"Sasuke here at Point B!" Sasuke whispered into his communication device from his position behind a tree.

"Sakura here at Point C!" Sakura whispered.

There was a long pause before Naruto spoke.

"Naruto here. I'm at Point A!"

"You're slow, Naruto!" Kakashi chided quietly from his own hiding place. "Alright, Squad Seven..." He paused. "Hm? The target has moved!"

A dark blur darted away into the trees.

"Follow it!" Kakashi whispered his order and the three Genin carefully converged on the location.

"Alright! It's over there!" Naruto drew closer to the target and peered at it from his new location.

Sakura and Sasuke joined him silently and remained still for a moment.

Kakashi covered his right ear and held the microphone to his mouth with his left. "What's your distance from the target?"

"Five meters. I can go anytime!" Naruto watched the target closely.

"I'm ready, too!" Sasuke said.

"Me, too!" Sakura added and narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Okay..." Kakashi muttered, then paused. "Do it!"

The trio jumped out of hiding and Naruto grabbed the brown cat. It yowled and hissed in surprise, scratching at him.

"I got him!" Naruto shouted and held the cat tightly. It scratched at his face, hissing with its hackles raised and its tail puffed.

"Does he have the ribbon on his right ear...?" Kakashi asked. "Are you sure it's our target, Tora?"

"It's the target." Sasuke replied and turned away from the scene as the cat attacked his teammate. "No mistake."

"Alright, the mission to capture the lost pet Tora is complete!" Kakashi straightened and lowered his hand from his ear.

Naruto scowled as Sasuke took hold of the angry animal and he crossed his arms. "Isn't there a mission with a greater sense of urgency?!" He screeched into the microphone, causing an ear-splitting shriek into his teammates ears.

"Ohhh! My cute Tora! I was worried sick about you!" The fat woman rubbed her cheek against the cat as it struggled in her arms and attempted to escape again.

Naruto laughed to his himself and scratched his head as he watched the woman, muttering under his breath. "Serves him right, that stupid cat!"

"No wonder he ran away..." Sakura whispered and scratched her cheek.

"Now, then!" The Hokage held up a piece of paper and addressed the Genin from across the room. "The next mission for Kakashi's Squad Seven is..." He paused as he chewed on the end of his pipe. "An errand to the neighboring town to baby-sit the chief councilor's boy... helping with digging potatoes, eh..."

"Stop! No!" Naruto yelled and crossed his arms in front of him into an X. "No! No, thank you! As for me, I want to do a more exciting mission! Give us something else!"

"He's got a point." Sasuke turned to look away from the noisy blond.

"Man... He's such a pain!" Sakura stared at the back of Naruto's head with a scowl.

Kakashi sighed and his shoulder slumped. "I thought it was about time for him to get fretful..."

"You idiot!" Iruka's eye twitched and he stood, hitting his palms on the desk as he sat beside the Hokage, who adjusted his hat with a small sigh. "You're still a bottom-tier rookie! In the beginning, everyone moves up the ladder!"

"B-But!" Naruto yelled back. "It's been nothing but blah missions so far!"

Kakashi smacked the top of the blond's head with his fist, knocking to the ground and quieting him temporarily.

"Knock it off." Kakashi pocketed his hand and looked down at Naruto.

"Naruto!" Hiruzen called to him as he sat up and rubbed his head. "It seems it's necessary to explain to you what a mission is..."

Naruto looked up at the Hokage with a blink. "Huh?"

"Listen to me!" Hiruzen pulled the pipe from his mouth and released a tendril of smoke from his nostrils. "Requests pour into the village every day. They range from babysitting to assassinations..." He rested his pipe hand on the table before him and looked down at the various scrolls and paperwork laid out before him as he continued. "A wide spectrum of requests are recorded on the request list, then separated into A, B, C, and D ranks in order of difficulty. In the village, everyone below me is divided up by ability in the order of Jonin, Chunin, and Genin. We at the highest level distribute the requests as missions to Ninja who have abilities that suit said mission. And, if the mission is successful, the payment comes in from the client."

The Hokage glanced over at Madame Shijimi, who handed money to a clerk at another table before leaving the Hokage's office, smothering her cat with affection.

"Nevertheless, you guys have only just become Genin..." Hiruzen held up a black and green scroll labeled 'D.' "Rank D is the best you can do for now." He blinked at Naruto, who sat cross-legged on the floor with his back turned to the old man, talking to himself.

"Yesterday's lunch was pork-bone broth noodles, so today will be miso broth..."

"Listen!" The Hokage raised his voice at Naruto.

