The idea of Kiba, of anyone really, being willing to help her kill Itachi gave Sayaka a funny feeling in her stomach that she did her best to ignore by training harder. Several scarecrows gave their lives to the furtherment of Sayaka's abilities with fire jutsu in the next few days, until it reached the point that Sayaka could incinerate five of them in ten seconds flat.

"Your Dragon Fire's getting pretty scary," said Naruto as Team Seven waited their turn to enter the mission hall. Hinata sat next to him, slowly finishing a cup of tea while they waited, while Kakashi slouched in a chair and read his book. "I could feel it from all the way in the tree."

"Mm," Sayaka hummed, leaning against the wall next to them and mulling over her performance that morning. The Dragon Fire didn't technically need ninja wire, and it was better if she didn't, but it was turning out that ninja wire was surprisingly good at conducting fire-natured chakra. Being able to send a blast of fire in nearly any direction she wanted just by stringing up chakra wire was very appealing, and, just now, she'd been able to keep the wire lit as she swung the shuriken at the end of it around in an arc. It was… suggestive, of certain applications.

"I wonder if they sell razor wire at the shop," Sayaka mused out loud. "Or, hmm, maybe steel braid…"

"Oh god, she's getting ideas," Naruto muttered to Hinata. "Quick, we have to distract her."

Hinata giggled. "I'm s-sure Sayaka won't do anything unsafe."

"Oh yeah? We'll see once Sayaka starts wrapping us up in razor wire. Flaming razor wire."

"I can hear you, you know," said Sayaka, frowning at Naruto and crossing her arms.

"Then don't buy razor wire!" Naruto replied, crossing his arms. "That stuff hurts!"

"I won't use it on you, idiot."

"You say that now, but one day you'll get your mission pack and training pack mixed up, and then I'll run into it, and then I'll lose an eye or something, and it'll suck."

Sayaka rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Naruto."

"Steel braid might be better, but you'll need gloves either way," Kakashi interjected. He looked up idly over the top of his book. "You're thinking of using it as your primary weapon?"

"It's very useful."

Kakashi sighed and shook his head with a smile made visible only by the way his single exposed eye crinkled. "I had a teammate who thought the same, once. I'll see if he has his old notebooks sometime."

Sayaka nodded in thanks. "Thank you, sensei."

The door of the mission hall opened to the sound of Kiba complaining about how the smell of old sake always made him sneeze. Sayaka looked up as he led the way out of the mission hall, with Sakura rolling her eyes behind him and telling him to get over it.

"Oh hey, it's Team Seven," said Kiba, catching sight of her as he rubbed the back of his head. "You guys getting a mission?"

"Yeah, just a D-rank," said Naruto, bouncing out of his chair with an excess of enthusiasm. Sayaka avoided eye contact by looking down and tucking a bit of hair behind her ear as Naruto continued: "What've you guys got? Sounds gross if Kiba's complaining so much."

"We have received a C-rank," said Shino. He tilted his head. "We are escorting a bridge builder back to his home."

"What?!" Naruto yelped, before rounding on Kakashi. "Sensei! Why can't we get a C-rank?!"

"I wanted to run you through more teamwork drills," said Kakashi as he flipped a page in his book.

"But sensei!"

"What is y-your client like?" Hinata asked Sakura to keep Naruto from getting started, "and, um, h-how long do you expect t-to be gone?"

"Oh jeez, Hinata-chan, you have no idea about this guy," Sakura said, planting her hands on her hips. "Our client is such an asshole, do you know what he said when he walked in? He said…"

Kiba slid over to Sayaka as the conversation spiraled on, with Sakura and Shino taking the chance to complain about their client and the mission while Kakashi and Kurenai let the somewhat unprofessional conversation slide and discussed something else off to the side.

"So it looks like my schedule's pretty clear once we get back," said Kiba quietly, scratching Akamaru behind the ears casually. "Kurenai-sensei says we'll probably take a break after the mission, so that time's probably best."

Sayaka looked up at him and folded her arms loosely in front of her. "What's the best way to contact you?"

"You could just send a letter like a normal person," said Kiba dryly.

Sayaka made a face like she'd bitten into a lemon. "No."

Kiba huffed and rolled his eyes. "Fine. There's a pond near Training Ground 18, with a big willow tree that looks like an old granny with a walking stick and a big hole halfway up the trunk. If you leave a note in there, I usually go there to work on chakra control."

Sayaka mulled it over. She'd need to buy a small bamboo container to keep the note dry, but otherwise that would work.

"Alright," said Sayaka, nodding and tucking a lock of hair behind her ear again. "Thanks."

Kiba snorted. "Crazy girl. Mom's not that indiscreet."

"I'm not worried about her, I'm worried about the gossipy housewives across the street," said Sayaka flatly.

"True."

