of Kubikiribocho rolled his dark brown eyes "Aww and I wanted to ask her a question to" Suigetsu grumbled crossing his arms, he'd been thoroughly tamed by the pink haired girl himself and was now like a regular little brat.
"Guess you'll just have to wait Hozuki, she'll swing by the training field eventually" Zabuza snorted lightly but when three hours had passed and the girl hadn't showed it made him admittedly worried and what was even worse was she was actively avoiding them for the moment.
It kind of smarted a tad that she wanted to be alone to the point where she didn't want to be found at all going so far as to use her chakra suppressing tag "I thought I would see the girl with you lot where is she I wanted to ask her something about her kekkeigenkai" just then Tobirama appeared.
"Ah well apparently Sakura-san decided she wanted to spend the day alone, no one but those two have seen her since this morning since they live with her" Minato explained lightly trying to decide whether or not to go seek the girl out and find out what was wrong.
She'd seemed perfectly fine the other day "Pity I wanted to see her do more with her kekkeigenkai as well" Kagami frowned wondering if she was avoiding them because undoubtedly he and Tobirama would be hanging around them a lot.
"You know Sakura isn't the only one with the Ice Release Kekkeigenkai, I have it as well, so if you'd like to ask a question about it I am here as well" Haku piped in yet again, he'd definitely become more talkative since coming to the Leaf Village.
Both males turned in his direction "Just where are you originally from, I know that when I was still alive such a kekkeigenkai didn't even exist" the snowy haired former Hokage frowned deeply, knowing that the boy was not of Leaf Village descent.
Haku released a small sigh "Water Country, Sakura is of Water Country descent to, but while her parents moved here and she was born here, I lived most of my life in Water Country and it was kept under wraps an ace during a war essentially" the brunette grimaced.
Kagami considered what he'd been told "Could you demonstrate your jutsu for us" the newly revived Uchiha inquired politely nothing like how his friend was, who was still getting use to being alive again like he himself was.
The teenager nodded in acquiesce and demonstrated the use of his kekkeigenkai "Sakura is definitely better at creating things, while I mainly use the crystal ice mirrors" he said once he was done glad for the short training session.
Just as the girl herself appeared on the training grounds "Sakura-chan where on earth have you been all morning I've been worried out of my mind and I couldn't feel your chakra either" Naruto latched onto his friend pouting up at her with his baby blue eyes.
She blinked in surprise "That's because I was using a chakra suppression tag you know sometimes a girl wants to be alone for awhile knucklehead and Hokage Mountain" Sakura pointed to the stone heads indicating that's where she'd been all morning.
Everyone stared at her in surprise "You aren't still angry with us from a couple days ago are you Sakura" Sasuke was hesitant to ask sure she hadn't mentioned anything and both of them were avoiding going near her house, but they had acted recklessly.
"No, that doesn't mean you two still aren't banned from entering my house though for being reckless, but I'm not mad at you or anyone, I just wanted to be on my own for awhile that's all" the pinkette eyed the Uchiha weirdly.
Sasuke laughed sheepishly "Oh that's right Sakura-chan there was something I wanted to ask you, you know how I can use my abilities to turn into water, well I was wanting to know what it would be like to be turned partially into ice, you can undo it right" Suigetsu jumped in without skipping a beat.
It was definitely an interesting question "Course I can Suigetsu but you're a living person it would be like taking the water in your body and freezing it, you are still human regardless of your abilities and it could hurt you if we tried that" Sakura explained gently.
His skin paled in response "I didn't know that, you know Sakura-chan you're a very scary person" the younger Hozuki on the field grimaced edging away from the girl who could really scold you something fierce.
Her response was to smile innocently emerald eyes twinkling in mischievousness "Wait a second you can really do that to a person, holy shit please for the love of kami don't use it on any of us" Juzo cursed realizing just what a deadly kekkeigenkai two of the kids had.
"That's not something to joke about Juzo-san, I would never, I mean ever use it on any of you, I could physically hurt any of you, well besides during a spar even then I'm not trying to seriously hurt you" Sakura rounded on him quickly a glint of anger appearing in her jade eyes.
Juzo winced "Okay, okay I think he gets it Kid, you know you've kind of been on edge lately, it's like somethings been eating away at you, has something happened and you just don't know how to talk about it" Mangetsu spoke up.
