After the exams were finished, Shikamaru, Ino, and Sakura were promoted to Chūnin. Ayo and her team gathered at Ichiraku to share a meal.
"I will be on a solo mission to collect a bounty for Orochimaru," Ayo announced. "While I will be gone, Kakashi will be your sensei. I've arranged for him to teach you how to protect your clients."
"Why can't we go with you?" Naruto asked.
"The Third Hokage doesn't see the point of sending an entire team when it just takes one person to collect a bounty," Ayo answered and glanced behind her upon hearing Kakashi arriving in a poof of smoke. "Ah, Kakashi, you're here."
"I'm not late, am I?" Kakashi asked.
"You're always late," Ayo replied. "I want you to be more punctual. If not, I will have Sasuke burn your precious orange book, Sakura perform castration without anesthesia, and Naruto perform the One Thousand Years of Death."
Sasuke created a mini-fireball, Naruto created a tiger seal with his hands, and Sakura's hands glowed green with medical chakra. Kakashi sweatdropped.
"You don't have to be that drastic," Kakashi stammered. "I promise to be more punctual."
A week later, Kakashi gathered Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke in front of Ichiraku.
"Let's pretend I'm the client you're assigned to protect from bandits or ninjas," Kakashi announced. "Your objective is to get me safely to clearing of the forest of training ground 3. Let's go."
Kakashi followed Sasuke and was flanked by Sakura and Naruto on his left and right respectively. As they reached their destination, a thick fog rolled in. Sasuke evaporated the fog with a fireball only to find his head sticking out of the ground and the rest of his body buried in the ground. Sasuke's eyes were covered by a bandana.
As the fog evaporated, Ayo appeared, transformed into a naked lady, and quickly substituted with Naruto, who took a punch in his stomach from Sakura. Naruto doubled in pain and withered on the ground.
"It's just you and me," Ayo replied and cast a genjutsu.
"Sakura, will you marry me?" Sasuke asked.
"Release," Sakura replied and dived to the ground as kunais were flung at her.
"I thought that was going to work," Ayo said.
"Sasuke hardly paid any attention to me," Sakura replied. "I'm surrendering."
"Why, Sakura?"
"Because if I die, no one will be able to heal my teammates."
"I call this exercise over," Kakashi announced. "Your sensei sent me a message last night saying she would be returning today and that she wanted to test your ability to protect a client."
"You guys could use some work," Ayo said.