TW: Canon-typical violence and implication/threat of potential sexual assault. Maybe, kind-of, if you squint.

Genma, in equal parts, loved and hated his kids.

And they were his kids.

They were adorable little nerds that were hellbent on nicknaming every damn person, animal, or thing they came across. They giggled amongst themselves at every opportunity and they coordinated their outfits—with his, now.

That last bit, admittedly, came as a surprise.

Especially since he wore the standard jōnin uniform with very few exceptions.

When Koji turned up in a bandana, Tetsuya in a turtleneck, and Miho with bandages around the right thigh of her black pants, he really had to resist the urge to coo.

Genma had to resist the urge to melt completely when they each smiled up at him and said, "Let's go get that mission, Boss Man."

With the frightening feeling of they watch everything, Koji raised a piece of grass to his lips and grinned around it. Miho and Tetsuya grinned, too, obviously pleased as punch that Koji had come around. Team Five was probably his downfall, Genma figured, but at least they were cute.

Too cute.

They were stupidly efficient, too, when they really had no right to be, which was both confusing and annoying. Tetsuya liked writing reports, like the absolute weirdo he was. He liked the "official-ness" of it. He liked filling out the boxes. Koji was a caregiver, through and through— the one who could bring them back to center. He was physical, comfortable with breaking barriers to give care. Miho handled their endurance and strength training with a frightening likeness to Gai. She was determined to see everyone get stronger. If that meant staring them down until they ate or completed a task, then she'd do it.

(At one of the jōnin teacher gatherings (held at a very professional seedy pub near the stadium), Maito Gai declared in the Loudest Voice Imaginable that Akimichi Miho was a "shining, glistening example of Youth and Beauty" and that she was "surely a sunflower blooming with good senses.")

They— "Book Club," that is, since the name had stuck— spent off-days at their "Beta Location," which really meant the bookshop on Market Street. It was team-mandated, which meant that they all agreed to meet until they couldn't. He didn't know of a single other team that got together during off time.

And they were supremely annoying to generally anyone they felt side-eyed them.

Every time a jōnin caught him smirking down at them around his senbon, Genma may've glared at the resulting snicker.

Each time one of the other jōnin teachers questioned how much of the truth he was actually giving about his team, he glared.

And every time a bit of his dignity died at their hands— because badass didn't rhyme with doting— he shrugged it off.

In short, they were his kids. It didn't really matter if he loved or hated them.

With the 35 D-ranks in the books, it was time for them to stretch their wings a bit.

"Off to the Mission Dispensary?" Koji questioned, folding his arms behind his head.

"You mean the 'Missions Desk'?" Genma rolled his eyes. "You can't give nicknames to things that already have names."

"You already had a name, Genma-sensei." Tetsuya replied helpfully, trying hard not to sound like a smart ass. It didn't work and Genma bopped him on the back of the head. "Ouch. Right."

"We going for a C-rank today?" Miho questioned around a huge bite of some high calorie bread. She held out a small piece for Tetsuya, who took it. "I know you're getting tired of D-ranks, Boss Man."

"Yeah, what was it you said the other day?" Koji questioned. He was learning the art of rhetorical questions and Genma wanted to throw himself— very bravely, like a true jōnin of incredible merit— off the Hokage monument. "You said, 'If we gotta do another D-rank again, I'm throwin' the cat into the river.'"

"That's just mean, sensei, really." Tetsuya smiled innocently around his bread. "That cat didn't do anything to you. We've just had to catch it ten times."

Miho's head shook. Her wild curls seeming even wilder with the force of the shake. "Eleven. Eleven times. Remember the fiasco with Team Eight?" Both boys grimaced.

Genma had to have a very long talk with Kurenai about keeping her Inuzuka away from his Akimichi or "there'd be hell to pay" and all that. Something about hearing that little ingrate's "Fatass can't catch a cat!" over and over again made something in him snap.

And the boys might've had some words with him behind the nearby noodle shop.

If the kid was growling under his breath as he apologized to Miho in a rough approximation of contrition, then she gracefully ignored it. She was patient like that. Told him to watch how quickly the cat came to a still target next time. He was practically spitting-fire mad.

The fact that his teammates didn't try to help him spoke volumes.

"C-rank or bust?" Koji wondered, entering the Academy-adjacent missions building. "Hey, Genma-sensei, we're not the last hold outs for a C-rank, are we?"

"We're tied with Team Ten and Team Seven." Miho answered before he could. Genma would imagine that she would know, given her brother was on Asuma's team and her Best Bud Naruto was on Team Seven. "We're all comin' in for missions today, so…"

They waited in the hallway outside of the "mission room," waiting for the next meeting slot. Normally, D-ranks went through the Mission Dispensary (see: Missions Desk), but with new genin, the Hokage assigned tasks personally. Mostly to build up loyalty and instill understanding of hierarchy between the new teams and leadership. A transition period from the Academy to actual practice.

Genma always thought it was a waste of time.

At a very familiar voice crying about her love for her cat, all three children (and their very badass teacher) cringed. The door opened and the woman stepped out. Very quickly, Genma fell into a formal bow and watched in his peripheral vision as his kids did the same. The woman squealed excitedly.

"Oh, Little Miho! Look, my dear! My dearest Tora has been returned to me. Yes, indeed!" The woman rubbed the cat against her face before reaching down to pinch Miho's right dumpling-like cheek. Genma fought hard not to laugh. "Your Elder Torifu will be visiting us soon. I hope you will come with him, my dear! I am certain you would absolutely love our sweets in the Capital!"

Miho smiled widely, bowing again to the Daimyo's wife. "I would love to, my Lady. Thank you for remembering that I love sweets."