"Oi, Kiba, we're going," said Sakura, smacking Kiba on the shoulder. "Sorry Sayaka, we need to get packed."

Sayaka nodded. "It's fine. Will we be able to meet when you get back from your mission?"

Sakura winced. "Crap, sorry for forgetting about that one, things have been kind of crazy. I guess after our mission is fine, if it's good for you?"

"It is."

Sakura nodded. "Cool, sounds good. I'll send you a note after we get back. See you later!"

Team Eight left in a bustle of noise, leaving behind a quietly fuming Naruto who Hinata tried to placate as Kakashi got to his feet with a sigh. Sayaka thanked any deities out there that she hadn't started blushing in the middle of that conversation.

"Alright, knock it off Naruto," said Kakashi, closing his book with a snap and tapping Naruto on the shoulder with it. "If you want a C-rank so badly, then I expect better discipline out of you, understood? No ranting at a client."

Naruto grumbled but deflated. "Yes, sensei."

"Good, now let's go."

The mission hall was as it always was, with the Hokage making notes on his paperwork while two chunin assisted him at the desks nearby. Sayaka folded her hands behind her back as the three genin and Kakashi filed in, forming a neat line in front of the Hokage.

"Team Seven, reporting for duty," said Kakashi blandly.

"Ah yes, yes, Team Seven, on schedule as usual," said Hiruzen idly as he sorted through a few documents. "Your usual D-rank then? We have a few options…"


The days came and went and nothing of interest seemed to happen.

Kakashi did start running Team Seven through more teamwork drills and they stopped taking D-ranks for a while. The drills were not the same as the team-building exercises that they had gone through when they had started as genin. They were really more like endurance drills that happened to have a teamwork aspect, with the assumption that if you could maintain teamwork when tired and under time pressure, you were more likely to be able to do it in the field.

Unexpectedly, Kakashi started joining them, pushing Team Seven to go faster and faster through an improvised obstacle course and alternating objectives that sometimes changed halfway through the exercise. He was taller, stronger, and faster than they were, but he never left them behind and kept them moving forward even when they were totally exhausted.

"And time," said Kakashi, leaning against a tree at the end of yet another run through the wilds outside Konoha late in the afternoon. He pulled water bottles out from somewhere with a puff of chakra and started handing them out. "Good work. Stay on your feet now."

Sayaka poured water over her head as Kakashi nudged the genin forward into a slow walk around the pond they had ended up at. It would have been picturesque if she hadn't been covered in sweat and utterly exhausted after hauling herself and her teammates through rough terrain, cliffs, and deep pools of mud.

The group was silent as they walked, partly because Naruto was too tired to talk, and partly because the peace and quiet of the pond really was very nice. The rushes along the edge of the pond rustled in the gentle breeze. It was late summer and desperately hot, but the breeze still carried away the heat clinging to Sayaka's skin.

"I think we'll try something new tomorrow," said Kakashi as they rounded one end of the pond and entered a small grove of trees. "You three are doing well. I'm impressed by your progress."

Sayaka looked over at her teammates with a tired smile. Thank whatever gods there were that they would be ending these awful runs.

"What do you think, should we start C-ranks?" asked Kakashi, before swigging his water. "Or maybe you're confident enough to try a B-rank for the first time?"

"A B-rank?" asked Sayaka.

"Sure. There's lots of B-ranks that are only tasked that rank because of their sensitivity, not because they're hard," said Kakashi. "Something easy like a surveillance mission should be straightforward. And it'll be a nice break from all the running we've been doing."

"M-my eyes would be well s-suited to that task," Hinata commented.

"What would Naruto and I do?" asked Sayaka.

"Oh, I'm sure there's something that involves breaking and entering," said Kakashi blandly. "Naruto's probably pretty good at that."

"Heh, you bet," said Naruto with still-unnatural levels of enthusiasm despite his exhaustion. "I broke into the Hokage tower didn't I?"

"You can help him, and I'll stand watch," said Kakashi. "That sounds fun, doesn't it?"

"You just want an excuse to read your book and not do anything for a week," said Sayaka flatly.

"Sayaka-chan, why must you attack me this way?"

"It's true though."

"S-Sayaka, you shouldn't antagonize s-sensei like that…"


"A B-rank?" asked Hiroyo as they did the dishes after dinner that evening. "It seems a little early for that."

"Sensei says he wants to find an easy one," said Sayaka, drying off a bowl and stacking it in the cupboard. "Something like a surveillance mission."

"I suppose that's fair," said Hiroyo, doing her best not to seem worried. "I'm… sure you'll be fine. I know that you're training hard."

"Mm."

