Hello, and welcome to the next chapter!
danielhaywoodsnow; Thanks! Yeah, I've thought about her. That would be a cool battle to see, thanks for the suggestions!
Dharak23; Thanks very much! I'm glad they are~ Yeah, Sakura is going to show some cool stuff going forward. Zabuza will be present without Haku, but he will have some teammates with him, ones he got back when Ryouta first came up against Zabuza years earlier. It does make sense. Thanks!
ShadowUzumaki55; Thanks very much! Yeah, Kakashi's a pretty tricky character to fight. Sakura did yeah, she showed that she has a level head when fighting and she'll show some more of her strengths going forward. Kakashi will teach them each something. Hehe, the missions Team Anko go on are going to be fun. They'd be cool, thanks for the suggestions!
alexandee; Yeah, one day~
Silver crow; Thanks! He really is, and this chapter he'll discover about her fully. It would be cool for Samui to show some more stuff than she did in the main story. Having Storm Release would make sense with Darui and all, Steel Release could be fun for her. Maybe Ay could be. Thanks for the votes! Ryouta did yeah. Glad you liked the Team Seven interactions. Haha, Anko truly doesn't like these types of missions. Hinata and Ryouta shared a nice moment between them huh~? While not as big, I'm sure they did have some sort of thing between them to see which is the strongest in the village. Anko ships them yeah~ Kakashi did have some more resistance huh? Sakura showed her intelligence~ Ryouta does admire Kakashi a good bit. Sakura can use something like it, not nearly the same scale, but she can hold her own in a fight. It was like that with what Kakashi said huh. Mikoto can see Kakashi is going to be a good Sensei for the team. Hiruzen and Mikoto do trust in Ryouta, and believe he can handle it. Maybe he could shock the Tailed Beasts. Yeah, it is fitting that those two would have an affinity for fire. It should be more part 1 thing with the elemental stuff. Naruko will do yeah. Kabuto and Ryouta will have a fun dynamic between them. I can't spoil everything, but some match ups might be a bit different than canons. Orochimaru is going to be interesting to explore in the story. That could be cool for Vanessa, and maybe he could have been instead of Yami. He'd be friends with them yeah. Those are cool magic's. Yeah, My Hero's been wild lately, really enjoying the direction its going in. I suspected AFO would do that eventually with how the story was going, can't wait to see what happens between him and Tomura. I've thought about that scene and something like that could happen. It does seem Kai has gone mad since then, could be fun to see what he's going to do now, the same for Stain and the female Villain. That would be cool if Mimosa was that. It could be Mikoto. That would be a fun intense scene. I'm sure Ryouta, Karin and Haku will be alright with the Forest of Death. The Demon Brothers will be doing something in the story, when will be a little later. Maybe Zabuza has. Ryouta knows what his Mangekyou Sharingan can do now, and he does have some ways of using the eyes powers. That would be cool for Konan to have. Aah, that would be fun for Iruka. Chino probably would be like that.
Guest 1; Thanks very much! It is going to be fun to do their interactions. I'd probably have to agree, while Sakura isn't the strongest, she is pretty smart so she could utilize their abilities pretty well, and as shown last chapter, she can rally the group together. Yeah, those team leaders make sense to me as well. Soon for them yeah. Thanks for the suggestions!
Anime PJ; I thought it would be, Anko is the type to not be really thrilled with D Rank missions. Yeah, he's gonna find out this chapter about Naruko, and speak to her about it pretty soon.
MDM11; He will be training during that time yeah. You never know they could do. Zabuza and his teammates will be going through a few things. They'd make sense as Jonin's during this current time. Tenten getting those sounds cool. I don't see why those two couldn't teach some people that. He might come across them and try to do his best for them. Thanks for the harem suggestions! They'd be cool kage~
Guest 2; Thanks! Yup, thanks to Ryouta and Mikoto, she can use the Sharingan. She has a full one. He will meet Kurama eventually, Ryouta will find out about Kurama this chapter, and he'll be speaking to Naruko about it pretty soon. Thanks for the harem suggestions!
Andrew123456; He might gain one, I could see Ryouta making use of most of those blades. Suggestions always welcome.
Guest 3; Thank you! Yeah, I could see similarities between them. I don't see why not, he'll be able to use all of the elements eventually for some cool attacks. Thanks for the harem suggestions! You also, stay safe!
Guest 4; Thanks very much! I'm glad you're enjoying the interactions between them. Hehe, he did yeah. We will see what her father thinks of them soon enough. I'm happy you're enjoying the changes~ Ryouta and Kakashi are going to have some kind of bond together, what we'll see quite soon. Mikoto and Hiruzen do yeah, they really do trust in Ryouta. Eh, I'm not sure about how many spaces are left. Thanks for the harem suggestions!
GuoYaohui; When we get to it, we will see more of her thoughts about it. All I can say about Mikoto is that she's got a role to play, as for Danzo...we'll see some things he'll be doing. All I can say about that is I've got some plans about what Satsuki future is going to be, some might even be surprising. All he knows is that Sugaru was involved, he doesn't really know about Root right now, he will find out about it in the near future. He is quite an unusual Uchiha, so we'll see some fun things from Ryouta. Hehe, he'll have some experience~
Brainstorm Sorcerer; Thanks! Glad you like it! Ryouta does yeah. I could see Sakura being like that. Haha, they definitely could set a record for it. Yeah, it could be apart of Anko's plan for that~ I could see Lee seeing that as some sort of competition. Neji will learn about that eventually, when Ryouta and him have their confrontation. I don't see why he couldn't learn at least one or two gates. He could develop something to help Kakashi out with that. Anko might be known through some parts of the world~ Hiashi will have some part in the future development of Ryouta and Hinata. Haha, I can see Mei doing that. That would be a pretty cool Quirk to have~ Thanks for the suggestion! A moment like that shall come sooner or later. Samui will do yeah, and we'll see more of what she can do. That would be a pretty cool moment if Ryouta did something like that. Ryouta will have sometime to think about it, and what he's learned about Naruko. True, only a few people fully know the capabilities of Ryouta's Mangekyou. A Rinnegan vs Sharingan would be a pretty cool match up. Thanks very much!
War Sage; Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it~ He will have a scene like that with Naruko soon. Hehe, for everyone not Ryouta it will be rather funny if they did think like that. Yup, she's got the Sharingan now thanks to those two being there for her. I could see something like that coming about for Waves. Hehe, they could make a good meal for all of the girls~ I guess that it would be if they did that. If I did the movie of that, I'd have some events slightly different. Obito definitely will show up sooner or later to Ryouta, that's all I can say. Ryouta's gonna have quite a few children~ Ryouta has trained his Mangekyou and knows how to use each eye, along with Susanoo, but due to eyesight being a problem when they're used, he doesn't use them unless really needed to. Satsuki knows he has them. If he wished, he might be able to use those tools. He will learn some of them yeah. That would be pretty cool to combine ice with a paper bomb. Yeah it would be quite the head scratcher on what they'd call each other~ Thanks for the harem suggestions!
Guest 5; Thanks very much! Sakura does have a good deal of potential, and she will show that here. Samui is yeah. He has the Sharingan, so he can copy any technique that isn't a Kekkei Genkai. I couldn't reveal if Mikoto does have that or not. Thanks for the harem suggestions!