Kakashi looked down at his student with a sigh, scratching his head. "I-I'm sorry."

Naruto turned around and rested his fists on his knees as he remained on the floor. "Man, you always lecture me, Old Man! But, I'm not that little prankster that you think I am! Hmph!"

Naruto made a face, then turned his back on the Hokage once more, stubbornly.

Kakashi sighed again, rubbing his head. "Man, I'm going to get scolded later..."

Iruka watched Naruto with a small smile on his face for a moment and the sound of someone clearing their throat softly interrupted them.

They turned and saw Natsumi standing in the back of the room with a faint smile on her face. Her hair was tied up in a neat bun with her bangs clipped out of her face and she wore a sleeveless black top and black pants.

"Sorry to interrupt." She stepped forward and produced a manila folder from behind her back. "But, Yuuri told me to bring this to you right away."

"Ah, Natsumi." The Hokage nodded as she approached and passed him the folder. "It's the report I requested." Nodding again, he placed the file under one of the stacks of papers in front of him. "Thank you."

Natsumi nodded and glanced at the mission request scrolls.

"Is there... anything else I could do until my next mission?"

Hiruzen chuckled and puffed on his pipe. "No need for that. I have your next assignment ready for you. There will be a briefing this evening."

Natsumi grinned. "Really?"

"I think you'll find this mission to be more stimulating than the ones you have been doing."

Her eyes widened and she gasped quietly. "You mean...! It's my first important job?!" She squealed with excitement and then clasped her hands over her mouth, blushing.

"Uh... I mean..." She bowed her head. "Thank you, sir."

He smiled at her and she turned to leave.

"Natsumi."

She stopped and looked at him, and he produced a small envelope from his robes.

"Your friend miss Itou has been busy with her duties at the hospital and has been unable to pick up her payment for her last mission. Could you bring it to her?"

Natsumi snapped to attention with her arms at her side. "Yes, sir! You can count on me!" She retrieved the envelope from him with a smile. "I'll get it to her right away!"

She turned to leave and Team Seven watched as she flickered away.

Naruto made a face and kept his arms crossed. "She didn't even acknowledge her own brother. And what's with that outfit?" He stuck out his lower lip and scrunched his face. "Hmph."

Turning his head, he saw her squatting beside him.

"Gah!"

Natsumi narrowed her eyes and pointed at him, whispering. "If you cause a racket and act ungrateful, he'll be even less likely to give you something good."

Naruto made a face and recrossed his arms. "Hmph!"

Natsumi stood and put her hands on her hips, then made a face at Sasuke, who met her eyes with a scowl.

"And you..." She pointed at him. "Stop being so grouchy. It's not cute."

She glanced at Sakura, speechless, and then laughed quietly and waved. "Bye!"

She ran out of the room and Sasuke's eyes followed her, widening slightly as he spotted the crimson tattoo on her left shoulder.

"She has a tattoo?" He stuck his hands into her pocket and glanced down at Naruto. "That fool didn't even seem to notice..." He turned to look back at the door. "That symbol seems almost familiar... but where have I seen it before?"

"Man, how come Natsumi gets an important mission but not me?" Naruto grumbled to himself.

The Hokage's eyes rested on the blond and he chuckled again. "This kid who could only express himself with pranks before..." He sat straighter. "Okay, fine!"

Naruto's eyes widened. "Huh?!"

"If you insist..." The old man continued with a slight smirk, and the other Genin's eyes open wider. "I'll have you do a Rank C mission... You'll be bodyguards for someone."

"Really?!" Naruto turned around, beaming. "A-ha! Who?! Who?! A feudal lord?! Or, a princess?!"

"Don't be so hasty." Hiruzen spoke with his pipe between his teeth. "I'll introduce you now!"

He glanced toward the door to the back of the room. "Could you please come in?"

The door slid open and an old man staggered in, scowling with a bottle of alcohol in his hand. "What's this? It's just a bunch of damned squirts!" He took a long swig from the bottle and Naruto stood, blinking.

"Huh?"

The man leaned against the door frame and rested his hand on his hip. "Particularly you, the smallest one with the idiot face." He pointed at Naruto. "Are you really a Ninja?"

Naruto laughed loudly with his own hands on his hips. "Who's the smallest one with the idiot face he's talking about?"

Sakura and Sasuke both looked at him with a short sigh and he blinked again as they stood beside him.

"Eh?" He looked between them, evaluating their heights and then made a face. He lunged at the man but Kakashi grabbed the back of his collar as he scowled and struggled. "I'll kill him!"

