A/N: Chapter 28 has landed!
Nope, don't own Naruto.
Chapter XXVIII: Next Assignment
"Is that flower really that sensitive?" Sasuke asked as he looked up from his scroll.
Naruto had just finished tending to the various ferns and succulents that decorated the kitchen and living room, and had finally come to what he considered his prized plant: a beautiful white orchid.
"Yup. Ino told me that orchids need only a little bit of water at a time. They're also sensitive to temperature and stuff, so you have to baby them, in a way," the blond explained as he gingerly poured a small amount of water into the pot.
Satisfied with his efforts, he put the watering can back into one of the cupboards before joining his roommate at the table with a glass of water. He eyed the scroll that Sasuke was poring over.
"Another Uchiha scroll?"
Sasuke hummed as he took a sip of his tea. "Just brushing up on some jutsu. Being on bedrest for a week could snowball if I get lazy."
Naruto snorted. "You're the least lazy person I know besides Bushy Brows."
It had been two days since Sasuke's release from the hospital. He and Naruto spent some time at the training ground to keep themselves in shape and practice their respective jutsu. True to form, Naruto practiced the Hiraishin as much as he could, while Sasuke practiced his kenjutsu with the help of a shadow clone courtesy of his blond friend. He would have trained harder, but he decided to heed his sensei's advice of easing into things to minimize the strain on his eyes. He would test his limits later.
Just as Naruto rose to refill his water glass, a knock at the door interrupted the comfortable silence. He and Sasuke exchanged a glance before Naruto quickly retrieved his sunglasses from his room.
Sasuke rose and opened the door, revealing an ANBU agent, donning a bird mask. "Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki: the Hokage has requested your presence at the Hokage Tower for a compulsory meeting," the man recited before flickering away, leaving the two young men the slightest bit dumbstruck.
"That must be the meeting that Granny told us about, huh?" Naruto wondered as Sasuke shut the door.
"Looks like it. Come on, we don't wanna be late."
The two quickly changed into their ninja gear, donning their respective cloak and haori before leaping across the rooftops to the Hokage Tower.
Shizune quickly ushered the two roommates into the Hokage's office, where they were greeted by a formidable assembly of jōnin and tokubetsu jōnin alike. There were the usual suspects, such as Kakashi, Sakura, Shikamaru, Neji, Yamato, and Haku. Naruto and Sasuke were a little surprised to see Anko, Ibiki, Genma and even Konan. Everyone present offered a nod in greeting, which the two young men returned as they took their place next to their friends.
After the Hokage regarded the latest arrivals, she cleared her throat and rose from her chair.
"Thank you all for being here. I've called this meeting to serve as a briefing for the upcoming Chūnin Exams. As you've likely heard, Konoha is hosting the exams this time around. Normally, this would be a routine event that would go smoothly. Normally. We have actionable intelligence that the Akatsuki are likely to attempt to infiltrate the village and attack." She turned to address Anko, Ibiki, and Genma. "Proctors, keep your heads on a swivel. Proceed with your examinations normally, so as not to incite panic. If anything happens, the ANBU will be the ones to alert you."
The three shinobi nodded in acknowledgment as the Hokage turned her attention to Haku and Shizune.
"You two will be on medical duty. Shizune will oversee treating the injured, and Haku will be assisting you directly. As always, be ready for anything," Tsunade instructed. She was answered with another nod of acknowledgment.
She turned to the Mokuton user present. "Yamato, you'll be acting as a liaison between us and ANBU. I'll brief the captains on what to do, but you'll act as a go-between if necessary." Another silent nod.
"Proctors, Haku, Yamato, you're dismissed. Shikamaru, Neji, and Team 7, stay here," the Hokage instructed. With a bow, the shinobi in question exited the office. Tsunade turned her attention to Team 7 and the other two jōnin. "I'll turn it over to Konan to deliver the briefing on the target and the potential attackers." Tsunade gestured to the azure-haired woman.
"As it currently stands, there aren't many members of the Akatsuki left," she began as she stepped forward. "The target is the Seven-Tails. Its jinchūriki hails from Takigakure. The most likely possibility is that the attackers will try to sneak in undetected and capture the jinchūriki quickly. After the last two failed attempts, they're sure to try stealthier tactics.