"There's a girl! There's a girl!"

He wondered if Miho knew the kind of political connection she was fostering. She never struck him as the politicking type, but he'd been wrong before. Chōza was a political powerhouse and the Akimichi were one of the most powerful clans in the village when it came to connections and services-owed. Miho looked up at him and smiled.

"Have a pleasant day, my Lady!"

"NO! NO! THANK YOU!"

Miho flinched, watching as the woman walked away. Genma watched as her attention flitted back to the door in front of them. Her muscles tensed, as if waiting for an attack. Genma observed as the two boys exchanged a look.

"That was Naruto's—"

"YOU FOOL! YOU'RE STILL A BOTTOM ROOKIE! AT THE START, EVERYONE NEEDS TO MOVE UP THE LADDER!"

"And that was Iruka-sen—"

"BUT! IT'S BEEN NOTHING BUT BLAH MISSIONS SO FAR!"

Genma put a hand on Miho's shoulder when she took a step forward. He could remember being in the same position when he was her age, grabbing onto Gai's bandana— to keep him from busting into Team Seven's meeting. Miho was taking too much after Gai's student. He'd never mention this to Gai, even if he had to swallow his own tongue.

"Genma-sensei?" He released Miho, who looked down at her shoes, and glanced to Tetsuya. "Do you want us to go on a C-rank? Are we ready?"

"I've reported you as a C-rank capable for a week. It's up to the Hokage."

While Tetsuya nodded, Koji frowned and shuffled himself to stand closer to Miho. Even if he was taller than her, it wasn't by much and he often did this when he was feeling insecure. Miho always seemed to be the sturdy thing that the boys sheltered around. "It means…leaving the village, right?"

"We've left the village before, Koji."

"I know. I know. I mean— like further away. Further from the village."

Miho drew her left arm under his shoulders and physically leaned into him. Genma watched the exchange with no little awe, noticing that the kid had to shift his weight to accommodate hers. She was putting near her full weight onto his side and he was bolstering it. No easy feat either.

"Just means we have to watch each other's backs more. That's all."

He recognized the physical diversion, like how those therapists told him to find a way to distract from the panic attacks. She diverted Koji's attention from his anxiety to balancing her weight. It was small, focused, and effective.

Genma tried not to smile. He really did.

His kids were so cute. Damn it.

"Yo."

The sheer amount of judgement and disgust in that single word made Genma want to turn the Copy-Ninja into a Pin Cushion. He was probably fast enough, right? Besides, his assassin training had to be good for something. Hours and hours of killing people was useful for this kind of thing, right? He could take out Kakashi, surely.

Kakashi smiled behind his mask. "What's with the glare, Shiranui?"

"How many senbon does it take to turn an adult male into a pin cushion?"

"Technically, wouldn't it only take one?"

Genma sighed, deflating a bit. "Nevermind. Mock away."

Kakashi's students trailed along behind him: the disinterested Uchiha, the fangirling Haruno, and the—

"MIHO!"

loud Uzumaki.

He withheld a snort. Just like Kushina. Honestly, it was amazing. Like seeing her bound around Konoha again. Genma leaned back and watched as Naruto collided with Miho, slamming her back into the wall. She just barely maneuvered enough to keep the kid from slamming his head into the wood wall in his excitement.

"WE JUST GOT OUR FIRST C-RANK! IT'S GONNA BE AWESOME!"

Koji was actively trying to detangle himself from the two, looking desperately toward where Tetsuya was grinning. Just out of arm's reach. Tetsuya had a cruel streak a mile wide, and it was showing. Finally, Koji wiggled just enough to get himself free and he immediately flung himself at Tetsuya, who giggled and spun away.

"Koji, if you can get him in a headlock in the next fifteen seconds, I'll buy you grilled fish from that place on Market Street."

His student literally growled, body-slamming his teammate to the far wall.

Tetsuya didn't stand a chance.

Genma watched, switching the senbon to the right side of his mouth. "Don't break anything."

"What the—" The pink-haired girl started, eyes wide at Koji's brute strength as he manhandled Tetsuya into submission. Bless Tetsuya's hear though. He wasn't making it easy. The kid was freakin' bendy. Natural born kenjustu specialist. He really needed to call in that favor with Hayate. "This is Team Five?" The tone of incredulity was both gratifying and grating.

Genma might've been projecting, but it looked like the Uchiha scoffed.

"Welp, as cute as all of this is— bye!"

Kakashi was a damn weakling, bailing like that. Genma shook his head, looking to the students he left behind. They both stared at Naruto's back, obviously confused and thrown off-kilter for a moment. Their wild teammate was more subdued now, speaking to Miho in hushed tones, and another team was— at the very least— high-functioning.

After a long brooding stare at the Uzumaki's back, the Uchiha turned to leave. The pink-haired girl trailed after him, peppering him with questions that he obviously ignored.

"Naruto, you have a mission. Go get packed."

"I will, I will!" The kid stepped away from Miho, grinning from ear to ear. "Can you believe it? I get to go outside of the village! This is awesome."

Miho was comparatively more sober. As usual. "I'm proud of you. I am. And I'm sure you'll do great."

She seemed a bit hesitant and Genma listened in, even if his eyes were focused on Koji and Tetsuya's playful scuffling. Now that Koji won, they were just ribbing each other.

"Just…please be careful. Remember that not everything is as it seems. Keep your eyes open. And, it hasn't rained in weeks, so make sure to take extra water with you, okay? And extra snacks? And—"

"Hey, hey." Now Naruto seemed more collected as well. A complete 180 from his previous exuberance. "I'll be okay, ya know? Believe it." He rested a hand on her shoulder, but she flew forward and grabbed him around the shoulders. Genma shifted his senbon again. "What's got you so worked up, huh?"