"What good will it do to kill the old man you're supposed to be guarding, you moron?!" Kakashi scolded and kept tightly onto Naruto.

The old man took another drink and chuckled. "I'm Tazuna, veteran bridge builder. You'll be risking life and limb guarding me to the max until I return to my land and complete my bridge!"

Naruto stepped into the apartment and saw Natsumi reading a book while eating a cup of instant ramen. She glanced up at him with a smile.

"Oh, you're back? I thought you were getting a mission?"

Naruto sucked in a deep breath, smiling as the smell of ramen wafted into his nose. Then, he put his hand on his hip and scratched his cheek.

"The Old Man finally gave us something more important to do, but we have to guard some old guy."

"You have a bodyguard mission?" Natsumi turned the book upside-down and placed it on the table and smiled. "That sounds exciting."

Naruto crossed his arms and grunted. "The guy is some rude old geezer with a drinking problem." He turned to her as she drank the last of the broth. "Say, say, what was that about an important mission before? What do you have to do?"

Natsumi set the bowl down and pressed her lips together for a moment, then glanced at her shoulder briefly. I really hope he doesn't see that! But if I put my jacket on now, it'll look suspicious...

She rubbed the back of her neck and laughed quietly. "Well, if it's the mission I think it is, I think I'm just supposed to meet with someone and get some information or something. A file, maybe." She shrugged and watched his expression carefully. I don't want to lie to him... I hope that's a good enough explanation.

"Hm? Information retrieval?" He stared back at her for a moment and then sighed. "Sounds boring. Too bad you can't come with me. We're going to the Land of Waves."

Natsumi's eyes widened and she stood quickly. "Y-You're leaving the village? You're going to another country?!"

"Huh?" He scratched his cheek again. "Y-Yeah. Is that a problem?"

Natsumi bit her lip, remembering what the Hokage had told her. He has no clue! If he leaves the village and someone realizes who he is... his life will be in danger!

"Natsumi?" Naruto stepped closer and leaned in to look at her. "What's wrong?"

She groaned softly and crossed her arms. "It's just..." She sighed and looked at him. "What if something goes wrong? What if you get hurt? You'll be too far away for me to help you." Her eyes wandered to the floor and watered. "What if... what if you don't make it home?"

He laughed and then pointed at himself. "What could go wrong? This is Naruto Uzumaki you're talking to!"

Natsumi bit her lip harder and drew her arms in closer. That's what worries me, you dork!

"Hey! Stop looking so serious!" He grinned and leaned forward at her. "Everything's gonna be fine!"

Natsumi sighed after a moment and looked up at him. "It'd better be." She pointed at him. "If something goes wrong, I'm going there to find you and kick your butt, got it?"

"Heh." Naruto rubbed his nose. "Okay, okay." He walked into the bedroom and began to pack a bag as his sister watched.

"Say..." He looked up at her after a moment. "Could you... heat me up some ramen? There's not much time before we're supposed to leave, and I've gotta pack."

Natsumi pouted for a moment and then smiled. "Sure, but on one condition."

"Hm? What is it?"

"You've gotta let me see you off." She put her hands on her hips. "Deal?"

Naruto laughed. "Deal!"

Natsumi smiled and returned to the kitchen, where she retrieved a cup of ramen and began to heat some water for him. As she waited, her face fell and a coldness settled into her chest.

Why do I have such a bad feeling about this?

Team Seven crossed the threshold of the Village gates with Tazuna, with Naruto walking in the lead. Natsumi walked beside him with her new jacket covering her tattoo, keeping quiet.

"All right!" Naruto stretched and turned around to look at the Village gates. "We're off!"

"What're you so excited about?" Sakura crossed her arms, then glanced at the redheaded twin beside him.

"You see, I've never left the village before!" Naruto looked around excitedly, and Natsumi bit her lip.

There's a reason for that! She scolded in her head.

"Hey! Am I really okay with this squirt?!" Tazuna pointed at Naruto, and Natsumi narrowed her eyes at him.

Kakashi chuckled and Naruto's eye twitched as he overhead the comment.

"I'm a Jonin. I'll be watching him. There's no need to worry." Kakashi reassured.

"Anyone but this old dude... man..." Naruto crossed his arms bitterly and kept his back to him. "He really is the worst client! I just want to tell him off!"

"Hey, old man!" Naruto turned and pointed at Tazuna. "Don't be mocking Ninjas so much! I'm awesome, you see! I'm a super-elite Ninja who will be called Hokage one day! My name's Naruto Uzumaki. Remember it well!"

