V4 ch 5

Our First Mission

Saori Nara, Takeru Uchiha, and Eiyu Hyuga stood around the training area waiting for their trainer. Today they were going on their first mission. Lee sensei approached them, waving. They all stood at attention waiting for his instructions. Each of them was ready to go ahead and get started.

Rock Lee, the dashing man who trained Team 9, approached his students with a positive, determined attitude. He smiled at them as he waved to them. They appeared to be ready for what awaited them. "Hi, how's it going you guys? Today we're going on our first mission. It's a D-rank mission and is intended for beginners. Since Daiya is not able to participate fully, Sasuke's team will be joining us. You guys will have the advantage of having someone else direct you while on this mission. I want you guys to listen attentively and give your respect to the other team."

"What kind of mission are we going on," Eiyu asked. D-rank missions were usually easy missions that kindergarteners could perform. They were the lowest of the bunch. He wanted to be on a C-rank mission, at least. He was more advanced in skill than Takeru or Saori at this point. It was a judgment of his skill. Eiyu didn't appreciate starting at the bottom.

"Well, I don't have the full details. Since we were planning on combining the teams for the day," Lee said scratching the back of his head. "Sasuke was intending to see what mission we could get. There were a few that were up for grabs. Knowing him, the mission won't be too easy. You guys are training hard, so we want to put your skills to the test."

Saori looked at Eiyu. "I bet the mission is of low-quality. All D-rank missions are. We usually have to help someone in the village. It's not so bad, but I think it's entirely pointless," she said. She wanted to train and go on a decent mission, like Eiyu. Saori was trying to be stronger physically so she could prove to everyone that she was capable of defending others around her.

"You guys are kind of ungrateful. It's our first mission. It's not going to be the best one. It's supposed to teach us how to handle ourselves the first time out," Takeru said as he looked at Saori and Eiyu. They were both ignoring him for the most part. "It can't be that bad."

"I wouldn't count my chickens before they hatched, Takeru," Ryu said as he appeared above them out of the tree. He was using his Genjutsu to surprise the un-expecting team. He looked down at them as they looked up at him. "D-rank missions are the lowest of the bunch. I remember my first one. It was terrible." He pondered for a moment. "We had to help some old man get a letter to his son on the other side of the village."

"That seems really pathetic," Eiyu said. He hoped he didn't get a stupid mission like that. Delivering mail was someone else's job. It was degrading for a ninja to be delivering anything unless it was valuable information.

"That's not the half of it," Hire said as she approached Lee's team. "The son was avoiding us the entire time. He didn't want the letter from his father. We had to chase that guy all over Konoha."

Takeru tilted his head at Hire. His father showed up with her. He was yawning and stretching his arms before he regarded Lee. "Why didn't the guy want the letter from his father?"

"The father was trying to persuade his son into marrying a girl that would be good for his clan, but the guy wanted no part of it. It comes to mind that the girl was a total head case. She seemed to like bossing the poor man around to no end. He couldn't seem to get away from her," Ryu said. "The dumb letter was also a bogus letter."

"And how was it a bogus letter, Ryu," Saori said. Usually when he didn't tell all of something at once, it kind of hinted to her that he had messed up his task at some point. Ryu jumped down from the tree. He crossed his arms and looked away from Saori when she asked.

Sasuke spoke up at this point. Ryu never admitted to anything on purpose in front of others. And it was his job to embarrass the Genin to the full extent of his jurisdiction. "The reason it was a bogus letter is because it contained a mind erasing jutsu in it. If anyone opened it and read it, it wiped the person's memory. The reason the son didn't want the letter is due to the fact that he knew what it was. Ryu, however, couldn't stand not to know what it was and opened it."

Takeru popped his forehead. "So how long was Ryu drooling all over the ground?" He looked at Ryu who was embarrassed. The older boy was trying to ignore the conversation altogether.

"A few hours," Sasuke said. He smirked. "It was a few hours of Ryu not knowing who he was. It was kind of enjoyable."

Ryu turned his head sharply at his trainer. He pointed at him. "You said you would never speak of that! You lied to me!"

Lee had to know. "What did he do?" Ryu was scowling heavily.

