THE CHERRY-BLOSSOM FIELD
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. The characters belong to their respective owners.
CHAPTER 3: AN UNEXPECTED MISSION?
"I'm home!" Sakura's merry voice bounced off the empty hallway. With quick movements, she took off her ninja sandals and practically hopped all the way to the kitchen.
"Ah! Welcome back, dear," Kizashi exclaimed with a sheepish face.
The pink-haired girl couldn't resist shaking her head in exasperated fondness when she saw the plight in front of her. The entire kitchen was a mess, flour dusted on the countertop and every cupboard. Broken eggshells were littered all over the floor and the sink was piled up to the brim, a container or two overflowing. At the same time, the microwave oven went off with a loud 'ping'.
"Were you baking?" Sakura jumped excitedly, opening the door of the oven and examining the contents inside.
"I was trying, pretty sure I completely ruined it though," the brown-ish haired man laughed easily.
"Not completely." Only a spoonful of half-baked cake could be salvaged from the brick-like monstrosity, which the girl promptly stuffed in her mouth. It was bitter and salty, and tasted more like uncooked flour but forcing down her throat, she smiled widely and gave a thumbs up.
Dusting his hands on his apron, Kizashi cleaned his mess while his daughter fixed them something edible. She was excellent at cooking and he knew it, and that was how the chores were divided in the Haruno household: she cooked and he did the cleaning.
"So?" the man prodded once they were seated at the table.
"We passed!" the kunoichi puffed out her chest, her expression prideful. "My team is going to take missions from tomorrow."
"That's amazing, dear. I'm so proud of you," he patted her head gently. "Who were your teammates again?"
The rosette rolled her eyes. No matter how many times she had informed the names of any of her friends or acquaintances to her dad, he always managed to pretend like he was hearing it for the first time. "Nar-"
A sudden ring of the telephone interrupted her sentence. With an exasperated sigh, she was about to get up when her father jolted from his seat and almost ran to the ringing device. A slight confusion ran up her spine when she could hear her father talk to the person on the other end in muffled voices. When he didn't return to the table for another ten minutes, she shrugged and finished her dinner, washing the last utensils and covered his unfinished plate with another. With quick steps she was about to go to her room upstairs when her feet faltered near the living room, in which her dad was still talking, fingers wrapped around the coiled wire of the telephone.
Catching her standing tentatively by the door, Kizashi excused himself for a moment and shot Sakura an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Sakura. It's kind of important. Say, why don't you invite your teammates to dinner someday?"
"Uh…" she trailed unintelligibly. "I'm not sure, you wanna do that?"
"Of course," he nodded. "Invite them any time you deem comfortable."
"Okay. Goodnight tou-san, I'm kinda tired and we have to meet early tomorrow."
"Goodnight, musume."
But of course, the rosette ended up reading and studying till the late hours of night.
-oOo-
As the minutes passed, the heat was growing and the patience of the three young genin sweating on the red bridge was wearing dangerously thin. The sun was almost overhead, and standing and waiting aimlessly out in the hot was not something anyone fancied.
"Ohayō (good morning), my cute little genin!" Kakashi waved from his perched position on one of the stumps of the bridge which had been empty mere miliseconds ago.
"You're late!" a familiar, pitchy voice complained. Naruto pointed an accusing finger at his sensei, a frustrated expression on his face. A drop of sweat slid down his whiskered face.
Sakura opened her mouth to join in the protest but a yawn escaped her parted lips and she quickly brought her hand over it. Too engrossed mumbling about 'tardy teachers' and 'wasted time', she missed the odd look the raven-haired boy sent her direction.
"Ah, you see," the jounin began, rubbing the back of his head. "An old lady was carrying a huge burden on her own and of course I had to help. Then a black cat crossed my path so I had to take the long way here."
Ignoring the skeptical glares his students sent him, Kakashi lightly coughed. "Alright. As I said yesterday, we will be starting our missions."
"Awesome, 'ttebayo!" Naruto yelled, punching the air with his balled fists. "I bet we will get S-rank missions. I will show everyone just how strong I am!"
