Sorry for the delay, I've had several situations pop up in my personal life that needed attention. Still kicking and breathing, though, and I made this chapter a slight bit longer to compensate. This chapter covers a lot of ground, time-wise, but I accomplished what I set out to do with it.
I just need to remember what that was.
Let's get this trainwreck moving.
Kakashi swept his free hand up, bending his elbow in a downward swing as he knocked Naruto's blows aside without lifting his face from the Icha Icha novel.
"I heard about what happened, the night before last." The Jounin said passively, holding his book in such a way that he was turning the pages one-handed with his thumb. "It must have been difficult. Does it eat at your conscience?"
"He made a deal with me, and he didn't keep it. Whether I wanted to believe it or not, he betrayed me, and I did what I thought was necessary." Naruto replied.
That wasn't entirely true. His sudden influx of power, and Mizuki's death, had been entirely unplanned. Even as that was an absolute certainty, though, Naruto didn't feel like they were random occurrences. It had made him think back to the lines of an old song about the Great Darkness that ruled over the Biju, and all other demons: Will you make a deal with the devil, in a place the sun can't reach? Will you sign your life away at the forest, at the beach? He can give you power, even safety, for a day...but if you ever break that deal, you'll give your life away.
"Not even a body left? That's what you thought was necessary? Well, at least you've got the right mindset." Kakashi said.
"His fault. Not mine." Naruto said, a little more bite in his voice than intended. "His backup got away though."
Sasuke launched out from the underbrush, kunai in hand as he sought to avenge his earlier loss. Kakashi dodged effortlessly, seeming to glide backwards through the air. One of Naruto's clones appeared, a well-placed kick missing its mark when the Jounin ducked and slung himself sideways. With that effort, though, he missed a small hand gesture Naruto made; Sasuke ignored his blond teammate, choosing instead to press after his teacher before Naruto ran to catch up. As Sasuke was launched away by a palm thrust, Naruto took his opportunity to ask a question in private.
"So, sensei, how is it you knew about two nights ago? That's a secret."
"Not for the people assigned to it." Kakashi said, and Naruto had difficulty trying to place his tone between smug and self-assured. Before he could make heads or tails of the commentary, though, Sasuke was back...and an ink-black snake had curled itself into a noose behind Kakashi. As the two Genin, and Naruto's clone, pressed inwards, Kakashi stepped back.
The rope-snake went up, taking Kakashi by the foot with it, and a black blur passed by him before he made a quick getaway with the kawarimi.
"Nice job, Sai. Guess traps work after all." Naruto congratulated his teammate with a grin.
The pale-skinned boy stood up, two bells in his hand as the trio turned to face Kakashi, who patted his waist and raised an eyebrow when he didn't feel anything tied to his belt loop.
"Congratulations." Kakashi said. "I'm guessing you figured it out?"
"That this was a team exercise?" Sasuke asked.
"Yes." Kakashi nodded. "The Hokage told me he was going to hand me students who had enough individual potential that he wanted me to train you, rather than keeping me on the active roster for mission-ready Jounin. Even knowing who you were, though? I wasn't going to accept you as my students unless you could understand how to work together without compromising yourselves. And, from what I saw yesterday, I think you stayed true to who you are. Naruto figured out the unspoken goal of the mission, gathered you all together, and led you toward it. Sasuke tried to do it on his own, but learned from experience. And Sai watched the entire time, waiting patiently until he found the best time to strike."
"How did you know?" Sai asked.
Kakashi didn't respond verbally, instead allowing a ring of twelve Kage Bunshin to come out of the forest. Wordlessly, they raised their hands in half-Ram seals, and dispelled.
"I was watching the entire time." Kakashi said with a short chuckle. "Trust me: none of you moved a muscle without me knowing. I had twice as many clones when we started."
"Wait...when clones dispel, they transfer information?" Naruto asked.
"Yes. Did you not know that?" Kakashi asked. "It's what makes them preferable for reconnaissance efforts, over clones made of water or mud. Theoretically, it would also make them effective for training with new jutsu, but most people can't make enough that it would make a difference...let alone handling the mental strain that comes with it. The only reason I managed to dispel that many clones at once, just now, is because their five senses had remained mostly the same as the others. Otherwise, you might have seen me left in the hospital for a week."
"Well, now I know not to use it so recklessly." Naruto said.
"No, the fact that you're still on your feet means that you can probably abuse the hell out of it. Not a good idea for the sake of variety, but...up to you, obviously."
"Anyway...what now?" Sasuke asked. "We've finished your test, and passed it. What comes next?"
"I brought us lunch!" Kakashi said with gusto. "Lunch comes next. They'll start handing out missions for Genin tomorrow morning, so we'll do some more team training today."
As with plenty of other things Kakashi had said, that was just true enough to not be considered a lie. Certainly, tomorrow would come, and missions would be given out...but what was stopping them from taking one today? There was at least one team of Genin in circulation from last year, did they just get a vacation day today? Not likely, as far as Naruto was concerned enough to think about it.
