As fresh genin, Kokoro and her squad had to complete D-rank missions before they moved on to the harder and more complicated stuff. D-rank missions were basically chores: babysitting children, finding lost cats, running errands for busy, important people. As much as Kokoro liked helping others, she did not like doing these missions. She wanted to utilize her skill sets more; she wanted to fight the bad guys and show off her talent.
She was thankful when Naruto complained to the Hokage about their terrible missions. She almost complained alongside him, but one look from her dad shut her down. She knew she had a bad habit of expressing her opinion when she shouldn't but she couldn't help it. With her dad around, she figured she could let Naruto be her voice for the time being.
And because Naruto is so loud with his opinions too, they were given a C-rank mission. It was a simple escort mission to the Land of Waves. The escorted was a man named Tazuna, who was a bridge-builder. He reeked of alcohol and had a nasty attitude to go along with it. Kokoro didn't want to be in his presence for too long, so she hoped the mission ended quickly.
"Alright!" Naruto exclaimed as we walked through the large gates and out of the village.
"Why are you so excited?" Kokoro asked. Sasuke was walking beside her, Kakashi, and Tazuna, but Naruto was several steps in front of them. He was jumping about and yelling with a fervor.
"This is the first time I ever left the village, dattebayo!"
"Am I supposed to trust my life to this runt?" Tazuna asked rudely.
Kakashi laughed and said, "He's with me and I'm a jounin, so you don't need to worry."
"Someday I'm going to be Hokage and you'll look up to me!" Naruto proclaimed. "My name's Naruto Uzumaki. Remember it!"
"Hokage are powerful and wise. You are puny and brainless. The day you become Hokage, I'll sprout wings and fly," Tazuna said.
"Ah! Shut up!" Naruto yelled. Kokoro covered her ears and glared at the orange-clad ninja. He felt her glare on him and immediately stopped yelling. He crossed his arms over his chest and turned his face away from the bridge-builder. Kakashi gripped the neck of Naruto's jumpsuit and spun him to face the road. He set him back on the ground and gave him a little push in the right direction.
"I told you you're supposed to protect the client, not attack him," the jounin reprimanded.
"Whatever! You'll see! I'll become the greatest ninja ever!" Naruto exclaimed before he started walking off. Kokoro clambered next to him and gave him a smile. Naruto's mood improved as she communicated to him that she believed in him.
"Say, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said. "You've been outside the village before. What's it like?"
"Depends on where you go," Kakashi answered shortly.
"I've been outside the village before!" Kokoro exclaimed proudly. Sasuke and Naruto stared at her as soon as she said that.
"Neh, neh, what was it like?!" Naruto asked excitedly.
"I visited Suna twice before! The journey there was boring, but the village was pretty. It wasn't like Konoha with trees and colorful buildings and stuff, but it was really sandy and pretty in its own way," she explained.
"You went to Suna?" Sasuke questioned dubiously.
Kokoro nodded her head and pointed at her dad.
"He let me go with him on two of his missions. It wasn't dangerous or anything, so the Hokage let me tag along. I met a friend there, too!"
Kakashi glanced down at her when she mentioned Gaara and conveyed with his eyes for her to stop talking about it. He still wasn't comfortable with her sending him letters, mainly because he had lashed out at her, but he knew she valued friendship even more than he did if it were possible. She wouldn't turn on anyone.
"Tazuna-san, are there shinobi in the Land of Waves, too?" Kokoro asked to change the subject.
"No," he said gruffly. Feeling dissatisfied with the answer, she looked to her dad to give her more details.
"Unlike shinobi nations, a small island like the Land of Waves, has natural protection from the sea, so there's no need for a ninja village," he explained. "Anyway, it is unlikely for us to run into any foreign ninja."
Kokoro caught Sasuke staring at Tazuna, so she took a look, too. The bridge-builder seemed tense and nervous at the mention of foreign ninja. She narrowed her eyes and made eye contact with Sasuke. He nodded his head and she reciprocated. They were on the same page of suspicion. They walked on the barren, dirt road before they came across a puddle of water. Everyone overlooked it and continued walking. However, Kokoro did a double-take. Did it rain recently, she wondered. She looked up at her dad, but he didn't seem to be too worried about it, so she let it go.
Suddenly, two shuriken-laced chains attached to two foreign shinobi shot into the air and wrapped themselves around Kakashi. Kokoro shot her hands out in desperation and took a step towards her dad. She saw the panicked look in his wide eyes and squeaked as the chains were pulled tight and sliced through his body. Her hands tightened and all she saw was red. She tried to rush forward but Sasuke held her back.
"Don't!" he yelled. "You'll only get yourself hurt!"
