Chapter 79

A Race for Tea: Team Sevens Temporary New Leader

After the classroom incident, Team Seven left behind the halls of the Academy, separating from Shikamaru and Mimi to ascend into the administrative section of the tower. The halls were busy, a little loud with random conversations, greetings and farewells. Shinobi from varying divisions of their forces walked briskly past one another, controlled and coordinated in the chaos.

Team Seven kept to themselves on their way to the Mission Assignment Desk. This was the new normal. Nothing to concern themselves with.

Amari observed her fellow shinobi, the hectic halls and recalled the first weeks of Team Seven's formation, when the administrative section was consistently active, but calm. Few shinobi, if any at all, raced through the halls to deliver reports, or to accept missions. A handful of months ago they'd been at peace. Almost wholly carefree.

Simpler times.

Now the halls were busier than an angry beehive, a consequence of the Invasion. Shinobi of all ranks and divisions rushed to and fro, restless, maneuvering around one another with courteous but rushed apologies. Several times Team Seven quickly stepped to the side, out of the way, so other shinobi could pass; they appeared too absorbed by their tasks or conversations to notice the four young Genin.

This was a sign of the times, she supposed. The curfew was still in effect, and she didn't see it ending anytime soon. The extensive damage meant laborers from beyond their walls were called in, which was a security nightmare if left unchecked. Kami knew what threats were currently being averted by their spies and the Anbu while they slept soundly at night.

Or if any of this unrest regarded their new assignment.

Inside the Mission Assignment office, the four Genin waited at ease in a row; Sasuke stood at the right end, followed by Amari, Naruto and finally Sakura on the left end. Silence reigned as they waited for the Fifth Hokage to arrive and begin the mission briefing.

This didn't appear to be another D-rank errand mission; far too many factors erased that particular possibility. First off, the assembly of Team Seven in its entirety—excluding Kakashi, who, like her mother, was still out on his mission. It made no logical sense to send an entire team of Genin on a D-rank errand mission, unless it was assumed the D-rank would turn into a C- or B-rank mission, which would be troublesome for any Genin to solo.

Lady Tsunade also had had her and the boys running around with D-rank missions for the last week. Surely they had done enough to sate the troublesome woman…

Right?

Who am I kidding? Amari groaned internally in depressed pessimism. Lady Tsunade is presiding over the aftermath of a destructive invasion. We'll probably have entire stacks of D-rank missions piled up for us when we finish whatever this mission is. It's going to be a total drag.

Just another reason to hate Orochi-jackass and the rest of the Sound Village shinobi. I'll add it to the growing tally.

Anyways, another point was their performance on higher ranked missions. From a purely statistical standpoint, their record on missions ranging from C-ranks to oh-my-kami-we're-in-over-our-heads was completely in their favor.

In their beginning days as a team it could be written off as Kakashi's leadership and power protecting them. However, through the Exams, the Invasion and the Land of Snow they had grown exponentially in skill, experience and strength. Amari learned just the other day their reputations were growing, whether they realized it or not.

People she had never met before recognized her. They congratulated her performance in the Exams. Told her she had a bright future ahead of her. Others expressed gratitude for hers and Mimi's efforts on the front-lines, with a few even knowing of their efforts to stop Gaara. On one occasion a member of the Hyūga Clan she didn't know thanked her for rescuing Hinata.

It made Amari feel awkward. Frightened when the Hyūga kunoichi initially stopped her in the street.

But those moments, usually after she was alone again, put into perspective how far she and her peers advanced since the Academy, and then pride flowed like an endless waterfall even as she wrestled with self-doubt.

Logically speaking, utilizing Team Seven as a whole for easy errand missions within their walls was a waste of their talents. You could argue that protecting them ensured their growth could be slowly nurtured. But that argument was weak. Oblivious to current events.

The Akatsuki's and Orochimaru's hearts harbored ill-intent for the members of Team Seven. There was no time to waste. They needed strenuous missions to push beyond their limits, to gain experience on the battlefield and the strength necessary to defend themselves and the Leaf.

They'd never progress if everyone babied them. It was for that reason Kakashi and Kurenai pushed her to her absolute limits, to the point of collapsing, when she returned to Konoha. At the time, she was a malnourished child wielding two highly coveted dōjutsus, bearing a personal vendetta against the boy responsible for stealing the lives of her best friends. Amari had no choice except being thrown into the bottomless pits of hell to learn to survive.

Advance or die—those were the only two options any of them had.

For this mission, with Kakashi's absence, they'd either be on their own or paired with a temporary Chūnin or Jōnin squad leader. Although it is possible Lady Hokage will just send a Genin team. We're still not fully recovered from the Invasion so our higher-ups will already be busy with tougher missions. Can't afford to appear weak.

Amari sighed. "What a pain."

Not that she wasn't looking forward to a possibly hard mission—she was. But their current situation guaranteed longer spans of time without seeing her mom. Missions had kept them separate lately, with Team Seven's last mission taking them to an entirely different Nation.

I know I shouldn't worry about her…but please be safe, Mom.

"Aw, come on Amari! Aren't you even the least bit excited for a new mission?" Naruto asked her.

"Not what I was commenting on, you troublesome boy," she retorted flatly. She lazily turned to look at him, her expression peeved. "And I don't want to hear anything about my lackluster mood from you right now."

His excitement was felled and replaced by bashfulness. A nervous chuckle escaped his lips, hand rubbing the back of his head. "Hehehe, right. Sorry about that."

"Sorry for doing it or that I caught you afterwards?"

"…A little bit of both."

"Mm. As I thought." Amari focused back on the empty desk, hoping to keep the thought of shirtless Haku out of her mind.