"We'll be starting with simple D-rank missions," the jounin stated as a matter-of-fact, lone eye crinkling at the corner. He pointedly ignored the loud groans and yells of protest directed towards him by the exuberant blonde. "To the hokage tower, now."
With a swish of leaves, he was gone. It was getting irritating for all three of them. Nevertheless, they started in the direction for the most important building in the village anyway, The Hokage Tower.
"Maybe it won't be so bad," Sakura offered as a reassurance to the knucklehead with a small grin. Naruto paused for a second before matching with his own toothy grin.
"Yeah, Sakura-chan!"
-oOo-
"What is your distance to the target?"
"Five meters. I'm ready to go anytime."
"So am I."
….
….
"Me too! Me too, dattebayo!"
"You're late, Naruto."
…
…
…
"The target has stopped moving. Team Seven, ready?"
"Hn."
"Hai."
"Yeah!"
…
…
…
"GO!"
Immediately, three figures jumped from the thick foliage of the forest simultaneously. Not caring to hide or quieten their presence, they charged at their target sitting at the foot of a tree, shrouded in darkness.
"I got him!" Naruto pounced and clasped his hands around the target's body, restraining movement. Bewildered, feral, angry eyes and brown fur met his blue orbs before a paw with sharp claws grazed the blonde's left cheek. Immediately, he yelped and tried to hold the maniacal creature at a distance as it continued to assault his face, decorating it with numerous scratches.
Sighing, Sakura plopped down beside the struggling knucklehead and the assaulting cat. Her body had grown a little tired and sore from running around and crouching the last few hours locating their target. The receiver in her ear sprang to life as she heard Kakashi's voice come through. "Does he have a ribbon on his right ear? Are you sure it is our target, Tora?"
"Aa. We're sure," Sasuke answered through his microphone attached to the choker they had been given before the start of the mission.
"Good. The mission to capture lost pet 'Tora' is now complete."
The rosette was about to remove her earpiece when Naruto's pitchy voice bled straight through her eardrum, impact magnified as he was just a few feet from her. "Isn't there a mission with greater sense of urgency than this?!"
Back at the Hokage Tower, all three students along with their sensei were subjected to a rather pitiful-slash-amusing sight. Fire Country Lord's wife, Madam Shijimi, basked in the glory of her short stupor, plump figure and shining jewellery, was squeezing Tora like there was no tomorrow. She was clasping him with all her might, rubbing her cheek against the horrified cat's face. "Oh my cute little Tora-chan! I was so worried."
A shiver ran down Sakura's spine. No wonder he ran away…
"Now then," a deep, frail voice belonging to the Hokage cut through the ruckus made by the woman and her cat. "The next mission for Kakashi's seventh squad is…"
Momentarily distracted by their wayward thoughts, the three genin stood with baited breaths, eager to accomplish a new mission, the 'capture of Tora' being a comical excuse.
"Babysitting an elder's grandson…"
Simultaneous glares from Sasuke and Sakura were enough to gauge that the team would most definitely not be doing this mission if they could help it. Kids? Babysitting? No. Just no.
"…Or help with the potato-digging," the old Hokage said with an air of finality and amusement. His eyes swept over the four shinobi in front of him while he exhaled a puff of smoke, resting on the blonde for just a second more.
"Potato? What the hell?" Naruto screeched. "We became ninja to dig potatoes? Give us something better, old man!"
"Be quiet, Naruto," Kakashi bonked the top of the boy's head lightly, just enough to shut him up. He then turned to the calm senior citizen. "We'll be taking the potato-digging mission, Hokage-sama."
"Very well." The silver-haired jounin accepted the scroll offered to him before ushering his dissatisfied genin out the door, all the while snickering to himself. He mumbled, knowing full well they could hear him. "Tch, already complaining. How will they hold out for a whole month?"
Ignoring the horrified looks on the three children's faces, he chuckled, daydreaming about reading his favourite 'Icha Icha Paradise' while his cute, little genin would toil in the relatively easy, but tiring and monotonous D-rank missions.
