Shizukana's P.O.V.

I am currently standing in front of Sasuke's house. Earlier this morning, I received a message saying that Team Seven has a mission.

I knocked twice before I heard shuffling and the sound of footsteps. Before long, the door opened to reveal Sasuke munching on a piece of bread. He looked at me in confusion and then he glanced behind him, to where I presume his clock was.

"We have a mission," I said making him nod. He opened the door wider to let me in.

I walked in and stood by the door. It wasn't much but Sasuke's apartment was much colourful than mine. I looked around and found myself smiling when I saw a picture of me and Sasuke together.

It was at Sasuke's 4th birthday. We had gotten close ever since the day at the market and Mikoto-San invited me and my family to Sasuke's birthday. Dad was busy so Mom and I went by ourselves.

It was interesting. Well for me, it was boring as hell. Sasuke's kept on blabbering about the awesome things he got and was on full hyper mode. Mom and some other ladies, including Mikoto-San, were gossiping in a corner. Rumours and secrets in Konoha daily life. The one's they hear at the market, not S-rank secrets.

There were other children but they weren't the type I'd wanna be friends with. They were itty bitty and whiny.

"Ahem."

I snapped out of my trance and turned towards the source of the noise. Sasuke was standing, fully dressed. He was tying his headband to his forehead.

I nodded and headed out. I felt him follow me as we made it to Naruto's apartment. I've been here before. Only on one occasion. And that was to drop Naruto's bag, which he forgot after a mission.

The place was much better than before. Sasuke stayed at the entrance while I went inside the building to get Naruto's.

I knocked on Naruto's door and it opened instantly. Behind it was Naruto. He was fully dressed in his blinding orange and was wearing a huge smile.

"Shizukana-chan, what are you doing here?" He asked me.

"We have a mission and are requested to meet at the mission's desk in 15 minutes," I said making him beam in excitement. He quickly ran back into his apartment and came back with his headband loosely tied on his forehead.

I stepped back as he locked his door. He then looked at me with a wide grin and tightened his headband. "Let's go." He said.

I nodded. "Sasuke's downstairs. We have 10 minutes to reach the building." I informed. His mood deflated when Sasuke's name was mentioned but it returned to it bubbly self. I shrugged it off before heading downstairs.

We met with Sasuke and made it to the building in time. We knocked on the Hokage's office and a loud 'come in' came from behind the door. I opened the door to find Lady Tsunade, Lady Shizune and Sakura inside.

The three of us stood next to each other and waited for the mission details.

"This mission is a B rank but it might turn to be A rank." Lady Tsunade said making me raise an eyebrow. They want me to lead a possible B rank mission as a new Chunin?

Naruto was hyping next to me while Sasuke just narrowed his eyes. "What are the mission details?" I requested. Lady Shizune handed me a file and I went through the details. It didn't say much except that it was in the land of Tea.

"Every four year, our neighbours, the land of tea, holds a dedication ceremony at the Great Todoroki Shrine, and each time we are asked to escort the runner who participates in a race that's part of the ceremony." Lady Tsunade explained.

"You mentioned that the mission might escalate into an A rank. If its just an escort mission, shouldn't it be a C rank?" Sasuke asked making me look at Lady Tsunade.

Lady Tsunade nodded. "The messengers who were bringing the request were attacked on the way." She said looking at Lady Shizune. "I do not have any other information. That's why you will have to travel to the Land of Tea and meet with Boss Jirocho Wasabi. He'll give you further instructions."

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. But before I could voice out any questions, Naruto started talking.

"Where's Kakashi Sensei?" He asked looking around the room. "And why is Sakura-change here? Not that I don't like her being here." Naruto said smiling sheepishly.

"Brings me to my other point. As you know, our forces have stretched thin and we need all the shinobi we have. So, Kakashi is on a mission. Shizukana will lead the mission and Sakura will accompany as a medic." Lady Tsunade explained. "The mission will be for 2 days so pack enough supplies to last for two days."

I nodded and looked at everyone. "Let's head out. Pack your necessities and meet me at the gate in an hour." I said. But before we could leave, Lady Tsunade asked me and Sakura to stay behind.

I looked at Sasuke who eyed me. I just nudged my head towards the door making him walk out. Once he left, I turned to face Lady Tsunade.

"Sakura, this is your first B rank mission as a medic. As you remember the rules, you are under no circumstances to attack the enemy. You cannot be on the front line." She said sternly making Sakura nod. Lady Tsunade then looked at me.

