"Words"

'thoughts'

((Translation))

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Little Imp

Chapter 1: Flying Once More

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"TEEEEMEEE!" (('Teme': a rude "you", mostly taken as 'bastard'))

"HN."

"SIGH."

It was back to the norm from a usual page in Team 7's book; another grudgingly acceptance of a D-class mission, the Hokage's mission room slightly shaking due to thunderous objections as the team's sensei politely requested for 3 sets of hearing aids in the future, or heavy duty earplugs, Naruto pouting and grumbling how hearing aids would nicely accommodate a masked, silver-haired grandpa, and ending with a twitching whiskered-boy on the floor with a growing lump on his head as the rest casually walked away.

It was notable to note though that Naruto was uncommonly, slightly less ear deafening in his protests. Slightly.

Perhaps the last "C-class" mission to the Wave country had toned down the boy's enthusiastic headlong jump into such missions. There was a good chance that the energetic fellow had just decided to spare his teammates and people within a 20-meter radius his full wrath. Or, it was a cold.

By all means, continue to speculate as the morning ritual of mission days resumes.

The Jounin was past an hour late and remained missing at the meeting place beside the forest. The pink-haired kunoichi ((female ninja)) had been interrupted in her admiring ogle of the brooding dark-haired boy. The flamboyantly dressed lad proceeded to instantly shift his friendly greeting met by an irritated frown to a fierce eye-squinting glare met by a cool composure with equally narrowed eyes.

"Hn. You're late, again. You truly are a dobe." ((dead last))

"…SAASUKEE! WHY DON'T YOU SAY THAT AGAI—"

"URUSAI, NARUTO!" ((Shut-up))

THUMP!

"Itai, itai, itai, itai…((Ouch, ow))" The ill-fated boy now sported another lump next to the one just received the previous day.

"D...Demo ((But)), Sakura-chan! ((to indicate closeness, friendship)) Why are you always taking Sasuke-teme's side…?", the wincing boy quietly whined while gingerly rubbing his new lump.

With the kunoichi's threatening fist still hanging above the complaining boy's head, it was then that a 'Poof!' sound decided to interrupt the scene.

"Ohayou—" ((good morning))

"YOU'RE LAAATE!" Sakura and Naruto barked simultaneously, each pointing an accusing finger.

"Maa ((Well)), you see—", the tardy Jounin began to defend.

"LIAAR!" both roared, fingers still furiously quaking in the air.

Kakashi mentally sighed; the two hadn't even given him a chance to give his excuse this time.

"Maa. In any case, lets get going." The team's sensei cheerfully stated, his eye closing into a smile, while magically pulling out 3 large baskets with straps accompanied by large tongs from behind his back. The three onlookers shared the same quizzical expression.

"Ano sa ((equivalent of "um/uh"))…ano sa…Kakashi-sensei…what do we need those weird things for?" Naruto asked uneasily.

> >5 seconds later > >

"NAAAAAANIIIII!" Birds within a 20-meter radius suddenly squawked away in surprise.

> >10 minutes later > >

Naruto growled and muttered to himself as he forcefully grabbed another empty soda can floating by in the river with his tongs. His two teammates wore looks that agreed with Naruto's grumbles.

"Oi! Why do you get to do nothing! Kakashi-sensei?" The whiskered-boy suddenly shouted, pointing his tongs towards the said lazy Jounin, who was calmly resting against a tree by the river.

Without looking up, nose still delved in the orange-jacketed book, he replied, "Looks like you guys have it under control."

Glaring at the relaxed being, Naruto took a step forward as if daring to give the masked-figure his opinion.

Then he tripped.

Losing his footing, the glare immediately changed to that of shock and fright.

"AAAH—grlblbbb," he screamed out as his head ducked under. Sasuke and Sakura paused and turned to Naruto's direction to see said shinobi ((ninja-typically referring to male)) getting rapidly swept away by the current towards the waterfall, flailing his arms about like a manic duck that had forgotten how to swim, honking shrilly throughout.

"AAAAHHHH! HEEELP! EEHAAAAHH! FREEEEEEFAAAAAALLL—ah?"

His eyes snapped open, mouth hung halfway out with a look of puzzlement etched on his face that seemed to say 'I'm not dead?'

"You moron." With an irritated and bored expression, Sasuke was hanging onto a wire-string strung up by a hanging tree and had grabbed the screaming boy's foot just in time.

'TEMEE! Always making me look bad!' Naruto seethed angrily when a stumbling figure moved into sight below his upside-down head. Sasuke also seemed to have picked up movement and focused on, obvious from even from that height, the laboring person.

A shock of silver hair. Strange clothing. Stained clothing. Blood. Many, many, embedded weapons. Was that… a hitae-ate? ((forehead-protector)) Ninja? Missing-nin? Konoha-nin? Enemy-nin?

Distracted, Sasuke had loosened his hold on Naruto, who was equally diverted.

"AAAHH—", Sasuke mentally jumped back to the present situation and quickly caught the foot before it had completely escaped his reach.

Unfortunately, the blonde-headed boy's shout had fixed the attention of the injured being who had briefly took hold of a nearby tree trunk to steady her balance. Dazed eyes shot up and stared at the two strangely positioned figures.