And so began a very long month full of drudgery for Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke.
-oOo-
"…What do mean you dug up my entire freaking garden?"
"I-we're very sorry, ma'am. You see we-"
"Shut up! I'm not going to pay a single penny. Stupid brats!"
"…"
"Now look what you did, dobe."
"Why you Sasuke-tem-"
"Shut up, both of you!"
MISSION #12820198
MISSION NAME: Potato-digging
RANK: D
DETAILS: Help Taori Sameiri with her agriculture by digging all ripe potatoes.
ASSIGNED TO: Kakashi Hatake's Team Seven
STATUS: Failed
FEEDBACK: Everything was going smoothly until Naruto used kage bunshin no jutsu (shadow clone justu) to complete the task. Ended up digging the entire field, along with other vegetables and flowers. Taori-san is expecting reimbursement.
-oOo-
"Do you ever sit and think about how every single thing you do, every single thing you touch creates a ripple through the entire universe. Like, one single event has the power to change your entire life; a single person, a single word. The way our brain is built, the way events change it, how the happenings of the universe can make or break you. The fact that we face and get over so many cross-roads every single day of our lives; and eventually all of them sum up to give us our reality. We could be in a totally different time-line right now but the fact that we are in this one right here…fascinating, isn't it?"
"…"
"…Ne, you kinda lost me there, Sakura-chan."
MISSION #12892012
MISSION NAME: Clean training grounds
RANK: D
DETAILS: Clean the trainings grounds assigned to genin teams this year
ASSIGNED TO: Kakashi Hatake's Team Seven
STATUS: Completed
FEEDBACK: Mission completed in under a few hours with good efficiency and tears and blood and sweat.
-oOo-
"Naruto, you really can't tell the difference between a seed and a pebble?"
"Hehehehe, you see Sakura-chan-"
"Hn. Dobe."
"What are you smirking about, baka? Those seeds were supposed to be planted in that part of the field."
"…"
"Hahahaha, stupid teme!"
"Naruto…"
"Yosh! Getting back to work, Sakura-chan!"
MISSION #10293047
MISSION NAME: Seed-planting
RANK: D
DETAILS: Help the farmers with the annual seed-planting on the outskirts of the village
ASSIGNED TO: Kakashi Hatake's Team Seven
STATUS: Completed
FEEDBACK: After a few complications including seeds, pebbles and insults, the three managed to do passable job within the time period.
-oOo-
"Oi Sasuke-teme, what are you doing?"
"AHHHH WHAT—Sasuke! Really? You really threw that dog-shit at me to get back for yesterday?"
"Hn."
"Pfft. It'll take days to get rid of the smell, you petty jerk."
"Aa."
"Who even hurt you, boy?"
"Must be the mile-long pole up his ass, 'ttebayo!"
"…"
"Oh my-good one, Naruto!"
MISSION #17820829
MISSION NAME: Inuzuka Kennels
RANK: D
DETAILS: Clean up the fur and other 'leavings' of the Inuzuka ninken
ASSIGNED TO: Kakashi Hatake's Team Seven
STATUS: Completed
FEEDBACK: Made a bigger mess than the existing one. Took the next day as well, unanticipated. Inuzukas were considerate about it and didn't cut the pay.
-oOo-
"But but but, Sakura-chan! You didn't tell me I had to actually put the letters inside the letterbox!"
"What do you think they are for then, baka? Eating ramen?"
"I was just trying to get the work done faster, dattebayo!"
"I know, but it won't be any use if the work is not done properly, right?"
"Hai."
"Good, now go find all sixty-five letters you lost before Kakashi-sense returns."
"Yosh, ma'am!"
"Pfft. Dobe."
"Come on, Sasuke. We gotta help him."
"Whatever."
MISSION #18029382
MISSION NAME: Postal delivery
RANK: D
DETAILS: Aid the postal services by delivering letters
ASSIGNED TO: Kakashi Hatake's Team Seven
STATUS: Failed
FEEDBACK: Naruto threw the letters like shuriken, ended up losing half of them. Manager was incredibly upset. Naruto has been barred from entering the post office ever again.
