Chapter 4: Masked Mission
Naruto attack the other one off-guard into Shikamaru's shadow. Quickly Shikamaru held his shadow back to his body. The tall man fall also into a great impact to the ground creating another crater.
"That's Hokage-sama for you, Naruto." A woman in between twenty's to thirty's has appeared in the puffs of smoke. She had a corn-like yellow hair flowing at her back in a neat pigtail ponytail. She wore a red sort of a hat and a coat with a Japanese character written in red at the back of her coat saying 'gambler'. She looks young but as Naruto knows, she was in her fifty's.
Sakura and Shikamaru quickly joined him and got a good view of their ruler of the village. "Hokage-sama!" the two chorused with incredulity. In that moment, Shikamaru's facial expression wants to ask her, 'What are you doing here?' but that was really rude, he was a chuunin, and he should have great respect to her.
"Old Tsunade! What are you doing here?" he asked her loudly with respect as if just asking a friend or sort of.
Sakura strike his head, "Naruto, show respect!" she insist.
"It is alright, Sakura-san. I am used to that wart… well now; I have heard what you are talking about a while ago."
"You're here even before we had got here do you?" Naruto accused her with rudeness. "And you didn't bother to help us?"
"That has a purpose… I see you three had knock off these two men." She said gesturing to the two fallen men in the ground. Even if Naruto was shouting at her, she manages herself to stay calm.
"Yes, we reckon they were class S criminals in other countries." Sakura said to her.
Tsunade walks to the ground and examine them one by one. The three followed her. "Tsk Tsk… poor poor men… you lot sure their tongues had stick out of their mouth…"
The three exchange glances at each other and grinned. Old Tsunade was impressed to them. "C'mon, you three!" she caught their attention she was about to leave the two men unconscious in the ground. "I have to tell something to the lot of you… and it is getting dark…" she said gesturing to the pitch black sky. It was true; they haven't noticed it was dark.
"Er… but Hokage-sama, aren't we just leaving these two men unconscious?" Shikamaru asked her with respect. "Aren't we calling some anbus to get them?
"Oh, they'll just stay there… they will be alright in a few minutes…" she replied.
"But… Hokage-sama, they were likely to be a class S criminals, we cannot let them stay here. What if they do something nasty in our village?" Sakura said with great concern.
Tsunade stared at her for a moment, and she smiled a bit. To Naruto it was a mischievous smile, there is something behind that smile she wore. "It's alright Sakura-san, come and follow me."
Shikamaru followed her, with Naruto and Sakura left behind. Sakura's forehead wrinkled. It was as if there was a great battle in her head. Before Sakura could utter another word, Naruto blurted out to old Tsunade, "Old Tsunade! What should we do to their unconscious body?"
Tsunade came into a halt, so is Shikamaru to face them. Shikamaru scowled, he was getting lazy again. "Alright…" she said followed by a sigh.
"You two, come over here!" she commands, her hands gesturing to come over her.
"What?" the two chorused with puzzled look.
"No, not you two, those men behind you!" she answered back. They both turn their back to see whom was she referring to.
In the crater Naruto did, the two men's eyes popped open. The two stand aback with surprise. The two men slowly got to their feet. Naruto does not know what to do, if he should hit them now or let old Tsunade do it for him. On the other hand Sakura hid behind Naruto, she looked frighten, after Naruto had hit them with his whirling Rasengan they had manage to get up. Shikamaru who was beside old Tsunade was taken aback to with great surprise and slowly shifted his gaze to the Hokage.
"You two had done a great job." She said followed a laugh.
In a split second puffs of smoke appeared to them and revealing the two men, Naruto's jaw drop to the ground—the two men did a Henge no Jutsu.
"Ibiki, Anko Thank you for cooperating with me." Old Tsunade thank the two jounins with glee and seeing Naruto his blue eyes popped open with astonishment.
"What is the meaning of these, old Tsunade!" Naruto shouted at her, he was likely to be mad at her, they had been tricked! They had been stupid not to know, they were resident jounins of Konoha!
"Yo! Naruto!" Anko grinned at him. She was the same Jounin who had given them the second test in the Chuunin exam. She wore her hair in an upward spiky way, she wore a yellow cloack not those green vest that regular jounins wear netted blouse under it and metal-plated boots and she always wear that tomboyish smile to everyone. "That charka-ball surely hit me into the ground!" she said excitedly and still grinning at him.
"Hokage-sama, is that mean that we had fought these elite jounins today?" Shikamaru asked.