She knew he was right, but all she could think about was her dad being ripped to pieces. They took her only family away and they were going to pay for it. The two foreign shinobi ignored her and went straight for Naruto. The blonde genin was still shocked by the recent events and was frozen in his spot. Sasuke sighed harshly and ran to aid him. Kokoro watched it unfold. The duo then turned their attention to Tazuna.
She was the closest one to him, yet she didn't know what to do. She wanted to kill the shinobi, but she needed to focus on protecting Tazuna. She couldn't let Sasuke do all the work. He'd get too exhausted and probably injure himself. Besides, she didn't want to be a liability. Her dad taught her everything she knew. It would be a disservice to him if she stood and did nothing.
She jumped a meter in front of Tazuna, putting enough distance between them so that any fighting that occurred wouldn't harm him in the process. She pulled out a kunai for each hand and got into a defensive position. She met the first one head-on. She was startled by his physical strength and staggered back a few steps. In her disoriented state, the second one rushed her. She blocked his attack at the last moment with her forearms. She was thankful she agreed to wear metal forearm guards.
Kokoro struggled against his advances. An idea struck her and she allowed him to push hard against her guard. She ducked and used his forward momentum to flip him over her back. He landed on the ground with a loud thump and she took the chance to detain him. She straddled him and plunged a kunai in each of his hands to tether him to the ground.
She froze in her actions and stared wide-eyed at what she had done. She covered her open mouth with her hand as tears welled up in her eyes. She didn't know how to feel. She'd meant to stab his shirt sleeves, but in her rage, she'd aimed for his hands. She watched as blood oozed from the wound and cringed at the awkward way the kunai stuck out of his hands.
The silver-haired girl climbed off her opponent and took a handful of steps backward. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see her dad staring at her with a knowing look in his eye.
"You-" she said as her mouth opened and closed on its own. Kakashi patted her head in comfort and detained the one Kokoro pinned. He pulled out the kunai from his hands and tied him up next to the other one. Naruto's and Sasuke's eyes were like daggers piercing her soul. She moved off to the side and waited for her dad to finish interrogating them.
Her actions replayed over in her head and she physically shook it to rid her of the images. She'd never harmed anyone to that extent before. Sure, she'd nicked her dad when they trained, but she'd never actually gone out of her way to harm another human being. Shame crept up her body and covered her like a blanket. She knew that hurting others came with being a kunoichi. But knowing and doing were entirely two different things.
She was confident in her skills, but she wasn't confident that she would be able to do what needed to be done when the time was right. Her hands curled into fists and she hung her head. How was she going to complete missions if she felt this way every time?
"When you put in your request, you didn't say there were ninja hunting you," Kakashi said to Tazuna. "If we knew this, it would be a B-rank mission or higher. You lied to us and that is unacceptable."
"Naruto's hand could become a problem," he continued. "I guess we should go back to the village."
"No!" Kokoro yelled in protest. "We can't turn back now!"
"This mission is too dangerous for genin. While you and Sasuke did good against these two, you and Naruto froze up. You two could have been killed. You aren't ready yet." Kakashi admonished.
"It was just shock!" she protested. "This is our first ever real mission! Of course we're gonna make mistakes!"
She couldn't lose this chance. If she backed down now she'd never know if she was cut-out for this job. If she couldn't complete this mission, what was to say she could complete even trickier and more complicated missions in the future? No. She would argue until he let them keep going.
"Let's- uh," she racked her brain for something to say, "Let's put it to a vote! Majority rules!"
Kakashi stared hard at her before he nodded his head.
"Alright," he said. "We'll put it to a vote. If everyone is in agreement, we will continue the mission."
Kokoro turned to her teammates and gauged their reactions. Sasuke held a neutral expression, but his eyes basically screamed determination. She smiled and turned to Naruto. Her smile dropped. He held a kunai in his hand and was digging into his wound. Frustration was evident on his face as he muttered to himself. She looked down at the wound and gulped, thinking back to the one she had inflicted on someone else.
She pursed her lips and walked up to him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "Naruto, it's okay. If we have to go back to treat your wound, then that's fine with me. Health is the utmost priority."
"I worked hard to get here. I will never back down. I will never run away. And I won't lose to anyone, including Sasuke," Naruto said in a determined voice laced with pain. Kokoro admired his tenacity and wished she could bounce back the way he did. She walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"You're really cool, Naruto," she said. She eyed the wound in his hand and cringed. She reprimanded herself and shook off the crawling feeling she got when she looked at it. She grabbed some supplies from her med-pack and started cleaning his wound. She went to wrap it up but the hole in his hand was gone. She was puzzled. She looked at her dad and opened her mouth, only to close it when he shook his head. So he knew, she thought.
Dear Gaara,
Naruto got scratched up pretty badly from a cat named Tora. It was funny because the cat really didn't like him. To be fair, the cat was pretty fussy and even tied swiping at me a few times. It was a simple search and retrieve mission in the village. We haven't gotten anything other than D-ranks, so I'm getting antsy.