The plates and bowls clinked as the two continued washing dishes. Hiroyo's eyebrows pinched together as she placed the pan into the sink and gave it a squirt of dish soap. B-rank missions were honestly not that bad, if she thought rationally about it all. C-ranks weren't really that difficult for anyone who had a reasonable chance of passing the Chunin Exams, and even the most dysfunctional teams could do a reasonable job with them. B-ranks were a solid journeyman ninja's mission, usually, and taking very many A-ranks was rare for the average ninja. People like Kakashi, who had made careers out of blowing through A-ranks like so much paper, who did them solo even, were vanishingly rare.

"I don't know when it'll be, but sensei will probably wait a little," said Sayaka as she placed a bowl in the cupboard. "He usually changes his mind for no reason at the last minute about this sort of thing."

Hiroyo chuckled. "Does he now?"

"Sensei is very annoying," said Sayaka blandly. She picked up another dish and looked at it for a moment. "I'm told he's always been like this."

"Ah, I wouldn't know," said Hiroyo. "He's younger than me, you know."

"He is?"

"Oh yes. Kakashi joined the Third Great War when he was only six, then became a chunin by seven through field promotion," said Hiroyo. She looked to Sayaka with a stern expression. "You're paying attention to him, right? He has a lot to teach you."

Sayaka rolled her eyes. "Yes, Hiroyo, I'm paying attention."

"Good."

"Are you worried?"

"Of course I am," said Hiroyo. She looked over at Sayaka again and frowned. "How could I not be? My—"

She paused, and Sayaka coughed. That was a topic.

"I get it," said Sayaka before the silence could get awkward. "I just wanted to ask is all. I'll try to stay safe, and sensei's annoying but not stupid. It'll be fine."

Hiroyo huffed. "I suppose. When are you going to go on that second date with Kiba?"

"I— when he gets back from his mission," said Sayaka, flushing and putting away the plate she was drying a little too quickly, so that it clattered. "So, um, soon, I guess."

"We should arrange things with the Nara Clan soon as well," said Hiroyo. She sighed. "Dear me, there's so much to do."

"Do we have to respond to the Nara?" asked Sayaka, sighing for altogether different reasons. "Couldn't we say that I want to focus on one person at a time?"

"Unfortunately, that isn't how these negotiations work," said Hiroyo wryly. "Worry about your mission for now. I'm sure Shikamaru is busy as well."

Sayaka snorted ungracefully but didn't comment further. What a life she led.


The next morning found Team Seven at the Hokage's tower again for, as promised, a B-rank mission. Naruto was very excited about it.

"Team Seven will be attending the betrothal celebration of Princess Hayashi Fumiyo as her bodyguards," said the Hokage, rolling open the relevant mission scroll. "In particular, the Hyuuga and Uchiha heiresses are requested to stand with personal retinue for the duration of the celebration."

"Heading off to the Eastern Domain, huh, " said Kakashi. "How long is the celebration?"

"One week, officially, but Team Seven will need to stand ready for the week preceding and following the celebration as well."

The genin gave each other looks as they digested this information. Naruto's enthusiasm had been tempered, protecting a princess was not nearly as cool as saving one, and neither Hinata nor Sayaka were particularly enthused. Leaving the village might be fun, but doing it for what amounted to a lot of standing around looking pretty was…

"Will we need to bring our own formal wear?" Kakashi asked.

"The Lord Hayashi has actually asked the opposite, and hopes it is not an excessive imposition to ask you all to be measured for coordinated suits of clothes," said Hiruzen with some amusement. He glanced down to check the text. "Apparently you'll be allowed to keep the clothes after the mission is complete. It is part of the mission pay."

"Fascinating," drawled Kakashi. "Well, Team Seven accepts the mission. I suppose we ought to go get packed."

"Very well," said Hiruzen. He rolled up the scroll and handed it to an aide, who hurried over to hand it to Kakashi. "The details are enclosed. It should be fairly simple, but stay on your guard. This mission is fairly sensitive, for obvious reasons."

Kakashi nodded. "Of course."


The pond in Training Ground 18 that Kiba had mentioned was a good place to train alone. It was too wet for fire jutsu, but there was a clearing with firm, dry ground with enough space to work forms or do some light sparring. The forest canopy closed most of the way overhead, letting light into the clearing and leaving the rest in shadow.

Sayaka dropped her mission pack onto the ground beneath the willow tree and looked up. There was the hole that Kiba had said would be there.

She sighed and looked down at the bamboo cylinder she had bought. How long had Kiba been away now? Two weeks? Now she would be leaving on her own month-long mission. Come to think of it, Kiba's team was running late. An escort mission like that should only take a week and a half at the outside. It was a normal enough thing when escorting civilians to keep the pace slow, but still.

Well, sometimes things happened. She was sure they were fine.

Sayaka stepped onto the tree and walked up the trunk. The inside of the hole was damp, with moss and mushrooms growing inside. It was a good thing she'd gotten the bamboo cylinder. The note she'd written had been short, and she'd left her scheduled return date. Hopefully he'd be able to find some time around then.

