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Chapter Twenty One:

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Naruto puffed out his cheeks and pouted at the smoldering remains of the pirate vessel that had attempted to accost the Floundering Otter. It turned out that there was a pretty decent chance of Team Nine being attacked by another group of pirates before making it to the mainland.

"You guys just want to call it a tie?" he asked Neji and Tenten. "There's no way we can figure out who should get credit for that."

Tenten had struck the first blow against the pirate ship with her Storm Lance, obliterating the wheelhouse and making a mess of the deck; she'd learned from the accidental destruction of the one on the Lady Luck that its loss really played havoc with a captain's ability to control his ship. After removing the ship's ability to steer, all three genin contributed to the rain of explosive kunai that reduced the vessel to a floating pile of debris and body parts.

The bun-haired girl shrugged. "I don't think we ever did decide on what the winner would get."

Huh, that might have been a small oversight. "Bragging rights?"

"Are worthless in the grand scheme of things," answered Neji.

"Besides, we've got plenty of brag about," said Tenten with a grin. "Like I told you last week, Naruto, we stomped a chuunin squad and their jounin leader. And look what we did to those pirates. They never even knew what hit them."

"It is a shame you three made no effort to capture this latest batch of pirates," Sensei added, having allowed them free reign to deal with the approaching vessel as they saw fit. "Barring capture, identifiable corpses would have also been helpful. Now you will not be able to claim any bounties the crew of that vessel may have accumulated."

Damnit.

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Team Nine's return to Konoha proceeded far more quickly than the first leg of their mission. Even taking into account the four day voyage from Sea Country to Tea Country's Degarashi Port, the steady but manageable pace Sensei set for the team had the village gates in sight on the eleventh afternoon after turning over custody of Tetsuro and Kohada to Jin at the now distant Mist garrison. They could have arrived hours earlier if not for the small detour back over the Shattered Steel Mountains to finish removing the remains of the rock fall that halted their progress so many weeks prior. Naruto would have dragooned Neji into helping him explore the ruins buried beneath the mountain range if not for Sensei's insistence they return to Konoha to report.

"I can't decide what I want to do first," Naruto rambled. "Ichiraku's, a shower, sleeping in a bed, hanging out with the Old Man…"

The genin and their jounin commander waited, with varying degrees of patience and decorum, to be checked back into the village. It was first come first serve as far as the chuunin on gate duty were concerned, and the merchant caravan they now waited behind had arrived first.

"Standard procedure for a long duration C-Rank mission would be to file a mission summary and debrief with the chuunin currently overseeing mission assignments," Sensei pointed out. "The extraordinary circumstances of our mission, however, warrant a face to face debriefing with Hokage-sama."

Visiting the Old Man it was then.

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"Yo, Old Man!" shouted Naruto, waving enthusiastically. Alongside his fellow genin, with Ebisu in the rear, the boy hurried into the Hokage's office.

"Hokage-sama," said Ebisu with a short bow, his older genin mimicking him.

Ever since his crystal ball started chirping and pulsing with a bright orange light, a reaction to one of the seals imbedded in Naruto's coat, Hiruzen had been waiting for the genin's arrival. The entirety of Team Nine accompanying Naruto was somewhat unexpected. "Welcome home, children, Ebisu," said the Sandaime Hokage, smiling gently at the gathered ninja. "Should I assume from your visit so soon after returning to Konoha that the mission was unusually eventful?" Ebisu was a stickler for protocol. If Team Nine's first C-Rank mission had proceeded as planned, he and his genin would be filing reports right now in one of the offices several floors below.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," answered Ebisu.

Ebisu went on to detail the pertinent events of the mission. Naruto's accidental destruction of several acres of woodland earned the boy a bemused look from Hiruzen. Far be it from him to usurp Ebisu's authority as an instructor, but he thought it might be prudent to take Naruto aside and give him some pointers on handling that rod of chakra conductive iron. His own use of Enma in the Monkey King's staff form gave Hiruzen a unique insight into wielding a highly malleable weapon.