"N-Nothing. Just, promise me, that you'll...know you got people here waiting for you, okay? People that love you." He saw the Uzumaki jerk in her arms before throwing his own around her as far as they would go.

Genma could smell the tears.

"Alright, alright. Let's get in there. We can't keep the Hokage and Iruka-sensei waiting. Koji, you won that round. I owe you grilled fish. Miho, tell Naruto that you'll see 'em later." He ushered the two boys ahead, giving the two time to separate. "Have a safe mission, Naruto."

If Naruto squeezed her a little tighter, well, Genma wasn't going to say anything about it.

Miho let him go and gave him an encouraging push. Then, as if sensing that she was now the one needing a distraction, Koji swept back to her and threw an arm over her shoulders.

"C'mon, Miho. He'll be fine."

As Tetsuya sidled up to Miho's other side, Genma smiled a bit more around his senbon and followed his students to stand before the Hokage. They bowed formally, as they were meant to do. He'd taught them all the courtesies, even if most of them for performative.

The old man looked smug, sharp eyes flitting over Koji's bandana, Miho's thigh bandages, and Tetsuya's turtleneck.

"Well, well. Team Five, it seems you are doing quite well in managing your teamwork. Your teacher has had nothing but positive things to report."

Genma knew when he was being thrown to the wolves for an old ninja's amusement, so he tried to maintain an unaffected air. His shoulders arched forward just a bit and he rolled the senbon. "Eh, sir, they're like a well-oiled machine. What can I say?"

His kids were preening. Bunch of ridiculous nerds would never let this go.

"A well-oiled machine that you reported was ready to take on C-rank missions."

"You what?" Iruka questioned with an abrupt sort of skepticism. His team wasn't outright giving their former teacher a side-eye, but it was bordering close. To them, it sounded insulting. And they weren't the type to go screaming about how offended they were. "They've got to work their way up to C-ranks."

"They have."

"Seeing as how Team Seven is departing on their first C-rank as well, I see no reason why you should not embark on your own."

All three of his students flinched, standing straighter.

"You have the same mission departure time as Team Seven, but you will veer southwest toward the mountains at the border with the Land of Rivers. There are rumors of a bandit hideout there. Find the hideout and report its location back to Konoha. This is a reconnaissance mission. No engagement."

"Our client?" Genma caught the scroll that was tossed to him. The mission parameters were normal for a C-rank. The Hokage was obviously testing his team's ability in an off-skill mission. This was more of a mission for Team Eight. Genma vaguely wondered if Team Ten would get a C-rank emphasizing direct battle instead.

"Rockfall, a mining village. You will meet them when you arrive there tomorrow midday. Speak with the village leader, Seki."

Genma nodded, leading the kids into a bow. They followed suit as he expected them to and he began to lead them away. Now, it was time to put their mission preparedness to the test. Five-minute mission prep drill.

No one could ever say that he was a soft teacher.

After all, he was a badass jōnin.

"Team Five?"

He stopped, watching as his kids turned around to look at the Hokage. They each looked to him first, as if in question of what the Hokage might want from them. Looking him to the direct-in-command. He could hear the smile in the man's voice.

This was exactly what the Hokage wanted when he forced Genma from the ANBU ranks.

Damn him, the old man was right.

"Safe journey."

Miho grabbed one of the mission-ready sealed scrolls from the kitchen bookshelf, which was stacked to the brim with different scrolls sealed with various mission durations and diets. Snack Scrolls. Her father's were at the top. Her brother's at the center. Hers at the bottom. The Akimichi symbol was etched into each one.

Hurrying past the kitchen, she bounded up the stairs and grabbed her backpack from the closet. She tossed her Snack Scrolls in, ten deep. Some extra senbon and kunai, a medical kit. Extra clothes and her bed roll. Her metal bō was sealed into her forearm armor. Collectively, she was wearing the weight of Tetsuya.

That weight was nothing.

Nothing compared to the weights that currently sat on her calves and forearms.

As she pulled Chōji's scarf around her neck, she stopped, glancing at the scroll on the windowsill. Part of her wondered if it would have anything useful for this mission.

Not today.

No, not today!

Chōji would be out on missions with his team. Her father was working on a new trade deal in one of the nearby towns. Her mother was at a friend's house, painting a nursery mural.

Miho scribbled down a note, setting it on the kitchen table once she'd finished her final prep. As an afterthought, she wrote out a quick note to Ino and handed it off to the guard at the front of the compound as she headed for the gate.

As usual, she was early. She leaned against the gate and scuffed the heel of her sandal against the dirt. Naruto's team was due to arrive any minute, she reckoned. Anxiety ate at her, making her hands shake as she shoveled handfuls of chips into her mouth.

Uchiha Sasuke arrived only a few minutes after her, moving to lean against the gate opposite her. He kept his attention anywhere but her and Miho mirrored that, studiously focusing on the sway of the treetops nearby. While she didn't feel uncomfortable in his presence, she could sense the silent judgement.

And that was grating.

Especially knowing what was coming for him during this mission.

What Naruto would go through for him on this mission.

Swallowing down the rest of the chips, Miho unwrapped a high-protein cookie. Special-made with her caloric intake in mind, her cookies were a pre-mission ritual. She needed to eat three before hitting the road.

"Akimichi."

Her head jerked down to stare at the Uchiha. He stared back at her, eyes narrowing. "Can you chew quieter?"