With another sigh, Sayaka let herself fall off the side and land on the ground, keeping her feet silent with chakra. It felt like time was crawling around her. So many little things to do, none of them really helping her and her goals. She needed her revenge and she needed to rebuild her clan, but here she was, stuck in the mire while time passed her by. She was training as hard as she could, but she risked injury if she pushed any harder with the mission schedule Kakashi had them on, at least in the time she had available. But every day, there seemed to be more mail from more suitors, families not worth her time that she still had to pen polite and well-considered responses to.

Sayaka grimaced, pushing aside those thoughts and picking up her mission pack. It was almost time for Team Seven to leave, and she needed to get going.


"Man this blows," Naruto complained when they finally set off. "Standing around for weeks is not a cool B-rank mission."

"You'd better hope it stays boring," Kakashi said as they walked, hands in his pockets but book notably absent. "If there's an attack, it'll be a scandal that we didn't catch it until it actually went off."

"Really?"

Kakashi nodded. "This sort of mission is as much about the perception of safety as it is actually keeping people safe. I'll be keeping a tight perimeter about the client at all times. Naruto, since your clones can relay information, we'll be using them to keep watch."

"Roger, sensei!" said Naruto, saluting seriously.

"Hinata, Sayaka, you two are familiar with protocol, I take it?"

"Hinata more than me," said Sayaka, glancing over at the other girl.

Hinata nodded. "I c-can make sure things g-go well."

"I'll leave it to you then. The client's safety is our top priority, so let's stay alert," said Kakashi. He pulled his book out and tapped the spine in his other hand thoughtfully. "Though, if things are calm, do try to have a little fun."

Sayaka gave him a raised eyebrow.

"I always took this kind of mission too seriously when I was your age," said Kakashi with a wistful smile. "Unnerved my clients. It'd be nice if I could shake that reputation."

Sayaka snorted. "Right."

Well, it was supposed to be a celebration and not a funeral. Protocol was dull, but the food would be good, and hopefully the princess would be a nice conversationalist. There would be performances too, and if the daimyo had any money at all he'd be able to afford a nice little party that Team Seven was, essentially, being paid to attend.

If everything was quiet.

Sayaka fiddled with a length of ninja wire in her pocket. Something told her that it wouldn't be that easy.


The mission's start point was on Fire Country's eastern seaboard in the harbor town of Senfuku. This was also the center of government for the Eastern Domain, and lay about three days swift run from Konoha. Team Seven took slightly longer, as they were somewhat ahead of schedule, and arrived the evening before their mission officially started.

"This seems to be the place," said Kakashi, looking up at the castle of the Hayashi clan from the base of the ramp leading up to its walls. "Let's report in and then see about dinner."

"Good, I'm starved!" said Naruto. He fidgeted and squinted at the ashigaru standing guard in front of the gate. "Man, there's this ramen place that we walked past, I really want to check it out. It was talking about this thing called 'ramen sushi', and I'm just like, how the heck does that even work?"

"It probably cooks the fish," said Kakashi as he began walking up the ramp. "Just the outside, for texture."

"That sounds gross," said Naruto, wrinkling his nose. "Well, I guess if it's something fatty, I guess, like salmon."

"We can take a look," said Kakashi as they arrived at the gate. The ashigaru stepped forward, not unkindly, but the base of their naginata clinked against the gravel. "Good evening, we're here with a mission from his excellency Lord Hayashi?"

"Scroll please," said one of the ashigaru, holding out a hand. Kakashi handed over the scroll they'd been given, and the ashigaru flicked it open to look it over. His eyes glanced up at Kakashi, who was smiling pleasantly, then down to Hinata, and then Sayaka.

"A retainer will be here presently to escort you to your rooms," said the ashigaru, rolling up the scroll and handing it back. "Lord Hayashi welcomes you to his home."

"It is our honor to serve," said Kakashi, bowing. The rest of the team followed suit.

The ashigaru gave them another look over, then gestured at the top of the wall. A shout came back, and there was a clatter of armor as a runner took off for the keep.

Sayaka took the moment to look out over the city of Senfuku. It was moderately sized, with a great focus on the harbor district across the river delta the city had been founded within. It was still a marshland, but the channels had been deepened and the marshes drained so that the natural harbor could be taken more properly advantage of. Docks and quays lined the seashore, their pillars sunk deep into the marsh's silt, and the people traversed over the top of boardwalks made from the abundant pine trees that lined the hills which the castle stood amongst. The sun was setting, now, but lights still burned in the harbor district, and of course the red lamps of the pleasure district were starting to be lit as well. Truly, this was a city of a thousand fortunes.