"Imagine a guy Ryu's age walking around Konoha posing as a lingerie salesman," Hire said as she crossed her arms. "I remember him getting chased down the street by an old lady with a cane. He seemed to have offered her a good deal on a pair of crotch less panties."

Ryu froze. He didn't remember any of that! Was all of that true? He hated memory jutsus. The aftereffects of it had given him a splitting headache.

"Believe it or not, but you have to be the worst ninja on any of the teams," Eiyu said as he glanced at Ryu. If this guy had messed up a simple mission such as that, why was he still allowed to train? They were taught to never open the contents they were responsible for. No one knew what was written in a scroll, or what was contained in a package. Why ask for someone else's problems?

"What are crotch less panties," Takeru asked. He raised a brow. Everyone around him froze. He was the youngest on the teams and it was apparent he wasn't accustomed to being corrupted in front of his father.

Sasuke didn't wish to explain that sort of thing to Takeru. His son was much too young to comprehend what it was. He also wanted Takeru to remain innocent for as long as possible. "It's time we start our mission now," he said as he turned around to walk off. He expected everyone to follow him.

Rock Lee caught up to him with his students following him. "What sort of mission did we get?" He watched Sasuke frown. "Oh, please tell me it's not a degrading one."

"They're all degrading," Sasuke said disgusted. "I remember the first one I took. It was humiliating. We had to pull weeds out of some old woman's garden. Our mission wasn't even technically completed because Naruto pulled up everything in the garden."

Lee smiled rather apologetically at Sasuke. Naruto was a quite a character back then. "Sasuke, what type of mission did we get?" Sasuke looked back at him as if he really shouldn't know. "We have to know what it is, or we can't do it."

Sasuke sighed. "They have to entertain the patrons at one of the local taverns. There is a certain group that is passing through and they have close connections with the tavern owner. He is currently sick and has had a lot of his workers quit in the past week."

"That doesn't sound so bad. I don't know why you gave me such a worried look," Lee said. "That is a good mission for them to begin. They can learn how to interact with others and it will teach them to work together. They will also be doing a good deed by helping a sick man."

"Lee, it's not a regular tavern that they have been assigned to," Sasuke looked at him as he walked with his hands in his pockets. "The tavern is located on the other side of Konoha where you don't find too many people who value their reputation."

"Sasuke, are you trying to tell me that our students have been assigned to work at a low-class establishment," Lee said. Sasuke nodded. Lee tensed as they walked. "They cannot expect these kids to know what kinds of vermin are associated with that kind of lifestyle. What exactly do they have to do?"

"Well, unfortunately, some of them are going to have dress up as Geisha and entertain the men. We'll be responsible for keeping the peace. Ryu will have to assist the customers, since he wouldn't make a very good Geisha with his spiky hair."

"What was that? We're going to have to dress up as Geisha and entertain some nasty old men," Hire said as her mouth dropped. "Sensei, please, tell me that is not the mission we were assigned! We have too much class to be going into a place like that!"

"Sorry, Hire, it was the mission we were assigned to. No one else wanted it. Lee is right though. It will teach you guys how to handle uncomfortable situations. It will be good in a way, and bad on another. I'll have to make sure those bastards don't put their hands on any of you. And the worse fact is Eiyu and Takeru will have to dress as girls."

Eiyu and Takeru's eyes got wide. "What? We're going to have to be Geisha? Are you serious?"

Sure enough, they all entered the tavern. The men in the place were waiting on their drinks with much dissatisfaction. The tavern owner was behind in his work and was trying to get to each of his patrons. He noticed the two ninja teams entering. "Thank goodness you are here! I'm so swamped! The place is half full so it shouldn't be that difficult for your students," he said apologetically. "Rush hour is at night. I should have more help arriving by then. You have some very pretty girls on your teams, but there are only two of them. I usually require about ten Geisha. How are you going to manage assisting me with only two?"

"Hold your horses," Sasuke said. "We are offering you four of our students, not ten. There are only three on each of our teams." He caught the man looking over at Ryu. "He is of no interest to you, or your patrons. Ryu will be here to help keep order so your precious tavern doesn't get destroyed by rowdy customers," Sasuke said with much distaste for the place. Whether the owner noted it or not wasn't apparent.

