A/n: Sorry for the delay everyone. I'd love to able to pump out chapters like I used to do but that's just unfortunately not a possibility for me anymore. Please b patient with me as I'll try to update as frequently as I can. This chapter is shorter than what I normally post by a large margin but I wanted something to tie you over while I worked on making the next chapter longer and more exciting, and I felt bad for making you wait for so long.e

Thank you all for your continued support : )

Chouko hadn't known what to expect from her first mission on an official team. She didn't think it would anything too grueling being their first mission and all, but at the very least she thought it would have been something more...challenging, and while it was certainly...unique, it turned out to be a rather big disappointment.

She would have preferred going toe-to-toe with rogue ninja over getting mauled by a demented cat that was hell-bent on escaping from its overbearing owner. It had taken them far longer to catch the mangy feline than it should have and it ended up with all of them covered in claw marks and a strong distrust for any cat that looked at them the wrong way.

Chouko felt no ounce of pity for the cat as it struggled to wiggle free from the iron lock it's the owner had on it. Torda, the demonic cat, mewled pitifully as his owner, Madam Shijimi, practically squeezed all nine lives out of his body. Chouko could somewhat understand the cat's desperation now, but that did little to change her opinion as she picked at the scabbed over scratch covering her cheek.

"Ohhh, my cute, sweet little Tora-Chan! I was so worried." The large woman cried. "Mommy was so worried about her naughty little fuzzykins, yes!"

"Sweet? Get real." Chouko grumbled. 'Dumb cat probably ran away from home because it was being star - oompf! - what was that for, Sensei?!"

Chouko glared at the jonin who was pretending as if he hadn't just clunked her over the head with his fist. The Akimichi girl crossed her arms with a pout while trying to ignore the throbbing of her noggin.

Naruto scratched his head with a grimace. "Serves him right, that stupid cat!" He said bitterly, having gotten the worst injuries out of the situation.

Tora didn't like Naruto.

"No wonder he ran away..." Sakura sighed.

"That fleabag needs to put down." Sasuke scowled.

Chouko snickered at the large slash across his face that was bright red.

Thoe Hokage loudly cleared his throat. He sucked on his pipe, staring at them from underneath his hat that shadowed his wrinkled face. "The next mission for Squad Seven is..." He drawled, reading over the list in his old, wrinkled hand. "An errand is requested in the neighboring town, babysitting the Chief Councilor's three-year-old boy, helping with digging for potatoes, eh...helping his wife do the shopping -"

"NO!" Naruto yelled. "Noooo! I want to go on a real mission! Give us something challenging and not this little kid stuff, old man!"

Chouko, annoyed by the day's events, agreed.

"No disrespect to you Lord Hokage, but I agree with Naruto." She sighed exasperatedly. "These aren't even really missions, are they? We're just doing chores for people who are too lazy to do them themselves. We can't get stronger by chasing after stupid cats all days and plucking potatoes..." The girl huffed kicking at the ground.

'They have a point.' Sasuke thought. 'These tasks are pointless.'

'Man...their such a pain!' Sakura huffed with a twitch. 'Geez...can't believe I agree with them.'

Kakashi's shoulders slumped as he silently sighed. He expected this out of Naruto but held hope that Chouko would reign him in and keep his mouth in line.

"You idiots! How dare you?!" Iruka-Sensei who had been quiet until now, shouted, slamming his palms onto the desk and glaring down the disrespectful rookies. "You're just rookies with no experience! Everyone starts with simple missions to work their way up to develop their skills and prove themselves!"

"But it has been nothing but crappy missions so far and we're sick of it!" Naruto shouted back.

"Iruka-Sensei if I wanted to garden and deal with a snot-nosed brat then I would have just stayed home." Chouko sighed.

"You two! Be quiet and listen! It is necessary to explain to you what a mission is." Kakashi sighed. "It's not something you can simply look over, understand?"

The two nodded reluctantly. Kakashi smiled and patted their heads like obedient pups. Chouko growled and snapped at him, crying out when he flicked her in the nose and called her a bad girl in a tone similar to a disappointed parent.

Chouko tried smacking his hand away from her but Kakashi held her in place by the head, eyes crinkling in amusement at her futile attempts to throttle him.

She wanted to kick his ass.

"Naruto, Chouko, it seems that the two of you do not understand the request that pours into our village each day." The Hokage said to them, drawing their attention back to it. "They range from babysitting to assassinations. Every request is carefully categorized and analyzed, and them from A, B, D, or D, depending on the level of their difficulty. The Hokage stands at the top and jonin, chunin, and genin at the bottom. The missions are then handed out by us at the top to the ninja of the village based on their abilities. A successful mission draws in revenue from our clients, which then goes into supporting the village. You are all inexperienced genin. D-Rank is perfect for you."

Truthfully...the group wasn't listening. They were more interested in hearing about what Naruto had for dinner the previous night, that had Chouko's stomach rumbling and her mouth-watering. The Hokage snapping at them pulled all of their attention back to the rambling old man. Kakashi chuckled nervously, having felt embarrassed about getting caught in their shenanigans.

"I-I apologize, Lord Hokage." Kakashi-Sensei drawled sheepishly.

