Chapter 6

Team 7 watched as Tora the cat was reunited with her owner, the heavyweight woman nearly crushing the cat within her smothering embrace.

Pink eyebrows furrowed, internal morals clashing as the scene unfolded. "Did we just subject this poor animal to prolonged abuse?"

Naruto crossed his arms, pouting under the fresh scratches adorning his face. "Serves her right, damn cat."

Madame Shijimi excused herself from the office, practically skipping out of the room with Tora in tow. The Madame possessed a large amount of wealth, and could afford to pay for the city's services to hunt her cat down. As Tora consistently attempted to find freedom, this mission was a common assignment for lower class ninja.

Unfortunately, that meant Tora would never find freedom.

Sakura made a mental note to aid in the feline's escape if they ever crossed paths.

"Now then," Sarutobi scanned the paper, dragging on his pipe as he read through the contents with his calming, signature drawl.

Here, Team 7 would be tasked with their next assignment, having finished their first with ease. Normally, she would be disappointed, but deep down Sakura was relieved to find most of their missions were glorified chores.

It was a little disturbing to realize that Konoha was using its military for menial tasks, but she understood the relationship it built with the citizens - especially when they're being handled by wide eyed genin. Furthermore, the excursions of the previous night had pushed her limits, and she found herself running on low fuel the entire day.

If these missions required her at full capacity, she would have been in real trouble-

"Okay fine! If you insist, I'll grant you a C-rank mission… as bodyguards."

Sakura snapped back to reality, having only half registered the tantrum Naruto had been throwing with the officials. The blonde's vocal dissent had been a given, but she hadn't expected the Hokage to cave under his pressure.

Oh no… Ohhh nonono…

Naruto perked up, at full attention, having moved past surprise to the details of the mission. "Who is it, who is it, dattebeyo? A feudal lord? A princess?"

A flushed, middle aged man opened the door, equipment for his journey strapped to his back. He had the hands of a laborer, and loosely held a bottle that he promptly finished as he met his entourage. "What's this, a bunch of snot nosed brats? Especially you - the smallest one with the idiot-looking face. Are you really a ninja?"

Naruto burst into laughter at the jab, turning to his teammates to see who it was aimed at. "Who's the smallest one with the idiot face he's talking abo-"

Kakashi grabbed the blonde before the insult sank in, holding up the genin like one would an aggressive puppy. On cue, Naruto exploded into a stream of, "I'LL KILL HIM DATTEBEYO WHO'S HE CALLING AN IDIOT HE BETTER COME OVER HERE BEFORE I BEAT HIS ASS", kicking the air as he vigorously returned the favor.

"You asked for this damn mission, Naruto," Sakura snapped. "What's the point beating the client you're supposed to protect, baka?"

Once Naruto calmed down, the man introduced himself.

He was a veteran bridge builder named Tazuna, who was returning to his village to finish bridge construction.

Emerald eyes sized up their client, tense.

C-ranked missions were often assigned to Chunin, sometimes Genin, and didn't promise combat. Though probability assured the pink haired kunoichi to relax, she found herself on edge as she sized up their client.

Regardless, they were promptly dismissed and given a couple hours to gather supplies for their upcoming mission and regroup.

Before leaving, Sakura grabbed at their sensei's sleeve, halting his departure.

She gazed at him, attempting to discern whether her unease rooted from paranoia, but Kakashi's unemotional gaze offered no hints. "Yes, Sakura?"

She hesitated, wondering if she should voice her concerns, but decided against it - at least, not in front of the officials. Instead, she gave a shy smile. "Just excited. See you soon, sensei!"

Unfazed, Kakashi gave her a one-eyed smile, giving a nonchalant salute before he disappeared with a 'poof'.

Sakura chuckled bitterly, shaking her head. Even if he had known something, that sadist would probably send their merry asses down anyway.

Might as well take the time to cram in a nap.

An hour into their trek, Naruto had retained his excitement, having already declared his intention to become Hokage to Tazuna, in which the bridge builder promptly shut him down.

Sakura tried to remain lighthearted, making small talk by asking the bridge builder about his hometown, the Land of the Waves.

As Kakashi explained the structure of the Five Nations, Sakura quietly turned to her solemn teammate with an inquisitive look. "What?"

As expected, the Uchiha immediately looked away, uninterested.

Emerald eyes rolled, annoyed. "Fine - if you don't want to talk about it, don't talk."

Throughout the day, she had felt his eyes watching her, even during the mission capturing Tora. She could care less what he thought about her, but this was starting to get distracting.

"... Why were you at the hospital?"

Pink lashes fluttered in surprise as she snapped her head to look at her teammate. For once, he maintained her eye contact, his dark eyes penetrating into her own. She found no scrutiny, just curiosity.

Hesitantly, she replied, "My mother."

After a bit of silence, the Uchiha turned to face forward once more, seeming to accept the answer. "... Hn."

Sakura shifted her weight into her heels, a knowing smile gracing her lips. "Looks like someone else was up late last night, ne?"

He didn't return her attempt at conversation, keeping his eyes fixed forward. Sakura snickered, about to move into another teasing remark when the hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stood up.

Simultaneously, Kakashi glanced at a puddle they passed, affirming her suspicions. She didn't turn to look, but upon passing that puddle, she had felt a ripple of chakra… and animosity.

The kunoichi feigned an itch, scratching near her holster and hooking a pinky onto the handle of a kunai.

Everything happened at once, their peaceful walk suddenly transforming into a battleground with a single spike of chakra.