"I demand ten ninja to help with the place," the tavern owner said unhappy with the situation. "I do have a business to run. It takes a minimum of seven on a slow day. Do your students even know how to handle my customers?"

Lee crossed his arms. It wasn't his usual nature to be defiant, but he did not like where this was going. "As ninja, we have the obligation of accepting or refusing a mission. We are not for hire like missionaries. If you are unhappy with the offer we have given you, we will go. We do not have to put our students in this sort of environment. It is beneath them and us as their trainers."

The tavern owner seemed to weigh out the situation. If he chose to not accept the offer, then his business would have to shut down for the day. That meant he would lose profits. He didn't like that idea. "Fine, we will use the four of the students that are able to pose as Geisha. However, the two of you gentlemen need to get ready as well. You two will have to dress as the headmistresses for our older clients," he said with a sly smile.

"How in the hell did that just go from bad to worse," Sasuke said. He looked at Lee. "You just had to open your mouth, didn't you?" He hadn't planned on himself and Lee dressing up with the kids. Sasuke was very guarded when it came to his personal sacrifices. His manhood should not be one of the sacrifices he had to make in life. It was only for the day, but still.

"I feel silly having to dress up like this," Saori said as she took her hair down. She was trying to get her hair up just right with the hairpins. Hire was next to her putting on the white face paint. "You don't seem to be too upset about it like before."

"I thought it out," Hire said as she put a flower in her black hair. Her hair was already up and adjusted perfectly. "We're girls. It's not a big deal for us to dress up. We can possibly play around with this and have fun. But the guys are going to be extremely uncomfortable. They have to dress up as women. That's not something they are going to do willingly. It's a stupid mission, I'll agree."

Saori frowned as she started to apply the white face paint. "You know, poor Takeru is too young to be doing something like this. Sasuke sensei is going to have to coax him into it." She shook her head. The thought of Takeru Uchiha in a kimono dressed as a girl was a very uncomfortable thought. A more disrupting image was Ryu dressed as a woman. Her eye twitched.

"Sasuke sensei's son has to get used to it. Missions are not always pleasant. They can be extremely tough in nature, or ridiculous – like this one. We have to do it. We've been hired to do so. We could have backed down, but no, they were bent on us learning something from this experience," Hire said.

"What are we supposed to be learning," Saori said not finding the meaning in this particular mission.

"How to keep an old man's hands off of us," Hire asked. She started to laugh. That's pretty much the game plan for the both of them. "Let's just hope some of them are drunk. If they are, it won't be that bad."

"Girls, it's time to get out there and serve the, uh, gentlemen," Sasuke said as he tapped on the door. He wasn't happy about this idea at all. He was standing outside dressed in a ridiculous outfit, wearing face paint, and a kimono. It wasn't only that, but he had to do this in front of his only son. Sasuke swore if anyone made a pass at him, he would end their existence right then and there.

"You know what the most embarrassing part about this is," Takeru said. He looked up at his father. "Dad, you look more like my mom than Mom does." He watched his father's eyes go wide. He started to laugh. It wasn't bothering him that they were dressing up. Takeru was trying to pretend they were in a kabuki play.

Sasuke heard Eiyu smirk. He narrowed his eyes at Takeru. "Takeru, if you weren't my only son, I would-," he was cut off as the door opened. Saori and Hire were ready. They didn't look half bad. "Alright, let's get this over with. It's going to be a long day."

Ryu's job was pretty easy. He stood up front and issued the customers in. It was kind of a degrading position. As much as it stunk to be working at a filthy establishment like this, he didn't mind it so bad. All he had to do was take the money of the men that paid. He wondered what was going on in the back.

"I want you guys to stick close to each other. Who knows what these men would do if they got enough sake' in their system," Lee said as he looked at Takeru and Eiyu. "If one of you leaves for any reason, you must make sure that either me or Sasuke are near so we can keep an eye on you. That goes for you two, also," Lee said as he looked at Hire and Saori. He was not taking this lightly. A bunch of filthy men in this place could scar a poor innocent young lady for the rest of her life.

