Chapter 2: The Wave Mission.
Hokage Office.
It had been several weeks since the newest generation of team seven had been formed and Danzo was currently busy dealing with the seemingly never-ending paperwork that would enter into his small office at all hours of the day and night. Hell, sometimes he would even be awoken in the middle of the night just to restamp something just in case he didn't do it before he had returned home for the night. The filing system really needed an upgrade. He had heard wondrous news of a new invention called the computer that was making waves all over the Land Of Sun, maybe he could try setting up a meeting with the inventor in the coming days. Just as that thought entered his mind the 37th pile that day and the 7th this past hour alone landed atop his table. His secretary slowly walking out of the room. She was very young, no older than 25. She had the greenest eyes and long brown hair that reached all the way to the midway point of her back. She had proven herself to be a highly-skilled secretary. Her graceful steps even with a large tower of paperwork in her hands still blew him away even after working with her for so long. But of course, it was her ass he enjoyed watching the most. As the Hokage, he could have ordered her to perform her womanly duty but so far he dared not. Still, he always loved watching her leave. It was the primary reason he had hired her, that and she knew how the damn filing system worked and where everything was. He guessed that was a damn good reason too.
"Sir you're 12:30 is here. Should I send him in"? The voice of his secretary voiced over the intercom.
"Yes, send him in". Danzo replied before returning his gaze to the door. The sound of footsteps could be heard and soon the knob began to turn.
The man who entered knew better than to show up wasted. If he wanted his homeland saved he would need outside help. He would need the help of a ninja. He had hoped that he wouldn't need to beg for outside aid. But he was no fool. He knew that if something wasn't done soon nobody in The Land Of Waves would have any hope for a future and so here he was begging for aid from the hidden leaf. The most dangerous of all the hidden villages. Eying the third Hokage he stepped into the small office before being addressed by the most powerful man in the village.
"You must be". Danzo stopped what he was doing for just a moment to look the man up "Tazuna right". Danzo asked after finding the man's name on the mission request form.
"That's right, Hokage-same". Tazuna replied in the most respectful way possible. Danzo simply nodded his head at the man before he moved the mission request aside before working on something else altogether.
"You understand that the cost for a C-rank mission is fifty thousand. With a payment plan of 10,000 per month". Danzo asked as he looked it over one last time. People had, of course, lied before to get a mission done with a much lower cost on their end. He had a feeling this street rat was trying to do just that. It was why he was going to assign team seven to this mission. Mostly so Naruto would stop bugging him about new jutsus. The boy was like a damn sponge with the stuff. The boy clearly had a promising career. One he looked forward to seeing unfold in the days and weeks ahead. His teammates also showing promise as well.
"I do". Tazuna replied in the most respectful of tones he could muster.
"Very well. You will meet your team at gate three in thirty minutes". Danzo said all this without once looking the man in the eye. Tazuna at once bowed and left happy to be finally out of the room.
Hidden Leaf Village Gate 3.
Tazuna had been waiting nearly an hour for his assigned bodyguards and it seemed he would be forced to wait another hour by the looks of things. Had the Hokage been Hiruzen Sarutobi he may have complained about the delay. But doing so with this man was a really good way to die. So he was forced to wait some more. After waiting another two hours he finally saw a group of ninja walk up. He was about to say something rude but in the end, he decided it wasn't at all worth it.
Land Of Fire Coastline.
Kakashi was busy reading the newest of the world-famous book series by Jiraiya Namikaze. His team had long since stopped trying to keep him from the books. After all, he could still do his job even with the book practically touching his face. Naruto was the first of the three genin to see the obviously misplaced puddle on the side of the dirt road. But it was Sasuke who fired a mid-sized fireball at it. This, in turn, forced the demon brothers out into the open. Both brothers quickly began firing off a handful of ninja stars and kunai knives. However, none landed due to Naruto's masterful use of wind jutsus. Something he would have to remember to thank his father for after the mission. Team seven knew who they were facing. The demon brothers were easy enough to identify even without the use of a bingo book. Both brothers were a low to mid-C-rank missing ninja with bounties ranging from $30,000 for one to $70,000 with both.