-oOo-
"Annoying."
"Did you say something, Sasuke?"
"I said, you're annoying."
"Well…you're an asshole so better to balance it out."
"BWAHAHAHA, teme!"
"Behind you, dobe."
"Behind me w-what-AHHHHH"
"You did it on purpose, didn't you Sasuke?"
"Aa."
"There's one behind you too, by the way."
"…"
MISSION #10822920
MISSION NAME: Centipede Attack
RANK: D
DETAILS: The forests near the west are being attacked by relatively harmless but persistent centipedes. They are to be captured alive.
ASSIGNED TO: Kakashi Hatake's Team Seven
STATUS: Completed
FEEDBACK: Giant centipedes were defeated and captured rather quickly, being drawn to young boys. Naruto and Sasuke ended up being the bait eventually, making the mission easy to complete.
-oOo-
"It's a bear."
"Pear?"
"A bear!"
"Yes, I'm here."
"No, I said it's a bear."
"…We're underage."
"-W-hat?"
"Not beer! I said bear."
"It's a bear."
"Bear."
"D-amn-it, wh-?"
"Oh, for Kami's sake…"
"Sa-ku-ch-ear?!"
"Naruto, we can't hear you properly. It's a bear."
"Dobe."
"Te-me-ar?"
"Of all the things, it had to be a faulty transmitter!"
"Be-dammit, what the hell is up with this stupid thing, 'ttebayo!"
"Wait, Naruto! I can finally hear you!"
"Oh, Sakura-chan! Finally!"
"It's a bear."
"Bear?"
"Bear."
"Bear."
"Bear, yes."
"Oh yeah, bear?"
"Yes, damn it!"
MISSION #11022002
MISSION NAME: Winnie-the-pooh
RANK: D
DETAILS: The honey from the bee-farms is disappearing mysteriously. Find out what or who is responsible.
ASSIGNED TO: Kakashi Hatake's Team Seven
STATUS: Completed
FEEDBACK: Despite a technical issue, the genin managed to tackle the rogue bear. He has been captured and will be transferred to a sanctuary.
-oOo-
"Sakura! Get off!"
"Not until you get it out of my hair!"
"You're heavy."
"I don't care!"
"Annoying. You should've known better."
"How in the world was I supposed to know there would still be bugs in that corner?! Stop talking and get that thing out of my hair!"
"Whatever, just hold still."
"…"
"…"
"Is it out?"
"…"
"Sasuke! Stop scaring me, is it out?!"
"…It just slithered down your back."
"…"
"…"
"Sakura chan, it;'s not that b-"
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
MISSION #14010289
MISSION NAME: Bug Extermination
RANK: D
DETAILS: The bakery downtown has been infested by bugs which are attracted to sweet things. Completely eradicate the bugs.
ASSIGNED TO: Kakashi Hatake's Team Seven
STATUS: Completed
FEEDBACK: Sakura, in a fit of panic, sprayed the medicine throughout the building. The bakery is restricted to public for now due to the air being poisonous, but the owners were satisfied with the thorough cleaning.
-oOo-
"Ne ne, it's so not fair that Sasuke-teme gets all the credit, dattebayo!"
"Sasuke did defeat that reptile though, Naruto."
"But Sakura-chan! I was about to find it too!"
"You were looking in the opposite part of the forest."
"But I-"
"With ramen as a lure."
"B-"
"And you arrived after it was captured."
"…"
"…"
"I'll beat you, teme!"
"In your dreams, usuratonkachi(loser)."
MISSION #15220280
MISSION NAME: Reptile Capture
RANK: D
DETAILS: A strange reptile has been spotted near the forests in the outskirts of the village and terrorizing the civilians; appears to be relatively harmless. It is to be captured without inflicting heavy injuries.
ASSIGNED TO: Kakashi Hatake's Team Seven
STATUS: Completed
FEEDBACK: Naruto was MIA, Sasuke defeated the offending reptile and Sakura helped with the capturing. The people were very happy and offered a bonus to the three.