"I can handle myself just fine, Lee sensei," Saori said rather seriously. "I have a brother at home and my dad is Shikamaru. Don't take me to be some kind of weakling."

Hire also didn't like having to depend on a male for anything. She was an independent, hotheaded woman. "If one of those bastards even tries to touch me, I'll carve them a new breathing hole." She meant every word of what she said. Saori and her were not stupid. They both wore their kunai cases on their legs underneath the kimonos.

The group stopped at the entrance to the long halls of shoji screened rooms. They could see the shadows of men as they heard laughter. Sasuke was as nervous about this as Eiyu. Eiyu was looking at each shadow as if it was going to leap out and get him. Sasuke took a deep breath. "Alright, you guys don't have to say anything to these men. They mainly expect you all to play music, serve the drinks, and giggle when they say something 'funny'."

"Oh, that's wonderful," Saori said. "This means, I have to act like I'm paying attention to them. No worries, sensei," she said giving a victory sign to Sasuke. "I think Hire and I already have a plan. See you two later, Takeru and Eiyu." Saori and Hire went into one of the rooms shuffling their feet and giggling like schoolgirls.

"Saori kind of reminds me of Ino," Lee said as he smiled embarrassingly. "Takeru and Eiyu, pick a room. None of them are going to be easy. In fact, here," Lee said as he picked up a mandolin from against the wall. "Maybe this will help it go along easier if one of you plays music to the patrons."

Takeru looked up at Lee sensei as he took the mandolin. "I don't know how to play an instrument." He plucked it curiously.

Eiyu took it from Takeru as the boy hit a cord wrong. "I can play it. You get to sing," he said seriously. Takeru seemed to freeze in place as Eiyu started to walk off. He turned around to glare at the Uchiha boy. "Come on, we have to do it. Just sing something that you know."

"Eiyu, I don't have a girl's voice," Takeru said as he gritted his teeth when he caught up to the Hyuga boy. They were choosing to go into a room that was down the hall a ways. Maybe his dad and Lee sensei wouldn't hear them – which would be good because it would limit the embarrassment they were fixing to be put under.

"Just act like someone has stepped on your foot, "Eiyu said as he opened the shoji screen to one of the rooms. He froze. There were two huge men sitting at a table conversing about profits they had made on a previous journey to a village. Neither of the men knew they were there standing there watching them. Eiyu's body became stiff and rigid. He didn't want to go in there. Neither of the men was healthy looking. They appeared to have suffered some serious fights over the past several years.

Takeru looked at Eiyu. The older boy was the team leader, so Takeru had to do what Eiyu said, but now Eiyu was not moving. "Eiyu, we have to go in," he whispered. Eiyu looked back at him rather afraid. "Just pretend they aren't wearing any clothes," Takeru suggested. That was what Masaru always suggested to him when he was nervous about meeting new people.

Eiyu looked back in front of his pathway. The two men weren't wearing any clothes in his mind. He covered his mouth about to gag. Eiyu seemed to sway on his feet. He grabbed a hold of the shoji screen. Once he regained his composure, he shot Takeru one hell of a look. "I just saw the most horrible thing in my mind and it's your fault!"

"Hey, Shiyakusho, we have some pretty ladies who want to sit with us," the man with the eye patch said as he gestured to the shoji screen. His eye fell right on the first Geisha girl. "Aren't you a pretty little thing; and so young, too. Do you want to come here and sit on my lap, pretty girl?" He gave the blushing girl a few air kisses. "I don't bite, I promise."

Takeru had to push Eiyu in. Eiyu was not moving. "They're not going to do anything. I think they're drunk. Just go!" He watched Eiyu practically stumble over the Geisha shoes. Eiyu fell to the floor, but corrected himself to where it looked like he was bowing gratefully to their two customers. Takeru took suit and followed the direction. He bowed lowly onto the floor, praying the entire time that neither of the men touched him.

"Why doesn't one of you play the mandolin for us," the man with the eye patch said. "We could use a bit of music before we leave. It's a long way back to our village."

Eiyu couldn't oblige fast enough. He figured if he played the instrument, the men would be satisfied and leave. He sat down crossing his legs before he started to play the mandolin delicately. He had to make this look good, or it was all going to go very wrong.