Guest 6; Thanks very much! Hinata is yeah. Sakura is showing her stuff, and will continue to do so~ Yeah, I could see that. Seeing Naruko do that would be rather fun to see~ The Tailed Beasts doing that would be rather interesting to see, I'll have to think about it~ Thanks for the harem suggestions!
Guest 7; Not sure when, but I will be doing.
Guest 8; It wont be all that long. Thanks for the votes!
Guest 9; Thanks very much! Sakura will continue to show her strengths as the story goes on~ Thanks for the votes!
Well, with those lovely reviews out of the way, it's time to start the chapter!
Land of Waves beginnings!
A week into becoming Ninja, Ryouta and his teammates of Haku and Karin were doing D Ranked missions. Anko mostly wasn't exactly excited to do it, despite her being the Jonin and trying to encourage them to do it, it seemed Anko didn't really want to do it.
"Alright, lets finish off this garden cleaning so we can do something else~"
Karin looked at her Sensei, seeing that she was looking bored while they all were cleaning up a persons garden that was littered with different things.
"Shouldn't you be cheering us on? You are our Sensei after all, yet you look the most bored between all of us."
"I am cheering you on with my enthusiastic smile~" Karin frowned. "Plus, if we finish this quick, we can do more, better missions. Think, we finish these D Ranks, there wont be any left, so they'll have no choice but to send us on a mission like...I don't know, C Rank maybe, or B Rank...I'd love an A Rank, S Rank...we'll do them eventually, us as a team are gonna clean house. But for now, we have to do these...tasks, so lets hurry Karin-chan!"
Karin frustratingly sighed while Ryouta looked between them.
"Like cats and dogs, it seems~"
"Or snakes and their prey." Haku added with a slightly joking tone as Ryouta let out a small chortle also. "Though I understand the frustration, Ryou-kun. Did you imagine these kind of jobs when you wanted to become a Ninja?"
"I have to admit that wasn't what I had planned. But, it just has to be done. This is the starting part for Genin, we will get other missions eventually. And the Chunin Exams can help us become a higher level. Until then, I think we should excel and then maybe we'll be recognized for our actions here."
Haku thought that was rather understandable.
"Yes, I'd have to agree. Though I can't shake the feeling that I also wouldn't mind having a good mission for the village also. This kind of work does seem to be stuff we have been doing for a good while now."
Ryouta could understand that.
He did wish that they could fight some strong opponents.
But he was willing to go through this more boring aspects if he could build himself up to better missions in the future.
"Either way, lets get too it, Haku-san!"
Haku gave a bemused look, before nodding along, and got back to work.
Ryouta continued also, doing his best to move quickly, and deal with all of the things that they would have to deal with.
Upon finishing their mission and arriving back at the Hokage's office, they walked inside, only to see Naruko jumping up and down. Frustration was on her face, Satsuki stood close by and gave an annoyed look, Sakura held a similar expression and finally it seemed that Kakashi looked rather amused by the antics of the young blonde haired girl.
"Come on old man! I'm a real Ninja now! These missions aren't what real Ninja do!"
Ryouta blinked, seeing Iruka looking slightly annoyed.
"Naruko! You are fledging Ninja! You can't simply shout and demand things!"
"But Sensei!"
Iruka sighed deeply, placing a hand on his forehead.
Hiruzen continued to stare at the young girl, then chortled with amusement.
"So you wish for a new mission, Naruko? One that will test your might as a Ninja?"
"Y-Yeah! That's exactly it old man!"
"Naruko, you can't call Hokage-sama 'old man', it's disrespectful."
Sakura scolded but in a kind tone, Naruko bowed her head as Hiruzen chortled.
"Do not worry Sakura-san, it is fine." Sakura gave a humble smile. "Missions of D Rank are given so you can build your skills, before you take higher ranked missions. C Rank are usually reserved for those who have more experience."
"B-But, we're ready! We've been doing these boring missions for too long! I hate that stupid cat also!"
Ryouta knew what she was talking about, a famous cat that got lost plenty of times, though many thought that the cat was actually trying to run away from its owner, and they all could see why that was, due to how she acted with her cat.
"You heard Hokage-sama Naruko, you aren't ready for a higher ranked mission. Maybe when you've been on a few more D Ranked missions, then perhaps you can have a higher ranked mission. Until then please stop being disrespectful to Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen saw Naruko grind her teeth.
He understood her frustrations rather well.
Even he would have them if the missions she went on were anything to go by.
"Actually Naruko, I do have a certain C Rank mission for you, if you're up to it."
Satsuki raised an eyebrow as did Sakura. Kakashi remained rather relaxed.
"R-Really?! Is it dangerous?!"
"I'm not sure about that, but it is a mission out of the village."
"Yeah! We'll take it!"
Kakashi let out a small breath.
"Naruko, let Hokage-sama actually explain the mission first before accepting it."
Naruko folded her arms with a small huff, as Hiruzen explained the mission.
Learning that they were going out of Konoha, and a good distance away, Naruko seemed pumped, Sakura showed a soft smile, while Satsuki hoped that they'd be able to find some good opponents to fight.
"So, can I trust you to deliver the item Naruko? This is an important mission."
"Yeah! Leave it to me, your future Hokage!"
Hiruzen was always amused when she said something's like that.
"Then be ready within the hour at the front gates." Kakashi said in a dismissing tone. "We'll accept."
"Then Kakashi, here are the details."
Hiruzen finished off and gave Kakashi the mission on a piece of paper, so the group of Kakashi's Genin began to leave.
"Naruko-chan, it seems you've got a good mission, good luck~"
Ryouta cheerfully said, though Naruko gave an awkward look, before murmuring "Thanks." and left.
Satsuki looked between Anko and Ryouta.
Ryouta smiled, while Anko smirked.
Anko and Satsuki's eyes met briefly, Satsuki remembering how Anko could be, Anko was having more fun and liked to tease people, so she stared back.
But then, Satsuki let out a small sigh, and walked out together with Kakashi and Sakura, leaving the four before the Hokage.
"So, how did your mission go?"
Hiruzen asked, Anko began laughing.
"We did it pretty quickly I'd say so."
"That's a relief to hear, I've heard from the clients that you've been through so far. I'm pleased Anko, your squad has completed a good number of D Rank missions in the time since you've been formed. Would you like another mission for today?"
"Nah, we'll be going over some team practice today. I thought that as a group, we should learn of one another's strengths, and take advantage of them."
Hiruzen was very pleased to hear Anko say that.
It showed that she was settling more and more into her role as a Sensei as time passed by.
"I see, then I'll leave you to your team training."
"Right! Come team!"
Anko announced, but Ryouta put his hand up.
"Sensei, can I go and see Satsuki-chan off?"
"Aah, your girlfriend, sure go ahead. Meet us at the Forest of Death in about an hour."
"Yes Sensei!"
Ryouta went to move, when Hiruzen placed his hand out.
"Also Ryouta-kun, your request has been granted."
"S-Seriously?"
"Yes, I am sorry for the delay, Mikoto will have all of the details for you."
Ryouta nods.
"Thank you Hokage-sama!"
Ryouta sped out of the room, leaving the rest behind, Karin glanced at Anko who was giving a smirk right back.
Karin truly never could understand what was going on in Anko's mind.
But she was glad at least that Anko was seemingly taking her situation seriously.
