Yayness... update!

I was gonna skip from their first ever mission to the Chuunin Exam, but where's the fun in that?

(Beware my crappy Japanese in the soon-to-arrive Chuunin Exam!)

A character from way, way back in Naruto will be making an appearance! (throws confettis) Hopefully I didn't make him OOC, but people change a lot after about a decade.

So... yeah.

And thank you for the reviews! I'm sorry if I didn't reply, the reason being I don't have anything really intelligent to say.

And thanks for pairings recommendations! We need more of that! (Asa sidenote, NaruHina, SasuSaku and NejiTen will be left as a last resort, if I couldn't think of anything at all. But I doubt it. Really, really doubt it.)

I'll try to put in more descriptions about their appearances. So far all you really know is that Kazuki has light brown hair, wears his hitai-ate properly, and Chikako wears hers backwards.

But for the basics: Chikako's hair colour is black, and it's long. Her eyes are green. Kazuki's hair is light brown, and cut short. His eyes are... er, hazel. Nobu is still undecided (how can one create a character without thinking about their appearance?)

I thought about uploading pictures I drew of how Chikako and Kazuki basically looks like, but I went against it.

Well, enjoy, and the purply button lurves ya. :D

(Disclaimer on the first page. I almost forgot to put this)


'Oh, hello!'

'Umm… hello, Sakura-san…'

'Aren't you from Naruto's genin team?'

'Yes, I'm Kotone Chikako.'

Sakura beamed. 'I'm so sorry we couldn't have talked more at Ichiraku's.Wait! Is your brother's name Daichi? I went on a mission with him a few weeks ago!'

'Yes, that's my brother…'

'You two looked similar because of your green eyes and both of you have black hair…' Sakura added. 'Hey, he said a lot of things about you!'

Chikako looked up. 'Really?'

'Yeah, but you're completely different from what he makes you out to be,' Sakura said. 'He described you as if you're some sort of spoiled, untalented brat, but you don't look like it…'

'Probably he was describing himself,' Chikako huffed.

Sakura smiled. 'You shouldn't say such a thing about your brother, Chikako.'

'Just try being related to him… Anyway, I have to go now, or else I'll be late. It was nice talking to you Sakura-san, and good-bye.'

'Bye, Chikako!'


Kazuki was the only one present.

'Hey, Chika-chan!'

'It's not even worth the effort to glare at you, is it?'

'Come on, we're a team! We should be like, doing team bonding and stuff.'

'Why don't you start yelling out "Nobu-kun" then?'

'People will think I want him or something!'

'…'

'Can you quit looking at me like that?'

'No.'

'Fine, I'll call you Chikako for today. Happy?'

'Ecstatic.'

'You don't look like it.'

'I will once I do your head in.'

'Hey guys! Why are you two so early?' Naruto arrived out of nowhere.

'Naruto-sensei, you should arrive at least a few minutes before the intended time!' Chikako said.

'For once, I agree with her, because a Kien is always on-'

'It's not all about your clan, moron.'

'AM I LATE? AM I LATE?' someone shouted.

'Oh, it's Nobu!' Naruto pointed.

Nobu panted. 'Am I late?' he asked once more.

Kazuki checked his watch. 'Nah, you're twenty seconds before the intended meeting time.'

'Wait, actually, nineteen. Umm… eighteen… seventeen… uh… Don't worry…'

Nobu sighed with relief, before taking a seat on a rock.

'So… Are you ready for your first mission, guys?'

'Damn right! What are we going to do?' Nobu asked excitedly. 'Battle an evil, strong nukenin (missing-nin)? Escort a daimyo? Ooh, carry secret scrolls to the Wind Country?'

Naruto laughed. 'No, no, and… no. That kind of missions are for chuunins, and jounins, like me!'

'So what are we going to do?' Kazuki questioned.

'It'll be exciting! Don't worry!'


'Plant all these seeds, please,' the brown-haired man instructed. 'And tell me when you're finished. I'll be in that shack.'

Kazuki and Nobu's silly-looking grins turned upside down.

'Naruto-sensei! This isn't exciting at all!' Kazuki whined.

'Quit whining, Kazuki- you gotta start small…' Naruto said.

'Yeah, now catch.' Chikako threw a shovel at him.

Kazuki caught it just in time. 'What is it with you and throwing hazardous things at me? Well… at least it wasn't a shuriken…'

Then the kunoichi chucked another one at her other team mate.

'Oi, Nobu, catch!'

'Wh-'

Before he finished, the shovel hit him on the head.