Takeru stood next to Eiyu not having a clue what he was supposed to do. With one glance from his teammate, Takeru started to sway and dance like Onari. Both of them were trying to hold onto the entertainment as much as possible. Takeru hoped Saori and Hire were having better luck than they were.

A few rooms down the hall, Saori Nara served tea to her elderly customer. She giggled at the right moments when the man expressed his feelings about a recent bad investment – it was all in good fun. The man commented on her beauty. Saori blushed thoughtfully at the old man, thinking he was trying to be sweet.

Hire listened boredly to the other man that was sitting in front of the old man Saori was talking to. She smiled at him to the best of her ability, her hands neatly lying on her lap. The man she was talking to wasn't half bad looking. He was probably in his mid-twenties and was very thoughtful.

The young man placed his hand onto Hire's. Her eyes went a little wide. Her face blushed. What was wrong with her? Her eyes seemed to focus more on him as he spoke. Hire wasn't paying attention to the words he was saying – more so to his hand upon hers. No man had ever touched her before. Hire had never had a boyfriend or anyone that spoke kind words to her. This guy was flowing with them.

"You are a very beautiful lady," the young man said smiling at the dark haired girl next to him. "I think you are too beautiful to be stuck in a place like this. Are you working for you family?" The girl shook her head slowly, averting her eyes out of politeness. "Some old man must have you doing this to repay his debt to society, is it? Such a pity," the young man said as he patted her hand.

Hire wondered why this man was saying those sorts of words to her. She shook her head again. The man was completely off by a mile. It was another mission to her. The young man took his hand away to latch onto his cup of tea. Hire took the opportunity to get up abruptly. She shuffled to the other side of the room to retrieve a fan that was used to entertain the guests. Maybe if she danced with it, the young man would hold back his advances on her.

Saori noted that Hire had gotten up rather quickly. She also saw the young man watching Hire with a lustful gaze. Saori's guard went up. She kept her eyes focused on the old man as he talked, but every so often, she would glance back at the younger man to make sure he wasn't advancing towards Hire. Saori slowly withdrew a kunai from the leg casing. She held it in her hand, just in case.

In a room across the hall, sat Sasuke Uchiha and Rock Lee dressed as two older Geisha women. Sasuke was so embarrassed that he kept his eyes closed for the duration of the experience. The men they were 'entertaining' thought he was being modest. Lee, on the other hand, was being sought after by a large man who he mistook for a sumo wrestler. The man was laughing wholeheartedly with his companion as Lee poured a cup of tea.

Sasuke opened his eyes to watch Lee. The hyperactive, positive Jounin was indeed taken aback by the advances of the enormous man. Sasuke had to endure it, too. The man beside him suddenly put his arm around him. Sasuke tensed immediately. Lee urged him to smile, but he couldn't do it. The man beside him was in his 40s, had long hair, and appeared to one who committed crimes for the sake of making easy money.

Lee giggled loudly as to draw the attention away from Sasuke. The man beside Sasuke was concerned to why he was being so quiet. Lee tried to lighten the mood by saying, "She's just a little shy. Her boyfriend left her a few days ago, so she hasn't had time to reconcile her situation."

The man beside Sasuke suddenly turned him to face him. The man's hands were holding Sasuke's tenderly, his dark eyes looking up into his. I am fixing to kill Lee. He's making it worse. Sasuke managed to force a tender smile. It came off a bit scary. Smiling was not one of his main attributes.

"Oh, isn't that sweet, Yokozuna. She's embarrassed for you to be holding her hands. I wonder what she'll do if you kiss her," the other man said.

The one called Yokozuna seemed to be pondering such a consequence. Lee knew if the man came close to Sasuke, his fellow ninja companion would attack the customer. Lee stood up abruptly trying to direct the attention off of Sasuke. He grabbed the man next to him and attempted to lift him up. Come on, big man. It's time to dance! Lee started to lead the man into a dance of his own choosing. Reluctantly, the man started to follow him.