"Sorry. Didn't realize I was smacking." Miho smiled around the cookie a bit, silently praying for her teammates or Naruto to show up. Sasuke was awkward and standoffish in a way that was different from Shikamaru. Shikamaru was awkward and standoffish because he projected it to get people to leave him alone. Sasuke was awkward and standoffish because he oozed irritation. "I gotta eat three of these before we set out."

His eyes widened just a bit before he nodded and looked away. "Whatever."

Miho took that as some kind of permission, though she really didn't need it. She did try to chew with a bit more decorum, like she was out at a restaurant instead of prepping for a mission. After a minute, she shifted and pulled another from her back, eyeing it for a second before calling out to the Uchiha.

He grabbed the cookie from the air, eyeing it and her with equal parts suspicion and befuddlement.

Like he couldn't believe she'd just thrown a cookie at him.

"It's protein-enhanced. Good for long-haul missions. You can throw it back if you don't want it."

"Yo, Chubs!"

Grinning, Miho turned to see Tetsuya and Koji approaching. The latter was eyeing the Uchiha and his still dumbstruck expression. Meanwhile, Tetsuya leapt forward to link his arm with hers. The movements were all so natural now that Miho handed them cookies without thinking. Koji just pocked his, throwing the Uchiha a smirk.

"She gave you one too, huh? She don't share these lightly. Must've thought you looked hungry or somethin'."

"Actually, come to think of it…" Miho took out two more and chucked them at the Uchiha. He didn't quite scramble to catch them, but it was close enough. Scrambling would've been 'beneath him' or something. He eyed the two additional cookies with something akin to critical distain. "One's for Sakura. The other's for Naruto."

Tetsuya sidled himself slightly in front of her, grabbing her attention. "Did you remember—"

"Why would you give one of these to the idiot?"

Miho felt the world still and quieten. Despite her best efforts to reel in her kneejerk response, she was already moving before Tetsuya could grab ahold of her. Sasuke fell into a defensive stance, but Miho never made any move to strike. She looked down at him, down her nose from her greater height. She stood a head taller than him. Still.

He was still so small. He was obviously not eating right.

He has no one to cook for him.

He was sneering, in a way that she remembered from the Images. In a way that spoke to his own insecurities. Smart as he was, he was stunted. She could see it there— he truly didn't understand why she would give Naruto a cookie. He didn't get it.

Pulling in a deep breath, Miho let her shoulders rise and fall. The fight in her deflated and dissipated.

"If I'm not overly fond of you and gave you a cookie, then I'm certainly gonna give a cookie to one of my best friends." She sniffed and looked away, all too aware of her teammates' eyes on her. "Everyone deserves good food."

Something collided with her side and then was suddenly perched on her back, rough voice yelling out in delight. "Hell yeah, Miho! Totally showed up that bas— jerk! You gave him my cookie? Can I have another? Can I?"

"Naruto, you shouldn't eat cookies before a mission."

Miho turned to see Haruno Sakura arriving to the gate, a very put-upon expression pinched on her face. Honestly, Miho'd never had a problem with her. She pretty much kept to herself or fell in line with Ino, who'd avoided a Sasuke-based skirmish in this reality.

"You totally should!" Naruto responded, still perched on her back. Miho sighed, sagging a bit. "Akimichi-Lady, Momma Akimichi Whatever, said that you gotta store up food so that you have energy on missions. Right?" He swung around to Miho's right and tried to look into her face.

Snorting a laugh, she nodded and he leapt off, grabbing the two cookies from Sasuke's hand. He danced about and threw them into his mouth, eating as obnoxiously as possible to prove some kind of point.

Feeling a little helpless, Miho withdrew another cookie— the last of her pre-mission prep— and held it out to Sakura.

"Naruto ate your cookie. It's actually really healthy. Made with flax seeds and oats and a protein concentrate from my clan. My cousin eats these to bulk up, but they're packed with antioxidants too. Here."

"I— I— I can't I'm watching my figure."

Behind Miho, Tetsuya scoffed. She felt him come up behind her on the left, threading his arm through hers again. She knew him well enough to recognize the impatience in his stance.

"You gotta eat or you're gonna faint mid-battle. Hell, anybody'll faint mid-battle without the right diet."

Miho didn't miss the way Sakura's eyes trailed over the rolls and the stretch marks in her upper arms. Though she didn't grimace, a flicker of fear passed behind her green eyes. Miho shifted. Before she could open her mouth to explain, she felt Koji come to her other side.

"Take the cookie, Haruno."

"Matching outfits? Genma really has brainwashed you guys, hasn't he?"

Miho looked up to see Kakashi approaching with their client, who reeked of alcohol so prominently that she started to breath through her nose. She felt the cookie being taken and turned to see Sasuke removing it from her hand. As if that wasn't strange enough, he nodded in thanks before looking away again.

"They're just a bunch of unoriginal goons."

Genma-sensei appeared beside Koji, shifting the senbon from the right to left corner of his lips. He seemed to take in the scene before nodding. "Pre-missions snacks complete?" Miho nodded. "You remember your medical kit, Tetsuya?" Tetsuya stepped back and nodded. Miho vaguely wondered if Team Seven did such checklists. They were all watching in barely-concealed awe. "Koji, you good?"

"Mission ready, Boss Man."

Their teacher rolled his eyes. "Alright then, Book Club. Move out."

"Naruto, good luck. I believe in you, okay? Be safe." Miho glanced to Sasuke and then Sakura. Even threw a cautionary glance at Kakashi-sensei. "Good luck, Team Seven. Be careful."

She glanced to Genma-sensei and, seeing the smile in his eyes (but definitely not his face because he was Cool), followed him and the boys out of Konoha's main gate.