But Kakashi was officially his teacher now...so he stood there, he grinned, and he felt the weight of it all come down on his shoulders.
"You know, of all the things...of all the things that could be considered missions? I mean, I guess 'rescuing pets' is up there on the level of importance, but..."
"Weed-pulling, fence-painting, floor-cleaning, public janitorial efforts, and babysitting feel like they aren't enough, Naruto?" Kakashi asked.
Team Seven was ill-suited to menial tasks meant for village maintenance or public relations. Even then, Kakashi had refused to allow them on the low-risk task of patrolling the first couple miles outside of Konoha's border.
"No, they're really not." Sasuke sided with his teammate. "We've been running three D-ranked missions a week, training like hell six days out of every seven, and we're still just doing chores."
"Some day, you'll look back on these missions and wish your life was this simple again." Kakashi sighed.
"Maybe, but our skills can be put to better use." Sai said. "We're combat specialists, and knives rust when left alone."
"Yeah. That." Naruto said. "Even a sleepy little escort mission would be fine, just for the practice."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow at that. If Naruto thought escort missions were "sleepy," then clearly, he'd never met the clients that requested them. Still, a C-ranked one usually ended up being mundane at worst, and the Genin did have a bit of a point. Perhaps it was time that he tested them in ways that mind-numbing chores couldn't.
"Alright then. Take it under advisement, though, that I'm going to be keeping you on shorter leashes if you screw this up. I'm a good teacher, I don't have to be a nice one."
That was the only warning they would get. Kakashi lived and died by the phrase, "those who abandon their team are scum," but he wouldn't tolerate failure on a mission that they'd been begging him for. This was the proving ground...assuming they got a decent-enough deal, mission-wise. Kakashi was well aware of the fact that unexpected obstacles came up, and that nobody outside of the team could necessarily be trusted. Still, even with all the potential risks, he could probably single-handedly salvage a C-ranked mission if he needed to.
Tora, the favorite cat of the Daimyo's wife, was held firmly in Naruto's grasp. For some reason, when held by the blond, Tora didn't struggle or attempt to escape. As Team Seven walked through the doors of the Hokage Tower, the Sandaime greeted them, and Tora's fur seemed to pale as it beheld its owner once again.
"Mission accomplished." Kakashi said as Hiruzen slid forward a manila envelope. It contained the payment for the mission, divisible by the four of them, and Kakashi had learned a long time ago to take the money before turning in the infamous "Cat Outta Hell" that had made him rue his early Genin days.
As soon as Naruto had handed Tora over, the Daimyo's wife had squealed in glee and apparently sought to suffocate the poor bastard inside of her bosom. Not a terrible way to go, Naruto thought, but Tora had other plans. In a bolt of orange, it shed its fleshy prison and made a mad dash through the doors that led back to Konoha proper.
"No! Tora!" His owner cried out, and more than one of the ninja present offered up a quick prayer that the cat would stay lost. For its own sake, of course.
Sometimes, off-duty Jounin, or ninja looking to rehabilitate themselves after serious injuries, would chase and capture the cat to provide themselves with an excuse to exercise. It was just that grueling of a job...and the cat would always find some new way to escape. Legends were still told of the Great Tora Chase from the Sandaime's childhood, when poorer road quality and lower manpower had caused the mission to span three countries, five and a half months, and saw the reward for safe return climb up to a billion ryo.
"Should we..." Kakashi trailed off at the glares from two of his students. "Never mind! Hokage-sama, my students have lobbied, and convinced me: they want to take on the challenge of a C-rank mission."
"Oh?" Hiruzen leaned forward in his seat, his hands bridging in front of his face. "After two months of training, they've decided they know enough to survive outside the village walls?"
The three Genin shared a look, knowing a refusal of their request would be coming next. The condescension in the Hokage's voice stung at their collective pride, but what could they do about it?
"Well, we can't keep them young and safe forever. Someone tell Tazuna to meet his protection detail." Hiruzen said after a moment. "Your mission details are in this scroll, Kakashi."
A perfectly flat throw caused the scroll to sail through the air without twisting, and Kakashi deftly caught it with this left hand. Scanning the document's contents after unrolling it, lightning encased his hand and burned the scroll to ashes.
"As you order, Hokage-sama."
Kakashi had learned, years ago, to memorize a mission's parameters and leave no evidence of a contract. Legally, without proof to back up suspicion, ninja operating within foreign lands were untouchable; that courtesy was forfeit if they acted against said country's laws, but Kakashi wasn't worried about that. They were supposed to be heading into a civilian country, hopefully without needing to worry about nukenin, but the orders he'd just burned away...
His team had already bitten off more than they could chew, and barring an insane paycut, there was no way a second team would be ascribed to this mission. Was this a death warrant?
"I've placed my faith in you for two and a half decades of service, Kakashi. I trust that you won't fail me now." Hiruzen said sternly, a hint of steel in his voice that the Genin in the room hadn't heard much of before. The Hokage was renowned as a kind and benevolent man, not one to force the hands of others. And yet...