Sakura eyed him from her spot next to Naruto, who was still holding tightly onto her "Well anyone would be on edge after last week and nearly being killed in plain sight, just a little more jumpy than usual that's all" the pinkette smiled easily.
The main reason for wanting to be alone was so she could work through all the things bothering her and shove them deep within the crevices of her mind to be locked away and hopefully never thought on again, it had taken awhile if she was being honest.
But she'd managed it in the end and now she could face her precious people with unfailing loyalty once again "There you are brat time for training, I have an hour break" Tsunade stomped her way onto the training grounds suddenly when she was about to start a training session.
She didn't give the girl any time to respond simply grabbed her by the back of the haori and dragged her off "Poor Sakura-chan I can't even begin to imagine what she goes through during her training sessions with Tsunade-sama" Shisui winced feeling bad for the girl.
It was obvious Tsunade had heard and stalked back still dragging Sakura so the girl couldn't run off not that she would but still better to be safe then sorry "Guess what you just got the honor of joining our training session" the honey eyed blonde scowled.
Grabbing Shisui by his shirt collar and dragging both her apprentice and the Uchiha off to places unknown when the duo returned they looked extra crispy from head to toe and as if they'd been beaten to all hell.
"Don't know how you do it Sakura-chan, Tsunade-sama is brutal and I never want to face her in a spar again" the Uchiha shuddered limping to a tree and flopping down against it lifelessly, to sore to even think about moving for a good long while.
Sakura lifted a brow "Tsunade-shishou takes it easy on me a little bit, you however I don't think she held back in the least" the pinkette winced feeling sore in places she'd never felt sore before and set about healing herself to the best of her abilities.
Then took a deep breath and jumped onto her feet ready for another training session "Let me train with you please Sakura-chan" the red head saw her friend moving to stand in the middle of the field signaling that she was going to do more training.
The Uchiha who'd been part of that afternoon's spar guffawed "Are you serious Sakura, why the hell are you training again, we just got done not even twenty minutes ago" Shisui couldn't believe it, she was going to train more that was insane even for him.
And he knew that Tsunade had barely held back on the girl as well "Shisui-san I've been doing back to back training sessions nearly every single day with Tsunade-shishou and Kakashi-sensei or my team, how else will I improve if I don't push myself past my limits" Sakura stated.
"Might as well just accept it Uchiha, the brat's been doing this for as long as I've known her and just because you comment on it, doesn't mean she's going to stop" Zabuza commented knowing that it would end with her passing out from exhaustion.
Shisui was in complete and utter disbelief as Sakura launched right into another spar with Karin neither girl held back against each other and soon the training grounds looked as if a mini war had broke out until they slid to the ground to exhausted to go on.
But with satisfied smiles on their lips "Can you stand brats" the current wielder of Kubikiribocho approached seeing as they were done and it was safe to walk across the field without getting slammed with a stray jutsu or hit with a weapon of some sort.
"I think I can, but your talking to a sleeping person now" Karin grinned gesturing to the knocked out Sakura, Zabuza sighed and lifted the girl up, it had been awhile since he'd had to do so, then was gone to her house so that she could sleep in her bed without being disturbed.
"Was it just me or did it look as if he felt comfortable doing that" Kagami spoke having witnessed the moment, he just hoped the man wasn't falling for the young girl, then things would be uncomfortable and no doubt the man would get hurt.
Off to the side was the girls sensei "Zabuza's picked her up more times than I can count nowadays, they have a bond of teacher and student, he teaches her water jutsu and other things that he thinks she should know" Kakashi announced.
"Aren't you jealous though, that's supposed to be your responsibility to teach your students what they need to be able to survive in the world" Tobirama frowned deeply thinking the man was an incompetent jonin sensei.
Kakashi glanced to him "Sakura-chan is very unique Lord Second, she was different right out of the academy, understood things that normal genin shouldn't, was way to cautious, beyond one thing I haven't been able to find anything to teach her that she didn't already know" the silver haired nin said.
"Unfortunately I have to agree with him that girl is not normal, facing down two S Class Criminals, nearly escaping them and using tactical decision, plus the life or death situations she's constantly been put in has shaped her into someone different that's unrecognizable" Zabuza returned.
Nothing was normal about Team Seven really "She said that Team Seven was cursed, I swear I about had a heart attack when the girl jumped over a bloody cliff to save him" Mangetsu pointed to Sasuke who winced.