Better than I thought it'd be.

An incredibly difficult task, to say the least.

"How is your face feeling, Naruto?" Sakura asked, whether because she was genuinely concerned or amused was impossible to tell.

Based on Shikamaru's reactions, the wrath of the two kunoichis was as equally frightening as a decrepit, dilapidated haunted house and as humorous as a sidesplitting comedy act. For an outsider, anyway.

"Doesn't hurt one bit! Mimi must have felt really guilty with how much she healed me and Konohamaru!"

Guilty? Amari hummed in amusement and couldn't stop her lips from twitching into a smile. No, not really. She was destroying the evidence of our attack, that way no one outside of that classroom would ever know what occurred.

"Heh, you brain-dead idiot," Sasuke chuckled from her side.

Seemed her fellow Uchiha understood Mimi's intentions far better than their resident knucklehead. It was either that or he was laughing at Naruto's expense for getting pummeled by two furious kunoichi's. Or he thinks what happened to us was funny.

Regardless, Amari hoped to put the embarrassment behind her and move on to the next mission. Secretly, she was happy Naruto and Konohamaru decided to pull that off, but not because of the jutsu itself! Definitely not that! Why would she even want to think about the cute boy from Mist Village or the busty woman Konohamaru had used against Mimi? It wasn't like she could have stirrings for an attractive boy or nearly nude woman.

Nope! Not one bit!

What she did secretly enjoy, because she obviously didn't enjoy seeing the possibility of Haku shirtless her current blush be damned, was the huge distraction the entire event provided from her recent emotional problems. Of course that distraction came at the expense of pummeling Naruto and Konohamaru, but sometimes two kunoichi's just needed to kick serious butt.

Their sacrifices were noble, Amari thought, giggling internally at the memory of their shrill screams of terror and pleas for mercy.

"What did you say?!"

"I called you a brain-dead idiot. Seriously, what'd you expect to happen? Did you really believe Amari wouldn't react to—"

"One more peep out of either of you regarding his…transformation and I will strap you both in a genjutsu," Amari calmly warned them, cheeks flushed at the completely unwanted reminders of such a lovely sight to behold.

Yep, she totally had no stirrings whatsoever!

Their mouths snapped shut. Immediately. Sakura hid a giggle behind her hand.

"Well, seems like you four are raring to go. I take it your mission went well, Amaririsu?" The voice of their Hokage drew their eyes to the buxom woman entering. Shizune wasn't far behind, pet pig held in her arms.

"Yes ma'am. Shikamaru, Mimi and I taught the class about chakra control and Nature Transformations, as well as imparted a few life lessons onto them," Amari answered cooly.

"Oh? What kind of life lessons?"

Naruto shuddered visibly at the question.

"The importance of understanding what it means and takes to be a shinobi and practical use of our lessons in the field," she responded without flinching.

"Huh. It sounds like you three did well despite how under-prepared you were. My apologies, but there wasn't time to prepare you three due to everything else going on."

"No apology necessary, ma'am." But I am curious as to what encompasses "everything else going on" as she put it. Could it be their mission? Or was it just the general matters of rebuilding and protecting their village? She decided to let patience prevail, for now.

"Grandma Tsunade, what's up?" Naruto greeted.

The Hokage visibly exhaled an irritated breath as she pulled her chair out and sat down. "Would you stop calling me that already?"

She rested both of her forearms on the table in front of her and stared hard at the group.

Definitely something important going on.

"Lady Hokage," Amari decided to take a little initiative, "this mission we've been summoned for, will it just be the four of us or will a higher ranked shinobi be joining us as squad leader?"

The Hokage heaved a deep sigh that was far more troubled than irritated. She leaned forward, lifted her hands and interlaced her fingers together. "No, it'll only be the four of you. We're spread too thin right now. Our Chūnin's and Jōnin's have their hands full already with their missions. That's why, Amaririsu, you'll be leading Team Seven for this mission."

Amari had begun to nod, having expected the answer, only to immediately stop and widen her eye.

"…I'm sorry, what?"

Obviously there was some sort of mistake here. She wouldn't be leading her team, not when she failed to protect their client on their last mission. That had to be an automatic disqualification…Right?

Tsunade allowed a smile onto her lips. "You'll be leading Team Seven on this mission. Past reports show you hold a certain sway over your team already. A balancing point, I am told."

Ah…that was true, though the truth was bit more complicated presently. She wanted to correct the Hokage, but stopped herself. She hadn't expected this, but maybe this was exactly the kind of scenario she needed to set more of her foundation…though she still held doubts.

Was she really ready to lead her team without Kakashi there to turn her away from bad decisions? What happened if she was put into another scenario where their client was in danger and all she could do was watch them die again?

Nerves gripped the kunoichi underneath her schooled features.

Tsunade's smirk was replaced by a serious look. "However, it is also due to Kakashi's personal recommendation that I've chosen to put you in charge of this important mission. He was particularly adamant on it before he left. Kakashi usually plays his cards close to his chest; I expect you'll show me why he trusts you implicitly."

Kakashi-sensei recommended me to lead our team in his absence? He…trusts me…

In all the flurry of doubts, where she wondered if she was too inexperienced or if she would make the wrong call, and questioned Kakashi's decision when he knew the struggle she endured daily between Shisui's death and the samurai massacre, Amari found something to hold onto. Something real. Something tangible that Kakashi knowingly and willingly gave her.

Trust. Absolute trust in her abilities as a kunoichi and a leader. Even though she failed to save Sandayū, even though he witnessed the terrible internalized war constantly shifting back and forth, Kakashi still believed in her. He believed she was capable of not only leading her team, but protecting them just as he would.