Yokozuna hoisted Sasuke up as the other woman appeared to be enjoying herself. He put his arms around the woman and began to waltz with her. The woman looked at him kind of taken aback at first, but soon her feet started to move with his. "You're a very good dancer! I like that in a woman!"

Sasuke swore if word of this got out, he would defiantly make it appear like Lee had gotten lost on a mission and never found again. He giggled like a schoolgirl the way he had heard Saori before. The other man clapped his hands for Lee as Lee started to twirl on his feet. This was the worst mission they had ever gotten.

Up at the front, Ryu waved over two new customers. The men bowed low to him. He did the same back. Ryu asked the gentlemen what they would like to order first before they went back to one of the rooms. He took their orders and passed it along to a young girl who had shown up to work the night shift. I wonder what's going on back there. It can't be going too badly. Sasuke sensei hasn't killed anyone yet.

He led the two men as far to the back as he dared. Sasuke had insisted that Ryu stay up front, or he would send him back to the Academy. Ryu figured it was because if he saw Sasuke dressed as a Geisha, he'd have to go to the hospital for laughing his ass off. "If you two gentlemen would pick a room to make yourselves more comfortable, I'll make sure your entertainment arrives." The men thanked him for his hospitality and went on their way. Ryu went back up front before he was caught.

Takeru poured for the two large men that he and Eiyu were stuck entertaining. They had tried to entertain the men so well, that they would be satisfied and leave. Unfortunately for the two boys, the men thought they had entertained so well, that they stayed an extra few hours. Takeru nodded to the big guy Eiyu was sitting next to when he asked if he liked dancing. It was a total lie.

"You girls sure know how to make a man want to settle down and get married," the large man beside Takeru said. "I have never seen such graceful moves from a girl such as you," he said commenting Takeru on his performance. "You must have had someone teach you those wonderful moves."

"Oh, sir, you're making me blush," Takeru said in his best girl voice. The man smiled at him with a toothy grin. If he leans in to try and kiss me, I'm going to scream like Onari when it thunders.

Eiyu was watching Takeru try to back away from the man he was sitting next to. He shook his head lightly. If word of this got to his father, he was sure he would be disowned for accepting such a ridiculous assignment. The man with the eye patch asked Eiyu if he could pass the food that was on a plate. Eiyu obliged and passed the plate kindly.

The one called Shiyakusho bent towards Takeru with his lips puckered. Takeru tried to play it off by turning his head and lifting his arm up, as if he was blushing. The man didn't get what he was doing and became outraged that he was getting rejected.

"You think you're better than me, little lady? I've been to plenty of Geisha houses and not one girl has turned me down. Don't think for a moment that I'm going to sit back and just calmly come up with idle chit chat. Isn't that right, Onshirazu? We don't take too kindly to Mr. Damasu's disobedient Geisha," Shiyakusho said in an authoritive tone. He grabbed the girl by her arm and forced her to come closer.

Eiyu had had enough of this. Both of the men were advancing onto them. He looked at the man in front of him, his facial features changing. Byakugan! The chakra points of the large man in front of him became visible. As the large man came closer to him, Eiyu Hyuga moved back, but only to advance quickly. He bent down as he ran at the man, both of his arms flying to hit vulnerable chakra points. The large man grunted. He watched as the man was sent backwards.

Shiyakusho turned to the other Geisha in the room who had attacked his companion. He hoisted Takeru up and took out a weapon. He held it at Takeru's throat. "I don't know who you are, little girl, but if you come any closer, I'll slaughter your little friend all over the place!"

Takeru looked down at the weapon that was hovering closely to his neck. Now what? If Eiyu tries to aid me, I'm as good as dead. Man, why did we have to get these guys? Takeru looked at his teammate for a suggestion.

Eiyu had to think. Takeru was in a world of trouble. He had to do something to save his teammate from being attacked by the likes of Shiyakusho. Eiyu blinked. The room they were in got dark. The light overhead went out. He wondered what was going on. Shiyakusho seemed to be caught off guard. Everyone in the establishment was.

A tall form started to grow out of the floor near Shiyakusho. All the man saw was red eyes. He looked at the being with an alarmed expression. "Who are you? What do you want?" His hand holding the weapon in front of the Geisha girl's throat was shaking.