Returning back home, Mikoto packed a few lunches for Team Seven as Satsuki was getting what she needed. Ryouta spoke to Mikoto, and she had promised they'd be speaking a little later on, after Satsuki and the others had gone, he presumed it was about the information regarding what he had requested for, which he was alright with since he didn't mind waiting a little while longer.
Ryouta sat on the bed as Satsuki continued doing what she needed to do.
"So you've finally got a C Rank Mission, nervous Satsuki-chan?"
Satsuki shook her head.
"Finally, I'll be able to see how real Ninja do missions, and show what I can do."
"Be careful though Satsuki-chan, outside of the village it can be dangerous."
Satsuki appreciated the concern that he had for her.
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."
Ryouta gently smiled.
"I know. Good luck on your mission Satsuki-chan, you'll do great."
Satsuki bent down towards him, and allowed their lips to connect together. Ryouta smiled into their kiss, before she pulled away.
Her hand linked with Ryouta's own, his eyes going into her own, and saw her affection for him.
"Thanks, I should be back within a few days, maybe a week at most. Depends on how this is going to take."
As she said it, Mikoto came walking into the room. Her eyes went between Ryouta and Satsuki, seeing their linked hands, and giggled sweetly.
"My, it seems the affection between the two of you is as cute as usual~"
Ryouta and Satsuki bashfully looked away from Mikoto who continued to giggle at the sight.
"Mom..."
"Don't worry, I wont embarrass you anymore. I've made some lunches for you and your team. Will you deliver them to the others in your team for me?"
"Y...Yes, I will do."
Mikoto continued to show her smile.
"Good luck my dear, I actually have my own mission I must be going on soon, I was about to tell you, and I wont be back for a week, so I'll have to say goodbye to you also."
Ryouta watched on, wondering when he'll be going on his own mission out of the village.
But he was ready whenever the mission was going to be.
A small time later, Ryouta went to go and see Satsuki, Naruko and Sakura off, while Kakashi watched on, seeing each of the girls looking towards Ryouta in their own way displaying some level of affection.
He stood by the gates, and waved to Naruko, who looked on awkwardly, Ryouta furrowed his brows as Naruko seemingly turned her neck away from him.
"Ooh my gosh! Ryou-kun! You've come to say goodbye to me too!"
Sakura cheered, Ryouta smiled strongly.
"Yes of course, good luck Sakura-chan!"
"Aah! Don't worry, I'll do my best!"
Ryouta continued to smile, as Satsuki gazed at him.
"See you later."
"Bye Satsuki-chan, everyone!"
Satsuki waved and so did Sakura, as they took steps outside of the gate.
However, as they walked by, Sakura turned to see that Ino was walking up. Her eyes locked onto Sakura's own, and she felt an annoyance come over her, as Ino allowed her arms to snake around Ryouta's own.
Sakura's face fell while Ino grinned ear to ear.
"Piglet! W-What are you doing!?"
Kakashi gave a bemused look to Sakura while thinking "Did she just call one of Asuma's Genin a piglet?" while seeing Naruko trying to not laugh, Satsuki surprisingly held a small smile on her face, showing that she was enjoying herself.
"Bye Sakura! While you're gone, I'll keep Ryou-kun company!"
Sakura scowled at Ino who did the same thing, then huffed and walked off with her team.
Ino smiled as Sakura disappeared, then she sweetly turned to Ryouta.
"So..."
"Ooh, don't worry about Sakura~ We're friends and all, but competition is a good thing, don't you think?"
"Yeah, I guess that it is."
Ino placed her hands behind her back.
When realizing that she was alone with him, she thought that this might be a good chance.
"So, are you busy tonight?"
"I...don't think so, with Mikoto-san also going, I guess it's going to be quiet tonight~ I'll probably be training before dinner or something."
Ino smiled sweetly, while her mind thought "He's going to be alone, now is my chance~" so she pushed herself forward.
"Aha, you shouldn't have to be alone, I'll come over if you want~? Maybe we could train together~"
"If you want to, it could be fun."
"Yeah! I thought so too! Then I'll be there later on~ Maybe like...six or something~?"
"Sure, see you at six~"
Ryouta watched as Ino ran off, skipping as she did so.
It seemed that she was rather happy, so he was happy also.
He also did quite like Ino, spending time alone with her would be nice for him, he thought.
Ino shot back home, and began getting ready. Her Father, Inoichi saw that Ino seemed to be quite...enthusiastic, but he didn't know about what, so he decided to question her about it.
"Ino, is there something going on?"
She turned to her Father as she packed away some kunai.
"I'm going training."
Inoichi was slightly surprised that she said that.
"Really now. With your team?"
"With Ryou-kun."
Ino replied as she turned her neck to the right hand side, grabbing a few things.
"With the Uchiha boy huh? Isn't that the boy you have a crush on?"
"Daaaaaaaad!" Ino yelled with embarrassment on her face. "D-Don't say that!"
"But, it's true, right?"
Ino didn't confirm of deny it.
Inoichi began chortling as Ino's embarrassment made its way onto her face.
"Still, it seems that you're training with him huh. That's quite interesting. This boy can have you train."
"Don't say it as if I don't train!"
"Haha, of course not sweetheart. I know that you do. But, seeing that you're spending time with this boy that is going to be training with you. Hmmm, perhaps I should go and have a word with Uchiha-kun?"
"N-No! Don't! You'll embarrass me even more!"
Ino shook as she said it.
Inoichi continued to laugh.
"Alright, I wont say anything for now. But if it does become serious, I'll have to make sure my little girl is taken care of. Make sure that he's good enough."
"Geez Dad, we're only training together. It isn't even a real date...not yet anyway..."
Inoichi caught what his daughter said, and hummed.
"Well, if he's helping you train then I can't complain. From what I know, he's the top graduating male within the Academy, so someone like that can motivate my daughter, then that's a very good thing, wouldn't you agree Ino?"
"Y-Yeah...of course it's good..."
"Then I hope you have fun Ino, and maybe learn some new things. Though I wonder, if it does become serious...maybe I should have a nice chat with Uchiha-kun..."
As he liked seeing his daughter happy, he naturally would want to make sure she had a suitable partner.
That, and he did find the reactions to his 'meddling' as Ino would call it rather funny.
"N-No! Don't speak to him! I'll be really embarrassed Dad!"
"Haha, then I wont for now~"
"F-For now?"
Inoichi chortled as he walked towards the door.
"I'll tell your Mother that you'll be out for a while."
"Ooh! I was supposed to do the flower shop..."
"Don't worry, training is also important. So you go and have fun Ino."
Ino smiled at her Father, as he walked out of the door.
"Thanks Dad."
She continued to smile, he heard what she said and couldn't contain the smile erupting on his face.
Whatever the motivation that she had, he was glad that she was taking training seriously, and he had to admit that if the Uchiha and Yamanaka had a good relationship, but that wasn't his main concern, that was only an add on, he just wanted his daughter to be happy at the end of the day with a good person.
Meanwhile, he received word from Mikoto about the details he wished for about a certain thing, so he met up with her in a secure location.
"Hello Ryou-kun."
"Mikoto-san, you're going soon, right?"
"That's right. Before I do, there's a thing I need to discuss with you, and that's about Naruko-chan."
"Naruko-chan...yes, I am sure you would find out why I had asked for the documents I did."
Mikoto bowed her head.