-oOo-
"Teme."
"Dobe."
"Teme!"
"Dobe!"
"TEME!"
"DOBE!"
"You do realise I can hear your bickering all the way to this side of the fence, right?"
"…"
"…"
"We're not on a vacation, geez. Focus on the mission, you t-AHHH"
"Sakura-chan?!"
"…"
"…"
"Sakura?"
"…"
"Teme, we gotta go, now!"
"Hn."
"Humph, no need. I got him!"
"Way to go, Sakura-chan! I knew you were awesome!"
"Thank-hey! Stop struggling!…Did you just…?"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"You're dead."
MISSION #18028202
MISSION NAME: Old Creep
RANK: D
DETAILS: A pervert has been lurking near the Konoha hot springs. In addition to stealing the guests' clothes and underwear, it is also informed that he is especially seen at the women's side. People are not visiting due to fear, and the business is suffering. Capture the pervert.
ASSIGNED TO: Kakashi Hatake's Team Seven
STATUS: Completed
FEEDBACK: The three went to the hot spring as guests themselves. Amusingly, Sakura got him without any help but the perverted culprit was brought back beaten black and blue along with minor burns. The genin got a lifetime free pass for the hot spring as an added reward.
-oOo-
"Nee-sama!"
The girl ignored the cry directed to her. All she could focus now was her legs running, taking her away to some other place, any place but here. She felt her eyes getting wet and vision blurring. Not bothering to even try to wipe the tears rolling down her cheeks, she continued running without any aim. It was too much.
Eventually resorting to walking, for she was quite tired, it wasn't long before she found herself walking down the streets of Konoha. Filled with laughing people, lively shops and bustling markets, the young girl felt very out of place. Everyone around was so…happy and confident and contented. The tears had stopped but her eyes were still glistening. It was hard for her to focus on anything in particular because she knew that soon, people would come finding her. If anything, she had just created more problems for herself by running away.
Suddenly, she felt herself crash into something, or rather someone, before being sent tumbling to the ground. Everything seemed to come to a standstill for her as she wished for nothing more than to bury a hole and remain there for eternity.
"Hinata?" A curious, albeit familiar, voice greeted her. Taking more time than average, she lifted her head only to see an outstretched hand in front of her face.
"S-Sakura-san," the girl whispered, making no move to get up. Heat shot up in her face as she struggled to form coherent words. "G-gomen, I wasn't l-looking where I-I was g-going."
"Ah, it's alright," the rosette waved off her apology with a bright smile. "Besides, I was pretty distracted myself."
Hinata could only stare at the girl in front of her as she felt even more self-conscious. She couldn't help but feel drawn towards her; her smile, her calm demeanour, her charm and her confidence, something Hinata herself lacked.
"Come on," Sakura urged, eyes darting to her outstretched hand. Slowly and hesitantly, the shy girl took the offered hand, pushing herself to stand. Refusing to make any eye-contact whatsoever, Hinata settled on keeping her whitish-lavender eyes trained on the ground with her hands clasped in front of her chest.
"Were you training?" the rosette asked, eyes running over the girl in front of her. She was wearing simple black t-shirt with long sleeves and black pants which ended at her ankles. Her face and clothes were dusted with dirt and barely noticeable scratches and bruises could be seen on the exposed parts of her body.
"H-hai," Hinata replied, eyes covered by her jet-black baby bangs. The innocent question once again swelled the storm of emotions she was momentarily distracted from, and the sheer magnitude hit her once again as she could see her vision blurring.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Hinata finally looked up to meet the questioning and slightly concerned emerald orbs of the rosette standing before her. After running away from what had happened a short while ago, the thought of someone looking at her with even the slightest emotion was too much for the dark-haired girl. Fresh tears began rolling down her cheeks. Ashamed, she brought her hands to cover her face and tried to keep her sobs low.
Sakura's eyes widened in shock and concern. She hadn't been very close to the girl despite being in the same class in the academy. All she knew was that Hinata was very soft-spoken, shy and didn't talk much. However, none of that information could help her while the rosette felt herself witness as what could be called a breakdown.