This recommendation, it was an intangible pat on the shoulder and silent whisper of, "I know you can do this."

The feeling that her mentor's wordless and absent display of faith gave her…Amari's heart felt warmer and her foundation felt sturdier.

Thank you, Sensei.

Amari straightened her posture, finding the strength within herself to accept this duty being given to her. "I won't let you down, Lady Hokage." Or you Kakashi-sensei.

She gave a short nod. "Good." Tsunade dropped her hands and picked up the nearby scroll to unroll it. "This will be an important B-rank escort mission. Of course it could develop into an A-rank mission if you run into trouble."

Team Seven and bad luck went together like ice cream and cookies. Which really sounds good right about now.

"So, who are we guarding?" Sasuke asked.

"I don't know."

Amari raised an eyebrow in silent confusion. Naruto decided to step forward and throw his arms out to air their squads' confusion loudly. "Wait a minute, what do you mean you don't know?"

"Every four years, the Land of Tea, our southern neighbor, holds a dedication ceremony at the Great Todoroki Shrine. And each time we are asked to escort a runner who will participate in the race that is a part of the ceremonies. This year the messengers bringing the request were attacked before they could get here."

"Who attacked them?" Naruto asked.

"Did the messengers mention if they were bandits or shinobi?" queried Amari.

"Boss Jirōchō will brief you on everything you need to know when you reach the Land of Tea."

The briefing lacked key information, but perhaps the Hokage didn't have any to give. There was, however, a familiarity in her voice when it came to their client's name, so that was something at least. Means he's an ally we can trust.

"Boss Jirōchō? Ah! That's that gambler guy we met!"

Amari didn't have time to question Naruto. The Hokage stood up. "That's everything I know. Now there isn't time to waste. They're expecting you four to arrive by tomorrow evening. So get moving!"

"Right!" the four chorused in unison as they each straightened at the order.

"Don't worry, Granny. You can count on us!"

The group of four took off at a jog out of the office, though Amari swore she saw the Hokage's features shift into concern as they departed. Maybe she only imagined it.

"Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, we'll meet at the gate in ten minutes. Don't be late," Amari ordered.

"You got it, team leader," Sakura teased good-naturedly.

The Nara groaned. "Don't be troublesome, Sakura. I'm just trying to make sure we make it to the Land of Tea in time."

"You're going to do great, Amari."

"You bet she is!" Naruto stated cheerfully.

Sasuke offered her a nod in silent solidarity.

Amari shut her eye to keep her heart from exploding.

"…Thanks guys."

Team Seven parted ways outside of the Academy building to their respective homes at a hastened ninja jump. The Land of Tea was geographically connected to the Land of Fire at its south eastern tip, several miles south of the Land of Waves.

Simply put, they had a long road ahead of them and not a long time to cross it.

We have to reach our client by the evening tomorrow. Amari glanced up at the blue sky above them. And it's already past noon. Hmm, she hummed in discontent.

Time was not going to be on their side at all on this journey. If they had any hope of arriving in time for the race then they would have to move at pursuing speed for the next day and a half. No doubt this was the result of the messengers being attacked. Had they not been, the message would've arrived days earlier, allowing for an easier travel schedule.

Now we're left to basically sprint all the way there. How troublesome.

The good news: It was unlikely they'd be stalked or attacked by an enemy along the way. Unlike their trip to the Land of Waves and Land of Snow, they didn't have a client among them to paint a target on their backs.

Amari entered her home and rushed up to her room to pack her traveling pack and to equip herself with her tantō harness, tantō, ninja tool box and finally her pouch as quickly as she could without leaving a mess or tripping over her own feet. Once done she rushed back down to the kitchen with a piece of paper and pencil in hand, planning to write a letter for her mother, should she return before her team did.

Setting the paper down on the kitchen counter, she immediately began writing.

Hey Mom,

I hope your mission went well. Me and the rest of Team Seven, minus Kakashi-sensei, were sent to the Land of Tea to guard the runner for the dedication ceremony at the Great Todoroki Shrine. Since Kakashi-sensei was gone I was put in charge of my team at his recommendation. If you happen to see him before I do, please tell him thank you for trusting me. It really means a lot to me. Personally, I'm kind of nervous about it. Might just be jitters, but, well, you know how I am about doubting myself. I do it too much, I know.

Amari let out a sigh and shook her head to try to shake off the doubts. She was unsuccessful, unfortunately.

Anyway, I hope I get to see you when we get back and tell you all about our mission and how successful it will end up. Hehehe, I guess I do have some confidence after all. If you get sent out on another mission, please be extra careful for me.

I love you.

Your little one,

Amari

P.S. Don't be afraid to use my absence for alone time with Asuma-sensei.

Amari giggled, already imaging her mother's reaction at her post script, and drew a heart under her note. She placed the paper on the dining table with the pencil on top of it then exited her home, locking the door behind her.

Traveling with the Body Flicker Technique, she dashed along the rooftops to the front gate. What kind of team leader would she be if she was the last one to arrive after telling everyone to meet at a specific time?

I guess that'd make me kind of like Kakashi-sensei. Normally that would be a huge compliment. Who wouldn't want to be compared to the highly talented shinobi known throughout the entire shinobi world? But this was talking about his worst habit…or, technically second worst habit behind reading pervy books in public, but definitely one of his bad habits.

Nothing is fashionable about being late.

True to form, Amari was the first to arrive at the gates, but she was not alone.

"Mimi?"

She tilted her head to the side at the presence of the Inuzuka crouched in the shade of the tall wall protecting their home. Aoko rested lazily in her hood, her black fur contrasting the ocean of blue she was surrounded by.

"Hey, long time no see, huh?" the Inuzuka greeted with a wide grin as she stood up to her full height.