'…' Nobu was silent.

'…' The others watched.

'… Ouch…'

'…'

'WHAT KIND OF REFLEX IS THAT?' Chikako yelled out. 'I mean, what kind of shinobi are you gonna be if it takes you five seconds to feel pain?'

'Chikako, just because Nobu is a bit… slow… doesn't mean he won't make a good ninja. I, for once, was called a dropout for, however many years, but look at me now!'

'…'

'Well?' Naruto demanded.

'Umm… you're a jounin?' Chikako guessed.

'Exactly! Now let's get started on… digging!'

'Yay,' Kazuki commented with a bored tone; not feeling very excited at all.

Nobu began to dig energetically.

'See that? You gotta have that sort of spirit in you, guys!' Naruto egged on.

Chikako yawned.

Kazuki looked at his right, not listening to Naruto at all.

'Come on! I thought the Kien clan would be better than this…'

Kazuki paid attention, and fire lit in his eyes.

'Yosh! The Kien clan will be able to handle anything!'

He dug up the holes faster than Nobu.

'… and this is good taijutsu practice…'

Chikako's eyes beamed, similar to how Kazuki's did.

Then she walked towards the field.

Naruto eyed her legs (not in that way).

'Chikako…'

'Yeah?'

'… Didn't I tell you to take off those weights?'

'…'

'Well?'

'I… can't…'

'And why can't you?'

'It would be dishonouring my clan…'

'I see… So those harp (A/N: Kotone means "harp sound") pictures on your weights are the Kotone crests, I suppose?

'… Yeah…'

'…'

'Naruto-sensei… Do I still have to take them off?'

'Your choice…'

And she did.


'Doesn't it feel good when you finish?' Kazuki said, taking off his hitai-ate, and wiping off beads of sweat from his forehead.

'Yeah…' Nobu added, and then he lied down on the grass.

'I'm so tired…' Chikako continued, then sighed.

'See, doesn't it make you proud to finish your first mission?' Naruto said.

'I guess,' Kazuki replied.

'Yeah,' Nobu answered.

'More like exhausted…'

'Don't be so negative… How about I take you all to Ichira-'

'NO!'

'…'

'Umm… I mean- No, thank you… Naruto-sensei…?' Chikako added.

'Why not? It's gonna be so much fun!'

'Thanks, but… no thanks…'

'Fine… how about, as a reward, I'll teach all of you a new, forbidden, jutsu tomorrow?'

'Yes!'

'YEAH!'

'Naruto-sensei! We're still genin-level, and it might be potentially dangerous to teach us kinjutsu at this stage!'

'Just because it's forbidden doesn't mean-' Kazuki started, before he got cut off.

'It's forbidden because it's dangerous, baka!' Chikako scolded, and grabbed Kazuki's collar.

'Actually, it's not going to cause much damage to other people, except in fights of course…' Naruto started.

'See, I told you, it's harmless,' Kazuki chirped.

'… It's only going to cause you some damage if not done carefully.'

Chikako loosened her grip, and her mouth hung down like a goldfish.

'That's even worse!'

'It's going to be completely safe if done carefully.'

'But… I don't trust Nobu.'

'Hey!' Nobu complained.

'Chikako, have some faith in your team mates…' Naruto said.

'I have enough faith in Kazuki, just not in Nobu.'

'Hell yeah!' Kazuki cheered.

'Chikako… you shouldn't be picking favourites…'

'I'm not saying that Kazuki is tolerable… I'm just saying that Nobu is less tolerable.'

'Hello, I'm right here…' Nobu commented.

'Hey! I am tolerable!'

'Will this team ever work together?' Naruto thought, and sighed.


'Alright, are you guys ready?'

'Yeah, duh… We've been sitting here for ages waiting for…' Chikako narrowed her eyes at her team mate.

'What? I had things to do!' Nobu defended.

'This isn't the time to be arguing… now… learn the hand seals. Watch what I'm doing…'


Weeks after:

'This is boring!'

'Quit your whining, Nobu,' Chikako scolded. 'We're only at genin-level right now.'

'I don't like pulling out weeds! I don't want to fix water drains! I mean, what are our ninja skills for? Definitely not for jobs a plumber can do!'

Chikako hit him on the head. 'Be patient. I'm sure we'll get good missions eventually.'

'Ah… guys, quit arguing… I'll see if we can get exciting, putting-your-life-on-the-line missions!'

'But I don't mind easy ones… I mean, come on, easy money…' Chikako said.

'Excitement and honour comes before money, Chika-chan!' Kazuki rebutted dramatically.