How are your genin days going so far? I'd like to think you're a genin by now. You could probably be a chunin. You're smart and you can control sand pretty well. If they worked on your skills, I'm sure you're pretty advanced in attacking and defensive ability.
I can't make this too long cause I have another mission to go on. I can't give you the details, but it's our first C-rank! I'm excited! I'm pretty busy now so the number of letters I send you has gone down, but know that it's not because I'm forgetting about you. I'm always itching to write to you, I just don't have a lot of time these days.
Anyway, I gotta go!
Kokoro
They took a boat to cross by water. Kakashi used the time to question Tazuna further about the ninja hunting him down. Apparently, a man named Gato was after him. He didn't want Tazuna to finish building the bridge for selfish reasons. Kokoro thought it was all the same.
People did things for selfish reasons; they did things to make their lives better but not anyone else's. That's one of the reasons why she wanted to be a ninja. Some people needed protection more than others. A picture of Gaara entered her mind and she clenched her fists. Nobody protected him, but she would protect him the next time she saw him.
After riding for some time in misty waters, they entered a tunnel. When they exited it, a beautiful sight met their eyes. The water was clear and blue and so was the sky. There were buildings built along the water and there were seagulls chirping in the air. They docked and left the boat. They had to walk the rest of the way.
"Okay, take me home!" Tazuna said a bit cheerfully. "And by that, I mean get me there in one piece."
The three genin sighed and muttered under their breath while their jounin leader looked on with exasperation. Kakashi led them down the dirt road. Trees lined the sides of the path. Out of nowhere, Naruto ran ahead of the group and shouted as he threw a kunai.
"Hm, it was just a mouse," he said freely. Everyone stared at him in bewilderment except Kokoro, who looked like she was ready to murder him. She glared at his back and marched up to him. She hit him in the back of the head and yelled, "What do you think you're doing?! This isn't the time to play games!"
"Ah, Kokoro, sorry," he said as he rubbed the spot where she'd hit him.
"Naruto, those are kunai. They're dangerous," Kakashi said with his hands held out in front of him.
"Stop trying to scare me, you scruffy little dwarf!" Tazuna yelled. The anger left Kokoro's body and a fit of giggles made its way out of her mouth. Naruto narrowed his eyes at her before he looked at the trees and asked, "Hey, is someone hiding over there?"
"Over there!" he yelled again and threw another kunai.
"Seriously, stop," Kokoro said.
"Someone is really following us, dattebayo," he pouted.
"Stop being such an idiot," Sasuke commented. The ravenette smirked when he saw how riled up he got his teammate. It's like it's a game for them, Kokoro complained. Her attention was drawn towards her dad, who walked through the bushes. She followed him and saw a cute, white bunny trembling against a tree right below the spot the kunai dug itself in.
"A rabbit?!" Naruto exclaimed. He rushed forward and picked the animal up.
"I'm sorry little rabbit," he said as he held it close.
"All this fuss over a rabbit," Tazuna complained. Kokoro couldn't help but agree with him. Did he really need to go ballistic about a rabbit that was going in the same direction as them? It was just a wild animal.
"Look out!"
A huge sword came spinning wildly at them. They ducked and watched the blade dig deep in a tree. Then, someone jumped onto the handle of the blade. He was wearing gray pants and wore no shirt. White protective leg sleeves dotted with brown and black spots were tucked into sandals and matched his protective arm sleeves. There were bandages wrapped around the bottom of his tanned face and his headband stated his village: Kirigakure, the Mist Village.
"Well, well, if it isn't Zabuza Momochi, rogue ninja from KIrigakure," Kakashi said in a free voice. Why is he acting so care-free, Kokoro wondered. Her hand gripped a kunai tightly and she was already in a defensive stance. If he was a rogue ninja, he must be dangerous. No weak ninja was stupid enough to defect from a major village.
Naruto ran forward, ready to attack, but Kakashi held an arm out to stop him. Kokoro sighed in relief. She didn't know what was going on in his head, but he wasn't thinking straight.
"You're in the way. Get back," Kakashi said gravely.
"But, why?" Naruto asked rudely.
"He's not like those other ninjas," the jounin stated. He lifted a hand and placed it on his hitai-ate. His daughter gasped and clenched her teeth. Her dad always said that the only time he used his other eye was when things were getting worse. To use it so early on in battle tributed to the strength of the rogue in front of them.
"Kakashi of the Sharingan. Did I get that right?" Zabuza asked. Sasuke tensed and glared at Kakashi. Kokoro didn't know what was going through his head, but finding out about that now was detrimental. Who knew if it would create a rift between the two of them.
"It's too bad, but you'll have to hand over the old man now," Zabuza continued.