The Nara chuckled and bumped fists with Mimi. Aoko nuzzled against her hand as she lightly patted her on the head in greeting. "I'm flattered you've come to see me off, and a bit confused if I'm honest."

Mimi's eyes brightened, a glint of mischief in them, and her grin widened. "Who says I was here to see you? Pretty presumptuous of you, Amari."

"Heh," Amari breathed out an uneven laugh as her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "I suppose I am presuming much."

Her friend, snickering at her embarrassment, jabbed her arm lightly. Aoko rumbled humorously from her hood. "I'm just teasing you, Amari. I actually came here to give something to Sakura, but figured you'd be early. It's sort of your thing."

"Nothing is fashionable about being late."

"Eh, depends on the event," Mimi shrugged. "Anyway, obviously you're leaving the Village on a mission. Where you heading off to and when should we expect you back?"

"Land of Tea. We have to be there by the evening tomorrow, though I have no idea when we'll be back. Could be a few days depending on what kind of trouble we run into."

Mimi whistled at their misfortune. Aoko whined, making her companion nod. "You said it Aoko. That doesn't sound like a relaxing run at all."

Amari offered a weak laugh. Talk about putting it mildly. "You could say that again. We're supposed to guard some runner for the ceremony there…"

She paused, an attempt to keep her resurfacing doubts in check before telling Mimi her temporary leadership position. She failed, miserably, exhaling a troubled sigh before she could even restrain it. "…And Lady Tsunade ended up putting me in charge of my team at Kakashi-sensei's recommendation."

The Inuzuka furrowed her brow. "You don't sound excited about that when you really should be. Come on, cheer up! You're gonna lead your team on a mission. Most Genin dream of getting the chance to prove themselves."

"Yeah…" Her eye shifted away.

Mimi was right, of course. She really should be more excited for the chance to lead her team on this important mission… But how could she when she was so worried about a client running off against her orders again? Sandayū may have chosen his own fate, but at the end of the day she was still meant to keep him safe. She failed him and the fifty others who died needlessly.

What if something like that happened again? How many times could they just excuse it until it became clear it was really her fault? She shouldn't have let Kōri put distance between her and Sandayū. She should have just gotten out of the snow and grabbed him before he could escape sight.

"I…I know my team believes in me, and I appreciate their support. It makes me feel like I can actually do it. I just…I can't stop thinking about failing Sandayū… Those fifty samurai and Sandayū didn't have to die." She closed her hands into fists and shut her eye to stave off her rising anger. "I let Kōri drag me into a personal fight. If I just—"

The warmth of a gloved hand suddenly rested on her shoulder.

"Amari, stop it," Mimi commanded in a stern yet soothing voice. It sent a startled jolt through her body, snapping her eye open and making her hands fall slack. "You've got to stop attacking yourself over this. That Sandayū guy made his choice. He didn't listen to your commands. Instead, he chose to try to fight his oppressors on his own terms, with his own strength. Given the choice in his shoes, wouldn't you do the same?"

"I…" Amari fell silent.

Yes…yes she would, and had. She fought a hopeless battle despite the orders of her superiors and mother because she had seen it as the only way. Was it a good choice? Not tactically, no. Without the Mangekyō Sharingan or Itachi and Aimi's mercy she'd be dead. Yet…she still fought that battle for the people and home she loved without any regard for her own life.

"Sandayū and his warriors died with honor," Mimi said, her voice softened. "They died trying to fight for and protect what they considered far more precious than their own lives. Even if it could be avoided, that's the fate they chose. Just like Hinata and Lee did in the prelims… Just like you did against those Akatsuki bastards."

"Please, don't allow his spirit to be another burden you carry. Remember him with joy."

Koyuki's words softened her heart. She'd done exactly what the Princess asked her not to do: Turned Sandayū and the samurai into her personal burden.

"You're a great kunoichi, Amari. One of the best of our generation. Behind me, of course." The jest earned a genuine giggle out of the younger kunoichi. She raised her eye from the dirt to meet her sister's gaze, whose blue eyes were like oceans of comfort. "You're ready for this. You're smart and strong. Plus you've already led Sasuke and I during the Invasion. You kept us focused when everything around us was spiraling out of control. Because of you we were able to help Hikari and spare some life instead of taking it at the end of it all.

"Kakashi-sensei trusts you. Your team trusts you. I trust you. You're going to kick some serious ass on this mission. So stop doubting yourself, you've got this."

Amari smiled warmly at her friend and gave her a firm nod. "Thanks Mimi."

Mimi grinned and let her hand return to her side. "You know I've got your back in any fight, even the internal ones you're fighting."

"And I've got both of your backs, too." She bowed her head to her fellow kunoichi, feeling it was the only way to express her gratitude, save forcing her into a bone crushing hug. "Thank you. You're an amazing sister, Mimi."

A hand ruffled her blue hair, bringing her gaze back up to her grinning friend. "What can I say? I am pretty awesome, you know."

Sakura arrived shortly after, prepared to go in her usual sleeveless outfit with her white single strapped pack already on. Curious, Amari eavesdropped. Mimi was passing notes on Medical Ninjutsu for Sakura to study as a sort of warm-up to the art.

Sakura, although confused, took the notes when Mimi told her, "You're sharp, Sakura, and according to Amari your chakra control is incredible. This will help you hone it further so you don't end up breaking your hand with your chakra fueled strikes. It'll also allow you to help heal your team since you four always seem to get into trouble. A win-win if you ask me."

"Thank you, Mimi."

"You don't need to thank me. Just read over it and see if it's something you want to try. When it comes to Medical Ninjutsu you're either all in or not at all. You can't half-ass it when people's lives are on the line. If you decide to go through with it, I'll gladly teach you more when I can."