The description given by Ebisu of the sizable blockage rendering the only route through the Shattered Steel Mountains impassable and its complete removal by Team Nine earned his agreement with the jounin's recommendation for a supplementary B-Rank mission. Winter, if the season could even be called such in the southern Elemental Nations, would be passing soon and with the arrival of spring came a great deal of merchant traffic to and from Tea Country's numerous ports. The mission could be paid from the discretionary fund allocated by the Fire Daimyo; there were many non-combat missions Konoha ninja undertook simply to maintain the infrastructure of Fire Country. The appropriate ninjutsu for a situation could be substituted for the work of hundreds of civilians.

A long, lazy tour of fishing villages in southern Fire Country and all along the coast of Tea Country fit into the mission parameters perfectly. The subsequent nighttime ambush by Mist ninja en route to Sea Country most certainly did not.

"With no Bingo Book entry as reference, I believe Hoshigaki Tetsuro would under most circumstances rate a combat level of mid-to-high B-Rank, Hokage-sama. The ocean environment raised his effective threat to that of a lower rung A-Rank ninja. His subordinates appear to have run the gamut from low-to-high C-Rank effectiveness…"

Destruction of three commandeered pirate vessels, along with their crews, the elimination of six Mist chuunin and capture of two more, one of whom was a dangerous jounin, spoke most highly of a young genin team, even one supported by their jounin commander.

Betrayal by their client and hopefully avoiding a diplomatic incident with a volatile foreign power, one of the so-called Great Five kage-level ninja villages, was just icing on Team Nine's cake. Destruction of a single pirate vessel, this time crewed entirely by civilians, on their return trip was hardly worth mentioning in comparison to the events preceding arrival in Sea Country.

Ebisu stepped forward and retrieved a scroll from his vest. "Sealed within, sir, are the remains of six of the seven deceased Mist ninja. Their intact forehead protectors and any equipment that could be salvaged are contained within a separate storage array."

Hiruzen accepted the scroll and made a note to himself to forward it along to his Intelligence Division. The bodies would be closely inspected for Mist village secrets and tested for evidence of Bloodlines. Bloodlines were unlikely to be found, of course, given Hidden Mist's unfriendly attitude toward clans with advanced traits, but possible given that Hoshigaki himself belonged to such a clan. Authentic gear from the isolated ninja village would eventually end up in ANBU custody. There was no telling when evidence would need to be planted or another village implicated in an action that Konoha would obviously never involve itself in.

The jounin handed over one last scroll. "A transcript of the confessions of Munashi Kohada and Iwana Kamamiri, Hokage-sama."

Copies would need to be made and stamped with his seal of office for the sake of authenticity. They would be sent to several Daimyos as well as the Mizukage of Hidden Mist. There would be no question of duplicity on Konoha's part if Mist decided to retaliate for the loss of its forces.

"I find myself quite proud of Team Nine," stated Hiruzen, looking each genin in the eye and giving them a firm nod of approval. "You handled the difficulties of your mission with the aplomb and skill I would expect from ninja twice your age. Your actions are a credit to yourselves and your commander, and were the village on a wartime footing, I would be justified in granting you each a battlefield promotion to chuunin, despite your lack of overall experience." The genin virtually glowed with pride; Naruto was practically incandescent. "Alas, I fear you must remain genin for the time being." In these relatively peaceful times, with less attrition in the ranks through death, dismemberment or psychotic breakdown, promotion was not so easy to come by.

"Team Nine will receive credit and pay appropriate for the completion of a non-combat supplementary B-Rank mission for re-opening a trade route vital to Fire Country's commerce. The C-Rank mission you were originally contracted to perform will be revised to A-Rank, with suitably adjusted pay, and a commendation for exceptional service placed in each of your files." Those commendations would weigh heavily in the genin's favor when they attended their first Chuunin Exam, if they reached the final stage of the competition.