"That said, there are two teams that are likely to try and infiltrate: Zetsu and Deidara, or Kakuzu and Hidan." Shikamaru tensed at the mention of the second team. Konan took notice, but continued. "However, given that the target is from Taki, it's very likely that Kakuzu and Hidan will be sent in, given that Kakuzu is originally from Taki as well."
"So, they would attempt to exploit the familiarity in their favor," Neji reasoned.
"Precisely. Unfortunately, the Chūnin Exams complicates things. However, if Kakuzu feels that the task at hand isn't worth the trouble or the money, he'll turn tail and run," Konan explained.
The group nodded before Neji spoke up. "What part would Shikamaru and I play, Lady Hokage?"
"I was just getting to that," Tsunade answered. "You'll be assisting Team 7 in tracking down the Akatsuki once ANBU spots them, or they infiltrate Training Ground 44. Sasuke might have his Sharingan, but the Byakugan is invaluable when it comes to tracking. Once the target is secure, you and a group of ANBU will bring them back to the central tower for safeguarding."
Naruto made a face, but it quickly faded away with a jab from Sakura. Tsunade merely cast an admonishing glare in his direction. Shikamaru and Neji took notice, but both brushed it off. Naruto and Sasuke's friendship was full of friendly competition, no matter the situation.
Shikamaru finally found his voice. "Lady Tsunade, if I may. I'd like to request that Team 10 be allowed to acc—"
He was cut off by the Hokage's hand in the air. "I had a feeling you'd request that exact thing. Here's how this is going to work. Teams 7 and 10 will work cooperatively to engage the Akatsuki. Three members of Team 7 are tokubetsu jōnin, which means you will operate independently, so to speak. Kakashi will oversee Team 10, since Ino and Chōji are still currently chūnin."
Shikamaru nodded without a word as the Hokage approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I know this is personal for you. But I want you to keep your wits about you. Don't do anything stupid," she instructed. Her tone was almost motherly.
Closing his eyes, Shikamaru took a deep breath and gave another nod.
Releasing his shoulder, Tsunade addressed him and Neji. "Right. You two are dismissed. Team 7, stay behind for just a little longer."
With a bow, Shikamaru and Neji took their leave. Though, Shikamaru couldn't help but notice that the Hokage's attention was focused squarely on the younger blond present. And since when did he start wearing sunglasses? Did he start taking fashion tips from Shino, of all people? Now that he thought of it, he really hadn't seen Naruto all that much lately. He made a mental note of it; he'd follow up later.
Naruto laced his fingers behind his head. "So, what'd you need to tell us, Granny?"
"What I need to tell you, brat, is to be as careful as possible during this assignment. You may not be proctoring, thank goodness, but you'll essentially be on security. I don't think things will be as…crazy as they've been in the past, but the Akatsuki do pose a serious threat. Especially if Konan is right about Kakuzu and Hidan being the ones to show up. There will also be other villages present here, so it's of utmost importance that the collateral damage is kept to a minimum, if it can be helped."
"Hey! Are you saying I'm gonna make a mess of things?" Naruto squawked indignantly.
The Hokage huffed. "Your words, not mine. I was mostly going to tell you to keep your 'skills' hidden until the situation absolutely calls for it. Am I clear?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, same deal as last time. I gotcha, Granny." Without warning, pain spiderwebbed from the back of his head. "Ow! Hey!"
"Be more respectful, you blockhead! She's the Hokage, for crying out loud!" Sakura scolded.
Naruto only grumbled something unintelligible, earning him a shake of Sakura's fist and a chuckle from Sasuke.
The Hokage cleared her throat, casting her own glare over the three tokubetsu jōnin. "At any rate, just make sure to keep that in mind. The exams will officially begin in five days. You've likely noticed some genin from other villages have started trickling in. Just prepare in the meantime. Missions will be suspended for now. When the time comes, be careful, all of you. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am," the three friends replied in unison.
"Good. Dismissed."
With that, Team 7 made their way out.
Naruto and Sasuke had just split from Kakashi and Sakura as they made their way along the road. Without warning, they were strung up by their ankles, hanging upside down a few feet above the ground.