'.. Whaa..?' She was exhausted. Exhausted being an understatement. The two figures, one a bright orange fuzz and the other a darker, bluish blur seemed to have been floating along the waterfall. 'I'm seeing things.'

"—SASUKE, you baka!" ((idiot))Naruto hollered, momentarily averted.

'And hearing things…this can't be good…'

The blue blur seemed to have thrown the orange fuzz up onto something brown and leafy, a tree? And now is…coming. Down. Getting. Closer.

Instincts honed throughout her life, kicked in as she fled once more.

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Spluttering across the river, nearly tripping again and falling victim to the current a few times, Naruto clambered over to his sensei.

"Kakashi-sensei! Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto cried, rushing over.

This time, Kakashi paused in reading and gave the wet boy an inquiring look, Sakura looked up expectantly as well.

"Kakashi-sensei! Sasuke's chasing some strange ninja that was bleeding and stuff!" he exclaimed.

At the word 'ninja', Kakashi's bored, lidded-eye became alert. The kunoichi also leaned forward in attention. At 'bleeding', Kakashi placed his volume back in its pouch and took off towards the waterfall.

"Naruto, Sakura, stay here. There might be unknown danger." With that, the Jounin disappeared from view.

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"Matte!" ((Wait))

A young boy around her own age by the sounds of his voice. She snorted.

'Matte? Riiiight…'

'Was that a snort?' The Uchiha thought crossly while countering with a snort of his own. Doubts of the figure as a ninja vanished soon enough. The figure bolted up into the branches and sprinted across the treetops at an inhuman speed and precision. 'Either way, I can't let it escape. If it's an enemy-nin, then it definitely needs to be captured and taken in for questioning. If not, it needs serious medical help anyway.'

'Damn…shinobi' She cursed, looking back and catching sight of a closing in bluish blur following suit. 'Maa. This feels familiar…but how can he keep up with this pace……other then me chakra drained, hungry, tired, and leaving a trail of blood…' Her vision was focusing in and out; she was going to pass out soon. 'nrrrgh…gotta hang on a little longer.' She secretly prided herself in endurance, both of body and mind; currently her mind was the stubborn block that kept the wheels in place. Mustering up enough chakra to the sole of her left foot, she quickly swung forward then under the present branch with her foot holding on to the branch then letting go at the bottom point, using the momentum to fly on her back and pass the chaser that continued forward past her.

"Nani!"((What!)) Sasuke looked in disbelief to suddenly see the fleeing figure fall and flicker out of sight. No sounds of it dropping to the ground either. He stopped and crouched on the branch, examining the faint trail of blood that seemed to just end right there.

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She snickered in triumph and grabbed hold of a branch as the momentum faded. She then sprung up and broke through the canopy and went on to head back in the direction of the waterfall, loping atop the treetops.

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Kakashi spotted Sasuke's discarded basket and tongs on his jump down and then noticed a fast-paced figure moving atop the trees.

Strange clothing and metal glint off forehead Strange ninja, check. Metal glints off of other objects over the body as well with blood trailing from them Bleeding and stuff, check. Hmmm…Sasuke? Ah, here he comes.

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The blurs in her vision were more frequent and closer in time. 'Crap.' The chakra in her feet preventing them from breaking the thin branches in the tops of trees wavered out as she plummeted, her vision finally blacking out.

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Sasuke cursed to himself as he hurried back to the waterfall once figuring out how the person had tricked him and escaped. He halted when a branch snapped from above. Up ahead, the same figure hurtled lifelessly towards the ground and abruptly vanished midway when a blur rushed out to meet it.

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Carefully laying down the young girl on the ground as to not jostle the kunais lodged deeply in her, Kakashi placed two fingers on her neck; there was a pulse. Sasuke jumped down and crouched beside Kakashi, panting heavily from the chase.

"Hey! Why doesn't her hitae-ate have a symbol?" a loud voice interrupted. Naruto stood over Kakashi and Sasuke, staring with curious eyes. Sakura was not far behind as she came up running, stopping to gasp at the young kunoichi lying on the ground. She had good reason to as the person was shallowly breathing, kunais jutting out of her body at odd angles. Three sets of eye plus one looked down and promptly took in the unconscious being; rumpled, silver hair and bangs and torn and bloodied garment.

"Hmmm…Naruto…Sakura…," the sensei slowly drawled his two students immediately flinching as sweat drops rained down, "…didn't I tell you to stay behind…? He finished with a slight ominous tone. At this point, both ninjas were nervously sweat dropping while waving their hands defensively in front of them.

"Ano..ano…eh..hehehe…" Naruto stuttered, timidly laughing.

"Maa. Anyway, you three, finish you chor—mission" he coughed, as suspicious looks were cast his way, "while I take her to the hospital." With that, he delicately picked up and cradled the body.

"Chotto matte!" ((Wait a moment!)) Sakura cried out as her eyes gazed on with concern, "you're taking her like that, sensei?"

"Hmm. She lost too much blood already, considering; she shouldn't still be alive. The kunais seem to hold back some blood, and there's no time to take them out and bandage them without risking more damages. Ja." ((an expression kind of like 'now.')) The Jounin bounded into the branches and hastened towards Konoha.

The remaining team members glanced at each other then sped to the river, upon reaching it, swiftly working on an unspoken pact and finished in nearly 5 minutes then taking off after their sensei.

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