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Naruto remained behind when the others left the Old Man's office, promising Sensei he would fill out a mission report before leaving the tower.

"It's been a while, Old Man. You doing all right?" asked Naruto, now sitting across from the Hokage.

Chuckling, the Old Man answered, "I am doing as well as a man of my advanced years can expect, though I have missed your visits."

"Heh, yeah, me too! You want to go grab some ramen with me? My treat!" After getting a good look at the pay voucher written out by the Old Man and seeing a couple more zeroes than he was expecting, Naruto didn't think he'd be bumming ramen off anyone for a long time to come.

"I would like that very much, Naruto, but I fear I will be stuck behind this desk for a few hours more before I can leave for the evening. You still need to write your mission report, as well. Perhaps we can meet for lunch tomorrow?"

Naruto could manage that easily enough. They'd been given two weeks leave from missions and mandatory training, though the chances the genin of Team Nine would actually go so long without training were laughably small. "Sure thing, Old Man," he answered. "I'll see ya tomorrow!"

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"The next Chuunin Exam is to be held in Kumo in just over two months," Ebisu told his students. Team Nine was gathered in their training ground the morning after returning to Konoha. "I will not be entering Team Nine as eligible to compete."

Neji and Tenten were silent. Naruto was not. "What? How come, Sensei? We could totally kick ass in those exams!" proclaimed the blond boy.

"Do not allow your victory over the Mist ninja or Hokage-sama's kind words to give you a swelled head, Naruto. You three are indeed quite skilled for your ages, unusually so. It would not be a poor assumption to say each of you, Naruto, Tenten, Neji, could do very well in the upcoming Chuunin Exams" In a straight up combat scenario, Ebisu was confident his genin could handle themselves without issues. There was more involved in the Chuunin Exams than combat, however, and his team was so very inexperienced in too many other fields that could be tested. "There are also extenuating circumstances that I believe make Kumo a poor choice for your first Chuunin Exam."

Ebisu nodded at Neji. The Hyuuga boy's fists were clenched and he was glaring at no one in particular; understandably, Kumo was not his favorite place. "In the past, the Raikage has shown a disconcertingly brazen lust for acquiring the byakugan. It would not be wise to deliver so tempting a target directly into Kumo's hands." He would not admit it to his genin, but Ebisu wasn't entirely sure he trusted Neji not to cause an incident with Kumo. Justifiable or not, any vengeance the boy attempted to enact would reflect on Konoha.

"Unfortunately, the following Chuunin Exam is also not a viable option, as it will be hosted in Iwa." That one needed no explanation. Since the last great ninja war ended, Iwa and Konoha maintained some semblance of peace between their villages through the simple expedient of avoiding each other entirely. Iwa did not send its genin to exams hosted in Konoha, and vice versa.

"We've gotta wait fourteen months, more than a freaking year, before we can try to become chuunin?" Naruto cried out, horrified at the prospect of being a genin for so long.

"Surely there is a genin with the necessary skills that could temporarily fill my spot in Team Nine, Sensei?" Neji interjected, cutting Naruto off before the boy could get his rant up and running. "That would allow Tenten and Naruto to participate in the Kumo Chuunin Exam."

Proud of Neji's willingness to sacrifice for the sake of his teammates, Ebisu was about to shut down that option – he simply did not feel Team Nine was ready for the Chuunin Exam – but Naruto beat him to it. "Screw that, Neji!"

"I'm right there with you, Naruto. Screw that!" Tenten reiterated. "Team Nine sticks together. We're not just going to leave Neji here in Konoha while we try to drag some crappy substitute genin along through the exams."

Ebisu allowed himself a small, tight smile. Choosing to take on this team had most definitely not been a mistake. "That is very good to hear, my students. There is a great deal to learn in the next fourteen months while we wait for the next available exam after Iwa's. That particular Chuunin Exam will be taking place in Konoha. Participating in your first Chuunin Exam in your home village will be ideal."