It was then that the older blonde on the field spoke up "Yes she told me about that as well, said that she knew what she was doing, apparently when she's scared her chakra reacts and she can use her kekkeigenkai at a faster rate than normal" Minato explained.
"Oh that's right one time lightning struck a tree right in front of us and before when she'd been struggling to even create an ice spike, created one out of thin air when she was frightened, so quickly that I'm not even sure I blinked" Naruto snapped his fingers in remembrance.
"Damn brat's still bloody reckless though I swear, I just never want to see her hurt again though, none of you could imagine what it was like when those bastards took off with her Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki" the former demon of the mist said.
Leaning against a tree, mind flashing back to that single moment, her scream still echoed in his ears, it was one of terror and he could never forget it "T..They Kidnapped her" Shisui whirled heart dropping into his stomach.
"That's right Shisui, Hoshigaki tried to kill her with Samehada, they thought she was a secret Jinchuuriki, left her for dead when they found out she wasn't" Sasuke nodded glaring at the ground, if only he'd been faster.
"And then not long before we met Lord Fourth and Shisui-san, Sakura-chan and I were kidnapped again by my old village, if it weren't for her I would have been carted off and probably killed, or worse forced to work for Orochimaru" Karin shuddered.
Sasuke grimaced "Sasuke to and here just recently we rescued Suigetsu from Orochimaru's clutches as well, we've all had rather a rough time as genin" Naruto said sagely, realizing that half of the time they'd been genin, they'd all nearly died several times over.
If not for Sakura and her quick reflexes and sharp mind they would have "She's still scary though and I don't like being scolded by her those scolding's suck horribly" Suigetsu grimaced rubbing his ears as if he could hear her voice screeching in his ears.
Causing his older brother to chuckle in response, before they all split up to find things to occupy their time until the end of the day creeped up on them and it was time for dinner and finally bed time to which they crawled into their beds.
A few days later Team Seven, minus their sensei, plus the four new revived people were ordered to gather in the Hokage's Office "Alright you lot, you got another mission, C-B Ranked escort, you are to go to Mist and escort the Mizukage here" Tsunade explained.
Shisui grimaced "Do those three have to come with us though" Tobirama frowned, not seeing the point to having genin on the mission, when the trio would just slow them down and make them take ten times longer to reach their destination.
Tsunade glanced to her Great Uncle "Yes, because the Mizukage specifically requested them as her escorts, Kakashi's busy, Momochi and his little genin brats are off on D Rank Missions, so are those other two, you seven are all that's available" the honey eyed blonde snorted.
"Guess we should get to packing, meet us at the gates in thirty minutes is that understood" Kagami took charge as the woman dismissed them and they vanished down the streets, the three genin nodded seriously and surprise, surprise they were the first ones done.
Not that two of the Jonin expected any different "You aren't gonna be eerily quiet this whole time are you" Shisui frowned noticing their rigid as a board spines, as they peered warily out the gates of their village while waiting for the others.
Moments later the older blonde appeared sporting his pack like the others "It's best to just let them be Shisui-san, besides it will help on the mission" Minato smiled lightly, inwardly praying to kami that nothing happened on this mission.
Eight minutes later Tobirama and Kagami rounded a corner coming into view of the others, there was no encouragement, they all signed out of the gates and started down the path in the direction of the Land of Waves, which would lead them all the way to Water Country and the Hidden Mist Village.
There was none of the constant chatter that Tobirama thought there would be as he and the others set a grueling pace that the genin kept up with easily "What about your wolf Sakura-chan" Naruto piped in suddenly and Tobirama realized he'd thought to soon.
Jade eyes glanced in his direction feeling the irritation "He's fine Naruto, Haku is gonna watch him for me" Sakura kept her voice low as she spoke to her teammate, while keeping up a constant guard so that she wasn't snuck up on.
"Dope seriously though I'm surprised you didn't bring him with you" Sasuke turned onyx eyes on his sole female teammate, the only girl on the mission with them at that particular time, Sakura didn't have a chance to speak.
Because Naruto took offense to the insult which started an insult war between the two boys until they were elbowed in the sides harshly and got an emerald eyed glare, to which they promptly quieted down and were silent for several miles after that.