Quickly, Manji formation," Kakashi instructed. "Protect the bridge builder and stay out of this fight."
He lifted his headband onto his forehead, revealing the vertical scar running through his eye and his Sharingan, the doujutsu of the Uchiha clan.
"Everyone keeps saying, 'Sharingan, Sharingan'. Will someone tell me what it is?" Naruto asked confusedly.
"Enough talking. I need to exterminate the old man, now," Zabuza said. Without hesitance, the three genin formed the mani formation around Tazuna. Sasuke took the center while Kokoro and Naruto took the sides. Each held onto a kunai with both hands, holding the object downwards. Zabuza moved locations, pulling out his blade in the process.
"He's over there, standing on the water!" Naruto yelled. Suddenly, the area was covered in mist. Kokoro couldn't see a thing. She panicked slightly but got her wits together.
"Don't lower your guard," Kakashi said. Then, he disappeared.
"Eight points," a voice said from a distance. "Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart. Now, which will be my kill point?"
Kokoro couldn't help but shiver. She was worried about her dad, but she knew he could take care of himself. A blue gust whipped away the mist and cleared the air. Beside her, Sasuke trembled just as she did from the powerful bloodlust emanating from both jounin. She wanted to place a hand on him to show him that he had backup but she didn't want to break her stance.
"Sasuke, calm down," the silver-haired leader said. His back was to them, showing off his strong stance. "I'll protect you with my life. All of you. I will not allow my comrades to die. Trust me."
"Trust us," Kokoro said confidently. She was still shaking and you could hear it in her voice, but she needed to let him know. "You're not alone in this; we've got your back."
Sasuke met her eyes and nodded affirmatively.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that," a voice said from behind them. Kokoro's eyes widened. Zabuza was behind them. "It's over."
He swung his blade as Tazuna and the genin jumped away. Kakashi met him head-on. A kunai stuck out of Zabuza's stomach, but instead of blood, water was pouring out. Kokoro looked at it in confusion before realization dawned on her. A water clone. The clone dispersed.
"Die!"
Another Zabuza swung his blade at Kakashi and sliced him in half. Surprisingly, Kakashi, too, turned into water. I've never seen him do that, Kokoro thought. How did he do it?
"Don't move," Kakashi said. He stood behind Zabuza and held a kunai to his neck. "Now it's over."
Zabuza laughed and turned into water just as another Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi. Kakashi ducked as the huge blade was swung towards him. The blade slammed into the ground. Zabuza let the hilt go and kicked the silver-haired man away. He pulled his sword from the ground and ran towards Kakashi's flying body. He suddenly stopped and jumped into the water. Kakashi's head popped out of the water just as Zabuza reached him.
"Water Prison!"
A ball of chakra-filed water encased the jounin. Kokoro was stunned and made a noise of protest at the back of her throat.
"So much for the great Kakashi. I'll deal with you later. But first, your little friends will have to be eliminated," Zabuza said. He created a water clone and used his mist jutsu again. The clone rushed forward and kicked Naruto in the gut. The blond's headband flew off his head and Zabuza stepped on it.
"You're just brats. You think wearing a headband makes you a ninja?" Zabuza asked.
"Naruto!" Kokoro yelled out. She rushed to his side but was stopped by the water clone. She instantly regretted her actions when she was thrown to the side.
"Hmm, you look familiar," Zabuza said. He walked towards Kokoro and grabbed the front of her shirt. He picked her up and watched her struggle to touch the ground again. He stared at her before he looked at Kakashi. Then, he grinned.
"Couldn't separate your personal life from work?" he asked wickedly. "Seems you brought your little brat with you."
"Listen!" Kakashi shouted hysterically. "Get the bridge builder and run! You can't win this fight! He's using all his power to keep me in this prison, so he can only fight you with his water clone. The clone can't go far from his body, so he can't follow you. Run, now!"
Kokoro clenched her hands into fists and glared at the clone in front of her. She wanted to glare at her dad, but she couldn't get distracted. Real or not, the clone in front of her was still dangerous. Her dad was stupid to think she would run away without him. She wouldn't abandon him.
"You think we're that naive!" she shouted. "You think we'd abandon you! Those who abandon their friends are worse than scum, remember? We aren't going anywhere!"
She grabbed onto the clone's forearms and used her upper body strength to hoist herself up and kick him. The clone released her but remained solid. It was stronger than she thought it was, but she still created space between them.
"We've got to do this!" Sasuke yelled in agreement. Kokoro stared at her dad and met his eyes. She gave him a small smile of reassurance. She could tell he was worried and scared for not only her life but theirs as well. He was too scared to remember that they were a team. He wasn't alone, even if he was the highest-ranking ninja among them. They trusted him. Now, it was his turn to trust them.
