Team 7 met up at the front gate. Akiko's team was there as well, similarly packed.

Akiko's team nodded to them, then went down a different path Team 7 was planning to take.

"Alright," Kakashi said, his book nowhere in sight. "Sasuke, you in front. Sakura, Naruto, you're on either side of Tazuna. I'll be behind."

"Sensei?" Sakura asked, about 30 minutes into their travel. "Isn't Wave closer to Kiri?"

Kakashi blinked at her. Then did some calculations. "Maybe, why?"

"Why didn't this mission go to Kiri?" Sakura tilted her head, glancing between Kakashi and Tazuna.

"Well, I believe Kiri is in the middle of a civil war. They wouldn't want to take a mission like this. I doubt they could spare any shinobi for something of this low of a rank."

Sakura nodded. "And if Kiri wasn't in a civil war?"

"Kiri is known for its ruthlessness, one of its nicknames is the Bloody Mist," Kakashi explained, nodding sagely.

Sakura tilted her head. "I thought Kiri was known for its swordsmen?"

"Like the seven swordsmen," Sasuke agreed, glancing back at them. "Samehada is the second coolest of the swords."

"What's the first coolest?" Kakashi asked, already knowing the answer, but wanting to ask it anyway.

"Shibuki, clearly," Naruto replied this time, grinning back at his sensei. "It has explosives!"

Tazuna sweatdropped nervously. He had two pyros on the team protecting him? Would his bridge even survive this?

Sakura sighed. "I, personally like Samehada and Nuibari, but as usual, the boys go with the explosives."

"Interesting choices," Kakashi agreed. "I know Akiko would love to get her hands on Kiba."

Sakura thought for a moment. "The two that are imbued with lightning?"

Kakashi nodded. "The crazy lady already does it with her giant shuriken, so I'll be happy if she never manages to get her hands on them."

Sakura snickered. "Alright, Kakashi-sensei." She glanced ahead of them and tilted her head. "Hey, Kakashi, could I take front for a moment?"

Kakashi nodded, spotting what she had, a puddle by the side of the road.

She grinned, sticking her hands in her pockets, and switching places with Sasuke. She pulled her hands out of her pockets, a paper hidden in her fingers. She skipped a few paces, swinging her arms so the paper she was holding fell right into the puddle. She waited until they were a few meters ahead of the puddle, then turned back, grinned, and activated the seal.

Lightning shot from the seal, electrocuting the ninja hidden in the puddle, knocking them out quite thoroughly. She smirked, walking over and pulling out ninja wire to tie them up.

Once finished, she stepped back. "Alright, we have two Kiri missing-nin, who wants to take a swing at them first?"

Kakashi sweatdropped at the two boy's excitement. "Maa, maa, maybe get information out of them before we blow them up?"

Sakura smiled sweetly at him. "Oh, the Demon brothers of Kiri. They're in the bingo book as chuunin level opponents. I would assume they're attacking Tazuna, as none of us are in the bingo book, and you, Kakashi, are at least A-ranked. They wouldn't attack you directly, that's just stupid."

Kakashi shrugged. "Perhaps ask them first, then we can jump to conclusions."

Sakura sighed. "Fine. They'll wake up soon, it wasn't that much lightning."

Kakashi raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "Not that much? Who wants to bet Akiko picked that surge of lightning chakra? Her team's path isn't that far away from ours and runs parallel for quite some time."

Sakura shrugged. "That was the only lightning producing seal I didn't destroy. And for good reason. Trust me when I say, that was not that much lightning."

Kakashi sweatdropped, but dropped it as the Demon brothers began to stir. "I'll be right back. You three protect Tazuna. You can do that, right?"

"I managed to one-hit KO chuunin level opponents with one of Naruto's seals. We're fine," Sakura assured him, another tag coming out of her pocket to remain between her fingers.

Kakashi sighed heavily, and nodded, taking the Demon brothers deeper into the forest.

He came back out about five minutes later, slight bloodstains on his vest and sleeves. The three genin decided not to ask where the Demon brothers had gone. Kakashi was glad they didn't.

"So, Kakashi-sensei, get anything from them?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi nodded, leveling a glare at Tazuna. "It appears that someone lied to us. This is no C-rank. We should be going back to Konoha."

"I had to do it! That was all the money we had, and even that took years to save up!" Tazuna cried desperately. "Gato is sucking our land dry, and we have no hope. The bridge will fix that."

Sakura sighed, her expression softening. "C'mon Kakashi-sensei, we'll manage, after all, you're a jounin, we can handle this mission. Hopefully without blowing Wave to kingdom come."

Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "We got this, right Sasuke?"

Sasuke nodded emphatically. "If we got you in our traps, we can catch enemy ninja, right?"

"Just adapt the paint, syrup, water, and flour throwing seals to throw kunai and shuriken," Naruto agreed, pulling the puppy eyes on Kakashi. "We can handle it, let's continue!"

Kakashi sighed. They would be the death of him. "Fine, we can continue. But once Wave is back on its feet, you will repay Konoha for however high of a rank this mission reaches."

Tazuna nodded quickly, almost frantically. "Of course Hatake-san."

Kakashi eye smiled at him, and made shooing motions. "Onward, we have a bridge to see completed."

(A/N) The wave mission is officially underway.