"What the fuck! Hey! Show yourself! Konohamaru, if you did this, I swear I'll skin you alive, you brat!" Naruto cried.
Sasuke merely groaned. "You know, he got this prankster shtick from you."
"Aw, did I catch you off guard?"
Sasuke's blood ran cold as Naruto craned his head, searching for the owner of the feminine voice. No sooner did a kunai cut their restraints, sending them plummeting to the ground with an unceremonious thud.
The two young men saw a flash of khaki, peering up at the person who ensnared them: Anko Mitarashi.
"A-Anko-sensei?" Sasuke sputtered.
"The one and only," the woman announced as her former student and his friend rose to their feet, dusting themselves off.
"Did you really have to ambush us like that?" Naruto whined.
"Course I did! It's no fun just greeting you two in a normal way," Anko said all too cheerfully.
Naruto and Sasuke could only smile nervously, letting out an equally nervous chuckle.
"I was gonna go get some dango, you two wanna come and catch up?" The woman offered.
The two young men offered each other a glance before shrugging in unison.
"Sure, I could go for a snack," Naruto answered.
"Catching up sounds nice. Sure, I'll come along," Sasuke said.
Anko clapped her hands together. "Great! Follow me, I found a great place that has some really good dango."
"Wait, you've been here, too, Miss Anko?" Naruto blurted.
"Hey, hey, hey. Don't call me 'miss', squirt. I'm not that much older than you," Anko admonished. "And yeah, this place has great dango and even better tea."
Sasuke couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu as the group stepped into The Jasmine Dragon. The tea shop was already gaining popularity among both civilians and shinobi alike, it seemed.
The trio found a table and placed their orders. To both Anko and Naruto's surprise, Sasuke ordered cha dango. Naruto decided to try the goma dango, and Anko ordered her usual mitarashi dango.
"Well, never thought you'd come around to sweets, kid. Whatcha think?" Anko probed as Sasuke took his first bite of the vibrant green confection.
"It's…pretty good, actually," Sasuke admitted after savoring the flavor. "I figured I'd try this one since I like green tea already."
"You think that's surprising. Wait till you hear what other sweet things Sasuke has tried," Naruto quipped.
Anko's brows immediately shot up as she took a bite. "Now this I gotta hear."
Sasuke awkwardly chewed on his bite of dango, choosing his next words carefully. "I, uh. Well, I tried a, uh, a…" his voice shrank. "I tried a cinnamon roll and I liked it," he muttered.
The woman froze as she was about to take another bite, staring at her former student incredulously. Anko turned her attention to Naruto. "Did you have anything to do with that?"
The blond in question shook his head as he chewed on a bite of dango. "I wish, but no. Turns out it was—"
Sasuke cut him off with a death glare, which Naruto answered by sticking his tongue out. With a roll of his eyes, Sasuke turned to Anko.
"Hinata had me try one. I…sort of ran into her one day when I came to have some tea."
"Wait. Hinata Hyūga? As in, that girl you have an enormous crush on?"
The Uchiha nearly spit his tea out. "H-how do you know about th-that?"
"I have my sources," Anko replied as a coy smirk danced across her face. "How'd it go, anyways?"
"It…it was nice," Sasuke meekly answered. He fought to keep his cheeks and ears from turning red.
"Good to hear. So, are congratulations in order on a promotion or am I imagining things?"
Naruto cocked his head. "Whaddaya mean?"
"I mean that if I'm not mistaken, only tokubetsu jōnin and higher were allowed in that meeting. So, either you were specifically invited by the Hokage, or you were promoted," Anko pointed out.
"Oh yeah huh. Yeah, me, Sasuke, Sakura, and Haku were promoted to tokubetsu jōnin. Pretty cool huh?" Naruto beamed.
"Not bad, squirt," Anko quipped as she turned to Sasuke. "Looks like we're equal in rank now, huh kid?"
Sasuke shrugged. "Maybe. But you're still one of my sensei. You're also older than me."
"Ouch. I'm still pretty, aren't I?" She batted her eyelashes, resting her chin in her hands.
"I'm not gonna answer that because even if we're the same rank, you're still older than me and still one of my sensei," Sasuke replied dryly before taking a sip of tea.