Behind them Shisui fought down his sniggers while Minato shook his head in amusement as they kept up that extremely grueling pace until they had no choice but to stop for lunch "Okay you genin are in char….." the former Second Hokage turned ready to dish out orders.
Only to find the genin moving about setting up camp without instruction and then vanishing into the treeline to hunt for lunch "Did that really just happen" the older newly revived Uchiha commented in disbelief, they hadn't even been told just done it.
"That's because those three have been doing this for as long as we've known them, it was always their job to set up camp and get started on lunch or dinner, or breakfast if we had to camp out under the stars" the younger Uchiha shrugged.
Minato nodded "Not only that but Sakura-san has some very serious culinary skills" the blonde quipped with a wry grin, it really was amazing what the young people of that day were capable of that his generation hadn't been able to do.
It wasn't more than ten minutes later that the genin returned, the sole girl looking a little wet, while the two boys looked as pale as ghosts "We accidentally knocked her into the river" the youngest Uchiha explained.
"Yeah we did say sorry though Sakura-chan" the younger blonde apologized for the millionth time in the span of seven minutes, Sakura shot him a small smile letting him know he wasn't in any trouble, it had been an accident after all.
And since the fire was going it wouldn't be to long before she got dry and was warmed up "Don't worry about it, though next time I'm dragging you in with me as punishment" the pinkette grinned lightly keeping her amusement massively bottled up for the time being.
As lunch was speared on sticks and slathered in herb paste before being set up over the fire to roast, nine minutes later it was done and they all grabbed up two fish, then packed up camp and set off into the distance once again.
Comfortable silence settled around the seven Leaf Shinobi as they walked enjoying the scenery on their way to their destination, this time there were no demon brothers, no giant sword flying over their heads it was a relief.
The three genin nodded their heads slowly "This isn't the first time you've been here huh" Minato guessed watching as they looked around cautiously, though there was no chance Zabuza was going to jump out at them again because he was back in the Leaf Village with his team.
"Second now, the first time was when we escorted Tazuna-san, the bridge builder and that's how we met Zabuza and Haku, they were hired by Gato to take out Tazuna, who lied about the rank of our first mission outside the village" Sasuke admitted.
Glad that they weren't being attacked for once "Really that's interesting and just how did you manage to convince those two to return to the Leaf Village and give up their posts as rogues" Tobirama questioned relaxing his usually strict standards.
No surprise when the youngest person on the team by quite a few months pointed at the other duo "Haku placed Sasuke in a death like state, Sakura-chan lost her marbles, awakened her kekkeigenkai and they took out Gato, then came back to the Leaf with us" Naruto rattled off.
"Eh and here I thought you said you had no feelings for little Sasuke-chan, if you got upset that much about thinking he was dead, are you sure you don't still have latent feelings for him that your trying to suppress" Shisui prodded.
He wanted to see his little cousin happy after all and he thought the girl on Team Seven and his cousin would make a great pairing "Sorry Shisui-san my reaction had nothing to do with latent feelings for Sasuke, he's my teammate, a friend and like a brother, Haku is the one I like" Sakura said outright.
Wishing people would stop ragging on her about that "You could make the Uchiha Clan great again though Sakura-san, with your skills and his combined you would birth a whole never before seen generation of Uchiha" Kagami announced having been listening to the conversation.
It was obvious though the girl wanted no part of what they were trying to push off on her as they picked up pace once more to reach the bridge that was created, it was massive in it's entirety and a sight for sore eyes, who hadn't thought they would ever get a chance to come back.
Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke saw what had become of the village they'd helped save from destruction and ruin, saw how it had flourished, grown into something new that not even they could recognize it was breathtaking.
Then a familiar voice only to their ears called out from behind them "Sakura-nee, Naruto-ni you came back, you came back" and then he was there before them clutching onto the two genin in question, looking so happy and full of life and maybe even just a tiny bit taller than last time to.
"You forgot one person kid" the younger revived Uchiha commented pointing to the silent Sasuke, who didn't look like he cared either way, but he was definitely surprised to see the kid that was hanging off his two teammates.
The boy glanced to the silent boy "And Sasuke-ni, what are you guys doing here anyway and who are they" Inari questioned still clutching onto the two teens who'd spent a lot of time with him and saved his home.
Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura opened their mouths to speak only to be cut off "Mission boy so they don't have much time for chatting, however could you lead us to the dock, we need to get on a boat to cross the water to where we're going" the snowy haired male spoke up in a deep voice.