The gates creaked, and Sayaka turned her attention back to them as a well-dressed samurai walked up to them, clad in a powder blue and navy ensemble with gold thread stitching out the coat of arms of the Hayashi clan. Following behind him were several servants, also dressed in powder blue. They formed a line to the side and bowed as the gates were opened fully.

"Shinobi, good evening," the samurai said, dipping his head briefly in acknowledgment. "I am Tokuyama Norihide, a member of Lord Hayashi's household. Please, allow me to escort you to your lodgings."

Kakashi returned the bow, the genin following suit. "Our thanks, Tokuyama-san."

"It is we who should be thanking you for your presence," said Norihide, gesturing with one hand in invitation. Kakashi led the way as the team followed Norihide into the castle, the servants trailing behind. "You have no doubt been apprised of the threats we have received."

"Yes," said Kakashi. "Of course, any such event is always accompanied by such threats."

"Of course, but it never hurts to be cautious," said Norihide. He swept his arms behind his back as he walked, turning his head to regard Team Seven. "I trust your team will be up to the task."

Kakashi turned as well, and observed Hinata and Sayaka looking very dour while Naruto did his best not to look like a peasant placed for the first time in a shimmering castle of high towers, where even the servant clothes were better than what he could afford.

He wasn't succeeding.

"Well, they respond well to pressure," said Kakashi as he turned back to Norihide with a small smile. The samurai was unimpressed, but politely nodded.

"Very good then," he said, stopping in front of a single story, ceramic-tiled building. "These are your rooms for the time you will be here. While you are of course on contract, Lord Hayashi has instructed that you be treated as guests."

"It is private?"

"It is."

"No servants?"

"Of course. Lord Hayashi is familiar with the manner in which Konoha ninja operate. Your attending staff is in a separate building altogether, and will only respond if called."

"Excellent," said Kakashi, bowing more deeply. "You have our greatest thanks. Please convey to Lord Hayashi our gratitude for such well-considered accommodations. We will be sure to repay his thoughtfulness with careful and attentive service."

Norihide glanced over Kakashi and the three genin behind him who, dutifully, were being very quiet and bowing more deeply than their master.

"I shall," Norihide replied, bowing equally deeply. "I leave you in the hands of Minami, who will be overseeing any needs or wants you may have."

One of the servants stepped forward, bowing deeply at the waist. "Your humble servant welcomes you to the castle of Lord Hayashi," she said. Kakashi regarded her with a careful eye.

"Very well, thank you again," said Kakashi, nodding to Norihide. They exchanged final goodbyes, and then the samurai departed with three of the servants to his next task.

Kakashi gave the still-bowing Minami a look and glanced over the three remaining servants. They were two boys and a girl.

"I'm surprised you would take on a genin team," said Kakashi, dipping a hand inside his pocket. "Missing-nin operate alone, I thought? But then, a Konoha missing-nin can't shake old habits, can they?"

Minami stiffened, looking up through her fringe as Kakashi pulled out his book and flipped it open. In the background, the three remaining servants - genin? - swallowed, eyeing the genin of Team Seven with trepidation. Sayaka, Hinata, and Naruto remained very carefully still, unsure what was happening.

"Relax, I won't turn you in," said Kakashi. "You'll be Lord Hayashi's spymaster then? Let's go inside and have some tea, and you can fill us in on the situation."

Minami's gaze flicked back to the ground. "As you wish, my lord."

Sayaka glanced at Hinata and Naruto, who looked back at her with wide eyes. She carefully stayed quiet and looked over the three supposed-genin who trailed behind Minami. They behaved like servants and did servant-like things, bowing deeply as Team Seven entered the building and providing slippers from concealed racks embedded in the walls. Minami gave quiet instructions and the three children responded instantly, the motions done a hundred times before. For all intents and purposes, they were a premier set of serving staff, provided to honored guests to ensure their comfort.

"So, was it after the attack of Nine-tails?" Kakashi asked as he wandered towards the kitchen. He gestured for everyone to sit at the table in the main room of the guest house. Team Seven did so promptly, as did Minami, but the boys and the girl hovered along the edges of the room and didn't move.

"Just before," said Minami as she folded her legs beneath her and looked down at the table.

"Ah. A popular time. I'm surprised I didn't get tasked with hunting you."

"I was not important," said Minami. "I was a chunin of little regard when I left."

"Mm. We needed all the bodies we could get."

"To die for the village?" Minami asked, voice sharp and bitter.

"Yes," said Kakashi blandly. He returned with a teapot and eight cups, and raised his solitary eyebrow at the serving boys and girl lining the walls. "Sit down, kids, everything's fine."

The children looked at each other, then shuffled slowly to the middle of the room. Team Seven scooted over to make room for the uncomfortable-looking group that, cautiously, finally sat.

"Anyway, it's moot in the end, because the Third exempted your bounty," said Kakashi as he set down the tea and plopped casually across from Minami. "Guess you didn't get the message, hm? Akiya Reiko."