"Definitely, you were." She answered back.
"Ms. Anko, why did you disguise a rat-faced git?" Sakura asked her. Naruto now much appreciate Anko's appearance than before.
"I was wondering why you didn't noticed Anko, they were like twins eh?" Ibiki answered jokily. He was unusually tall man with scared face and wore those leathery black coats; he was the special jounin of Konoha. All of them roar into laughter except for Naruto in what he had said. He still cannot believe that old Tsunade had tricked him without purpose.
"Well, then our duty is over tonight, Hokage-sama. It was a great pleasure to work with you, Tsunade-sama." Ibiki said now in a serious tone. Old Tsunade nod to him and to Anko.
"See you soon, I hope the two of you won't call me a 'git' on the next time I see you in the next chuunin exam!" Anko winked at Naruto and Sakura. And they both disappeared in puffs of smoke.
"So… can we go now in my office?" Tsunade asked the three of them.
"For what?" Naruto snapped at her.
"I think you lot need some wound treating." She said with the air of confidence. She was right. He had not noticed his left shoulder was still bleeding; Sakura and Shikamaru were bruised and had shallow cuts.
And after a moment, his stomach growled loud enough to be heard by his companions.
"And I think you need to eat." She added with suppressed giggles.
It was a long walk going to the Hokage-sama's office. It took them almost an hour to get there, not to mention old Tsunade had healed their wounds before walking out of the woods. They had arrived in the flight of stairs going to the Hokage-sama's office. The whole village was gone quiet by now, it surely about to be midnight and yet Naruto had not yet eaten. He had just taken a bite of those barbeque they had in the pub. The pitch-black blanket of sky without the evening stars greeted them. There they stood in the flight of stairs towards the Hokage-sama office. They need to climb the hundred stairs to get there. Climbing in the stairs is really tiring but the good scenery of the whole village was overwhelming. He sighs as they climb in the stairs.
It was just like yesterday when he had first stepped into that same flight of stairs—it was a bright, sunny day, he had cut classes and instead he went to the top of the mountain where the past and present Hokages were engraved. He had vandalized their faces that cause every villagers attention. His chuunin-sensei does not know what to do to him. If he should get punishment or detention and in the end his chuunin-sensei decided to face him to the present day Hokage.
He was really pissed off that day, he do not know why he had to go to the Hokage-sama's office. As he walk to the circular hallways of the building, he was stomping his feet to show his disapproval in sending him there. Iruka-sensei was angry with him that day for what he had done. He knocks at the door gently as an old voice answered back at the door and said, "Come in…"
They both entered the door and found the present Hokage sitting in his chair. He was really old for having a title 'the greatest ninja'—his hair was almost all silvery white and his beard, his faced wrinkled in every bit, he wears of course the Hokage-sama's uniform—red sort of a hat with Japanese characters painted to it meaning 'fire' and white and red robes.
"Come over here." The old voice of Sandaime commands him. His voice has a hint of anger. He trotted to him with laziness and faced him personally. In that moment he did not pay attention to what was he blabbing, Sandaime was really angry of what he had done, it lasted for a few minutes of sermon and at last—it was enough he thought.
Without warning, he performed a Henge-no Jutsu, he performed the sexy technique to him. Sandaime's nose bleed in what he had done, he was a perverted man also he thought. He tried to escape to the office but then the door swung open and a boy rushed to them gripping a kunai ready to attack the Hokage.
Later he did know it was the Hokage-sama's grandson, Konohamaru. He was really a stubborn kid before; he wants to defeat his own grandfather so that he could get the title 'Hokage'. Nevertheless, it was not in the rules of the village. He was only about eight years old and still studying in the academy.
There again they were climbing in the stairs, his clouds of thoughts had vanished into the freezing breeze of the midnight wind. They had reached the circular hallways and to the doors of the office. Old Tsunade stirred the doorknob and opened the door gently.
"Come on in." she said.
That day when Sandaime had called for him for his pranks, the Hokage-sama's office was packed with bookshelves with lots of books all about ninja. There are also cabinets of scrolls. In the left side of the room, facing the table portraits of past and present Hokages are hanged in the wall in colors of black and white. The window is always open so that the warm breeze of summer can get inside the room as the white curtains dance with it.
Today the present Hokage's office was a little bit different; Sandaime's books were changed into old Tsunade's medical books. The cabinets were the scrolls are kept were gone instead tables with high chair was present with fancy tablecloth. A wardrobe about six feet high was kept also the room, it had glass-stained window and on the top of it was the snoozing pig her apprentice owned. The portraits of the past Hokages were still there and it seems that it was been clean with a cloth for it has no trace of dust.