"You were bound to find out sooner or later, I think you already have a suspicion about her, don't you?"
Ryouta hummed as he thought about what he was going to say.
"Yes, that's right."
"Then, have you ever heard of the Nine Tails?"
Ryouta furrowed his brows, and thought deeply.
"Nine Tails...I heard it was a monster made of chakra, that had incredible power, and nearly wiped out our village."
Mikoto nods, and explains.
"Correct. The fox was placed within Naruko-chan. She only found out the day of Mizuki's attack on her. It was supposed to remain a secret from your generation. So that she'd have a normal life at least regarding you, that's how Hokage-sama tried it...but, it seemed that the unsettled feelings of the village, rubbed off on the children, and they also grew to dislike her. But you...I am truly grateful, that Naruko-chan has someone like you as a friend, I've also seen the Hyuga girl being friends with her, and thanks to you both...she's gained more friends with the others, fighting the feelings of negativity of their parents. Of course, it isn't all of the adults that feel this way, I hold no hard feelings for Naruko-chan, you've seen Iruka-kun, and certainly Hokage-sama and others don't have negative feelings for her."
Mikoto pulled out some papers.
Ryouta accepted them, and looked them over.
"Read them, they'll give you a better understanding of what I've said, what she is."
Ryouta did just that, and read what he needed.
It took over a minute for him to read, and another for it to settle in, the stares she got, the little comments of some of the adults...
It all made sense now.
"How do you feel about the situation?"
Ryouta tilted his neck.
"I...don't really feel anything about it, she had it sealed inside of her, she couldn't control it, she isn't anything close to resembling any kind of monster."
Mikoto smiled, seeing what she thought was true in the first place..
"Exactly right Ryou-kun. She has it inside of her, she will adapt to its power. Still, there would be many people that would worry about her."
Ryouta hummed as he thought of his response.
"Mikoto-san, she's my friend, I've known Naruko-chan for many years, our friendship doesn't change because some fox lives within her. From what I know and have read, the Nine Tails would have destroyed the village if this didn't happen. It also makes sense... How others treated her. It was cruel...and now I know why...it is hard to think about how they treated her. I mean...Naruko-chan isn't at fault here. She isn't the Nine Tails."
Mikoto smiled at her words.
"Yes, I agree. She hasn't done anything wrong, she's an innocent girl, how others have treated her isn't right. I wish one day they'll see the error of their ways."
Ryouta lowered his head.
All of the thoughts of the village, those who were terrible to her...
Ryouta shook his head.
"...I'll be there for her, even if she's got the fox...I'll support Naruko-chan. She and the fox...aren't the same, nothing changes between us."
Mikoto was happy that Ryouta had said that.
"I had no doubt sweetheart. Now I have to go for my mission. Also, it would be fine to discuss this with Naruko-chan, but please don't tell anyone your age. I'm afraid that also means Satsuki."
"Not Satsuki-chan...if I have to, then I will...still, I usually tell her everything..."
"One day, it would be fine. For right now, it has to be that way."
Ryouta understood.
He didn't like keeping secrets from Satsuki, but he also understood that it was a necessary thing for him to do, so he'd do it.
"Okay, I will."
"That's good. Then, wish me luck~"
"Hehe, good luck Mikoto-san~"
Mikoto waved, and ran off, leaving Ryouta behind.
He was glad he knew now, and when he saw Naruko next, he'd have to speak to her about it.
When Ryouta arrived back home, he saw that Ino was already there. Though it wasn't six for another hour yet, she seemed rather eager for them to train, and though she didn't outright state it, Ryouta guessed she wished to spend time together, which he quite liked since he got along with Ino pretty well.
"Hey Ino-chan!"
"H-Hey Ryou-kun! I'm ready!"
Ryouta liked that she seemed eager.
"So, what do you want to train in exactly? Taijutsu? Ninjutsu maybe?"
"Well, I thought about going for a bit of Taijutsu, my Dad is always saying that I should be able to defend myself, while using my clans techniques. Since you're pretty good with Taijutsu, I thought that training in that would be good. Though Ninjutsu would be cool too~ Ooh yeah, I also wouldn't mind training with shurikens and kunai maybe~ Now that I'm a Ninja, it would be better if I have those skills polished and all~"
"Sure, then I'll go and grab some stuff from the house, then I'll be right back out."
Ino nodded, and watched him go inside of the house.
As he did however, Ino heard "TODAY'S THE DAY RYOU-KUN!" and turned to see that someone was shooting from a tree towards her with his foot arching towards her body, ready to kick her.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Ino ducked, as Lee gulped, and quickly stopped himself before his foot reached Ino's body.
Ryouta shot outside, before Lee landed, and saw that Ino was safe.
He was relieved, so he went back inside to collect the stuff that they needed.
A panicked Ino began standing up again, her eyes staying glued to the floor for the most part due to being worried about what had just happened.
Lee quickly bowed his body.
"I-Ino-san! I'm sorry! I didn't know it would be you! I heard before Ryou-kun was going to be alone, so I wanted to surprise him!"
Lee panicked, seeing that Ino was looking increasingly annoyed.
"Lee..." Ino looked up, and saw Lee visibly flinch. "...why are you trying to attack Ryou-kun huh!?"
"Aah, that's just how we greet each other~"
Ino didn't accept it, but shook her head, suspecting that she just didn't understand what happens between Ryouta and Lee, and their special type of rivalry/friendship that they had with one another.
"W-Well...ugh...s-so, what do you want?"
"Ryou-kun, does he want to train?"
"Ah...eh...well...erm..."
Ino didn't want to be rude.
She didn't want to be mean either.
But she did want to be alone with Ryouta.
Yet, she couldn't come out and say it, she didn't want to hurt the feelings of Lee, since she did quite like him as a friend.
As she was thinking about it, Ryouta came back outside.
"Hey Lee-kun, scare Ino-chan a bit then?"
"Haha, it seems that I did~ I actually came here to see if you wanted to train?"
Ryouta did love to train, and especially when he was with people like Lee, one of, if not his best male friend.
Ryouta glanced at Ino, and saw that she looked a little sad.
It seemed to mean a lot to Ino for them to spend time together, and he presumed that she just wanted it to be the pair of them without anyone else, judging on the expression that she had on her face at that moment in time.
"Actually Lee-kun, is it okay if it's just me and Ino-chan for now? We could train later on tonight if you'd like?"
Ino perked up as Lee nodded.
"I understand! I'll see you later my rival!"
"See you later~"
Lee ran off, leaving Ino to turn back to Ryouta.
"You could've had him come along, you know?"
"It's alright, we can meet later. Besides, I did promise you before that it would be just us, I don't break my promises when I can help it."
Ino felt a pulse erupting from her chest.
Warm feelings spread through her.
"Y...Yeah, then lets get to it!"
Ryouta nodded, and ran off together with Ino behind the house.
When they arrived, some trees surrounded them, as Ryouta got into a hand to hand stance.
Ino responded by doing her own.
"Then lets get to it. Show me what you've got Ino-chan."
"R-Right! Here I go!"
Ino rushed towards Ryouta, and came at him from the right hand side. Using his arm, he blocked her fist, and saw that she was pulling back, swinging her leg towards the young boy, so he ducked under the leg swing.
Ino then pulled back, taking out several shuriken before tossing them towards Ryouta's form.
Ryouta dodged out of the way, only to see that Ino came towards him with a strong kick to his face.