"They'll be somewhere with access to water." Genma-sensei commented, staring at a map of the area. His arms were crossed as he glanced to the village leader, Seki. The middle-aged leader was obviously exhausted, shoulders slumping forward and bags cutting unforgiving lines from his eyes. "Any bandit leader worth his salt'll have at least forty-five under his command. That needs a steady water supply."

"Probably closer to sixty," Seki responded with a sigh. Genma-sensei raised his brows at the large number. "They grab merchants as they pass through the mountains from the Land of Rivers and pillage the border towns after harvest. We kept expecting another band to take them out, but…"

"Another band?"

Seki shuddered. "The Mount Kaou Band has rivals to the south."

Beside her, Koji flinched and she glanced his way, only to find him staring at the map with narrowed eyes.

Her nerves were already making her arms tingle, knowing that Naruto's mission went awry just a few hours earlier. Team Seven's mission to Wave was a success, no matter what happened. She knew that and she needed to let it go.

"You can't save everyone," Ino told her. "You can't save that Ice Guy."

While that was true, Miho still felt for him. And her heart broke for Naruto, for what he would go through on this mission.

Everything would be fine. It would.

But the fear still ate at her.

Now, Koji's strange behavior was making the anxiety build in her chest.

"Their leader is a man named Taiki. He's ruthless. A horrible, horrible man."

"Our mission brief mentioned human trafficking?"

Seki visibly shuddered, moving to sit in a nearby chair. All of the energy seemed to leave him. Miho felt her heart break for the man. He was clearly suffering from all that the bandits were doing to the area. "They take…people. Sometimes. Once someone is taken, they are never seen again. These monsters b-boast." The tears that entered his eyes seemed shattering. "My daughter…months ago. They 'recruit' the boys."

Tetsuya edged closer to her side and Miho glanced at him. He held her eyes for a long moment before jerking his head toward Koji, who was still staring at the map.

While their teacher spoke in hushed tones with the client, Miho turned to her teammate.

"What's wrong?"

"It's weird, ain't it? Mount Kaou's never been this bold."

"This bold?" Tetsuya wondered aloud. She could see her confusion echoed on his face, brows knitted together. "Koji-my-man, how d'you know anything about the Mount Kaou bandits? How d'ya know they've 'never been this bold?'"

Koji seemed to chew on this inside of his cheek, glancing toward their teacher's back. Pulling in a breath, he sighed and hunched his shoulders forward. Like he was hiding. "I just…I just know." At Miho and Tetsuya's skeptical expressions, he relented. "I…kinda know a lot about bandits, alright? And Mount Kaou has always been a group of good-for-nothins but they ain't never been this…powerful."

That was a side-step of an answer.

He knew it. She knew it. Tetsuya knew it. Hell, even Genma-sensei knew it, given the look he just sent them over the client's shoulder.

Tetsuya ran a hand through his hair before shaking it back into place. "You know we don't buy that, right?"

"I know." Koji nodded.

Genma-sensei wrapped up his discussion and jerked his thumb toward the door, rolling up the map before ushering them outside. "Koji, we're gonna need to work on your subterfuge skills, buddy." In the twilight, his dark eyes were critical and narrowed. "We need to set out for the base of the mountains tonight. We'll start canvassing tomorrow morning. Let's go. In the meantime, Koji, you can loop us into your local knowledge."

Koji lowered his head, looking ashamed and chastised. "Yes, sir."

"Let's go. We've got some ground to cover."

Miho listened as Koji told the story of two rival bands, whose members had been battling for centuries. One band was the ruthless and cruel outlaws of Mount Kaou. The other was the comparatively less-violent bandits of Spirit Mountain, further down the mountain chain toward the sea to the south The Spirit Mountain band had always been able to keep Mount Kaou in check with larger numbers and greater influence.

"If Mount Kaou has expanded like this, then something must've happened to Spirit Mountain—"

"How d'you know all this anyway?" Tetsuya laid out his bedroll. "And don't say you read it somewhere. Miho uses that all the time and it's always lie."

Miho swallowed her spit wrong and coughed, nearly face-planting in the pine needles on the forest floor. "I do not!"

"You do." Genma-sensei and Koji agreed at the same time. Genma-sensei shot her a look in the dark and then turned to stare down Koji. "Spill it."

It was quiet in the camp, save for the slightest ruffling of fabric. And Miho could hear her heartbeat and the rush of the wind in the mountain passes. They couldn't light a fire to avoid detection. The darkness was only alleviated by the occasional clearing of clouds over the moon.

The moon, painted red.

"My father is the second-in-command of the Spirit Mountain bandits."

Now that hadn't been what Miho expected.

In the darkness, she could feel Tetsuya's shock at their teammate's admission. She actually heard his teeth click as he drew his mouth shut. Their teacher, however, was silent. Miho watched his shadow, waiting.

"Got any insight into where Mt. Kaou's hideout is then?"

Koji was quiet for a moment as if frozen by Genma-sensei's acceptance. "He…He always used to say that the Kaou ran with the Black Wind. Meant that they were closer to the Low Pass along the Black River."

"That narrows our area significantly." Their teacher was quiet for a long moment. While he thought, Miho leaned over and stretched out a hand to press against Koji's knee. "Koji— Your loyalty is to Konoha, correct?"

Koji flinched under her hand. "Yes, sensei. I left the band when I was six with my mother. I'm loyal to Konoha and my comrades and my home. I swear it."

Genma-sensei nodded in the darkness. Miho could see it, along with the barely tilt of his lips and the glint of his senbon in the moonlight.