Sakura darted in front of Tazuna as spiked chains shot into the air, enveloping Kakashi. Her teammates reacted a second late, turning with exclamations of surprise that matched their sensei's stunned expression.

Two figures had appeared behind the jounin, each holding an end of the chain. They yanked at the restraints, cutting Kakashi's figure into ribbons before the others. "The first one!"

"K-Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto stood frozen as his sensei's bloody remains rained onto the dirt path.

As they moved to target the blonde, Sakura threw her kunai, three consecutive kunai trapping the chains into nearby trees. "Sasuke!"

Fortunately, the Uchiha was ahead of her, and jumped between the two. He grabbed their hands, twisting his body to land simultaneous kicks. As their attentions were fixed on Sasuke, Sakura launched two more kunai that embedded into their gear.

She had fused her own chakra into the weapons, the resulting contact allowing a genjutsu to wash over their attackers just as they released the chains holding them down. Their bodies froze, momentarily trapped within her jutsu, allowing Sasuke to land a downward kick on one of their throats, rendering him unconscious.

As the Uchiha moved to deal with the other, the nin snapped out of his paralysis to block the kick, and dashed around, changing his target to Tazuna. Sakura cursed and turned to grab the bridge builder, scooping the man into her arms to engage in flight.

Suddenly, the nin's path was blocked, arm hooking around his neck that used the momentum to crush his airway.

The arm was connected to their silver haired jounin, who casually swung the offender over his shoulder. "Yo."

Sakura relaxed with a sigh, relieved that Kakashi had decided to intervene. She slowly lowered Tazuna's legs, holding the man up when she felt him wobble as he touched the ground, still recovering from shock. "That extra beer probably wasn't a good idea, ne?"

She glanced at Naruto, whose legs had simultaneously given out and sat in a squat. Beside the trauma, he seemed uninjured, gazing at his sensei in amazement as he pieced together Kakashi's use of the substitution jutsu.

The jounin now carried the two offenders in each arm, having picked the second one off the ground. "Sorry for not helping earlier, Naruto. I didn't think you'd be incapable of moving. Sakura, Sasuke - good job."

Naruto blinked, realizing that the danger was over, and pushed himself up off the ground. Everyone seemed to have known what to do... and yet he failed to move an inch, paralyzed by fear and surprise.

The blonde reflected Sakura's own position in the past, her horror at being helpless threatening to dredge itself up from seeing the expression of Naruto's face. Sakura felt a wave of empathy, but knew that attempting consolation right now would only deepen the wound.

Sasuke obviously didn't share her sentiment, and moved to taunt their teammate, which Sakura abruptly interrupted with a sharp elbow. He sent her a glare which she returned, leading him to huff in annoyance and cross his arms. "Fine."

She had shared a moment of harmony with him during the battle, each trusting the other to play their parts in a moment of urgency. A flicker of respect had softened his image in her mind, almost allowing her to forget her perception of him as an egotistical bastard.

Almost.

Sakura sighed, mirroring his crossed arms as she turned to Tazuna. "I felt uneasy about this mission, but it looks like I wasn't just nervous. It seems like there's more to Tazuna-san than we thought."

"What do you mean?" Tazuna claimed, defensive. "This is your job as ninja, no?"

"I didn't help because I wanted to discern their target," Kakashi mused. "Chunin from the village of the hidden mist… and we haven't heard that you would be targeted by ninja - this was just supposed to be a simple escort, hm?"

At his implication, Tazuna remained silent, but beads of sweat rolled down his forehead revealed the truth of the situation.

"This mission is beyond the scope of what's required," the jounin continued. "This is a mission of B rank or higher. Perhaps there's a reason, but being lied to won't do. Those chains were poisoned - had they made contact with Naruto, they would require immediate hospital treatment."

"I agree," Sakura declared, livid. "We were not prepared for this type of engagement. Naruto could have gotten seriously hurt, and I refuse to risk our team for-"

"NO!"

All eyes turned to the source of the exclamation. Naruto stood with both fists clenched, his eyes glinting with anger. "WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME, DAMMIT?" He grit his teeth, and promptly unsheathed his own kunai and stabbed himself in the leg.

Everyone watched in astonishment, speechless as blood began to flow from the wound.

"Why… am I always different? Here I am carrying out missions and doing special skill-training sessions everyday... " Slowly, determination replaced the anguish in his voice. "I'll never get into another situation where I need to be rescued. I'll never be afraid or cowardly, or lose to Sasuke again - I swear on the pain in my left leg!

I'll protect you old man, with this kunai!"

Irises reflecting the color of the sky shone with passion, forcing his grimace of pain into a characteristic grin. "The mission continues!"

Sakura found her doubt morphing into hope, watching as the previously helpless blonde easily channel his regret into motivation. A smile gently spread across her features, as she witnessed what would be one of many Naruto-esque moments that changed her perception entirely - both of him, and of their possibilities.

She closed her eyes in defeat, chuckling under her breath as his positive energy seemed to overwhelm the space with its impossible warmth.

It seems like I've underestimated him after all.

Kakashi blinked, pointing at the injury. "Ah… Naruto, you're going to bleed to death if we don't treat the wound."

At the statement, Naruto's passion drained from his face, turning pale as the consequences of his actions caught up to him. "AH… AHHHHHH!"

Sakura shared a look of exasperation with the Uchiha before letting out a snorting laugh. "Alright you stubborn bastard - let's get you fixed up and go."