Bending his neck back, the foot flew by his face, as he pulled closer.
His palm went out to knock her back, but she managed to jump away.
Then they trained for over five minutes, Ryouta assessing what Ino could do, and found her skills to be rather good. It was clear that she had improved, and while she herself had said she wasn't that good with Taijutsu, Ryouta had to say different as he believed she could use Taijutsu skills pretty well, and was pretty nimble as she moved as well.
But then he disappeared in a burst of speed.
Ino gasped, only to feel a hand touching her back.
She looked to see Ryouta stood there with a cheerful look on his face.
"You're so fast Ryou-kun, I didn't see any movement at all until I felt your hand on my back."
She said with a small giggle.
"Still, from what I saw in our brief match, I believe that you do have good Taijutsu skills."
"R-Really?"
"Yeah, I thought you did pretty well."
"T-Thanks..."
Ryouta continued to smile as Ino twitched her neck side to side.
"So, Ino-chan. Your clans techniques, I guess you've been learning from your Dad, right?"
"Yeah...he wants me to learn it to the best of my ability. But it is hard...eeh, my timing isn't the fastest, and when I try to put my mind in others bodies, I'm not able to get them without Shikamaru."
"I see...so speed is an issue huh."
"Right, unless they're immobilized, I wont be able to use my Jutsu. My Dad is faster though, and he can take over peoples minds within seconds of aiming his hands. I guess I just don't want to let my Dad down, you know?"
"I can understand that, but you shouldn't be hard on yourself Ino-chan. Not everything can be learned at a snap of a finger. Maybe you could train on animals or something? Try and get into their minds first of all, and then move onto faster animals. Or maybe you'd like to try that with me?"
"Hehe, with you? But you're so fast!"
"Then that would help you react to people that are fast, right?"
Ino placed a finger to her lips.
"You've got a point..."
"Then if you'd like I could be the person you try and take over? At least you'd be able to begin reading peoples speed, and that could help you in the long run."
Ino gained a large smile, nodding strongly.
"Yeah! Lets do it!"
"Right!"
Ryouta then jumped back as Ino put her hands in front of her face, cupping her hands and aimed towards Ryouta.
Then the boy began running around the field.
He didn't go his full speed, allowing Ino to adjust to a certain level of speed before putting it up a notch and going higher and higher.
Doing this, allowed Ino to begin seeing higher speed movements.
Though she didn't have the visual prowess the Sharingan gave, Ryouta still thought that this would be a good thing for her to do, and she was beginning to try and follow him.
While she couldn't lock him down with her hands for a good while, she still was beginning to adjust as time flew by.
An hour passed by, and Ino had tried several times to do her Mind Possession Jutsu.
While she didn't manage to capture him, Ryouta did see that she was beginning to move faster, she was able to lock him down at higher speeds, and he knew with enough training, she'd be able to lock him down and transfer her mind.
She then fell back, sitting down on the grass and sighed.
"I couldn't get you once..."
"But, I saw that you were keeping up with me with your hands. If you keep doing that, and unleash your Jutsu, you'd be able to switch your mind quicker." Ryouta saw that Ino was tired, so he walked over towards her, bending down to meet her. "Ino-chan, want to finish training for today? I don't know about you, but I'm rather hungry. My treat, anywhere you'd want to go~"
Ino gushed when he said that.
Going out...with him.
Being out on a date with him…
It was like a dream was coming true.
"Y-Yeah! Lets go!"
Ino shot to her feet, and linked arms with him.
Ryouta smiled as they began walking off together.
They then spent a good time eating together, laughing together, and enjoying one another's company.
Though Ino was glad to train, she also was glad that she could spend some alone time with him, one on one, and she felt like she had gotten to know him a bit more which she was glad for.
The next day, Anko and the team came back to the Hokage's office once more, with Hiruzen overlooking their progress so far on the missions they've done. Showing a graceful smile on his elderly face, the man seemed to be relaxed.
"Impressive, record timing today."
"Yeah, thanks..."
Anko gave a distant voice as if she was thinking of other things, Hiruzen raised an eyebrow.
"Something on your mind?"
"Oh no, nothing~"
Hiruzen gave a bemused smile.
"If you say so. But, with these missions, and no one else is available, with all of your track records at the Academy, I believe that there is a new mission that I have that I should be able to send you on. Like Kakashi's group, I've been given a new C Ranked mission out of the village."
Karin looked excited, Haku and Ryouta also did look excited.
"Thank God..." Anko murmured, only to chortle awkwardly when seeing Hiruzen raise an eyebrow. "Aah, so what's going on? What mission? Dangerous perhaps?"
"I wouldn't say dangerous, but it will lead you out of the village, and I believe you all are ready for it. Tazuna-san, if you'd like to come in."
The team looked behind them, seeing the door open to reveal a man that was past middle aged. He held a sake bottle in one hand, and wore clothes that seemed to be that of a farmer or something similar to that.
His eyes went between each of them.
The older man's face began to fall into that looked like a frown.
"...When I asked to be escorted back and protected from bandits, I thought that I'd be given proper Ninja, not children."
Karin scowled, Haku remained indifferent as did Ryouta since they weren't really all that bothered by what he said. Anko wasn't exactly pleased by it, but she held her tongue for the moment.
"Tazuna-san, do not worry. These three Genin graduated with top marks. Ryouta-kun had the highest marks for the male side within his class at graduation, and Haku-san here also had highest marks for the female side, tied with another girl, and Karin-san here is a highly exceptional girl that has useful abilities. You will get your moneys worth with them."
Tazuna looked unconvinced, while Ryouta peered into his eyes.
"If you say so, though I'm not sure they'll be up for the challenge."
Tazuna turned his eyes towards the window, while taking a sip of his drink.
"So he's the client huh."
Anko stated rather than asked.
Hiruzen could see that Anko looked less than impressed.
But at the same time he was sure that she would be alright once getting on with it, Anko had dealt with different people beforehand.
"Yes, that's right. Towards the Land of Waves, that's your destination, Anko."
"Land of Waves huh. I haven't been there before so it might be interesting."
At least in Anko's mind, they'd finally be able to do things other than just boring work. She had to admit that she didn't exactly feel pleased with having to keep doing grunt work, she wanted to get in on the action, she wanted to show her capabilities.
"Then I'll leave it in your hands Anko."
"Leave it to me. Team Six, get ready! Meet me at the gates in the hour!"
[Yes Sensei!]
As they said it, Hiruzen spoke up.
"Ryouta-kun, stay behind. I'd like to have a word with you."
Ryouta simply nodded, and watched his team leave, together with Tazuna.
Once alone, Ryouta saw Hiruzen dismiss the usual Anbu that were surrounding him. This was a conversation that had to stay private. Even if Hiruzen trusted those around him, he still wished for everyone apart from Ryouta and himself to remain in the dark about this situation.
"This will be your first mission outside of the village, Ryouta-kun."
"Yes Hokage-sama. I shall be on alert at all times."
"Good, also remember about your eyes..."
"Yes, only when it is dire emergency, when there is no alternative, I will use the power I...gained that day."
Hiruzen inclined his neck.
He was glad that Hiruzen had a good
"Though that man Tobi hasn't shown himself for a few years now, we have to be on alert at all times."
Ryouta was glad that Hiruzen was taking it very seriously.