Minami—or was it Reiko?—thinned her lips. "I left that name behind me long ago. It's been twelve years since I used it."

"Ah well, fair's fair," said Kakashi. "But if you want a headband again, Konoha will give it to you. I'd encourage you to take it—it'd be good for the kids."

"We're fine here, in the service of Lord Hayashi," said Minami. "We're not the Uchiha or the Hyuuga, but we have our strengths."

Kakashi shrugged and began pouring the tea. "I suppose that's fine too. If that's the case, will you allow yourself to be claimed by Konoha as an affiliated clan? As you know, it carries no guarantee of protection, but also no real obligation to the village. Just a nonaggression vow and friendly relations."

"I would prefer not," said Minami. Her lips thinned further. "Konoha was no friend or ally when I lived there. Why should I give it such things when I have left?"

"Well, for one thing, your kids would have the chance to join Konoha, and even if you don't like us, you'll admit that there's many more opportunities available," said Kakashi. He put down the teapot and began distributing teacups. "Whatever your opinions, it'd be a shame to let that impact your genin team's chances, don't you think?"

Minami scowled at him but didn't contradict him.

There was a moment of very uncomfortable silence while Kakashi distributed teacups. They clunked against the wooden tabletop, echoing in the room. Sayaka found herself judging shuriken angles and shifting her weight to spring up more quickly. One of the boys was sitting closest to her. If she had to, she could probably take him down. It was close enough that she could land a knife strike in the kidneys, and Naruto would dump clones into the room right after. From there…

"I'll think about it," said Minami. She raised her tea and took a sip. "But we have a job to do, don't we? We should focus on the task at hand."

Kakashi leaned back on one hand and lifted his cup idly with the other. "Yes, fair enough. Let's start with introductions, hm? These are my genin, Uchiha Sayaka, Hyuuga Hinata, and Uzumaki Naruto."

The genin nodded across the table, though Naruto only did it after Hinata poked him very hard in the side to keep him from saying something about becoming Hokage.

"These are my genin, Ota, Naga, and Nobuo," said Minami, gesturing at the boy closest to her, then the girl, then the boy sitting next to Sayaka. They all bowed, as was proper.

"We are, as you would call it, an infiltration and surveillance team," Minami continued, lacing her fingers around the teacup. "Our role as retainers of Lord Hayashi is to be his eyes and ears for insurrection amongst his men and discontent amongst the people."

"A logical specialty," said Kakashi. He dangled a teacup from his fingertips thoughtfully. "I'm curious, how did you kids get into this business?"

Ota, Naga, and Nobuo glanced at each other, then at Minami, who nodded.

"Me and Nobuo were Minami's runners for a little while when she was making her reputation here in Senfuku," said Ota. "Naga was one of the teahouse girls who Minami got information from. Me and Nobuo started doing bigger jobs for Minami, and Naga was getting sick of the teahouse. We're all orphans, so, when Minami asked if we wanted to help her full time, we all said yes."

"Orphans, huh," said Kakashi. He swirled his tea. "That would be from the plague that hit a few years ago, right?"

"Yes sir," said Ota, looking down at the table. "Senfuku's in a marsh, so…"

Kakashi nodded. "Well, that's certainly a story. I'm sure we'll get to learn more as we spend time together. In any case, we may as well go over what you've learned so far."

Ota looked over at Minami again, who nodded once more.

"I can start with an overview," said Ota, pulling a roll of paper out of his jacket and spreading it out on the table. "The Gato Company has been undermining Lord Hayashi's authority in the city for several years, mostly by corrupting the customs officials to let them smuggle goods through the ports."

Sayaka furrowed her brow as she looked at the paper. It was a map of the harbor district, laid out in great detail, and written on with incredibly fine strokes of a pen. Several areas had been marked with red dots and had the names of customs officials next to them.

"The rumors about an attempt on Princess Fumiyo's life have not been confirmed," continued Ota. "However, the Gato Company has the greatest motive to do so, and are a legitimate threat that we must be cautious of. It is likely that, if there is an attempt, they will be the source."

"What are the odds?" asked Kakashi.

Ota looked at Minami, who shrugged. "Using Konoha's methods, one in fifty. The attack is unlikely to happen, at least with a Konoha team on site. Even without the presence of Konoha ninja, the odds were only one in twenty. An open assault on a noble princess doesn't fit Gato's mode of operation, and he has a strong base to continue undermining Lord Hayashi, as long as he has patience."

"So hold on, what's with this Gato guy?" asked Naruto. He scratched his nose and frowned at the map that had been unfurled. "You said something about smuggling? What's he actually doing?"

Nobuo scowled. "Gato's a leading member of organized crime along the coast of Fire Country, and lotsa other places besides. He's taken over Wave Country completely, and is trying to steal all their money to make himself rich."