Obviously not use to children and Inari blinked at him warily "It's alright Inari, Lord Second is a no nonsense sort of guy" the pinkette giggled lightly ruffling the boys hair and outright teasing the man who'd just spoken.
"Gutsy little girl aren't you Sakura-san" the older revived Uchiha chuckled under his breath as amusement filled the air from his former Leader, not that he would admit it, but he hadn't thought anyone would get that comfortable enough to tease him.
Minato shook his head with an amused smile on his lips as they started walking through the flourishing village "You know something occurs to me why was it that the Mizukage demanded you three as her escorts" the older blonde questioned suddenly.
It was immediate both boys pointed to the sole girl on the team and she rolled her eyes at them "Mizukage-sama took a liking to Sakura like everyone does usually" the youngest raven haired male snorted and got elbowed lightly in the side.
"Not just Mizukage-sama, Raikage-sama to that is besides the point if either of you dare step a toe out of line and goof off, any injuries you receive will be healed by Tsunade-shishou" the pinkette warned just to make them realize she was being serious.
Both boys gulped "You got it Sakura-chan, we solemnly swear to take the rest of this mission seriously and thanks Inari for escorting us here" the younger blonde saluted as they reached the dock, Inari waved and after paying the boat fare loaded onto the ship and set sail.
The reaction was instantaneous three of the shinobi were obviously not use to boats and were instantly sea-sick until thermos's were thrust into their hands by the sole girl on the mission, filled to the brim with peppermint tea to settle their stomachs.
"Speaking of earlier comments you could also be considered a no nonsense on missions sort of person as well Sakura-san" Tobirama pointed out suddenly, relaxing against the railing of the ship and enjoying the light breeze.
At his comment the girl glanced to him before nodding "Because I know how quickly a mission can go south, so it's better to take a mission serious right from the get go" Sakura rattled off smoothly peering cautiously out over the open water.
Remembering the last time they were out on water "Kind of reminds you of that race we had to guard Idate on doesn't it Sakura-chan" Naruto after drinking the peppermint tea joined his teammate to stare out at the vast ocean wariness in his baby blue eyes.
She nodded quietly "Where you slapped the poor kid, I thought he was going to start crying to" Sasuke grinned and got another light elbow to the side for the teasing, mirth was in her emerald eyes though as her mind flashed back to that moment.
"What on earth are you going around slapping people for Sakura-chan" Shisui, who'd been the last person who couldn't handle being on a ship very well joined the genin on their self assigned watch, anything could happen after all.
The three genin grinned and opened their mouths to explain when they were interrupted as a flare of chakra came from further out, Tobirama straightened "Leave this to us, fighting on water is tricky after all" Kagami did the same as his former leader.
"Just wait here" Minato smiled before the four Jonin, two of them former Hokage leaped from the boat and landed on top the water surface, feet glowing blue and ready to fight to ward off their unexpected visitors.
Sakura chewed thoughtfully on her lip as the boat slowed to a stop and the anchor was set to keep them in place, she was clearly worried and then suddenly familiar hands were within her own, Naruto and Sasuke joined her at the railing to watch over the fight.
It was frightening how strong the four Jonin, two of which were Hokage Class Shinobi actually were when they put their minds to it to fight seriously "Can you do something Sakura-chan" the younger blonde clenched his sole female teammate's hand tightly.
"Question is can you reach them from here with your jutsu, Shisui is having trouble keeping up, he's going to be the first one to go down" the youngest Uchiha that had previously thought he and his brother were the only ones alive until two were revived asked.
She bit harshly on her lower lip causing it to bleed before exhaling and concentrating all of her attention on the water, a wall rose up between Shisui and the one who'd nearly gotten a good hit in on the sixteen year old, before crystallizing into ice senbon as the water took on a different form.
Red eyes flashed in their direction and Tobirama nodded "That's the best I can do" the pinkette breathed releasing the breath she'd been holding as the fight finally came to an end after fifteen long minutes and the four older shinobi returned.
"Good work Sakura-chan, if you hadn't used your kekkeigenkai I would have been knocked out" the raven haired sixteen year old ruffled her hair as he walked by, then flopped down on the deck of the boat bleeding from his side.