Even if it was just a C Rank mission, Hiruzen didn't dismiss the thoughts that it could happen if something could happen.
"Yes Hokage-sama, I shall be on high alert at all times. I haven't forgotten what that man has done."
Ryouta hoped that he didn't come across Tobi right now.
Though if he did, he wouldn't back down like when he was a child.
Now he was more prepared, he wouldn't back down if he did see Tobi again.
He wasn't sure how strong Tobi had gotten, Ryouta had pooled a lot of his time and dedication to trying to overcome the might of Tobi's power.
Meeting at the front gates, the group consisting of Anko, Ryouta, Haku, Karin and Tazuna met up. Anko looked towards her team, before she showed off a slightly excited grin, while Tazuna seemed disinterested, and continued to drink from his sake bottle.
"Alright everyone, it's time to move out! Our destination is a good distance from here, and we'll have to cross a good sized body of water to get there. But, we shouldn't have much trouble."
As she said it, her eyes glanced at Tazuna, who seemed to keep looking away.
Something about him didn't add up for Anko, however she kept her thoughts to herself for the moment.
Then the five of them went on their journey together. Ryouta, and Haku stood side by side with Tazuna, protecting him as Karin walked together with Anko a few paces in front of them. The fact that Tazuna seemed to be acting odd kept catching the attention of the group.
"So we're heading towards the Land of Waves Sensei?"
Karin asked Anko who inclined her neck.
"That's right, we'll be going to the Land of Waves. It doesn't have its own Ninja. Though I presume you guessed considering that we were hired."
"I haven't been to the Land of Waves before, but I did hear about it on my journey's with Zabuza-sama..."
Haku added, with Anko raising an eyebrow.
"Is that so? What did you hear about it?"
"I heard that it was a beautiful land and that it was a land were many trades went on."
As Haku said it, Ryouta noticed that Tazuna seemed to be avoiding allowing others to see his face for reasons Ryouta wasn't aware of.
"So, what's the Land of Waves like, Tazuna-san?"
Karin asked, Tazuna took a drink of his sake before answering.
"It's a place that isn't so great. But, it is my home so I like it enough."
The answer was vague enough to warrant more answers.
Yet when Karin asked "Why isn't it great?" Tazuna seemed aloof.
"It just doesn't have a stable living, that's all. But as I said, it is my home."
It still seemed to be vague.
Anko didn't like it, and the others even felt some suspicions.
But they continued on, and were ready for anything that might happen.
As they walked through the sea of trees, Ryouta felt the sun beaming down on the group. The air felt warm, yet wet at the same time. There wasn't much of a breeze, Ryouta took that, and more information in, knowing that everything mattered, even if it was a small detail.
He also saw that the others were doing the same thing.
However, things began to get tense when Karin exhaled slowly.
"Sensei, there's a number of people up ahead."
As she said it, Tazuna stiffened.
Haku noticed it first since she was the closest to him, but didn't say anything for the moment.
"I see, how many?"
"I'd say there's at least twenty people."
When she said it, Haku and Anko narrowed their brows.
Ryouta glanced towards Tazuna...and was surprised that he wasn't that surprised.
He looked worried of course, but he didn't seem surprised.
Anko also noticed it, and chose not to comment on it for the moment.
"Your sensing ability is as good as ever. Tell me as much as you can. Are they Ninja?"
When she asked, she looked at Tazuna from the corner of her eye.
When the word 'Ninja' was used, it was clear that Tazuna seemed to be tensing up.
Karin nodded, and placed her fingers together.
Using her ability to sense as much as she could, she understood what they were up against.
"From what I can tell, their chakra is low, so I doubt they're Ninja's. There's a few to the right, and a few to the left. Some are even seemingly underground, I presume that it is an attempt to ambush us."
When that was said, Tazuna looked relieved that it wasn't Ninja.
Once more, it again was noticed by all of the group.
"Right, so it's only a few bandits, that's a relief." Anko's eyes went towards Tazuna. "Wouldn't you agree, Tazuna?"
"Ah, yeah you're right. Nothing you Ninja can't handle."
Anko was becoming more suspicious.
"A few bandits wont be a problem for Ryouta and Haku, I'll stay behind with Karin in case something happens, or an unexpected visitor arrives."
""Yes Sensei!""
Ryouta and Haku look to one another, nod before running forward.
Moving as quickly as they could, they dashed forward.
Seeing the trap laid before them, Ryouta had to admit that it was pretty well made for those without the ability to use chakra, but for Ninja like they were, they managed to see it, so Haku turned towards Ryouta.
"Ryou-kun, I'll allow you to make a bombastic entrance. Since these aren't that troublesome, we don't have to use many tactics to deal with them."
"Right, leave it to me." Ryouta weaved through some hand signs. "Fire Release, Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"
Spitting out several balls of fire, it broke through the ground trap, and locked onto the enemies that were down there. The weapons they had, with swords, and spears, they became shocked as Ryouta's flames came at them.
They tried to defend against it, but the balls of fire blasted through the weapons and hit their bodies. Because Ryouta didn't want to kill them, he made the fire strong enough to break the weapons, but not strong enough to actually kill them.
But still being hit with the fire brought them off their feet, and sent them flying into the walls surrounding them. The impact of the attack knocked them out, as Ryouta noticed a few men with swords were charging him.
"You little bastard!"
"You're a kid Ninja huh!"
"Time to give us your money!"
The bandits went to attack Ryouta, when Haku casually weaved through some hand signs, and placed her hand on the floor.
"Ice Release, Frozen Capturing Field!"
From using her chakra, sending it across the ground, it began to freeze as it went forward. Shooting rather fast for those who weren't used to high speed movements, the ice managed to capture a good few of the bandits that tried to attack them, by freezing their feet to the ground.
"W-What the hell?!"
"Is this ice!?"
Try as they might, but they couldn't get out of the
Ryouta smiled as one with a spear tried to attack from behind him.
Ryouta jumped up, landing behind the man before casually kicking him into the hole the bandits themselves had made, all the while sending out his wire which bound the man before he landed within the hole, his arms and legs constricted.
As he did, Ryouta noticed a few trying to attack him with swords, so Ryouta flashed between them, his speed being so incredible to those who weren't trained it looked as if he had teleported between them.
Before they could even make a move, they both received blows to their necks, with enough force to knock them unconscious as Ryouta tossed them down into the pit as well, using some wire as they fell to not only catch but restrain them.
"W-What the hell?!"
One yelled as they began to try and retreat.
"T-These kids are monsters!"
Another said, launching a few arrows towards the pair.
Ryouta took out his tanto, and sliced all of the arrows out of the air, before turning towards them.
When their eyes met with his, he remotely placed each under a Genjutsu.
Within seconds, he flew between each of them, allowing his Genjutsu be enough to cause them to fall unconscious.
Haku smiled at seeing Ryouta's abilities to use his Sharingan so well.
"That seems to be the end of it."
Ryouta glanced at Haku, and saw that she had froze more people to the ground.
The ground around them looked like an icy wonderland, it looked rather beautiful in Ryouta's eyes.
"Good job Haku-chan~"
"You too. They weren't trained Ninja, it didn't take that long to disable and capture them."
"Haha, seems so~"
As he said it, Anko with Karin and Tazuna came closer.