'Well… apart from the experience we gain, I don't really like dangerous missions.'

'But don't you want to go against the bad guys? We can knock 'em out with our fifteen-hit combo!' Kazuki kicked his legs around.

'Quit fooling around!'

While his team was bickering, Naruto already had a head start.

'Umm… Tsunade-baa- I mean, Godaime-sama, my genin team is… umm… itching for some action…? So… can we please get a mission outside the village?'

'Well… I don't know…'

'Pleeeeease?'

'Fine… but they're your responsibility…'

'Of course they are,' Naruto replied, as he scanned through the mission outline. 'Oh, it's only to find out who's been damaging some bridge.'

'It's only going to be a C-rank, but it doesn't hurt to be careful.'

'I know from personal experience…' Then Naruto grinned. 'But at least I got a bridge named after me… Hey, speaking of bridges, which one will we be going to?'

'Well… now it makes sense… Well, just read the mission details more carefully. You'll find that it's a nice surprise…'

He read the piece of paper once more. Naruto's eyes widened, before grinning again. 'Oh… I see…'


'And this is the Great Naruto Bridge!'

Kazuki clapped in the background.

'Are you sure this bridge is actually named after you, Naruto-sensei? I mean, there's gotta be more than one Naruto…'

'Of course I'm sure! I was here when they built it!'

'Oh really?'

'Come on, Chikako… don't you trust your teacher?'

'… It depends on the occasion, really…'

'Well, I'm telling the truth!'

'Ah… Naruto-san?'

A young adult approached them.

'Umm…'

'It's me, Inari, remember?'

'WHAT?' Naruto exclaimed, then grinned. 'Hey, I didn't recognise you at all! It's been… nine years? Ten, maybe?'

'Naruto-sensei… do you know him?' Nobu asked.

'Do I?'

'Well… have you read the mission details yet?' Inari asked.

'Yeah… But all it said was that we needed to find who's been-'

'Damaging the bridge… yeah… The bridge was untouched for the previous, I don't know, decade, or so… but lately…'

He cleared his throat. 'A part of the bridge is damaged, and we found exploding tags at the scene… so we suspected that shinobis took part in this…'

'Shinobis?'

'At first we thought it was some sort of joke, but it's been done multiple times by now…'

'How many times, exactly?' Kazuki asked, interested.

'Eleven.'

'Oh…'

'Shinobis leave us alone for most times… We've never threatened their existence, and the closest relationship we have is our import and export with some shinobi villages. So… there must be some sort of motive behind this… but since we don't even know who's doing this, we don't know what they want from us. And that's your job.'

'Eheh… don't worry, Inari, we'll find whoever's doing this to the bridge! Then we'll capture him!'

'Or her,' Chikako added.

'Can you lead us to where the damaged parts are?'

'Well, it's on different places all the time… but I'll show you the first one to start with…'


'Found any clues, guys?'

'Nothing yet,' Chikako replied.

'Nope,' Nobu answered.

'Wait… yeah… Oh, it's just rubble… no.'

'Inari-san, do you have some sort of… blueprint of the bridge's design? Can you mark where the bridges are damaged on it?'

'Well… I don't, but I can draw the bridge's basic design for you… Will that be okay?'

'Yeah, actually.'

'This one was here… and the other ones…'

Inari began to make marks on his drawings.

'Ah, here it is!'

'Are you looking for a pattern, Chika-chan?'

'Oh, how did you guess?' Chikako replied sarcastically.

Nobu looked and it, and frowned. 'It seems random to me. No pattern whatsoever…'

'Can I take a look?' Kazuki asked.

'Hey, I was the one who asked for it, I wanna look, too. How about you, Naruto-sensei?'

'I'll just look for some more clues. You guys go ahead.'

'Can you see a pattern, Kazuki?'

'…'

'Well?'

'… Yeah… I can… but I can't remember what it is… I've seen it somewhere… You know how it forms a squiggly line? Well… it's supposed to form something, but I can't remember what…'

Chikako narrowed her eyes, and scanned through the picture. 'Same… I can't remember what it is… I've seen it somewhere…'

'Maybe it's not complete,' Nobu reasoned. 'Maybe we need to have more explosions to complete the squiggly line thingy…'

'We're supposed to prevent more explosions, but that's a good point,' Chikako said. 'Well done, Nobu, you finally contributed something.'

'Hey! I contributed lots!'

'Sure, Nobu, I believe-'

BAM!

The noise was heard from the other side of the bridge.

'Another explosion?'