"Okay."

Mimi took her leave before the boys arrived, but not without bidding farewell to the two kunoichi's and offering Amari another fist bump on her way out. Naruto and Sasuke arrived soon after.

As soon as Amari finished checking their mission equipment, she gave the order for her teammates to head out. Before she could join them, without any warning, Lady Tsunade appeared at the gate.

"Lady Hokage?" Amari looked up to her in confusion.

Her features were stony, destroying any sense of ease the young kunoichi might have felt from her strong presence. "Amaririsu, I want you to take this." The Hokage handed her a small plastic bottle and closed her hand over it. "I'm hoping you won't need it, but I don't want to take any chances."

"What is it?" she asked.

"An antidote." Tsunade released her hand. "Our examination of the messengers' wounds finished only a few moments ago. There was a trace of a very specific poison in their bloodstream. They were lucky to survive it."

"I see." Amari looked down at the bottle with a pensive expression on her face. "Any chance you can trace the poison to the attackers origins?"

"Yes. The poison is mainly used by the Hidden Rain, but that does not necessarily mean a shinobi from their Village used it. Selling poisons is quite the lucrative trade for those with the skill to produce them."

"Mm." Amari nodded and placed the bottle into her pouch. So still no solid leads on who their mysterious attackers were, or how many there were. She hoped it was a relatively small group of bandits…but… "Thank you, Lady Tsunade."

Tsunade gave her a small nod. "You're welcome. Stay alert, Amaririsu."

The young kunoichi offered a smirk. "I always am." She bowed her head. "Farewell."

Amari took off to catch up to her team, who had walked some way. Not long after they began ninja jumping their way to the Land of Tea. This mission was not only important for their village, but it was Amari's chance to prove to herself and those who believed in her that she could pick up the pieces and move forward.

I won't let them down, I swear it.

Seems this Boss Jirōchō is rather popular, Amari thought as she sauntered back to the tea house table her team rested at.

They'd run long into the night yesterday, crossing the majority of the Land of Fire and nearing the border of the Land of Tea in a taxing journey before Amari decided they needed to rest. They'd made camp, covered in a layer of sweat, at a loss of breath for several minutes after they sat down near a small stream, too high strung for sleep but too tired to stand or talk or do anything that required energy.

Although sweaty, disheveled and downright exhausted, they made good time crossing their home country. It only took them an hour to cross the border into the Land of Tea this morning and, after running for another two hours, she finally let her team slow their pace to a walk as she considered how to find their client and where to stop for lunch.

Their debriefing with the Hokage offered little in details, such as where to meet their client and who exactly he was. What information she managed to probe out of Naruto when they were camping hadn't been of any help; apparently Jirōchō was an older gentleman Naruto met on his journey back from finding Lady Tsunade.

Other than that she had nothing to go on, so when they came upon a tea house on one of the main roads she decided to kill two birds with one stone. The tea house would not only provide shade, food and drink for them to rest and recuperate in, it also provided a place to do some digging for information.

After getting their tea and food orders she left the table and approached the tea house owner—a middle-aged woman with dark-hair and wrinkles around her eyes—and asked her if she knew their clients name. Just the mention of Jirōchō brightened the woman. She discussed in detail the man himself, his clan—the Wasabi Family—how honorable he was and how she hoped they would regain power during the ceremony.

Fortunately, she also mentioned where to find him—ten miles south from them at a location called Degarashi Port. Based on what little she knew of the Land of Tea and what information she could piece together from her conversation, it seemed the port was of severe economic importance, handling almost all the imports and exports that came into the Land of Tea, as well as being the starting line for the ceremonial race.

"How'd it go?" Sasuke asked as she approached their table.

"Quite well," she answered, sitting down on the long bench across from him next to Naruto, who was seated across from Sakura. "Let me eat and then I'll explain everything."

Everyone else was either done or nearly done with their lunch while her food remained untouched. As soon as she finished, she set her bowl off to the side and pulled out a world map from her pack to lay across the table.

"We're approximately…here," she informed, placing her finger close to the center of the banana shaped piece of landmass known as the Land of Tea. "According to the owner, Boss Jirōchō and his Clan reside here," she traced her finger down to a black dot marking Degarashi Port.

"Degarashi Port, huh?" Naruto said. "I think I saw a sign for that a few miles ago. How much further do we have left then?"

"Ten miles," Sakura calculated their remaining distance with ease. "Which means we'll reach it in about three hours if we walk, less if we run it."

"More running…" Naruto groaned.

His groan echoed the feelings of the rest of the team, including Amari. They were all dreading the next hour or two of running ahead of them, plus whatever came next in their real mission. They were running to a race, after all.

Amari had already considered all of this, however, and used her walk back to calculate the best course of action.

"We'll walk it," Amari stated, earning a mix of sudden confused stares and sounds from her team. It was warranted, she supposed, since she pushed them so hard, but their initial run had been just as necessary as her plan to walk was.

Laziness honestly had nothing to do with her decision. If it was tactically sound to keep running then they would keep running until they reached Degarashi Port, but it wasn't tactically sound, not in their current situation at least.

"We don't know if this race is taking place late tonight or if it's starting tomorrow early in the morning. In case it's the former we need to be fully recovered, and sprinting there will leave us tired and vulnerable to the trouble we may encounter."

Trouble she was almost certain would show up. Caution had to be taken here otherwise they'd end up with a dead client, severe injuries or dead themselves.

She glanced to the wall clock then back to her team. "It's only a few minutes past noon. We have to reach them by the evening. Walking there won't prevent that."