Tazuna looked amazed, seeing the ice, and those tied up, even seeing the people that Ryouta placed in a Genjutsu, they weren't moving in the slightest, which was surprising for the older man, he didn't think the kids would be capable of doing such things.
But deep within his mind, he had to ponder if it was enough.
Anko also noticed Tazuna's conflicting emotions.
"Good work you two for handling it quickly and without wasting time, and good work Karin for sensing them." The trio smiled at the praise. "With these captured in record time, lets have a little rest up ahead, we've been walking for a good few hours. I've also got to send word about these people, and have them taken away."
As she said it, Anko couldn't shake the feeling something with Tazuna wasn't right.
So she decided to use this time to her advantage and think more clearly about what they were doing.
Later on, after dealing with the bandits, Ryouta and Anko pulled to a quiet location while Haku and Karin guarded Tazuna. With Karin's skills, they knew she wouldn't be gotten the drop on so they could have a private conversation.
"Alright, you're suspecting something as well, aren't you?"
Ryouta gave an awkward chuckle.
"Yes, that's right. Something about how Tazuna-san reacted when the bandits came. He seemed...not that surprised. Rather, he...I don't know, he seemed to be expecting more than mere bandits to come, that's the feeling I got."
Ryouta wasn't sure how to word it.
He felt as if Tazuna was prepared for something bad was going to happen.
But it seemed more than that.
As if he was almost expecting to be attacked, though he didn't know why since all he knew of Tazuna was that he was a bridge builder.
"I thought that also, as if he was expecting to be attacked by something dangerous."
"I get that he might have expected it...but, something doesn't feel right about this Sensei."
Anko hated to admit it but she also felt the same.
"Since I met Tazuna, I've felt like he's keeping something back. I'm not sure what it is yet...when mentioning his land, he seemed to be dismissive of it, when we were at the gates back at the village, he also seemed to be trying to hide his face away from us. And when the bandits came, before knowing they were, and when I mentioned Ninja, partly to test Tazuna and his responses...his face was very telling. He couldn't hide his worry. But he wasn't surprised, from what I could tell anyway."
Ryouta was amazed that she picked all of those things up, it showed that Anko might be aloof or goof off, she was always watching and learning like a true Ninja would do, so Ryouta had to respect her for that alone.
"Should we confront him?"
Ryouta questioned, Anko's eyes drifted back towards the place Tazuna was, and thought about what would be the best thing to do.
She thought about the consequences, and what they should do next.
"If I could use some of my interrogation techniques on him then that guy will be singing like a canary..." Ryouta raised an eyebrow as Anko laughed. "But, he's an ordinary man so I can't do that. And we might have unfounded suspicions, he might just have a natural ability to expect to be attacked. It isn't the most suspicious...but there is something that tells me something more is going on that meets the eye, so lets keep an eye on him. If something should happen, then I'll get the information right from him. Right now, we have...reason to believe he's keeping something from us, but we have no proof apart from gut feeling. But, it is also good to trust yourself, and investigate like we are doing now. Lets hope it isn't anything sinister, but be prepared just in case."
Ryouta thought that was a wise precaution.
"Yes Sensei. I'll also tell Karin-chan and Haku-chan. Though I think they both are rather aware something isn't right."
Anko adopted a small smirk on her lips.
"Good, then lets continue. I'd prefer to get this mission done quickly."
"Because of the bad feeling you have?"
"Exactly that, I can't shake off this feeling that he's hiding something. He's giving off signs that tell me as much. But again, that could be me merely trying to compensate for the fact that I might be seeing things that don't exist. Either way, lets get going."
Ryouta wondered the same.
Because even he was getting the vibes that something wasn't right.
That something more than meets the eye was going on.
For now though, he followed the ways of Anko, and knew that they'd have to continue on, and watch out for any kind of event that might happen.
They continued to the Land of Waves, travelling for a good while, nothing happened, which was a relief.
Eventually they saw that there was a body of water before them.
They had to cross it if they wished to get to the place Tazuna was supposed to be going.
Anko's eyes went towards Tazuna.
"This the place Tazuna?"
"Yes, if we can get across this water, then we'll be in the Land of Waves."
Anko looked between herself, and the others.
Eyeing up the water, her eyes shifted to the others.
"Alright, can any of you perform the water walking technique?"
Ryouta and Haku raised their hands as did Karin.
"I learned it years ago."
"I learned it also."
"Yeah, learned it before graduating."
Anko breathed out in relief.
"Good, all of you can do it. Makes sense with what I've seen. Alright, then I'll carry...no, actually, you Ryouta, you carry Tazuna on your back. With your Sharingan and speed, in case we're ambushed, you'd be able to move him away from danger."
"Yes Sensei." Ryouta went towards Tazuna and bent down. "Would you like to get onto my back please?"
"You sure you can carry me?"
Tazuna said with doubt.
Anko smirked when hearing that.
"He might be a young boy, but his body is deceptive to how physically strong he is, the same for these other two." Anko replied, as she pulled herself onto the water. "Now hurry, we should get going quickly. It seems that the clouds above are getting ready to begin pouring rain."
Ryouta glanced up, seeing rain clouds in fact were being formed, so he got Tazuna onto his back, and together, they all ran across the water.
Having crossed the water after sometime had gone by, they came across a deep forest.
"Just through here, and we should be in the Land of Waves...rather, we should be in my home town."
Anko saw that Tazuna seemed relieved.
She expected him to be relieved to be home.
Still, she couldn't shake the feeling which had stuck with her since meeting Tazuna.
"Right, then we'll go this way. Come on gang~"
Going deeper towards the Land of Waves, the group continued on foot. Anko kept her eyes on Tazuna, seeing that he was acting more and more suspicious by the moment.
He seemed more jumpy than he was before.
Ryouta, Haku and Karin all knew that there was something off with him as well.
But they had a mission to do, even if they didn't feel right about it.
"Are you happy to nearly be home Tazuna-san?"
Karin asked, Tazuna glanced towards the young girl, and merely nodded.
Karin didn't know what to think about how he was seemingly keeping to himself.
They went into a forest like area. Thick trees surrounded them, the air was quick thick with tension. Though it hadn't been raining, the ground felt more soft than they had thought it would.
As they walked however, an eerie mist began to form around them. Growing thicker by the second, it was increasingly becoming clear that the mist wasn't an ordinary one.
Anko didn't like it in the slightest, and turned towards Ryouta.
"Use your Sharingan, tell me if there's chakra within this mist."
Ryouta, as she said it already had some suspicions, remembering a mist like this in the past, and had activated his Sharingan.
His eyes saw the chakra laced within the mist, then his eyes went towards Haku...who looked on in complete shock.
She was paralyzed in fact.
"I-It can't be...this Jutsu...c-could it really be him…? After all this time..."
Haku wasn't even sure.
She knew others knew the technique.
But it was one that it was a very favoured technique of a certain man.
"Haku-chan?"
To Ryouta's call, she didn't answer.
All of the memories she had came flooding back.
The mist, she knew it had to be.
It was a signature of his power.
"Sensei...chakras within the mist."
Ryouta called, Anko nodding as she whipped out a kunai.
"I thought so." Her eyes shot for Tazuna who seemed to be panicked. Shaking her head, she looked to Karin who had her fingers in a hand sign. "Karin, use your ability-"
"I am Sensei! I-I can sense three strong chakras coming here! One is...it's like a monsters chakra...no, a Demon's. And the other two...it feels less demonic...but just filled with dark intentions. They're surrounding us...Ryou-kun left now!"