Anko stuck her tongue out, drawing out a chuckle from Naruto. Finishing her second dango skewer, she turned to the blond. "Out of curiosity, what's with the sunglasses?"
"Just felt like changing up my style a little bit," Naruto answered coolly.
"Gotta be honest, squirt. Those sunglasses kinda remind me of Ebisu."
The blond visibly deflated with a groan. "Aw come on! I don't even have a bandanna like he does!"
The older tokubetsu jōnin pointed the now empty skewer at the whining teenager. "Fair point. But he still wears sunglasses pretty damn similar to those." She paused as she noticed the distinct lack of his favorite color. "You even ditched the orange?"
Naruto shrugged. "I thought I should look the part of a serious shinobi."
"Sakura and I convinced him to change up his look. She fixed up his sage cloak and helped him pick some stuff out," Sasuke added.
"Plus, I didn't ditch it completely. There're orange stripes on the outside, and it's orange inside my collar, see?" Naruto tugged on the quasi-turtleneck, showing off the burnt orange lining.
Anko hummed and nodded, impressed at how tasteful it all looked. She turned her attention back to Sasuke. "Look at you, following the trend. Finally got rid of the rope, huh?"
"Ha! I told you it was stupid!" Naruto jabbed.
"Stuff it, whiskers," Sasuke retorted with a glare.
"Never took you for one to wear a haori, but it looks good, kid. How's the kenjutsu?"
"Kakashi-sensei asked Yūgao-sensei to help me. It was tough, but she definitely made me better," the Uchiha said as he finished his dango.
"Yūgao Uzuki?" Anko prompted, which Sasuke answered with a nod. "Oh, I see. I never knew her all that well. I only knew she and Hayate were seeing each other. Great that you got to learn from an ANBU, though. Doesn't happen every day," she mused.
"So, you're proctoring again, sensei?" Sasuke asked.
"That's right."
"Are you proctoring the second part that's in the Forest of Death?" Naruto wondered.
The violet haired woman nodded as she chewed another bite of dango. "Most likely, yeah. That place is kinda like my own personal playground. Ibiki is gonna be handling the written portion, and Genma will be proctoring the matches. What about you two?"
Sasuke chose his next words carefully. "We're pretty much supplementary security. You know, just in case something goes wrong. That sort of thing."
Anko leveled a sarcastic look at her former student, a smirk tugging on her mouth. "Kid, you know I'm part of T&I when I'm not on missions. I can tell when someone's not telling the whole truth."
"Well, Granny picked Team 7 because we beat the Akatsuki before," Naruto offered.
"Ah, yeah. That makes sense. I think I heard that Pinkie took one of them out, you beat the guy that attacked the village." She paused as she eyed Sasuke. "Remind me, did you beat anyone one-on-one?"
"Came close. Kakashi-sensei and I almost beat one back when we went to rescue Gaara. Coward got away, though," he answered, muttering the last part. He would have mentioned Itachi's status as a prisoner, but he knew that information was on a need-to-know-basis.
"No shame in that, kid. From what I've heard, those Akatsuki are some tough customers. Good on both of you for facing them and making it out in one piece."
Sasuke beamed at the praise. "Thanks, sensei." He finished off the last of his dango before he remembered his manners. "How've you been, anyways? I don't think I've seen you in a while."
Anko finished her own confections, leaving three empty skewers on her plate. "Oh, ya know. Just doing stuff, nothing too exciting."
"Yeah, right," Naruto snorted. "Since when do you take on anything boring?"
A laugh escaped the kunoichi. "You're sharper than you let on, squirt. But really, it's nothing too exciting. Mostly cleaning up some messes here and there. May or may not involve some black ink or red tape. I'm not at full liberty to say—you know how it is."
"Yeah, it's no biggie. So, is the second part gonna be the exact same as last time?" Naruto asked.
"I haven't been fully briefed yet, so I'm not super sure on the details, but I think so. Other than the beefed-up security, of course. That, and we won't have you-know-who to worry about."
"Thankfully," Sasuke muttered.