"I knew where you were from, Koji. I'm your teacher. It's in your record. Not to mention, your dialect— when you let your control slip." Miho felt Koji's hand come to her own, gripping over the top of her fingers. She never realized his hands were so rough. A woodworker's hands. "You know this was why we were given this particular mission, right?"

Tetsuya spoke before Koji could. "The Hokage gave us this mission 'cause Koji's related to bandits?"

Genma-sensei snorted. "Because he's from this mountain chain, but— sure, that too."

"Make use of your resources." Miho supplied. "I wondered about the accent, Koji, but would've never asked. It's your business after all."

He squeezed her hand. "After my Ma died, I hid it. Didn't wanna bring myself any trouble, 'specially after that bandit attack on the Capital caravan a few years ago. Wasn't my family, but…" She could feel him shrug. "People weren't very happy with bandits."

"People aren't really ever happy with bandits, Woodchuck."

Koji gripped her hand harder, but Miho knew it was because he agreed. After all, Tetsuya wasn't mad— he was using the nickname, after all. Silence fell over the camp for a while, the whirr of cicadas and the creaks of tree frogs making the chasm of trees seem more insulated. After a while, Tetsuya shifted and she could see his face in the darkness.

He slapped a hand to Koji's back.

"I'm the son of a bad farmer." Genma-sensei offered, voice quiet. It almost seemed like the cicadas hushed for a moment, a lull in their screeching. "Grew up without shoes or running water. None of that. The old man raked up debt until we were drowning in it."

In the darkness, Miho stared in the direction of her teacher's voice, listening. Genma-sensei wasn't talkative. He didn't say anything without meaning or purpose. Most often, he preferred to observe. To watch people. Like how he often watched her and her teammates. It didn't mean that he said nothing. He just spoke when he had something to say.

When he spoke, people listened.

"My father wasn't a good man. I wanted to be better than him. Took off for Konoha with nothin' but my pack." She could hear the click of his senbon against his teeth.

He didn't finish the story, but the implication was clear. Miho felt Koji's hand release hers and she heard a bit of sniffling.

"I'm a shinobi of Konoha and the son of a shit gambler. You're a shinobi of Konoha, Koji, and you're the son of a bandit."

Tetsuya's voice was subdued. She would almost say it was tinged blue, somehow, but Miho didn't quite know why she thought that. "You choose what it means. Where you're from. Who you're from."

For an Utatane— for Tetsuya, who'd bullied her for years because he felt like he had the right to— to say that, Miho felt the world shift a bit.

Because that sounded a lot like a declaration.

When they all fell asleep, Koji was at the center. Miho rested her head on his shoulder. Tetsuya was on his other side. She could feel Genma-sensei on watch nearby, keeping them safe. And Miho— vaguely, somewhere between sleep and waking— wondered if this was what it meant to be a team. Desperately, she prayed that, among all the chaos and hurt and terror that was coming, she could protect this little slice of goodness.

She would protect it...with everything she had. No matter what.

The high altitude was disorienting. Miho'd never had problems with mountain environments. After all, one of her family's training fields was composed entirely of large earthen hills and deep-cut valleys. It wasn't the rocks and jagged edges that bothered her. It was the altitude, the sheer height of the mountains. The high vantage point that Genma-sensei wanted was just below the cloud line. The air was thin and she never felt like she could get enough oxygen.

She wasn't quite sure if it was fear or the lack of breathable air that made her feel dizzy.

She gripped the rocks for dear life, trying not to think about how high up they were perched on the side of the mountain.

"Bird Team, do you read?"

Tetsuya huffed next to her. "Stupid name. We're up high— we're the bird team. Boss Man needs to do better with this." He reached up to press his earpiece. "We read. We're in position. Waiting for orders, Boss."

"Maintain position. Keep an eye on the caravan." Below them by about two hundred feet was a road cut into the mountainside. "Do not interfere. Just observe. Clear?"

"Yes, sir."

Miho shifted, using a bit of chakra on her feet to steady her stance on the ledge. Her build just wasn't very maneuverable on such a small slab of etched-out rock. Her stomach extended too far out to be flush against the rockface so her fingertips were more precariously gripping the edge. Sweating despite the cold air, she risked detaching her right hand and reached up to blot her brow.

"I hate this."

"I'm not gonna let you fall, Chubs. You'll be fine. C'mon."

It was easy for him to say. Tetsuya was lithe and 'wiry.' Completely nimble in all of his movements. He was practically dancing up the side of the rockface, swinging from one grip to the next. Not to mention, Miho wasn't 100% confidence that he could lift her bodyweight if the need arose.

That would need to change. She catalogued it for later.

"I get that Genma-sensei did this as a challenge or whatever, but I hate this."

A particularly stiff wind swept over the rockface and Miho shifted, trying to draw closer to the rocks.

"It's just a few more feet. You can do it."

Shaking, she looked up to see Tetsuya peering over the ledge from an escarpment about ten feet up. The angle was frightening, shifting outward until there was literally no way to hold on except to let the legs dangle. Particularly for her, she'd have to make most of the journey with just her arm strength.

Narrowing her eyes, she pulled in a deep breath. Heart pounding, she reached up and drew herself upward. One grip after another until her legs were dangling. It had to be at least one hundred feet to the caravan road below. She tried not to think about that as she moved.

Instead, she thought about Haku.

Haku, who didn't deserve his fate.

Haku, who was a good person.

Haku, who would teach Naruto about sacrifice.

There was nothing she could do to save him. Even if she was on Team Seven, she didn't think there'd be a way to prevent his death.

It was an Inciting Incident in a lot of ways, easing the audience into the reality of the world the story would take place. Haku was a sacrifice for that, to showcase reality as the writer defined it.