They all came inside the office. Sakura keeps on examining every corner of the room; she was definitely not gone into the Hokage-sama's office before. On the other hand, a Naruto and Shikamaru just stand into their feet as old Tsunade draws more chairs before her table.
She sat down in her cozy armed chair and said, "You may sit down." They all sat down. Naruto can feel his stomach grumbling for food.
"A cup of tea, I therefore say?" Tsunade asked all of them. Sakura refuse.
"A cup of what?" Naruto blurted out, he does not want a cup of tea. He wants ramen for now.
"Tea, Naruto. Do you fancy a tea?" Tsunade repeated she was still calm. And she got the kettle and poured some into the three cups. She gave all of them.
"Why do I have the feeling you had put something nasty in the tea?" Naruto said sarcastically and pushed his cup of tea away from him.
"Do not be ridiculous Naruto." Tsunade snapped at him.
"Er… Hokage-sama, excuse me for my rudeness… but why did you brought us here?" Sakura asked her as she pretends to sip her tea.
"Funny you had asked Sakura-san…" she said playfully and got up to her armed chair. "I had thought that the news about Uchiha Sasuke had spread over the village…"
"About Sasuke—what about Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked again.
"It that about the rumors that Sasuke was gone missing?" Shikamaru joined them and putting his cup down.
Naruto crossed his arms. It was about Sasuke again. And since when did old Tsunade was interested with Sasuke? He thought. "Shikamaru, it was not only rumors. You had known it do you?" Tsunade said walking back and forth beside the table. "You had heard the news to the jounins back in the academy."
Shikamaru cannot lie now, he nods his head gently. "But… they were not that sure, it was only a rumor they say."
"That is a rubbish! The jounins had only said that for they had lately realized that you were eavesdropping in their conversation."
"Is that mean Sasuke-kun is really missing, Hokage-sama?" Sakura asked again.
In that moment, Naruto wants to say something but before he had opened his mouth Tsunade said, "Before you could say Naruto that Sasuke had kidnapped by his fan girls, I therefore say he was not!"
Naruto was taken aback; old Tsunade knew what will him going to say. "But poor, poor rookie, I do think his fan girls would that be desperate to kidnap him, isn't it Sakura?"
Sakura blushed in deep red, turn her gaze into the portraits of the Hokages, and found it interesting. "Just like I said, Uchiha Sasuke is missing. And this is not good."
"Had you researched where could be Sasuke hiding?" Naruto said.
"That would be your job." She said and finally sat into her chair.
The three of them jumped to their seats and exchanged looks at each other. Before all of them could utter a single word, the door of the office swung open and a woman emerged from it and dashing to the table. The three again jumped to their seats in surprise. She had a black short hair and wearing robes like Tsunade, she was holding a tray packed with delicious, aromatic barbeque. Naruto began to salivate, the aroma of the barbeque blew to his nostrils, and for a second he had seen the steam forming a hand pulling him to get nearer to the tray of delicious barbeque. Sakura tugged his rib and he came back to his senses.
"Shizune, had you cooked the barbeque?" old Tsunade asked her. Shizune was old Tsunade's apprentice. She was a medical ninja like old Tsunade.
"Er… yes of course Tsunade-sama!" Shizune answered back and gesturing the tray of food.
"Good." She said and catches Naruto's eyes. "Put it just here in my table."
"Er… Tsunade-sama, have you seen Ton-Ton?" Shizune asked nervously. "I think he had a short walk or sort of, he maybe had been captured by a restaurant owner and had been roasted!"
"Not to worry, Shizune, He is here." Tsunade said and pointed the pig in the wardrobe.
Shizune sighs in relief, "Goodness! I thought something had happened to him! Oh well if you just need me I will be in the next room." She reminded her. She turned to Naruto and the others. "Hi Naruto, I have not seen you a lot lately." And she winked.
"Alright then, Shizune, you may go." Tsunade commands to her. Shizune jumped to her feet, bowed to her, rushed to the door, and gently closed it.
"Where am I?" Tsunade asked as she thinks where she had stopped, "Oh! Yes! That one, I had told you Naruto, that Sasuke was missing and his fan girls did not kidnapped him, and it was not good."
"Er… yeah…" Naruto dreamily replied his gazed firmly fixed in the tray of barbeque.