"She's right," Sasuke agreed, nodding his head once. "Whoever attacked those messengers is still out there. Could be one guy, could be an entire team. We can't take chances if we're going to keep ourselves and our client safe."

"Exactly." Amari folded up the map and sat back down to place it in her pack. Currently they still lacked the proper intelligence on how many enemies they were dealing with and their total strength.

Good information was key to the success of a mission. In the stern words of Ibiki Morino, "Information can be the most valuable weapon in battle. How well you gather information will determine if a mission is a failure or successful. Disinformation can be worse than no information at all. It can lead to the death of comrades or the loss of an entire village."

Right now they were in the dark on far too much to just rush to Degarashi Port. Going in exhausted would only lead to absolute, unmerciful failure. At a time like this, it was best to show up just in the nick of time instead of early.

"Did you learn anything else about our client, Amari?" Sakura asked.

"He's an honorable man based on what the owner and Naruto said. I'm beginning to believe there's something more important about this race than tradition, though." Amari squinted down at the table and brought her left hand to her chin in thought. "Not only has someone already tried to prevent Boss Jirōchō from gaining bodyguards, but Degarashi Port is a huge economic source for the Land of Tea. Whoever controls it…" she trailed off, frowning in her deep thought.

"Would hold the most wealth and power in the entire land besides the Feudal Lord," Sasuke finished for her.

"Mmhm."

"Meaning our enemies must be motivated by power and money, not honor or tradition," Sakura stated.

"I wonder if this race decides who controls the port," Naruto added thoughtfully.

Amari nodded in agreement to both of her teammates. "Has to be the reason we were hired." She lowered her hand and let her eye roam across her teammates. "And I'd bet Jirōchō's opposition has hired shinobi as well."

A bold claim with only one solid piece of evidence and a bunch of speculation surrounding it, but there was definitely a high probability of enemy shinobi, rogue or otherwise, hired for the other racer.

"Sounds like we'll have our work cut out for us," Sakura noted.

Sasuke shut his eyes and crossed his arms. "You worry too much, Sakura. It won't be anything we haven't dealt with before."

Sakura dipped her head in a nod. "I suppose you're right."

"Can't be any worse than running into Zabuza and Haku on our first real mission. I mean, those guys were on a whole different level of power than we were," Naruto said, smiling widely in nostalgia.

The group shared in smiles and snorts of amusement at Naruto's ability to understate truly how outmatched they were back on their first real mission. Amari could still remember it with almost perfect clarity. She could still remember their first encounter with Zabuza, how Sasuke's hands shook with fear, how Zabuza spoke of Blood Mist and killing the students despite not being one himself.

She could remember Haku, how her heart ached at having to fight him because she could feel how similar they were, and how he fought with such tenacity yet still with enough compassion to spare them.

"We were so out of our depth against those two, so out of our league. Feels like years have passed since then…"

So much had happened in such a short time. How much more will happen, I wonder.

Her teammates all nodded slowly, silently agreeing to the feeling that so much time had passed even though it hadn't. They had traveled on paths of growth since the Land of Waves, all in an effort to find their way forward towards their goals without forsaking themselves. For Amari, that path had given her a lot of pain so far.

But I will continue to forge ahead no matter what, because that's who I am. Right, Shisui?

His voice didn't come to her, but she knew he would've agreed. He was the one who taught her how to follow her nindo after all.

"We sure have packed a lot of fighting, training and living into our first year as shinobi," Sakura said.

That they had, and there was certainly more to come…but…

Amari grabbed her tea glass and looked down into it. "We've hit some troublesome spots…a lot of troublesome spots if we're honest, but…" She raised her eye back to her team. "I wouldn't trade our time together for anything." She lifted her tea glass into the center of the table. "To Team Seven."

Her teammates followed her motion, lifting their glasses to be in the center of the table with hers. "To Team Seven," Sakura followed.

"Team Seven," Sasuke toasted.

"To the best team in all of Konoha!" Naruto cheered.

Amari and the others chuckled lightly at his quite loud declaration. "To our awesome, albeit troublesome, family. May the road ahead of us never keep us apart for too long," she added. The team clinked their glasses together and either took sips of their tea or placed their already empty glasses back down on the table. "All right, I suppose—"

"Just sitting around, wolfing down rice and tea and toasting to friendship, huh? Ninja life is so cushy," a new voice broke their moment and dragged all of their irritated glares to the other customer besides them in the entire tea house. He was a teenager from the look of him, and had a smug look on his face that matched his condescending tone.

"What'd you say?!" Naruto growled.

"It's a wonder how the Leaf is still standing with chumps like you protecting it."

"That's it—"

Amari's hand latched onto Naruto's arm and held it firmly to keep the boy from standing up to rightly punch this punk into next spring. "Naruto, enough. He's not worth the blood on your fists." She spoke calmly and to the point, yet with an unwavering threat underneath meant for their mysterious guest rather than her friend.

Just by holding his arm she could feel the wound up tension within his body, but having a brawl of any sort here would serve no purpose. They had to remain calm and focused on what was important.

Doesn't mean I'm letting this punk off easily.

Naruto grudgingly settled back into his seat, growling under his breath something she couldn't quite hear. She released Naruto's arm and turned her cold stare to meet the dark eyes of the standing teenager. He had a sharpened chopstick between his teeth and unruly long hair kept in a low ponytail. In his dark eyes she could see blatant resentment growing as his eyes lingered on her forehead protector. Seeing her moment, she struck.

"My eye is up here, pervert."

Her first strike had the exact reaction she expected, a scoff and head turn to hide the blush on his face. "Tch, whatever."