"This is not the ideal mission for a new Chunin but I am sure that you are more than capable to handle the mission." She said making me nod. "Now, the messenger group was attacked by a Shinobi who is skilled in poison. One of the main reasons for Sakura to be there. We couldn't identify who the ninja was but his main offence is poison cover senbon. Shizukana, I know you've had your fair share of experience with Senbon. So this is going to be much harder." She said making me cringe at the memory. She must have read the report.

"These vials hold the antidote for the poison." Lady Shizune said handing Sakura five vials filled with a bright blue liquid. "Try your best not to need them." She said making me and Sakura nod.

"Good luck on your mission. Now scram." She said shooing us out of the office. We walked out and I stopped in the corridor making Sakura also stop and look at me.

"Welcome to the team," I said with a smile. She blushed and nodded. And with that, we went our separate ways to get our stuff.

I went inside my apartment and grabbed my stuff. Just the usual things like my Katana, shuriken, kunai, scrolls and stuff. I grabbed some marked tags and kunai. I left Karitos scroll and replaced it with some storage scrolls containing maps and a survival kit. Just in case.

Once I finished, I headed towards the gate. Sasuke was the only one there. But it was fine, we still have fifteen minutes. I waved at Sasuke and he nodded in acknowledgement.

"What did the Hokage's say after we left?" Sasuke asked. I looked at him waved my hands.

"Nothing. Just some tips for the miscion which I will tell you when everyone arrives." I said making him look at me for a few seconds before looking away. We stood there until Naruto and Sakura arrived.

Before we left, I thought of informing them about something. "Okay. Listen." I said gaining their attention. "This is the first time I'm leading a mission, so I need you to cooperate. According to Lady Tsunade, this mission might get ugly and I don't want anyone to get a medic, Sakura cannot be in the front line so we are gonna have to protect her." I said making Naruto and Sasuke nod.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan. I'll protect you." Naruto said flashing his smile towards her. "Believe it."

Sakura just smiled back. I smiled. During the academy, Sakura hated Naruto. But now, she has changed for the better.

"I also need you all to be on guard. We do not know anything about our enemy other than the fact that he is skilled in Senbon." I said giving Naruto and Sasuke a knowing look while I just smiled at Sakura. "Sasuke, you have your Sharingan and Naruto, use your clones as a distraction. Don't let the senbon hit you unless you want to die. This isn't like Haku. This guy won't be so merciful. This guys Senbon are covered in poison. Sakura has the antidote but that doesn't mean you should get your guard down."

Naruto and Sasuke nodded at the new information. And with that, we all began our journey. It was pretty much uneventful. Naruto kept on blabbering and bouncing around as normal. Sakura was listening to Naruto while also gazing around. Sasuke was keeping his guard on alert and was looking at everything in suspicion. I stayed in the back, also keeping my hard on alert. Can't let anything happen to my team.

Within a few hours, we reached the border of the Land of Tea. Naruto was too tired to be hyperactive and Sakura was also slugging her movements. Sasuke tried to hide his weariness but it showed. So I decided to take a break.

"Why don't we take a break?" I asked making Naruto and Sakura brighten up. Sasuke nodded so we made a pitstop at a tea house which was situated on the side of the road.

We entered and found a table near the entrance. An old lady came and took our orders which were tea and some dumplings.

"Can't wait to get on some action," Naruto said cracking his knuckles. I looked up from my cup of tea and shook my head.

"It's the last thing we need," I said making Sakura nod. "We'll complete our mission and head back. The more trouble we make, the more it affects the mission." I explained making Naruto deflate but he nodded nonetheless.

"With such little details, there might be a higher risk of combat," Sasuke said looking at me. "We need all the information we can get from this Jirocho person."

"Lady Tsunade trusts him, so there's no need to get cautious. But I suppose being on alert won't hurt." Sakura said. But before anyone else could comment, a boy from the back of the tea house approached us.

"May I help you?" Sakura asked kindly. She had no reason to be rude. We don't need to make enemies.

"Ah, nothing. Just laying back and relaxing. Ninja life is just cushy." He said with a mocking tone. The only one who would get irritated by that comment was Naruto.

Naruto stood up and was about to argue but he quieted down when I gave him a look. Once Naruto was seated, I turned my attention back to the newcomer.

"I appreciate your opinion but there isn't any real reason for you to be here, so I suppose you could leave us in peace," I said trying my best not to glare at him. He turned his attention from Naruto and looked at me. In an instant, his expression changed from smug to a flirty smirk.

"Well, hello there." He said leaning against the table. "I must be lucky to see two cuties together." He said looking at me and Sakura.

I raised my eyebrow at that comment and took a deep breath. He is a pain in the ass. Naruto started to talk about respecting ladies and was about to start a fight before Sasuke began talking.