"But because he has so much money, a lot of people will work for him," added Naga, hugging herself and glaring down at her teacup. "They'll beat you up or kill you if you try to resist. It's horrible."

Naruto's frown deepened into a scowl. "That's terrible! We gotta take him out!"

"Lord Hayashi has tried," said Minami. She sighed. "Gato has hired high-level missing-nin as his personal bodyguards. He cannot be touched."

"Hey, sensei, you're a jounin," said Naruto, turning to Kakashi immediately. "Why can't you take out Gato?"

"That's classified," said Kakashi. His cup was strangely empty, and he leaned forward to pour himself another. "Rest assured, Konoha is monitoring the situation, but suffice to say that orchestrating Gato's death is harder than you'd think."

"You mean orchestrating it in Konoha's favor," said Minami acidly.

Kakashi looked at her. "Yes."

"While the rest of us take the hit, hmm?" asked Minami. Her fingers tightened around her teacup. "This is why I left the village, you know. The hypocrisy—it's disgusting. At least on my own, I know that everyone is my enemy. In that place…"

Naruto scowled at her. "Hey! That's my home you're talking about!"

Minami regarded him disparagingly but flicked her gaze back to Kakashi. "Gato is greedy. He has been slow to act until now, and he knows that if he moves too fast he will be taken notice of and destroyed. But rumors say that, beyond his personal guard, Gato has gathered many highly trained ninja from the Mist Rebellion. They are many times more dangerous than your average missing-nin, and he intends to employ them to wrest control of the region."

"These are the same rumors that say the daimyo of Fire Country is secretly a ninja, planted by Konoha to control the government," said Kakashi. "You give them credence?"

"It matches what we have seen in the harbor district," said Naga. "The third, seventh, and ninth customs gates are controlled by Gato's handpicked agents. They used to be ours, but the officials Lord Hayashi placed there died mysteriously by drowning."

Kakashi hummed at that. "Drowning, huh."

"Their bodies were found in the harbor, and their lungs were filled with water," said Naga. "But from what Minami has told us about Mist ninja…"

Kakashi frowned, but shrugged. "It's an interesting theory. For now, let's continue the briefing."

Naga nodded. "The time and place of the attack, should it happen, will be during the procession," she said. "Princess Fumiyo is being married to Prince Eiichi of the Aoyagi clan, so the procession route will be from Hayashi castle to the Aoyagi clan's mansion on the edge of the city. The attack will occur either on the way to the mansion or on the way back. Security here in Hayashi castle is tight enough not to be worth the risk, and the Aoyagi have taken pains to fortify the mansion. They want this marriage to take place, after all."

Kakashi nodded. "You have coordinated the security efforts with them?"

"Yes, Sir Tokuyama has been in charge of that," said Naga. "From Nobuo's surveillance, their measures match our own. Attack inside the compound is unlikely."

"Why's the Princess getting married to them?" asked Naruto. "Sayaka and Hinata say that nobles do political marriages and stuff, so there has to be a reason."

"The goal is to reinforce the harbor district and reassert Lord Hayashi's control," said Naga. "The Aoyagi have a significant force of marines which Lord Hayashi simply doesn't have the time to train up. The deal is this: the Aoyagi clan will move into the harbor district as part of Princess Fumiyo's dowry. In exchange, they will swear fealty to the Hayashi and enforce Lord Hayashi's rule in the harbor district. The marriage will solidify this bond, in theory."

"But in practice?" asked Sayaka.

"The Aoyagi clan have been trying to exert control over the port of Senfuku for several years," said Naga, sighing and shaking her head. "Lord Hayashi is a popular governor, but his military strength is weak. To reduce taxes on the people, he decreased the number of ashigaru in his employ, and so Gato found his opening. This marriage is the Aoyagi's greatest victory over our lord to date."

Sayaka breathed in slowly, then breathed out again.

"T-then, do the b-bride and groom e-even know each other?" Hinata asked.

Naga shook her head again. Next to Sayaka, Nobuo clenched a fist in his lap.

"That's bullshit," said Naruto hotly. "Even Sayaka's got a chance to meet the boys that've been trying to be married to her."

"There is no choice," said Minami. She took a sip of her tea. "A daughter's duty is to serve the clan, is it not?"

Sayaka breathed in slowly, then breathed out, then took a sip of her tea. This, then, was what it meant for your clan to be weak. She wondered if, in a different life, this would have been her fate. But then, that required her to have a clan.

She took another sip of tea. Was this what rebuilding her clan would mean? Needing to determine which other clans would be the best for her to build alliances with and forging marriages where she could? She was already doing it, wasn't she? Kiba was nice, but was he the best suited for her? For the yet-to-be-made Uchiha clan? That she could consider these questions was because she was the last of the Uchiha, the most desired bride in Konoha. If things had been different…

Sayaka shuddered.