To which the girl promptly scurried over to him hands glowing green to heal the wound he'd received "Definitely wasn't expecting the water to move though, very creative with it aren't you" the older raven haired male said slowly.
Jade eyes shot in his direction before nodding quietly "Not use to having to use it at a distance are you, that drains you of chakra more than anything else" the older blonde saw her quietness for what it was, she'd expended a little to much chakra.
"Either way if you hadn't given us that small hand in the fight, we wouldn't have gained the advantage over them, so thank you" the snowy haired former Second Hokage thanked the girl grudgingly as the boat set sail once more and they sailed without further incident for three more days.
Until they finally reached the port of the Hidden Mist Village and was stood before the blue wrought iron gates for the first time in their lives "Well we certainly hadn't expected you to arrive two days early" Ao appeared before them suddenly.
Followed by his partner "It's nice to see you again, we'll be your escorts to Mizukage-sama" Chojuro waved lightly at the genin, like his partner he noticed a few differences in the genin and he wondered what had brought about the changes.
None of them complained as they signed in and were led through only the third Ninja Village they'd been in all the way up the winding streets to the Mizukage Tower, where they gathered inside to greet the Mizukage.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice, you came" Mei shot out of her seat and pranced around her desk before glomping the only other girl in the room, who'd definitely been expecting that sort of reaction and kept an easy going smile on her lips.
Moments later the hug was over and Mei sat back down again "Right unfortunately we haven't finished preparations as you're a couple days early, so we'll set out tomorrow in the evening if that's alright" the auburn haired woman explained.
All seven Leaf Shinobi shared a glance before nodding in acceptance "Lucky for you brats we've been assigned your escorts around the village and to the hotel, so where ever you'd like to go just ask" the hunter nin in their company snorted as they left the Mizukage Tower behind.
On their way to a hotel to set up for the next day and a half or so "You should be nicer Ao, they are our allies now after all" the blue haired teenager sighed and shook his head, no matter what he said the man wouldn't change.
Plus there was tension in the air that was slowly building "Ao the dojutsu stealer, never thought I would encounter you on a mission, or that you'd still be a…ow Sakura-chan what was that for" Shisui couldn't keep his comments to himself.
And got elbowed harshly in the side, followed by a warning glare, the two younger boys inched away from her recognizing the look on their teammate's face "Better not Shisui-san, like Chojuro-san said we're allies now and have to make nice with one another" Sasuke said smartly.
Shisui pouted thoroughly chastised and she hadn't even had to say anything "Most amusing it seems like your well-versed in reigning in erstwhile companions" Tobirama chuckled having found the moment humorous.
Causing the girl to flash him a grin "If you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all and Shisui-san, the Hyuga's convened on that matter and decided to let it go" Sakura quipped with a snicker at the pouting teenager.
Making the others laugh in response "Plus he's cool when he's not being gr…ow not like how he usually is" Naruto winced feeling the elbow hit his side a lot more gently than it had Shisui's but it had still smarted a little bit.
"I don't understand you three sometimes" Kagami shook his head lightly trying to wrap his mind around how quickly the genin fit in with the Mist Shinobi, obviously they'd spent a lot of time around them or they wouldn't be so comfortable.
Off to the side the former Fourth Hokage nodded "And are you also intending on exploring for a little while after lunch" Minato inquired knowing that Sakura would be the one in charge of that, though undoubtedly the two boys would have fun.
"Then I'll go with them, you stay with those four Ao" Chojuro piped in having taken a liking to the genin like everyone else as they finally reached the hotel and the seven Leaf Shinobi disappeared within to rent a few hotel rooms.
Before emerging ten minutes later missing their packs "Right wherever you want to go" Ao straightened from his leaning against the hotel position, with that the lot of them split up headed in opposite directions, before regrouping later that night for dinner.
It was a quiet night and two of the genin were just glad to have a chance to be off the boat that made them sick as they settled down in the hotel beds use to sharing while the only girl on the mission shared with the two former Hokage.
Leaving the last room to the two revived Uchiha, the next morning after breakfast they separated once more to do their own thing "We can't go back without souvenirs" the younger blonde on the team remembered, since they'd mostly explored the day before.
"Dope is right Sakura, Hyuga, Haku and those other two would sulk if we didn't bring back something interesting" the raven haired teen sighed knowing the knucklehead was right, plus they always brought back souvenirs.