"Hey…isn't that Hinata, the Hyuga heiress?"
"Look at her, the respectable Hyuga weeping in the middle of the street."
"What a disgrace!"
The lavender-eyed girl sniffled again, shame encroaching every nerve of her body. Her head hung low as she tried to force herself to stop crying. She lowered one of her hands while using the other one to furiously rid of her face with any more tears. She felt a soft tug on her hand. Looking up, she felt numb as she let the pink-haired kunoichi lead her away from the staring crowd and gossiping people. The girl lost any concept of time until she felt herself stop. Blinking through misty eyes, she found herself in a relatively empty park, which was understandable considering that the sun was setting, painting the sky along with the earth in a pinkish-orange light. Most of the children were leaving with their parents and Hinata felt a small smile tug on her lips at the small children, reminding of her own little sister.
Sakura walked over to a swing and sat on it, smiling cheekily. She gestured to the empty one on her left, leaving a slightly blushing Hinata to almost trip on her way to the swing.
The two young girls sat in a companiable silence for a while for which the lavender-eyed girl was extremely grateful. If Sakura had asked any questions, she was sure she would've not even been able to answer properly. Words from before she ran away were still ringing in her ear. It wasn't something new, and Hinata should've been used to them, really, but it didn't hurt any less. As if that wasn't enough, the passer-bys' comments were beginning to creep on her as well. I really am a disgrace…
"Do you like dango?"
The sudden question jolted her from her thoughts as her head sharply turned to her right, eyes momentarily meeting emerald green ones before darting downwards. She nodded slowly, gaze never rising. She heard shuffling and in her peripheral vision, saw a small opened box offered to her, filled with six sticks of the delicious dumplings.
She looked unsurely at the sweet before gathering a little confidence to look at the other girl. Seeing nothing except kindness and genuineness reflected back, Hinata hesitantly took the top-stacked stick of dumplings. She waited for Sakura to take her own stick before taking a small bite. A warm, sweet sensation erupted in her mouth, slowly spreading to her entire body.
"A-arigato, Sakura-s-san," she whispered in her soft voice. The pink-haired kunoichi just smiled brightly in response.
"You're welcome," she replied. "And just Sakura is fine."
Giving a small nod, the shy girl continued to enjoy the delicacy while the rosette kept talking about random topics. Hinata offered occasional words with slight stutter along with small nods and giggles. Time went too fast for both girls' liking as before long, the sun was almost down and the sky was showing tinges of dark blue and purple.
"S-Sakura-san, I should b-be g-going," Hinata whispered with a slight sombre tone. She knew what was awaiting at home for her.
Nodding, the rosette picked up her bag and both girls made their way out of the park. Neither chatted much, and the silence was comfortable. With the corner of her eye, the lavender-eyed girl noticed the way the other kunoichi walked, a straight-back, sure strides and a confident manner and couldn't help comparing it her slouch shoulders and unsure steps.
As the gates of the 'Hyuga' compound came into view, Hinata could feel her heart race. Her mind once again clouded over and she barely registered the fact that they had reached the gates, stopping automatically. Before she could make any movement to get her presence known or open the gates herself, she heard the girl beside her speak.
"You know, Hinata," Sakura uttered in a bright but genuine tone. "I think you're really strong."
Eyes widening dramatically and heat flaring in her cheeks, the dark-haired girl whipped her head only to clash with the pink-haired kunoichi's earnest orbs. Words died in her throat as she felt a flurry of emotions burn through her. Her body froze completely, only her eyes blinking. Her gaze followed the rosette as she patted Hinata's shoulder gently before turning around and walking away.
Almost at the end of the street, Sakura looked back at the shy girl and gave a small wave before turning around the corner and disappearing from view.
What the rosette didn't know was that not one, but two different pairs of lavender eyes had been fixated on her until she left.
-oOo-
Team seven once again found themselves in eerily similar surroundings. In the Hokage Tower, standing right before the old man himself seated in a magnificent chair with a desk filled with scrolls, ink and the likes in front of him. Their academy instructor, Iruka, was seated beside him. The hokage's desk was surrounded by a desk each on the left and right, important but docile looking men seated on them.