"Let's call it there," said Kakashi. He placed his cup down and clapped his hands together. "You've trained your genin well, Minami. That was an excellent briefing."

Minami inclined her head and got to her feet. Ota, Naga, and Nobuo began to clear the table as Minami smoothed out her clothes and bowed to Kakashi. "Your humble servants may be called with a simple chakra bell," she said, slipping back into character and gesturing at a panel on the wall. "If you need us, please channel some of your chakra through the panel, and we will be alerted."

Kakashi nodded. "Very well, thank you. You may leave us now."

The four surveillance ninja departed with a click of the back door. There was a beat of silence, before Naruto exploded.

"What do you mean we can't do anything to Gato?!" he asked, jumping to his feet and pointing accusingly at Kakashi. "That's bullshit! We've got all sorts of jounin that could take on some bully with more cash than he does sense!"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at him. "Naruto, sit down."

"Why? I'm right—!"

"Sit down," said Kakashi sharply. "This is not the time or the place to be questioning village policy. If you really insist, the Intelligence division would be more than happy to induct you in and tell you more but while you're in the field you will hold your tongue."

Naruto's jaw snapped shut with a click and he visibly vibrated before sitting down with a thunk.

"Now, because it is relevant, allow me to explain the problem with Gato," said Kakashi. He pulled a small book out of his pocket and placed it on the table. "This is Konoha's current guidebook to organized crime on the eastern coast. You will notice that it is three hundred pages long. This is because organized crime is an incredibly large problem that has gone unaddressed for several decades. What events in recent history would prevent it from being addressed, Naruto?"

Naruto scowled at Kakashi. "I dunno, you tell me."

"Naruto."

"How should I know, I'm the deadlast, remember?"

"Naruto, do you want to be Hokage or not?" Kakashi asked flatly. "If you do, then think a little so that you don't get your future ninja killed."

Naruto scowled harder but didn't respond, instead staring down at the table for a long moment. Sayaka and Hinata fidgeted uncomfortably.

"I guess the attack of the Nine-tails," said Naruto after a moment. "And the war."

"Konoha has had precious little manpower to spend going after crime bosses these days," said Kakashi. "It's the reason why Minami leaving was a serious problem, and is also why the Third commuted her sentence. Duty would otherwise dictate that I turn her in for execution, but we, like every other shinobi village, are short on manpower. Konoha may have won the war but, after the attack of the Nine-tails, the major ninja villages are now all on equal footing."

"Then why not help the samurai do it?" asked Naruto. "Lord Hayashi is trying, right? If we gave him a hand—"

"He'd lose control again immediately without the samurai and ashigaru to maintain order and enforce his authority," said Kakashi. "Konoha has known for a while that the Hayashi clan has been weakening. This mission is just another in a series, and will lead to others. Whether the Aoyagi take over is still in question, but in the end it doesn't matter to Konoha who holds power as long as the economy functions. The Aoyagi are unlikely to be despots, but even if they were, Konoha has no ability to enforce its will one way or another because of our manpower shortage. Even if we had enough ninja, doing so would undermine the Fire Daimyo, and that would result in samurai marching on the village. Would you start a civil war, Naruto, over your sense of justice?"

Naruto growled something incomprehensible and stood up again to pace the room, infuriated and unable to do anything about it.

"What about the r-rumors that Naga mentioned?" Hinata asked. "Do you think t-they're wrong?"

"It's a legitimate risk," said Kakashi. He picked up the guide and tucked it away into his vest. "If it's true, that would bump this mission up to an A-rank, but there's many ways to drown someone, even without water ninjutsu. I'll be scouting out the harbor later tonight while you three get some sleep, so we'll see what I find. Until then, prepare as if we're still running a B-rank mission. There's plenty of dangers from mercenaries with crossbows when it comes to unarmored princesses in palanquins."

Hinata and Sayaka nodded, looking down at the table. Naruto came to a stop and scowled at the floor. This entire mission had taken a turn for the depressing, or worse.

"This sucks, sensei," he said. "I— what's the point of being a ninja if you can't help people?"

Kakashi gave him a look of deep sadness that none of the three genin saw.

"I hope we can do a little helping this time," he said, pulling out his novel again. "Protecting someone, even if the circumstances aren't ideal, is a little better."

"Yeah but—" began Naruto, before stopping and turning away with a growl. "Ugh. I'm going to go put my stuff away."

Hinata stood up. "M-me too," she said, before also leaving for the bedroom.

Kakashi looked up over the edge of his novel as Sayaka slowly got to her feet as well.

"No thoughts from you, Sayaka?" asked Kakashi as Sayaka made her way towards the exit.

Sayaka paused at the hallway and shook her head.

"No sensei."