Ryouta didn't like the sound of it, pulling out his tanto in time to see a large blade being flung towards them.
Reacting to it with his tanto, he clashed blades, and pushed it back, but then Ryouta saw a familiar chakra.
Chakra he hadn't seen for a good number of years now, and chakra he didn't think he'd ever see again.
"My, hello Uchiha boy. It has been a while. Look at you, all grown up. Following in big brothers footsteps?"
Ryouta could hardly believe it.
He remembered this voice from when he was a child.
Even now the voice that he had, was something that went right through him.
"Zabuza-san..."
Zabuza stood before Ryouta, pulling himself back ever so slightly.
His eyes went towards Haku, seeing that she was just stood there, gazing upon her former Master, now enemy. It began overwhelming Haku's mind, she never thought that her first mission would be against someone like this.
Zabuza shifted his eyes back to Ryouta, while Anko went to move, when she saw several bullets of water heading for her, so she used her quick movements to dodge out of the way, the bullets of water piercing the ground several times, but Anko remained safe.
Coming out, was Mangetsu, and his little brother Suigetsu.
Each carried one of the famous swords of the Seven Ninja Swordsman.
Kabutowari, the axe and hammer combo was carried by Mangetsu, and Shibuki the sword with many paper bombs in a large scroll was carried by Suigetsu.
The brothers had a deadly look in their eyes.
Mangetsu's gaze was focused solely upon Haku, who couldn't even attempt to move.
Seeing Zabuza again was very overwhelming.
To the point that she didn't even think she'd be able to carry on with standing.
Her knees felt like jelly.
Many emotions filled her, and she didn't know what she was supposed to settle on.
Relief.
Happiness.
Sadness.
Anger.
Haku remained still as Ryouta gave a concerned look.
"Heh, it's the Uchiha kid! I remember! I'll kill him easily this time unlike when he trapped me with the ice girl years ago, I've grown way stronger!"
Mangetsu shook his head.
"Hush Suigetsu, that boy isn't a joke. His stance tells me that he doesn't lack skills, he also had a very strong brother, so we have to assume he's grown by a good deal. We shouldn't underestimate the Sharingan. We follow Zabuza-sama's orders, is that clear?"
"Yeah, I know. Zabuza-sama will know what's best."
Suigetsu replied with killer intent.
Mangetsu eyes looked towards Haku, and held hate within his eyes.
For whatever reason, Ryouta could see that Mangetsu didn't like Haku, and seemed to detest her.
More than that, this situation surprised Ryouta.
"Damn...to think that Zabuza-san would be our very first mission...to think that we'd have to fight all of these...and now Haku-chan can't seem to move due to the emotions within her...I can't even tell if she's afraid or happy to see Zabuza-san...or maybe it's both. She never got to say a proper goodbye last time...and now they're enemies, no wonder she's being overwhelmed."
Three famous swords, Ryouta could see by the stances alone the pair had, they had been training a good deal since the time Ryouta had seen him. He also felt the swing that Zabuza gave and his movements, he had improved since the time they last met, so there was no telling on how strong he had become.
Ryouta grit his teeth, glancing at Haku who seemed to not be reacting at all.
Karin looked worried, and began shaking from seeing the new enemies, but was doing her best to quell her worries.
Tazuna looked frightened also, but he also seemed to be not as frightened as Ryouta suspected he'd be.
Anko noticed that as well.
Then she saw Zabuza's eyes upon the bridge builder himself.
"So I take it you're after the bridge builder?"
"That's right, give him up, and you guys can go free."
Anko sighed.
She glanced at Tazuna.
"We're talking after this Tazuna. I want to know, everything."
Tazuna grimaced when he heard that, and merely inclined his neck.
She then turned back to Zabuza who was giving off a cold demonic aura.
It was almost enough to stop her.
But she had meetings with Orochimaru, and that helped prepare her for dealing with this kind of situation.
"Sorry, but he's under our care."
Zabuza looked towards Ryouta, then Anko.
His eyes drifted to Haku, and focused upon her.
Seeing her freezing like she was, he didn't know if she'd be able to even participate in the battle.
Zabuza's face didn't show it...but when he looked at Haku, old feelings began to stir, ones that Zabuza didn't want to face, ones he thought had disappeared.
He pushed down his feelings, and hardened his heart, his eyes not even glancing towards her anymore than he had done.
Anko looked towards Ryouta, seeing that he wasn't freezing, nor was he looking scared. Karin was worried, and Haku simply wasn't responding, so she knew that this situation was going to be much trickier than she thought it would be.
"Ryouta, I'll have to rely on you to back me up."
"Yes Sensei!"
He replied instantly, Anko was glad to hear it.
"Good response, it's going to be difficult, but we can win this."
"Yes, I'll do my best Sensei."
Hearing that, Zabuza showed a dark smile, recalling his fight with Shisui, he truly was intrigued to see how strong Ryouta was now.
"Mangetsu."
"Yes Zabuza-sama?"
"The Uchiha's mine, don't interfere."
Zabuza darkly said with a deadly scary look aimed for Ryouta, Anko grit her teeth while Ryouta focused his eyes.
"Understood, awaiting your other orders Zabuza-sama."
Zabuza began to laugh, while Haku's eyes went towards Mangetsu, then towards Zabuza, her eyes lowering as her hands clenched tightly.
Ryouta looked towards Haku, seeing how hard it was for her, and knew he'd have to do his best for her, and the others in his team.
"Haku-chan...I know this is so painful for you, seeing him after all these years...I'll take on Zabuza-san...I'll do my best so you don't have to suffer."
Ryouta promised deep within his heart.
He'd put what he had learned to the test, against the very same man his brother fought all those years ago.
End chapter!
This chapter focused a bit on Ino and Ryouta's growing relationship, with him helping her out with her families Jutsu and general training, also understanding her feelings more as they did spend time together, even Ino's dad is happy about her relationship with Ryouta if he's also making her dedicated to training as well as gaining affection, he wants his daughter to be happy.
Ryouta also found out fully about Naruko, and what she truly is. Though despite knowing, he still cares for her, and wishes to help her in anyway that he could.
Team Seven departed on a mission before Team Six did, Team Seven will be in the Land of Waves soon for those wondering and showing their stuff against some enemies.
So we've departed for the Land of Waves! For those who don't remember, Suigetsu and Mangetsu have been tagging along with Zabuza from the end of the small Mist arc when Shisui was alive and Ryouta met Haku, Zabuza and Mei, and now they've made a reappearance! Haku's mind is going through quite a number of emotions, Ryouta is surprised but ready to fight, and Anko is also ready to have fight, Karin is slightly worried but she is doing her best to push down her worries so she can try her best to help out.
Now with the three enemies to fight, it's going to be Team Six's first big mission and fighting off strong Jonin level opponents in both Zabuza and Mangetsu, Suigetsu being about Chunin level as of this part of the story thanks in part to Zabuza giving them training and their own special water bodies. Those wondering about the Demon Brothers, they'll be appearing quite soon.
Well, until next time, thanks for reading!
Ryouta; Satsuki, Sakura, Naruko, Hinata, Gaara (fem), Ino, Haku (fem), Kurotsuchi, Karin, Konan, Mei, Anko, Samui,