Now it was time for the second and final fatal one-two punch. "Some free advice from one shinobi to a street punk without any real strength…" The first verbal jab landed, earning her his undivided attention and a heated glare to go with it. "Us 'chumps' have fought enemies on our own with levels of strength a simpleton like you can't even begin to understand. So I suggest you take your attitude, your smug looking face and get lost before I decide to expend a small portion of my energy leveling you where you stand."

"Don't worry, I was just leaving." The teenager spat out his sharpened chopstick onto the table and turned his body and attitude to be squarely on her. "But don't think it's because I feel threatened by any of you. I can't stand your kind. Shinobi." Venomous disdain dripped from the word and flooded his tensing body. "You're just a bunch of low-life liars and thugs. I'll warn you this once to pack your crap and get out of here. No one here wants you around, so go back to your village otherwise there'll be trouble."

Naruto shot out of his seat at the threat with his fists clenched but not moving to strike their annoyance down where he stood. Not yet anyway. "Oh yeah? Bring it on!"

Amari rolled her eye at the threat and busied herself with making sure her pack was ready for the journey. The punk doesn't know how to pick his fights, that's for sure. If Naruto flattened him, so be it. But she was done giving him another second of her time. He was just a nuisance, a fly buzzing around their heads that they'd either have to swat or would eventually fly away.

"Relax, Naruto," Sakura tried to order him.

"Calm down, loser. The punk isn't even worth the effort. Besides, we don't have the time for it."

"No way! Where's your ninja pride, Sasuke!"

"He has plenty of pride, but wasting his time on—" The Shadow user snapped her mouth shut as she felt the presence of the teenager vanish from where it had been a moment before. What the? She spun her head back to face him to see the spot completely vacant. He's fast…Really fast.

She activated her Byakugan while Naruto proceeded to whine about him getting away, promising to pummel him if they ever met him again. The boy, however, was showing no intention of ever returning. He was sprinting away, putting as much distance between himself and the tea house as he could.

But why?

The reason became known a second later when the owner of the tea house dropped off their bill…and his, calling him their friend who said they'd pay for it. Amari checked the bill and gaped. How could one person eat so much?!

"What is it? What's wrong?" Sakura asked.

She showed the others his bill. Horror struck them all.

"This means war," Amari muttered under her breath. He had poked and prodded a sleeping dragon in his arrogance; now it was time for him to deal with the consequences.

"That little…" Sakura grumbled. Veins bulged on her forehead.

"Oh he is so dead! What are we waiting for? Let's go make him regret skipping out on his bill!" Naruto declared.

Sasuke was passive as ever, but his eyebrow noticeably twitched in pure irritation.

Somehow the punk managed to piss off not one, but all four members of Team Seven. Still, Sasuke kept his head about him, as she expected of her clansman, and looked to her to see what their move was. "Amari?"

"Let's go kick some swindling butt."

He nodded and the entire team quickly got up, threw their packs on and left their money behind with the bill before taking off after the insulting little punk.

Amari led the team at a sprint, Byakugan eye honed in on the teenager. He was fast, but his strides were full of arrogance, so sure they had no chance of catching him.

An underestimation he would soon regret.

"Argh! I can't believe he just left us with his bill!" Naruto snarled from behind her.

"How far did he get Amari?" Sakura asked.

"Pretty far given the short time he had," Amari stoically informed. "Whatever training he has isn't normal. He's too quick for a normal civilian."

Which left her with many questions, though none that were too pressing considering she had no interest in learning more about the kid. All she had an interest in was punishing him for refusing to pay his own bill.

"I don't care what kind of training he has! I'll make him regret ever insulting us!"

"Follow me!" she ordered as she took to the trees.

He may have been fast with a good head start, but he was underestimating their speed and desire to pummel him into the dirt. They were gaining on him with each passing second, and when he tripped and fell because of a root sticking out of the ground that distance shortened in a matter of seconds.

"He's up here in this clearing. Circle him."

Her team needed no other order. Sasuke and Sakura veered off to block one side while Naruto and Amari took to the other to steal any hope of escape from his grasps. Amari and Naruto stopped on a tree branch above him, the boy of the pair crossing his arms over his chest as he smirked at the misfortune of their prey.

"Heh, serves you right!" Naruto jeered.

The teenager looked up to their tree branch, shocked by their presence. "Wha–"

"You've got a lot of nerve. Did you really believe you could get away with it? That we'd just let you walk away after pulling a stunt like that?" Sasuke questioned.

He obviously had, otherwise he wouldn't have tried it in the first place. But it was far too late now. He was trapped between them with no possible chance of escape; now he had to face the fate of a street punk.

The swindler cast his eyes nervously between them. Then, without preamble, he unceremoniously threw himself down onto his hands and knees in a bow. "I'm sorry!"

"Huh?"

The team shared confused glances before looking back down at the kid. Where the hell did that come from? Where was all the bravado, the taunts, the fight? Where was the attitude he had previously shown? I…guess he was just tough talk?

Disappointing didn't even cover how she felt.

"I couldn't pay the bill! All of my money was stolen, and then you guys showed up…I know I shouldn't have done it…"

Okay, now that made her feel bad. She would've been fine to beat up the punk from the tea house, but to lay hands on a kid pleading for mercy after he had his money stolen? No wonder he was in such a bad mood.

The group again shared a silent look. They sighed and jumped down to the unfortunate teenager. "Jeez, then why didn't you just say something instead of acting like a complete jerk?" Amari asked. "We may have actually helped if you just said something."

Paying his bill wouldn't have been a problem; she may have even given him some money for the road if he asked.

"Yeah, seriously. All you had to do was- ow!"