"Let's see," the old man puffed out smoke. "The next mission for team seven… Madam Shijimi's pet cat 'Tora' is lost again…"
Irritation bloomed in Sakura's chest as her eyebrows scrunched. It was the fifth time they were being assigned to the same mission. How often did the damn cat got lost?!
"NO NO NO! No thank you!" Naruto bellowed from her right, arms in a 'x' in front of his body. "I want to do a more incredible mission! Give us something better, old man!"
The rosette heard a sigh from behind her. Turning her head slightly, she saw her sensei in a slouch posture, right hand on his temple and lone eye drooping a little.
"You idiot! You are just a rookie!" Iruka shouted, standing up abruptly with his hands on the desk. "Everyone starts off with simple duties and works their way up, baka!"
"But but! We keep getting the worst possible duties, 'ttebayo!" the blonde countered, and Sakura and Sasuke both silently agreed.
"Naruto, it seems that I have to explain to you what these duties are all about," the sandaime(third) hokage intervened, taking his smoking pipe out of his mouth. "Listen, every day the village receives numerous requests, from assassinations to babysitting. Each request is written down on these scrolls and divided into ranks, A, B, C and D, based on their difficulty."
"The village is also divided on the basis of skills. Everyone below me is divided up by their ability in order of jounin, chunnin and genin. We at the highest level distribute the requests as missions to ninja who have the suited abilities for the said mission," he continued. "And if the mission is successful, the fee comes in from the client."
The old man brought the pipe closer to his lips and closed his eyes. "Nevertheless, you guys have just become genin, D-rank missions are the best you can do…"
"Yesterday's lunch was pork broth with noodles so today I'll have miso soup," Naruto mumbled in deep thought, squatted on the floor with his back to the hokage.
"Listen to me!" the old man yelled in exasperation at the blonde's indignation.
"I'm sorry," Kakashi mumbled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
"Bah! You always lecture me, jii-chan(old man)," the knucklehead complained. "But I'm not that little prankster you think I am!"
With a 'humph!', he turned around, crossing his arms over his chest. Kakashi sighed again, aware that he was going to be scolded for his genin's temper tantrum.
Iruka blinked a few times at the blonde's last statement before a small, fond grin grew on his face. Beside him, the old hokage let an amused smirk form on his face as well. Taking another swig of his smoking pipe, he gazed at the kid with both exasperation and love. He had always seen Naruto as the kid who caused trouble in the whole village, and the transition to him being a proper shinobi with an urge to prove himself to everyone was something the old man could now acknowledge. This kid who could only express himself with pranks…
"Fine," he finally announced, drawing the attention to everyone in the room to himself. "If you insist, I'll give you a C-rank mission. You'll be guarding our client."
"Really?" Naruto exclaimed, turning around to face him with a bright expression. His two teammates seemed excited as well. Kakashi just looked on with a blank expression. "Who? Who? A feudal lord? Or…or a princess?"
"Don't be hasty," he chided good-naturedly. "I'll introduce you now."
All the four members of the team turned to the door, following the hokage's gaze.
"Would you please come in?"
-END OF THE CHAPTER-
Author's notes:
As most of y'all would be aware, we're starting the 'Land of Waves' arc. I'm excited to write it as this was the arc where a lot, and by that I mean quite a lot of stuff happened. Also, this is the same arc where you'll hopefully see what Sakura haruno could've done if she was handled better. I'll see you soon with the next chapter!
Thank you, Guest and toxiccherryblossom for reviewing. As far as your question is considered, toxiccherryblossom, Sakura is not the same girl she is in canon. She is same in some facades, but then she's different in other aspects. Hopefully this comes more to light in this chapter and it will change the course of where this story goes as well. Also, yes, questioning ourselves sometimes is perfectly normal but she's the smartest of the group of rookies, second only to shikamaru, a genius. It definitely counts for something.
Do review and let me know your feedback. Till the next time.