A given on any mission to other villages after all "Your right so that means we're decided on where we want to go Chojuro-san" the pinkette flashed the older teenager in their group a small smile and got one in return.
He really was different than the average Mist Shinobi "It's this way then" the blue haired teen chuckled lightly having no problem leading the trio of genin who were interesting around his village to wherever they wanted.
Meanwhile on the other side of the village were the adults on the mission "Better watch it, those genin can get in serious trouble if your not careful" the hunter nin commented knowing that at least one of them should be with the genin, no matter how strong his partner was.
The teenager wouldn't be able to hold his own for long "You don't have to tell us Ao, we know those three are danger magnets, witnessed it for ourselves actually" the older blonde sighed, keeping his guard raised.
Thankfully they still had the kunai he'd given them so at the first sign of danger they would be brought to safety via transportation seal "Really especially Sakura-chan, who would go above and beyond for all of us" the younger Uchiha grumbled.
Nothing but the truth and they all had to be careful, Tobirama narrowed his soft red eyes "Her loyalty runs deep to her country and her village, surely she wouldn't…." the snowy former second hokage trailed off unsure of how to continue his line of thought.
"Sacrifice herself right, she's just a little girl after all" the older Uchiha in the group frowned deeply finishing what his former leader couldn't, it made them all uncomfortable at the thought of the young girl doing such a thing.
But there was a very real possibility one of these days that she might go to the extreme to protect those she cared about it was shocking really, no matter how many times they all realized it, it always managed to shock them.
The subject was cut short as they changed direction to go check on the other members of their team and found them goofing about in one of the various gift shops, buying souvenirs in moderation before it was time to return to the hotel and put away their things.
Ready to set off for the Leaf Village once more "Are we all ready then" Mei glanced around to the Leaf Shinobi and her own shinobi as they prepared to set forth from the Mist Village, it would be her second trip to the Leaf Village and this time she intended on making the most of it.
Everyone nodded seriously "Then lets go onward to the Hidden Leaf Village" the auburn haired woman turned taking the lead as they headed for the port that their boat was docked at that would take them all the way back to the mainland.
During the trip across the water the lot of them were quieter than before until they reached the Land of waves four days later, it taking one day longer than it had before and finally they were all back on the mainland, the genin let out inward sighs of relief at that.
And were even slightly beginning to relax, their first few missions had definitely scarred them for future missions but so far things had been calming down, it was as they all stepped into that familiar clearing that things started going wrong.
That familiar russet red blue eyed wolf dashed by as the older blonde gave a shout "DUCK NOW" Minato ordered dragging his son to the ground while the others hit the dirt harshly as a large familiar sword flung over head.
Jade eyes flashed in recognition "Here I thought Juzo or Zabuza would be with the lot of you pity, Leader-sama from the Akatsuki had an offer for the two of them" Kisame followed his sword and like Zabuza appeared on the hilt of Samehada.
"Like those two would join you anyway bunch of no goods after all" Sasuke spat leaping in front of his female teammate, who'd definitely been traumatized by the man in front of them, or rather his sword, it could have really killed her.
"No goods huh we like to think of ourselves as peacemakers little Sasuke" Itachi emerged from the forest after his partner, the situation just got ten times more dangerous and this time there would be no kindness.
Sasuke's spine went rigid and he went to charge only to be jerked by his shirt collar "Don't even think about it Sasuke" Sakura shook her head keeping a firm grip on both of her teammates refusing to even let them go more than a foot away from her.
She was about as rigid as Sasuke and her viridian orbs burned with anger at the blue skinned man "What are we going to do Sakura-chan" Naruto gulped knowing that now wouldn't be the best time to set his teammate off, she was liable to pound him into the ground.
"You will do absolutely nothing except for stand back and let us handle this, Ao, Chojuro stand with them" Mei ordered, it had been her who put the genin in danger so it would be her and the older members of the team who handled the problem.
Both Mist Shinobi stepped back "Create protection out of your ice, make sure they can come up from underneath of us as well" Ao barked out at the girl, who did just that, keeping her eyes pinned ahead of them and senses spread.
"Don't worry if anyone gets through we'll be able to handle them" Chojuro assured hoping that the genin weren't reckless again like last time during the Chunin Exams and he even went so far as to pull Hiramekarei from his back.