Anko finished the last of her tea, humming in agreement with her former student. "Well, it was nice to see you two, but I'd better get going. The exams might be five days out, but I've got proctor-y stuff to get ready. I'll be seeing you punks around." With that, she left payment for her snack and made her way out. Naruto and Sasuke followed suit, making sure to leave a generous tip for Kozu and Asuka before heading home.
Naruto was once again tending to his plants. The orchid had stayed in bloom for longer than he expected and was holding up beautifully. Sasuke, for once, was relaxing without burying his nose in an Uchiha scroll. Instead, he decided to crack open one of the magazines Naruto brought home from time to time. He normally didn't care much for popular culture or civilian matters, but even he got bored sometimes.
With two days until the Chūnin Exams, the two friends couldn't help but feel a nagging sense that they were supposed to be training more. However, they knew there was only so much you could do in five days. Plus, they'd just finished their training for the day.
Their peace and quiet was interrupted by a sharp knock at the door. With a groan, Naruto stashed the watering can and plodded to his room, replacing his sunglasses. Just as he stepped back out into the living room, Sasuke dragged himself off the couch, setting down the magazine and heading for the door.
When he opened it, he was met with a pair of pale lavender eyes.
"Hyūga."
"Uchiha."
Sasuke noticed a head of spiky hair just behind Neji. "And Shikamaru?"
The Nara in question cocked his head. "Sasuke? This is your apartment? Could've sworn this was Naruto's place."
"It is. We're roommates," Sasuke explained.
"Should've guessed. Anyways, you two got a bit of time? I wanted to talk to you about some stuff."
Sasuke turned to his roommate, who only offered a shrug in response.
"Sure, come in and have a seat," Sasuke said with a nod.
Naruto offered a greeting to his guests before they all took their seats. Neji's stoicism nearly rivaled Kakashi's, as did Shikamaru's. Though, Shikamaru's stoicism was underlined by a certain aloofness, likely a product of his laziness.
"So, what did you want to discuss?" Sasuke prompted.
Neji cleared his throat. "Our collective involvement in the Chūnin Exams."
Shikamaru nodded. "I won't lie, the situation kind of came out of left field. Since the chances of the Akatsuki attacking are pretty much guaranteed, I figured we'd talk strategy."
"The strategy is we beat the shit out of them and protect the target. There ya go," Naruto said plainly.
"While that is the goal, I think we may need a more refined approach. From what Shikamaru has told me, the likely opponents aren't to be taken lightly," Neji stated.
"We got the skeleton of a plan from Lady Tsunade, but I want to have the details worked out, too," Shikamaru added.
"Par for the course when it comes to you, Shikamaru," Sasuke quipped.
The Nara scoffed, lacing his fingers together on the table. "As much of a pain as it is, I like to have my bases covered. Here's the gist: Neji and a team of ANBU will help you track down the intruders. From what the intel says, it'll be Kakuzu and Hidan, so I'll rally Team 10 and follow you all. Once the target is secure, we'll engage the Akatsuki."
"You're not gonna plan every single movement during the fight, are you?" Naruto drawled.
"Of course not. Combat has an element of unpredictability that's unavoidable."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Then what sort of strategy can you come up with while accounting for the unpredictability of combat?"
"We'll have strength in numbers. You guys are, what, tokubetsu jōnin now? With Team 7 and Team 10 working together, I think we'll come out on top," Shikamaru said with determination.
The Uchiha recognized the edge in his tone. Shikamaru clearly wanted revenge on Hidan, and he would have it, come hell or high water. He bit his tongue, instead shooting Naruto a knowing look, which the blond received with a nod.
"Hey, Shika. You feeling okay about this? About facing that Hidan guy, I mean," Naruto prompted.
Neji turned to the spiky-haired Nara, watching as he chose his next words. "If you're wondering if I'm gonna let my emotions get the better of me, then I can tell you right now that that won't happen. Emotional decision-making leads to a faulty strategy. Faulty strategies lead to mistakes. Mistakes get people injured or worse," Shikamaru stated.
Sasuke internally let out a sigh of relief. He knew all too well what a thirst for revenge could do to someone. Naruto simply nodded. Shikamaru was nothing if not logical, after all.
"Naruto, I don't mean to be rude, but when did you start wearing sunglasses?" Neji asked in a sudden change of topics.