"'First Chuunin Exam'?" Naruto repeated. "Sensei, you make it sound like we'll need more than one to get promoted."

Tenten snickered and even Neji's angst-ridden stare lost some of its heat.

"I would be pleasantly surprised if each of you were promoted in your first Chuunin Exam. Most genin, however, require several attempts before being promoted. Even winning the final tournament round of the competition itself is not guaranteed to earn a promotion. You must display more than mere combat prowess to earn the judges' favor in order to become a chuunin. Many skills can be tested during the exam; intelligence gathering, tactical planning, leadership, and more."

Naruto crossed his arms and announced. "Fine, whatever. No Chuunin Exams in Kumo, since they might try to scoop out Neji's eyeballs, and Iwa is out because they're a bunch of assholes, but you better believe we're gonna make one hell of a first impression when the exam comes to Konoha!"

"Hell yeah!" agreed Tenten and Neji nodded.

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"Can I get ten bowls of miso ramen to go, Ayame?" asked Naruto. It was time to begin renewing his stockpile. He could definitely afford it now. That reminded him, he needed to restock his supply of disposable ranged weaponry as well.

"You got it, Naruto." The serving girl bustled off to fulfill his order.

"You were saying?" prompted the Hokage.

"Oh yeah, sorry about that, Old Man," Naruto apologized. "I just wanted to catch Ayame before she went into the back. Anyway, I was wondering if I could have some more of that chakra iron you've been saving for me."

"Really?" asked the Old Man with raised eyebrows. "For what purposes do you need more?"

"At first I figured I'd use some of the iron to have weapons made for Neji and Tenten's birthdays, but then Sensei started talking about the Chuunin Exams, even if we can't enter one for over a year." That sucked. Sensei's reasoning was sound enough, but it still sucked. Neji's offer to hang back so he and Tenten could go to the Kumo exam was pretty cool, if unusually stupid for the Hyuuga boy. Like they'd just leave him behind. "I really want Team Nine to kick ass and making sure my teammates have the best weapons they can get would help out."

"Have you found a weapon smith capable of producing weapons properly alloyed with chakra iron? It's a very rare skill."

Naruto scratched the back of his head and grinned. "I was hoping you could help out with that, too. As old as you are, I figured you could probably recommend someone."

The Old Man's cheek twitched. "I suppose I could dredge up a name or two from what remains of my tired old mind," came the deadpan reply.

"Awesome!"

"And how do you intend to finance the creation of these chakra weapons, Naruto? I can assure you, they will not be cheap."

Ha, he already had that one covered. "What if I just let the smith have some extra chakra iron to cover the cost?"

Ayame's return momentarily interrupted the conversation. Naruto paid the girl for his and the Hokage's meal and the takeout order. It took only a couple seconds to store the ramen away.

"It seems you've got most of the angles covered, Naruto," the Old Man confessed. Yeah, he was awesome like that! "Have you spoken with Neji and Tenten about these weapons you wish to have produced for them?"

"No way, Old Man!" shouted Naruto, shaking his head in the negative. "I want them to be a surprise!"

That earned him a smile and a pat on the head. He wished the Old Man wouldn't do that, he wasn't a kid anymore! Naruto didn't have the heart to tell the Hokage to stop, though. "While that is very thoughtful of you, Naruto, your concern is misplaced. I believe your teammates will be quite surprised that you are commissioning chakra weapons for them. Such creations are incredibly valuable, however, and should reflect the personalities and preferences of their wielders. Don't you think it would be best to ask for input from Neji and Tenten in their creation? You wouldn't want either of them to have a less than ideal weapon, would you?"

"Ah, when you put it like that, it makes a lot of sense, Old Man!"

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A/N: That concludes the C-Rank mission arc. The next two or three chapters will begin skipping large blocks of time, covering most of the next fourteen months to bring the story in line with the canon series' timeline.

Please remember to review. Comments and criticisms are greatly appreciated.

Published: 6/21/2012