Amari glanced over to Naruto to see a black shape falling to the ground after bouncing off his head. Once it settled on the ground she gave a quick examination and noticed it was a pocket knife with an ornate gold metal design outlining its grip. Looks expensive. Naruto reached down to pick it up, but the teenager snatched it off the ground before he could.

All four members of Team Seven took an involuntary step back on combat instinct and watched as he handspringed onto his feet to face them.

"This belongs to me," he said, his voice steeled with his previous hatred again as he placed the pocket knife presumably into a pocket on the inner side of his shirt.

This was more of what she had been expecting from him, not the pleads for mercy. Seeing it again, though, made something abundantly clear to the Nara.

"You weren't robbed, were you?" Amari probed, her eye setting in a glare again. "You were just playing on our compassion so we wouldn't kick your ass." The smirk on his face was the only answer she needed. "Tch, and you called us low-life's."

The teenager reached down to his leg warmers and unhooked the buckles holding them in place; he lifted them up to reveal the weights on the inside.

"Leg weights?" Sakura's voice was full of surprise.

"On your mark. Get set. Go!" He dropped the weights, the force of which created a large smoke cloud. He took off at a speed that rivaled some shinobi. By the time the smoke cleared he was already far beyond their reach.

"Kami…" At that rate of speed… "Let's go!" Amari ordered before jolting up into the trees to try to catch up. She kept her Byakugan activated as they chased him, watching him get further and further away no matter how hard her team pushed to keep up.

"Amari, go on ahead!" Sasuke called from behind her. She looked back at him with a look of confusion. "There's no chance of us keeping up with him. He's too fast for us!"

But not for me, went unspoken. He knew she was holding back her true speed to remain with the team, but if she let loose she would be able to catch up in no time. Maybe she'd even be able to stop him before he got too far away.

Amari gave a small nod and began channeling chakra throughout her body in preparation for the Body Flicker Technique. The moment she was ready and her foot hit the tree branch, she flashed forward at untraceable speeds to the normal eye. Trees whipped by her as she disappeared and reappeared throughout the canopy, each time closing the distance between her and the teenager until she was only a few meters away from him, but several away from her team.

Through her Byakugan, she looked back to her team and their tiring forms as they tried to catch up to her. She frowned. I…I shouldn't have just left them back there. That was a poor decision for a team leader.

While there was presently no danger to their lives, what if this kid had been leading her into an ambush? Or a group of bandits or shinobi came upon her teammates while she was focused on chasing this punk?

Amari's frown deepened. She should've known better than to just go off like this even if there was no immediate danger. As shinobi they didn't have time to let petty stuff like this get in the way of their mission. Chasing as they were was also hurting her plan to just casually walk the rest of the way to Degarashi Port so they could recuperate from the day before and morning today.

He's not worth my time or chakra. I have a team to take care of, and they mean far more to me than some punk I'll never see again. All I'll do is send a quick message to him so he knows not to cross us again.

Amari's sandal hit another tree branch and she disappeared again, flashing past the punk in the shadows of the trees. She reappeared on the final branch of a tree at the edge of the forest. She crouched down and whipped out three kunai, throwing them to the ground below so they created a line that crossed the entire path.

Now they had a finish line for their race.

When the teenager came rushing through the path their eyes met briefly, his filled with shock at her appearance and the kunais and hers devoid of all amusement as she stared right through him.

"I win," she said mostly to herself, but the glare he gave her made it clear he knew exactly what she said.

She let him go without hindering his movement. She deactivated her Byakugan and watched him become smaller and smaller on the hilly horizon after grabbing her three kunai. He knew he was only going on her blessing. Let him stew on that when he reached wherever he was going, let him understand that she didn't bring him any harm because a no-count like him wasn't of any importance to her.

For an arrogant punk like him that'd likely eat away at him for a long time. That in of itself was a victory for her.

Her team met her on the forest floor, all three winded with sweat forming on their brows as they watched what remained of the teenager's form disappear far in the distance.

"You let him go, didn't you?" Sasuke asked.

She nodded. "I did. Chasing after him was taking me too far from you three and any potential danger you guys might get into. Plus we still have a mission to complete and I don't want to compromise that by wasting chakra on him. Good news is he knows he only got away because I let him. That should eat away at him for a long time."

Sasuke and Sakura gave nods of understanding.

"That's fine, but if we ever see him again he better watch out," Naruto panted.

She was fine with that, mostly because it was highly unlikely they'd ever cross paths again. The ninja world was a big place, and they wouldn't be spending much time here in the Land of Tea on this mission. On the chance they did meet again, however, she would let Naruto get at least one punch in before pulling him away.

It was the least she could do for him.

Back to the mission. Amari took a breath and nodded her head in the direction of the dirt path they'd be traveling.

"All right, we still have a long walk ahead of us and a client waiting for us. Let's not waste any more time."

Review Response to Guest: Nope, that wasn't a secret Chunnin test for the trio. It was mostly for comedic purposes they were placed together in that circumstance, but there will be more in regards to possible promotions in the near future. Besides comedic purposes, they were chosen because of their maturity, their insight and personal experiences, out of the hope they might rub some of it off on the students.

Without spoiling how the Sasuke retrieval arc goes, there will be arcs that follow it that elaborate on the paths taken. The entire timeskip won't be written, but there will be certain parts of it shown.

Yes, Shikaku knows who Naruto's father is.

I can't really answer who will learn elusive jutsus, or simply other techniques they didn't have in the canon version, at this point because it'll spoil those moments of surpassing limits and surprise reveals later on. But my hope is to advance the entire cast as the story progresses, so no one fades into the background as useless. Expect a few surprises along the way.

Sakura will train under Tsunade again. Mimi we'll have to wait and see.

Thank you for the review!