A sense of déjà vu washed over the blond in question. "Recently-ish. I decided to change my look up a little bit."
"But we're inside, genius," Shikamaru pointed out.
"Just keeping up the trend. Shino and Ebisu wear theirs inside, too, y'know," Naruto countered.
The lazy jōnin shrugged. "Fair enough. Never thought I'd see you trying to look like some kinda badass."
A conniving grin crossed Naruto's face. "You say that like I wasn't always a badass."
"Even you have to admit you were more of a brat than anything, whiskers," Sasuke remarked.
"Weren't you the one that helped me paint the Hokage faces that one time?"
Neji did a double take. "Wait, you helped him? I always thought Naruto did that by himself. Or at least, that's what I'd overheard Lady Hinata saying."
Sasuke merely grumbled something unintelligible in reluctant confirmation.
"I guess I must've forgotten my manners when I came here. How are you two, anyways?" Shikamaru asked as he absently fidgeted with his lighter.
"Honestly? Kinda bored. Relaxing is nice and all, and I've been able to take care of my plants, but it'd be nice to get sent out on a mission now and again," Naruto answered.
"Hey, at least we've been training," Sasuke added. He turned to their guests. "What about you guys?"
The Nara heir shrugged. "Same old same old except for the exams coming up. The Hokage wants me to be a little more involved with setting it up and stuff."
"I've been well. With missions being suspended, I've been training at the Hyūga compound," Neji said.
Sasuke decided to seize the opportunity. "How's Hinata, if you don't mind me asking?"
The older Hyūga raised a quizzical eyebrow. "She's fine, I suppose. Why do you ask?"
"Just curious. She mentioned she was doing some training of her own the last time we spoke."
Neji nodded. "Ah, yes. Lord Hiashi and I have been helping with her training some. Though, Lord Hiashi has been quite focused on Lady Hanabi as of late."
"I see," Sasuke said plainly. "Well, that's good that she has some help from you, at least. Though, I can't help but wonder why Lord Hiashi would not also offer his assistance."
"Lady Hanabi was named heir to the clan. I believe that must be part of his reasoning. If he has any others, he has not told anyone, to my knowledge," Neji stated. "Lady Hinata has volunteered to assist the medical division during the exams."
Both Naruto and Sasuke perked up at the revelation.
"That so?" Sasuke prompted.
"I was a bit surprised, as well. But she said she felt that she could do more good in that area. I urged her to reconsider, but she was quite insistent," Neji explained.
A small smile tugged at Sasuke's mouth. Naruto simply nodded.
"Well good for her. Here's hoping they don't need to treat too many serious injuries, though. I don't want anybody getting hurt because of the, uh, the situation," Naruto fumbled.
"That's the goal: minimize collateral damage. But we'll see how that goes, especially given who we'll be facing. Honestly, I just want to put those two animals down," Shikamaru declared as he flicked the lighter closed.
"Your determination is admirable, Shikamaru," Sasuke remarked.
"Thanks, I think." The Nara heir returned the lighter to his pocket, glancing between the two roommates. "Look, I know we haven't talked a whole lot since, well, stuff happened. But I'm glad I'll have you all as backup. From what I've heard, you guys have gotten pretty strong. Just make sure you don't disappoint." He finished with a lighthearted smirk.
Shikamaru glanced at the clock, noting the time. "Ah, looks like I'd better get going. Got some stuff to do for the Hokage."
The group rose from their seats, Naruto and Sasuke moving to see their guests out the door.
"Chūnin Exams stuff?" Naruto asked.
"Yep. I swear, all this official business and preparation is such a drag," Shikamaru drawled.
Neji turned to his hosts. "Thank you for taking the time to speak with us, Naruto, Sasuke."
"Sure, any time, Neji," Naruto answered with a foxy smile.
"We'll be seeing you soon," Sasuke said as the two jōnin crossed the threshold.
Two days until the exams. Two days to train some more. For now, Naruto and Sasuke would relax.
A/N: And so, the next targets are revealed. I wanted to make sure that InoShikaCho would be involved in this. Adding Neji in the mix gives him some much needed love and interaction with the other characters, I think. Thanks so much for reading! Chapter 29 is in the works!