"Hmph." Tazuna sneered and took a drink from his bottle. "The Hokage's the super-top-dog Ninja in the village, right? You sure as hell don't seem like you could ever become the Hokage..."

"Aaah!" Naruto scowled. "Shut up! I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to become the Hokage! You'll have no choice but to acknowledge me then!"

"Heh." The man looked away. "I'll never acknowledge a squirt like you. Even if you become the Hokage!"

"What?!" Naruto clenched his fists and glared. "I'll kill you!" He lunged at Tazuna, held back by Kakashi once more.

"I told you to stop it, you moron!" Kakashi scolded.

"No! Just let me have at least one shot at him! Just one!"

"My brother isn't a squirt." Natsumi crossed her arms, unable to keep quiet any longer, and Tazuna looked at her. "He might seem goofy, but he's a capable Ninja. If you don't trust him, then you're a fool."

"Hmph." Tazuna narrowed his gaze at the redhead. "And who's this, anyway? What is she doing here?"

Naruto clenched his jaw, shouting and trying to escape Kakashi's grasp. "That's my sister, you crabby old geezer!"

"Sister, eh?" He eyed Natsumi again, who's gaze intensified. "She looks like a squirt, too."

Natsumi scowled and narrowed her eyes. "You watch it, you four-eyed old man. I'm nice, but I'm not a pushover. I have my limits."

"Hah!" He took another swig. "What're you gonna do, a squirt like you?"

"It takes approximately four kilograms of pressure to break a nose." Natsumi muttered darkly. "About eleven to snap an arm. Approximately two-hundred and thirty-five kilograms of pressure to crack a skull, and about five to ten minutes to bleed to death if your carotid artery is severed." She met his eyes without blinking. "I don't think you want to find out if I'm really capable of all that, though."

Naruto and Sakura paled as Natsumi spoke, and then Sakura gulped.

"Yikes!"

Sasuke watched her carefully, smirking slightly. "A lot of big talk... especially since everyone knows how much of a crybaby she was."

Kakashi blinked down at the girl, who smiled unusually sweetly and he patted her head.

"Alright, alright, that's enough of that. We'd better be off."

Natsumi blinked and smiled sweetly at the old man, who watched her with a new expression.

"Hm? Oh, alright." Natsumi waved her hand dismissively and laughed, then turned to Naruto.

"Well..." Natsumi took a small breath as Naruto blanked at her, still processing what she had said before. "I guess... this is as far as I can go."

"Don't you worry about a thing." Naruto crossed his arms above his head. "I'll be back before you know it! And then I'll tell you all about the mission! And you can tell me all about yours!"

Natsumi smiled weakly and gave a nod. "Y-Yeah..." She sighed and then hugged him tightly, holding him closely. He blinked in surprise, nearly blushing as he saw his teammates watching him, then hugged her back after a moment.

"You'd better come back in one piece." Natsumi sniffed, releasing him as she wiped her eye.

"I'll be fine!" He chuckled. "We're not kids anymore! You don't have to worry about me."

"You're still my brother." She put her hands on her hips. "So, that means I'm obligated to worry about you until we're old and wrinkly, and even then, I'll still worry about you."

She held up her pinky with a small smile. "Just... promise that you'll come back safely, okay? I don't want to be all alone."

He linked his pinky with hers the way they did so often as small children. "I promise! You be safe on your mission, too!"

"I will." She smiled and lowered her arm. She then looked back at the other two Genin and narrowed her eyes and pointed between them with her expression darkening. "If something happens to Naruto, I'm going to do to you two like I did to that kid, Michi, got it?!"

Sakura paled at the name, remembering when he'd been carried away from the Academy playground on a stretcher. She shuddered and laughed awkwardly. "Y-Yeah..." She gulped at Natsumi's expression. "This vibe from her... she's seriously scary."

Sasuke turned his head away with his hands in his pockets. "She could try."

Natsumi let out a long breath and looked up at Kakashi, who looked down at her.

"Look after this knucklehead for me, okay?" She glanced at Naruto, who made a face. "He might be obnoxious at times, but he's the only brother I've got, and I kind of like him."

Kakashi chuckled and bent to put her head. "I'll keep a close eye on him."

Natsumi's cheeks warmed slightly. "T-Thank you." She stepped away and gave a wave. "Have a safe trip, then. Come back soon."

"Bye, Natsumi!" Naruto held his arm above his head as he waved. "See you soon!"

"Bye!" Natsumi waved back. "Don't have too much fun without me!"

She watched as they group left and she stood rooted in place until she could no longer see their figures down the road anymore. Then, she clutched the hem of her jacket and began to cry quietly.

Naruto... Please be safe!