Sakura's hands clenched into fists "We'll take em down easy" Shisui boasted, but inwardly he wasn't so sure, one of them was his best friend, who was carefully avoiding glancing in his direction for fear of being ousted as a double agent and the other had massive chakra.
Plus a chakra stealing sword "He's an Uchiha, this is not going to be easy Shisui" Kagami joined his descendant, then peered cautiously over his shoulder to where the other members of the team were crowded safely for the moment.
The former Second Hokage did the same "Then let us make haste and finish them off quickly" Tobirama ordered launching himself forward, he was no fool, he saw the terrified looks one of their opponents was getting from the youngest girl on the team.
Kisame noticed them as well "Look at that Itachi-chan, Pinky doesn't want to play with us anymore and here I thought you weren't afraid of anything" the shark like nuke-nin pouted for a few seconds jumping to the ground brandishing his legendary blade.
Itachi shot a sideways glance to his partner "If our targets are not here then there is no point to fight Kisame" the Uchiha Heir commented knowing the man would ignore him and attack anyway because he was bored like most of the others at the Akatsuki base.
With that a full blown fight broke out amongst the groups, it was one versus five and the rogue from Mist was definitely holding his own against even two former Hokage, the current Mizukage and two Uchiha, while the Uchiha Heir stayed out of the fight and out of range.
The fight dragged on for awhile until the wielder of samehada got irritated and went straight for the genin, viridian eyes widened as he hacked right through her ice, her heart dropped into her stomach as she realized who the man was headed for.
And without thinking about it and having learned the trick for this very reason manipulated the water in the shark like man's body before crystallizing it into ice, ice spikes emerged from his body and he came to a screeching halt.
Before shattering into a million little ice crystals indicating it had just been a clone "You would have killed me Pinky for going after blondie" Kisame came around a tree after realizing what the brat had been planning and he'd switched places with a water clone not a moment to soon.
Her eyes met his and those jade burned right through him "Yes I would have I already told you I won't let you touch or lay a hand on Naruto, e..even if that means killing" the pinkette admitted outright glaring straight at Kisame.
Who returned to his partners side it was dead silent in the clearing "Come Kisame you've tormented them enough" Itachi ordered as Kisame turned on his heel and the duo vanished from sight, without so much as a backwards glance.
"You manipulated the water in his body before turning it to ice that was dangerous yet smart it got him out of range of the rest of us" the hunter nin rounded on her in the next moment as she gripped tightly onto her teammates hands.
His gaze softened that single moment had been done out of fear "What did Kisame do you to Sakura-chan" the auburn haired woman came forward picking up on the slight trembles, this had been her fault, she'd endangered them.
"Tried to kill her with Samehada, they thought she was a Jinchuuriki because of how she reacts to certain situations" the youngest raven haired male in the clearing explained, though he was definitely gonna be more warier of his teammate from then on.
If she could manipulate the water in someones body "We should hurry before any other rogues catch up with us" the snowy haired former Second Hokage ordered roughly, seeing first hand what everyone was talking about.
She hadn't even thought about it, just reacted which only made him firmer in his beliefs that one of these days she would go beyond the extreme in order to protect the Leaf Village "Your right we should go" the oldest Uchiha in their midst nodded in agreement.
And they all turned on their heels only to be met with the wolf, the youngest girl in the group spotted him and she couldn't help but look around warily as it padded forward before coming to a stop before her, then bowed it's head, before vanishing without a trace.
It was then that what she'd done caught up with her, her whole body froze and her eyes slid shut, it had taken way to much chakra for that and now she was paying the price "Sakura-chan did it again, used up to much of her chakra" the younger blonde sighed.
Why was it always them that was encountering problems on their missions, it just wasn't fair "Here I'll carry her Naruto-kun" the older blonde smiled picking the girl up and realizing just how light she actually was.
"Do you think she'll be alright before we get back to the village, cause I don't feel like getting scolded by her sensei" the younger Uchiha frowned keeping pace with the others as they made haste back to the Leaf Village.
Which at that point was half a day away "Wouldn't be the first time, though she's definitely changed, you all have since the last time we saw you" the blue haired teenager commented lightly earning light nods in response.
Not more than two hours later they reached the gates of the Hidden Leaf Village, split up, Sakura was taken home to rest for the rest of the day, while the others took a hard earned break, until night settled over them and they all went to bed.