The tall figure latched onto his wrist and tightened the grip. Shiyakusho yelped in pain. The bones in his wrist began to crack. The man was soon on the floor cowering in pain. The Geisha girl he had been holding hostage was away from him in seconds.

"I don't kindly partake to those that threaten my friends," Ryu said. His grip on the man's wrist tightened so much that the bones broke. Ryu looked down at the man with a serious glare. He glanced at Takeru. "Are you alright?" Takeru nodded. Ryu lifted his Genjutsu off of the establishment.

Shiyakusho held his wrist. He had dropped the weapon he branded. "Who the hell are you? I'll get you for breaking my wrist," he threatened loudly.

"I don't think you will," Sasuke said as he stood in the entrance of the small room. "You put your hands on my son, or his friends and I'll make sure your last breath is agonizing." He meant what he said. As soon as the Genjutsu was on the place, he figured something was wrong. It was a tactic of Ryu's to confuse his opponents before he attacked. Sasuke had already wiped the face paint off and threw the wig off before he got to the room.

Shiyakusho looked up at the man standing in front of him wearing a kimono. The man had a short sword unsheathed in front of his body ready to attack him if he chose to react. Shiyakusho looked around the room. He was outnumbered. The two Geisha girls were missing. In their places stood two leaf-nin – mere kids. They had their kunai out. He had to admit defeat. He grumbled.

Saori and Hire were retrieved by Rock Lee once the commotion had died down. It appeared Takeru and Eiyu were on the verge of being attacked by two of the patrons they had been entertaining. Saori looked at Takeru. He seemed to be in thought. His head was lowered. "So how did you two manage to get away from the guy who had a weapon on you?"

Eiyu was slightly embarrassed. He had called Ryu a worthless person that morning. It seemed he owed Ryu a huge apology. The older boy had saved his neck and Takeru's. He sighed. "Ryu, I apologize for what I said this morning. You're not the sorriest ninja on the teams."

Ryu glanced back at Eiyu as they walked down the road together. "And what as you saying that?" He wanted Eiyu to admit he thought lowly of him. Saori, of course, had no idea what was going on.

"If it wasn't for you interfering when you did, that bastard would have probably sliced Takeru's throat open. I didn't know how to help him. I'm sorry for not being as smart as I'm supposed to be," Eiyu said downhearted. He trained hard every day, but it didn't seem to be enough.

"Ryu, you saved Takeru," Saori asked. Her boyfriend nodded. She smiled at him. She was glad Ryu had interfered when he did. "How did you know something was wrong?"

"Well, Sasuke sensei swore if I tried to come back there, he'd send me back to the Academy, but the night shift had just arrived. I had to let you guys know it was time to go. I went to the room Takeru and Eiyu were in first, to avoid Sasuke sensei seeing me back there. I figured if I told them first, they would tell you and Hire and then Sasuke and Lee. If I had gone to the room you and Hire were in, she would have told on me," he said.

"I take it back. You are the worst ninja on the teams," Eiyu said. He couldn't believe that guy. He was afraid of Sasuke sensei. "If you were so worried about him sending you back to the Academy, you should have just challenged him. He can't touch you. He's a trainer."

"I wouldn't say that, Eiyu. Dad has gotten Ryu before. I don't think his position in the situation, matters much," Takeru said. "Dad means what he says. If Ryu had defied him, Dad would have done something to him for sure."

"I agree with Takeru. I've known about Sasuke sensei all of my life from my dad. He's never taken things lightly," Saori said. "I think he would have sent Ryu back to the Academy."

"I wish I could have seen him dressed as a woman though," Ryu said. "It would have been worth it," he said laughing wholeheartedly. "I would have paid 100 ryo to witness that!" Eiyu popped Ryu on the back of the head hard. "Ow! Dammit!"

"That's probably why Sasuke sensei threatened you to begin with! Never joke about a man's pride," Eiyu said angrily. He shot the Genin a terrible look.

"I wish you guys would drop it. I have enough bad memories to last me a lifetime," Takeru said depressingly. He had had a weapon against his throat for the first time in his life. It made him uneasy. In that one situation, neither he nor Eiyu knew what to do. We defiantly need more training.