"Of course." Kakashi's gaze was unconcerned, a deep-seated refusal to show weakness overriding any concerns he felt. He was a soldier under orders, a piece in the game.
If he had reservations, he could bring them up in the debriefing.
They'd need to come back alive before that, though.
"They really couldn't provide me with more experienced ninja?" Tazuna asked.
"You get what you pay for. What's got you so worried?" Sasuke asked. "It doesn't matter how many mercenaries are out there, we can mow through them. Anybody who's not a shinobi isn't capable of standing up to one."
Naruto didn't share that confidence. As soon as you let your guard down, believing yourself superior? That was when the enemy would find the perfect time and place to strike. It had been his way of terrorizing the shops he'd stolen from; the minute they'd believed themselves safe, he'd ripped away everything he could take. The survival of his family, such as they were, was more important than the welfare of the well-to-do. Survival on its own was the necessary course, over the idea that slabs of metal or pieces of paper determined human worth and that one had to do as told for their entire lives if they wanted to have any hope of living through it.
Naruto rejected that system. It was one that worked, and had worked for some time; it was a system of the old world, and the old gods, before they'd died in a time lost to history. It had let many people live lives of relative comfort, and let more still enjoy lavish luxuries...but a far greater number suffered endlessly because of it. Naruto had been one of them. He'd grown up without a single ryo to his name, and even after obtaining the inheritance that he cared little for, he'd returned to thieving to maintain his meager lifestyle.
While Naruto had never personally known Kakashi, it seemed like the man was spooked by whatever had happened in the mission room. The Jounin had taken a high perch, moving in the trees to get a better vantage point. Whether it was intentional or not, the man's hyper-vigilance was wearing away at Naruto's nerves. He'd been similarly straining his senses, but staying on high alert had taken its toll for the last five hours. He was no sensor, and his keirakukei felt fried. Thankfully, he had teammates capable of putting two and two together.
"We passed a couple puddles a little while ago, but the air feels way too dry." Sasuke said. "It's July, and it hasn't rained in a week."
"If they're paying attention, they can tell you've been draining yourself as our lookout, but they may not know Kakashi's in the trees." Sai added. "Guard Tazuna, and we'll take care of th-"
Razored chains came around Sai from above, dropping to his throat and decapitating him, but not before he'd made the half-Ram seal and performed a kawarimi. Though Sai hadn't finished speaking, Naruto had gotten the drift of it, and hung back as Sasuke ran through the seals required to perform the Housenka. Burning shuriken fanned out, but they were taken off-course after clanging against oversized metal gauntlets. Ink-black snakes attempted to constrict the pair of enemy ninja that had come into view, but the same chains that had nearly taken Sai's life managed to butcher his creations.
"I'll be damned, Gozu. They might manage to put up a fight." One of the two men said.
"What, Meizu, a few greenhorns?" The other asked, though he didn't have long to think on those words; Naruto's fang-filled mouth was howling in his face with no warning, a kunai plunging downward before it was stopped by Meizu's gauntlet.
"Feisty." Meizu said. The edges of his gauntlet's claws cut into the kunai Naruto held, shearing through it like a knife in a well-cooked steak.
Naruto sprang away, tossing the broken instrument aside as he felt a deep anger well up inside of his chest. These two, possibly brothers by their similar appearance, had been stalking their party for at least an hour. He'd been irritated by his drunkard client's scathing demeanor, opting to travel in silence rather than engage in any kind of conversation with him. Kakashi hadn't been teaching them anything useful, only physical conditioning and bland basics like the creation of sealing scrolls to go with light sparring. The entire day had been nothing but one big eyesore, they'd been this close to stopping for the night so he could finally rest, and now he was being looked down upon by mercenaries...or maybe they were nukenin, judging by their Kirigakure headbands. Either way, it was the last straw.
His red eyes had gone bloodshot, circular pupils once again turned to oblong slits that held no mercy, and he felt the euphoria of rage course through his limbs.
"Time to earn my keep." He said, claw-like nails coming up to cut through Gozu's chest as he dragged his hand across the ninja's torso to expose white ribs to the dying sunshine.
Gozu shouted in pain, but as Meizu went to help his brother, a blindingly bright tanto came from the back of his skull to poke out from an eye socket. Meanwhile, Gozu had managed to get a grip on Naruto's throat that sliced into his weak flesh...but even so, Naruto had managed a killing blow of his own, with his hand buried inside of Gozu's chest.
Both brothers fell to the ground, dead, and Gozu's body emitted wisps of yellow light that carried themselves into Naruto's body. He pried the gauntlet open, his grievous wounds starting to regenerate, but they would still scar...and he'd lost a lot of blood in the few seconds he'd been cut and choking. Evidence of his close brush with death was evident all over his newly blood-soaked shirt, even as it dried over his newly-healed skin.
"Fuck." He said, disappointed in himself, before he collapsed into unconsciousness.