"It would be wise if you leave the table. You wouldn't want to accidentally break a bone or two, now would you?" Sasuke threateningly. His voice was so low that it made me look at him in disbelief. You don't threaten people like that.

Everyone looked at him. "Where'd he go?" Naruto said scratching his head. I turned to look at the stranger but he was gone. I didn't even feel him move.

"Leave him. It's best if we started to move." I said raising my hand for the bill. Everyone nodded. The old Lady came and handed me two bills. I looked at her in confusion.

"The boy you were talking with said that you would pay for his order." She said. And that was it for Naruto. He quickly stood up and dashed out of the shop. Sasuke followed him while Sakura towed behind.

I sighed before grabbing purse placing the money on the table. "Keep the change," I said running out. After a few seconds, I saw Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke standing in the middle of the road. Naruto and Sakura were panting for breath while Sasuke was glaring at the direction which I presumed was the way that guy escaped from.

"He's fast. Wonder what kinda training he's going through." Sakura said trying to catch her breath. She stood straight and dusted her blouse.

"Let's get back to the mission. Whoever that was is none of our concern." I said making everyone nod. We made it into the Land of Tea and it wasn't exactly hard to find the exact location. If you asked for a Jirocho, the whole village knows where he lives.

We were directed to a huge house. Seeing as this Jirocho was so famous, he was rich. We were escorted and met with Jirocho Wasabi. He was a large man with shaggy black hair. He had a kind look on his face and smiled as soon as he saw us.

"You must be the team sent from Konoha." He said gesturing us to take a seat. He took a seat on the tatami mat which was laid on the floor.

"My name is Shizukana Tori and this is my team," I said gesturing to Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura. "How may we be of service to you?" I asked politely. Wasabi-San gave a hearty laugh.

"I guess that Lady Tsunade didn't give you very detailed instructions." He said. "However, I am glad that you are here. As you know the Ceremony which is held at the Great Todoroki Shrine has come, and there is a race included. The winner of the race is praised as a great hero. But in recent years, the race which was supposed to be a friendly competition has taken a more troublesome aspect." He explained making all of us tilt our heads in confusion.

"Define more troublesome," Sasuke said trying to sound as polite as possible. Even though it came off as rude, he didn't seem to mind.

"For generations, Port Degarashi has been separated into two families: the Wasabi and the Wagarashi, two rival gambling families," Jirocho-San said making me raise my eyebrow. Jirocho Wasabi. Its weird seeing that he hasn't bashed the other family. But then again, he seems like a kind person. Jirocho-San continued. "There are some disputes which led to some dangerous consequences. Finally, to end this vicious cycle of hatred, the district leader called both the families and came to an agreement. Hence, control over the town will not be decoded by street brawls but rather a race held every four years."

"So I guess the Wagarashi family won last time and the violence still hasn't stopped," Sakura said making Jirocho-San nod solemnly.

"But I don't understand. Why do you need our help?" I asked and Jirocho-San widened his eyes.

"Four years ago, the Wagarashi family sabotaged our racer by hiring a ninja. And they plan to do so this year." He said making all of us nod in understanding.

"Leveling the playing field," Sasuke said making Jirocho-San nod.

"We sent our messengers to Konoha but before they could reach, they were attacked." He said. Before continuing, he got onto his knees and bowed his head. "I beg you. Please lend our family your strength. If the Wagarashi family wins, there will be violence for four more years."

I stood up and walked towards him. Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke also stood up but stayed put. I walked towards the man and knelt next to him. For someone in a higher place to fall to his knees and beg, he must mean good. I respect that.

"Jirocho-San, being a Shinobi means that, one must protect those in need and that is exactly what we are going to do," I said making the man raise his head and smile in gratitude. I looked at my team and watched their various expressions. Naruto was looking at me in admiration. Sasuke was having a different emotion. One that I couldn't comprehend. Sakura was smiling at me brightly.

I ignored them and looked back at Jirocho-San. He was looking at me with a bright smile. "So does that mean you'll take the mission?" He asked. He was clinging onto us with a last bit of hope.

Before I could say anything, Naruto cut me off. "Of course. We'll help you, Jirocho-San." Naruto said running towards me and striking a pose.

"So who are escorting?" Sasuke asked.

Jirocho-San clapped his hand twice when the door opened and the runner stood there.

All of us turned to face the runner and I internally groaned.

A/N. Hey. Hope you liked the chapter. This one was just there intro for the whole marathon. I added Sakura cus I didn't want to cut her off like that.

Comment below and stay tuned for the next chapter.

Ciao...