"It means that we need to find him, my researchers told me that he had gone to the other country."
"Other country? Where?" Shikamaru blurted out.
"Did he go to Sound Village?" Sakura instantly said bravely.
"No. Honestly, he did not. I know what you are thinking Sakura, that Sasuke is now joining Orochimaru's troops to be more powerful.
"He did not! But—?"
"It was just a presumption that Uchiha Sasuke was going to join Orochimaru, and that would be very bad."
"Is that mean, Orochimaru was really alive?" Shikamaru asked ridiculously as if it was impossible.
"'Course he is! I had personally faced him in the castle town near Konoha, asked Naruto about it." The two quickly spun their heads towards Naruto as if their neck was going to break. Naruto jumped in surprise, he was not listening to them he was still looking at the tray of food. "That is why I want to test you three. Since your team, Sakura and Naruto had been break apart for Sasuke was missing; I had decided to make Shikamaru your temporary teammate."
"WHAT!" Shikamaru and Naruto blurted out.
"That lazy bum Shikamaru, a teammate! Please! I am enough of a big-headed Sasuke!" Naruto said in disapproval.
"Neither do I! I don't want to be that wart's teammate; I am satisfied with my teammates, thank you!" Shikamaru said too lazily.
"Who are you referring to a 'big-headed' Naruto!" Sakura said with outrage forgetting that old Tsunade was still with them.
The three started to argue in a loud manner. "THAT IS ENOUGH!" Tsunade yelled at them to stop. "If all of you would not stop bickering at one another, I would not give this barbeque."
The three's jaw dropped. And silence filled the room.
"Good. Now you can have the barbeque, Naruto." She said and pushes the tray to him. Naruto was delighted. Sakura again tugged his rib. "What now?" He asked in a low tone.
"How could you have the enthusiasm to eat in this situation?" she asked ridiculously also in a low tone.
"I haven't eaten, you know!" he answered back sarcastically. If he had known that this day would be very stomach-growling day he had brought as many food as he can in his bag.
"So… the lot of you would be a new team."
"Hey old Tsunade, We haven't agreed on that!" Naruto said as he chomps on to his barbeque.
"I don't need you to accept it, whether you want it or not, you three would be a new team—for now." She snapped to him. "That is why we had tricked you in the forest, it was an excellent idea—of Jiraiya, to disguised Ibiki and Anko as followers of Orochimaru, we had discovered your strength and weaknesses."
"What have you discovered, old Tsunade!"
"That you were still narrow minded!" she snapped. "And still team work will bring every mission to a success."
Yeah right, Naruto said. He had heard that a million times before with his no other than sensei—Kakashi. "So what was your point?"
"I will give a mission to the lot of you—as a new team…"
Naruto spat his barbeque without warning in the floor, Sakura said 'Ughh'.
"A MISSION!" the three chorused.
"Yes, a mission… to find Uchiha Sasuke, to act as spies against Orochimaru and his henchmen—"
"Is that include Kabuto—?" Naruto butt-in.
"—and to persuade Uchiha Sasuke not to join them."
Naruto grew excited, even if they would go on a mission with a new teammate and only to find Sasuke, it will surely would make his skills improve. And not to mention to show his new techniques to them and to tell them that he was not the Naruto they knew who were the academy's number one dropout and a loser!
"When will be our mission begins?" Naruto asked excitedly. Sakura smiled at him, for she was relief that Sasuke had not yet joined Orochimaru's mad men.
"I could not tell you for now, maybe a month or two from now." She explained. "When that time comes, I will inform you what will be exactly your mission is."
"Not now?" Naruto said as his voice dropped in disappointment.
"That's all. Thank you for discussing these matters to you. I hope that mission will be a success." She said with her voice a hint of concern. "You may go now."
They got to their feet and bowed to her as a sign of respect. "Thank you for the barbeque, old Tsunade!" he waved back to her as they were about to close the door of her office.
"Don't thank me, Naruto! It was the same barbeque you had in the restaurant you and Sakura had left without payment! The owner of the restaurant had charged you a double receipt!" Tsunade called back to him and handling him two receipt and banged the door of her room closed.
"WHAT! OLD TSUNADE HAD CHARGE HER LIQUOR TO OUR RECEIPT! OLD TSUNADE COME OUT OF YOUR OFFICE NOW!" Naruto yelled at the top of his voice hoping that old Tsunade would come out of her office and pay their bills. Sakura and Shikamaru just exchange looks at each other.
TBC…