As this was going on Sakura was busy doing her nails some distance away. She knew that her male teammates could deal with a few C-rank nobody's without her.
"What are you doing"? Tazuna asked her completely at a loss. Shouldn't she be helping her teammates he thought?
"My nails". She said not so much as looking up.
"You're doing that now"? Tazuna asked in utter bewilderment.
"I didn't have time to do it before now". She shot back again without so much as a passing glance his way.
"Doing what"? Tazuna asked. No sooner had he asked that he had a kunai right up in his face.
"Look old man our mission is to keep you safe so you can make that super bridge or whatever, yours is to stop asking me any more of your pointless questions or I will fucking gut you. Are we clear"?
"Yes, yes we are very very clear". Tazuna said before slowly backing away from the pink-haired demon girl. However, it wasn't long after that he once again was face-to-face with a ninja. This time with Kakashi.
"Why do you have ninja after you"? Kakashi asked the older man giving him a hard look all the while.
"Um...will you see". Tazuna began all the while trying and failing to get out of the man's vice-like grip.
"Out with it old man or I'll have him burn you". As if to prove the point Sasuke began firing off small D-rank sized fireballs near his family jewels. Needless to say, he talked soon after and he talked alot.
Boat.
It didn't take team seven long to find a usable boat to use to cross the river. After all the previous owner had no more use for it. Seeing as he was now dead with a blood-covered kunai in his right eye. The boat ride itself was slow going. The mist making visibility virtually zero. Naruto was thus forced to use very weak wind jutsus to clear a path and after around ten minutes of doing this, they had finally landed on the other side of the river. By then the sun had removed most of the mist and the massive bridge finally came into view.
"I take it back old man that is one super bridge". Sakura said before making her way up the small river embankment. Happy to be off that damn boat as were her two teammates. None more so than Sasuke himself who looked about ready to unload today's breakfast.
Township.
However, that view was soon replaced by the abysmal living conditions found inside the town. Children no older than five could all be seen digging inside the many trash-cans looking for anything edible. The people all looked half dead and most of the buildings looked halfway ready to fall. The shops had next to nothing on the shelves and what little they did have cost an arm and a leg to buy. Team seven did feel sorry for them. They really did. But saving this town wasn't the mission no matter how sad this was. The mission always came first. That rule had been driven into them all continuously in the academy. It wasn't long before team seven got to Tazuna's house. The house itself wasn't all that bad. Sure the paint had faded in places and had a few holes in the roof. But it was a far cry from the many homes back inside the town. Tazuna soon introduced them all to his daughter Tsunami and her son Inari. Inari calling them all fools before running to his room.
"Nice kid". Naruto said dryly before the poor woman could utter so much as a letter of an apology.
It wasn't long before team seven began working on a new ninja skill known as tree climbing. Seeing the looks on all of there faces made Kakashi break into a long unmanly fit of giggles.
"No I'm not talking about that kind, but this kind". Kakashi said as he slowly began walking vertically up the tree as casually as one would expect from a walk in the park. Soon after all three could be seen working on mastering this new ninja skill. Sakura reached the top of her tree after only ten or so minutes. Sasuke and Naruto would likely need much more time considering their chakra capacity.
Zabuza's Hideout.
Many miles away Zabuza Momochi had just got done killing Gato. His thugs had been taking care of by Haku. Now all he had to do was clean up the mess and he could finally return home to aid in the ongoing civil war back inside the mist. He could see his adopted daughter enter the small hideout when he noticed that she wanted to say something and so gave her the go-ahead.
"Father we may not want to go just yet". Haku said before she added. "A team from the leaf has just entered the village".
"So, what does that have to do with us"? Zabuza asked his adopted daughter as he was busy cleaning his comically oversized sword.
"Will father It's just that one of them had fox-like markings, three on each cheek," Haku said. Zabuza said nothing as he slowly got up and made his way to the door or in this case opening. Seeing as their hideout was a cave a few miles outside the village.
"Make sure nobody finds this place, remain inside until I return. Should anybody but me try to enter see to them". Zabuza said before jumping onto the nearest tree and disappearing into the forest.
"I understand, father". Haku said before taking the now vacant seat and waiting.