Miho haul herself over the ledge and rolled to her back, staring up at the dark gray clouds overhead. Her chest heaved and she wondered just how many bag of chips she'd need to eat to make up for that exertion. Six? Seven?

She felt a hand pat her stomach and her eyes opened.

"You're the strongest, Chubs. You did good."

Grinning over the burn in her arms, Miho pushed herself up and knelt at the edge of the escarpment. "Eyes on the west. I'll keep an eye on the other side."

"Just don't know how they'd pull that off."

"They're native to this kind of terrain. I'm sure they have a way."

The caravan arrived about half an hour later. Fourteen wagons emblazoned with the imagery of the River King— the "daimyo" of the Land of Rivers. The blue colors contrasted the brownish-red of the valley walls. They rounded the corner with a careful, steady speed. The local mountain guide, probably hired on the other side of the range, led the way. Miho eyed him every so often, keeping her eyes on the oppose valley wall.

"We have visual." Genma-sensei's voice said in her ear. "Your two o'clock. Near that downed boulder."

Miho felt her nerves spike into her throat, looking toward where her teacher had indicated. She saw nothing, but she did see the guide.

The guide, who was raising his hands in the approximation of a yawn.

She pressed the communicator button in her ear. "The guide is in on this."

"Affirmative." Her teacher responded. "Get ready."

Reaching into her pocket, Miho withdrew a cookie and downed it in three bites, adjusting her gloves on her hands as she waited. The caravan proceeded below. The wagons were beautifully appointed, she thought. Nicely constructed. The River King had spared no expense.

A yell echoed across the valley and all hell broke loose below.

Their momentum was terrifying. A horde of men rushed from behind the boulder, as if a cave were hidden behind it. The first merchant to fall took a stab to the gut. He didn't even have time to yell before he was thrown down into the river. Another merchant fell screaming to the rocks, his blood forming a pool of deep red around his body.

Miho shifted, feeling sick by the carnage.

It was unbridled cruelty.

A garishly-dressed man stepped from behind the boulder after the attack began. He picked his way through the gore, stepping over pools of blood as if it would harm his shining boots. His long hair was whipping about in the mountain wind.

"Sir, this is a massacre." Miho glanced to Tetsuya, who was wide-eyed and whispering urgently into the communicator.

"Interference is not our mission, Tetsuya. Stay in position."

A particularly young scream cut through bedlam. Miho followed the ruckus from above, watching as a couple kids were dragged from one of the covered wagons. Two girls— young ones, much younger than her and her teammates. Miho twitched at how roughly the smallest one was manhandled. The driver of their wagon crashed to the ground, gasping for breath.

"Look what we got here, boys! It's the River Princess."

The little girl was jerked around, crying out as a rough knife was pressed to her throat. She couldn't've have been more than five or six.

Miho reached for her kunai pack and withdrew one. The cool metal felt a bit more reassuring than the uncertain glance Tetsuya sent her.

"Mission parameters just changed." Genma-sensei stated in an almost mechanical voice. His mission leader voice. Miho stiffened, awaiting orders. "Miho— you're the fastest. When you see an opening, get the girl. Tetsuya, you cover her. Koji, gather the rest of the caravan and evacuate them to the town. I'll handle these bastards."

Though she was glad to hear the mission shift, Miho tried to reason it.

Mid-mission changes were common, but…She stilled.

The Wave Mission changed like this.

Genma-sensei took out six guys in a matter of seconds. The bandits flew into a frenzy. Orders were being shouted by two or three guys in the midst of the chaos, the leaders. Her attention focused on the girls. Miho looked to Tetsuya and nodded.

"Grab 'em and go. I've got your back."

Miho jumped down into the mess, throwing a kick at the man holding the girl with such force that he slammed into the opposite valley wall. He tumbled out of sight as she landed. "I'm Miho. I'm getting you to safety, okay?" Even though she'd been instructed to grab the princess, she looped her other arm around the other girl as well, wheeling her around to her back. The girl clung on. "Hold on!" Grabbing the princess and holding her to her chest, Miho leapt up and out of the fray.

"Go! Go! Go! Go! Go, Miho!"

The positive was that the bandits didn't have ninja training. Their speed and strength wasn't honed for battle with shinobi. Gemna-sensei was cutting them down in droves. Fifty to forty— forty to thirty— It was only a matter of time.

Miho settled on a ledge and looked back, seeing Tetsuya slam a bandit away. Koji had collected nearly all of the merchants and was ushering them down the path, throwing concerned looks over his shoulder at Miho and Tetsuya. Tetsuya—

A bandit was approaching his blind spot.

Until the bandit's eyes went wide and he fell forward, a rain of kunai impaling his back. Genma-sensei.

Heart racing, Miho turned and kept running. Tetsuya was on her heels.

"Oh, my dear, my dear. You're a fast one."

Skidding on the side of a cliff, chakra holding her to the stone, Miho tightened her grip on the smaller girl. Feeling the older girl's hold tighten in fear, she dropped down to a nearby ledge to stand upright, allowing gravity to give the girls some support.

The man from before— undone kimono laid over rough pants and a white shirt— looked up from his nails where he sat on a boulder nearby. She felt uneasy, terrified that this man was different from the rest. His entire demeanor was dangerous, sending shivers down her spine. For him to cut her off so easily, he had to be a shinobi, or at least have shinobi training.

Her heart thundered.

Damn it.

Tetsuya landed in front of her, dropping into a defensive crouch.

The man tutted, shaking his head. He crossed on leg over the other, brushing his white hair over his shoulder with a weirdly dramatic flair.

"And a hero arrives."

"Get out of here, Miho."

"Perhaps we should get better acquainted? I'm Taiki."

"Don't really care who you are." Tetsuya retorted, edging backward. Miho matched the movement, adjusting her hold on the princess, who hid her face in Miho's meaty shoulder.

The man— Taiki, the fearsome leader of the Mount Kaou bandits— shrugged. "I suppose there's no accountin' for poor manners. Eh, princess?" The girl whimpered.

She wondered if Tetsuya'd already done the risk assessment. The girls' safety was paramount, and Genma-sensei would make short work of the other bandits. He'd be along shortly as back-up and Koji was too far away for support.

In the meantime, Miho knew she was the stronger fighter. Tetsuya knew it as well.

If they tried to switch the burden, then the man would attack.

Dammit.

"Girls, listen to me, okay?"

The princess winced, but nodded. She felt the older girl on her back hold tighter, grasping at her yukata sleeves.

"As soon as I set you down, I want you to run over there and hide. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes, Miss Kunoichi."

"Tetsuya."

"Got it, Chubs."

The bandit let out a guffaw, throwing his head back in laughter. Miho took the opportunity to set the girls down. They immediately did as they were told, bolting for an outcropping of rocks about thirty feet away. Miho sidled herself in front of them, bending her knees and pulling her elbows in to her taijutsu stance. Taiki stopped laughing, seeming to wipe tears from his bright green eyes.

"Ah, 'Chubs,' then?"

Miho heard Tetsuya growl, drawing the sword from his back. He didn't have enough training to go head-to-head with anyone. "That's not a name you get to use, you freak."

The guy shrugged. "Don't really care for getting permission, punk. I can call her whatever I want. How about— 'dead.'" Miho blocked the blow, swinging her bō around to block his strike. The bandit leader towered over her and swirled away when Tetsuya attempted to shred his back with kunai. "You really think your captain can handle all of my men?"

"Hell yeah he can."

Miho gathered chakra, pushing it into her center. She could feel the energy from her fat rumbling, building, pulling, and pushing as her skin stretched and her bones dislodged. Launching forward, she rolled into the Leaf-Style Taijutsu: Human Bullet Tank, slamming into the leader while he was distracted by Tetsuya's aerials. Pushing chakra into her fat, she doubled in weight for the moment of impact, sending Taiki careening into the base of a nearby cliff.

He hit with such force that the wall cratered around him.

Releasing the jutsu, Miho's bones and fat slid back into place and she spun to a stop, crouched a few feet from where Tetsuya landed.

"Fall back to the girls, Stringbean."

He nodded, moving to cover them.

From the passage to the right—where she expected Genma-sensei was still meting out rewards— three bandits appeared, bloodied and bruised. Their eyes collectively widened as their boss pushed himself upright, blood covering the left side of his face. Miho felt a flush of vicious satisfaction. His pretty boy routine was over.

"That's it. I'm killing you first, girlie."

Miho withdrew the metal bō from her arm guard, falling back into stance. "Could you be any creepier?"

"Do you know what we do with girls like you, sweetheart?" One of the bandits asked, hobbling toward his leader. Miho gritted her teeth at the implication, reminded of Seki's daughter. She reaffirmed her grip on the bō and took a calming breath, like how Elder Torifu had taught her. "They don't make it long."

"We don't have time for this. Boss, we gotta go!" One of the other bandits said, rushing forward to hold his leader upright with a hand to his chest. "The rest of the guys are…They're gone! We need to get out—Boss!"

Miho blocked the blow of his two long knives, struggling to breath at the intense smell of perfume that struck her. The floral scent struck her harder than his blades. Taiki grinned down at her, blood on his teeth. Again, she felt the rush of satisfaction and it must've shown on her face.

"You think you can beat me, sweetheart? Me? I'm leader of the Mount Kaou bandits! Maybe I won't kill you. Maybe I'll—"

She heard Tetsuya's yell, distracting her just enough for Taiki to disengage one of the knives from her bō, sweeping it across her gut. She hissed, withdrawing back. She'd felt the slice.

Miho felt the breath get knocked out of her in the next moment. She rolled to the ground about fifty feet away, head pounding and blood pulsing in her ears. Her stomach was aching, burning, tearing. It hurt.

"Miho!"

Scrambling to her knees, Miho watched the three bandits circling to Tetsuya. Tetsuya, who kept sending worried looks her way.

Up! Up! Up!

Struggling to her feet, she took a couple steps forward.

It felt like the energy just…melted from her. She stumbled and reached up to grab the wooden bō from her back. The leader grinned through the blood.

"Just don't know when to back down, do you?"

I'm not gonna run away and I never go back on my word, that is my nindō! My ninja way.

She could feel the blood sliding down from her stomach and onto the front of her pants. Unsure of how much damage had been done, she resolved not to look down. A strike to the gut could be fatal. But she wasn't dead yet.

She reached into her pocket with her free hand and felt around for the pill pack. The leader was approaching, smirking.

Smirking like he'd already won. Smirking like he enjoyed the damage he'd done.

He probably did enjoy it.

A cruel man like him would enjoy hurting anyone.

"You're not ready for me, sweetheart."

But he wasn't going to enjoy the next part.

Tetsuya was yelling as he fought. Three against one. She could hear one gurgling as he fell to the ground. Two against one. Too many and Tetsuya was bound to lose. Miho had to protect him. Protect him and those girls.

Her thumb found the right door on the pill case.

Miho shook her head. "No, it's you who's not ready for me."

A/N: THANK YOU FOR READING! Also thank you to everyone that has reviewed and favorited and followed this story. We just crossed the 60,000 word mark! Each review lights up my day and truly makes me smile. Thank you for taking the time to engage with this story and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!