"Maaaan! You always lecture me like you're my grandfather or something! But I'm not that little prankster you think I am anymore! I'm a ninja now, and I want a ninja mission! I have to get stronger so that I can protect the people and fulfill my duties at the future Hokage of the village!" Naruto yelled. "They're going to be counting on me to protect and lead them and I can't let them down, got that?!"

Iruka-Sensei and Lord Hokage stared at Naruto with surprise written all over their faces. They shared a look before their eyes fell on the Akimichi girl who was grinning proudly; a sense of understanding passed between the two as they smiled at the beaming girl.

"You heard him, Lord Hokage! Naruto is really shaping up!...I'd like to think I have had a hand in that." Chouko said not trying to hide her grin. "He's not the same knuckleheaded brat, you know. He's the man who going to become the future Hokage so you better listen to what he's saying."

'Man, I am going to get scolded for this later.' Kakashi sighed and scratched the back of his head.

"Okay then, fine."

Their eyes widened.

"If you desire it so badly then I will give you a C-Rank mission." Lord Hokage said. "It will be a combination of an escort and protection mission."

Naruto gasped and sprang to his feet.

"Who? Who?! A Feudal Lord?! A princess?! Who-who-whoooo?! Come on, tell us already, old man!"

Chouko tugged on the back of Naruto's jacket with a heavy sigh. "Naruto, down, boy." She laughs, watching the blond-haired boy practically vibrate on the spot.

She laughed at his pouting face and patted his head affectionately.

"Don't be so impatient Naruto. I will bring him in now. Behave yourselves." The Hokage's aged eyes landed on Naruto and Chouko with a warning. Naruto pouted and Chouko shyly averted her eyes feeling rather silly about her earlier outbursts. "Send in our visitor!" The Hokage yelled to the shinobi standing outside his office.

They all turned to face the door anxiously waiting as loud footsteps drew closer. The footsteps sounded off to Chouko and a dreadful feeling overwhelmed her. They were heavy and clunky as if the person was stumbling around trying to catch their footing. Her feeling of dread only grew as the door slammed open and an older gentleman stumbled in, clutching a bronze bottle as if his very life depended on it.

Not a Feudal Lord.

Not a princess.

A drunk.

The man glared at them with his flushed face and hazed over eyes. "Huh? What the hell is this? These are just a bunch of snot-nosed little brats!" The man rumbled angrily looking them over and taking a large swig of his booze. Alcohol poured out of his lips and onto the floor around him.

Chouko gagged at the putrid smell and hid her nose in the back of Naruto's jacket.

"He's drunk!" Chouko scowled.

The bastard smelled as if he bathed in it! Even her father never smelt this strongly after a night of drinking with his friends, usually after the return of a successful mission.

The man sloppily wiped his mouth and pointed at Naruto. "Especially you, the runt, with the stupid-looking face." He lazily dropped his arm and leaned against the open doorframe. "You expect me to believe that you're really a ninja?

"Haha! Who's the short one?!"

Naruto asked aloud wondering who the short one was. With mischievous smiles on their faces they all stepped closer to him with Sasuke being the tallest followed by Sakura, and then Chouko.

It took Naruto a minute to figure it out.

"Sensei, you might want to restrain him," Chouko said tapping a finger against her chin.

"I'LL KILL HIM!"

Her Sensei sighed as his Naruto senses tingled, prompting him to reach out and restrain the Uzumaki boy before he could go full-on feral on the man they were to be escorting.

"What's the point in killing the person you're supposed to be protecting? Idiot!" Kakashi sighed. "Did you not hear Lord Hokage? Behave."

"Remember what I told you, Naruto." Chouko sighed crossing her arms. "People like him aren't worth it."

The old man had more fight left in him as he set his sights on Chouko.

"And you - butterball! - am I supposed to believe that you're capable of protecting anything other than your portion of food at dinner?!"

Her teammates choked on laughter, minus Naruto, who was still trying to mangle him. Kakashi's eyebrow twitched and sweat dripped down his face as he eyed the cherry-red Akimichi girl out of the corner of his eye. She was shaking and grinding her teeth and Kakashi was sure she was going to strike when she took a calm breath and eased herself away from the drunken man.

"My weight has nothing to do with my capabilities as a ninja. However, as a word of warning, you probably should watch your tongue around the ones supposed to be guarding you. Accidents happen, you know."

The Akimichi girl crossed her arms and turned her head.

The drunken man fumbled on some kind of retort but let it die in his throat.

"Cocky brat." He drunkenly grumbled.

Kakashi exhaled and placed his hand on top of Chouko's head. He gave her affectionate ruffle and praised her for controlling emotions, and was even going to express that he was proud of her until she decided to blow a big, fat, raspberry in his face.

Kakashi wondered if it was too late to send her back to the academy.

"I am Tazuna, a veteran bridge builder. I expect you to provide me with super protection until I get back to my country and complete the bridge; even if that means giving your life." The drunk - Tazuna - slurred.

Something felt very off about this man, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was.

Chouko didn't like him one bit.

Chouko stared up at the large set of Kohona gates with a fond smile on her face. She had never stepped foot outside of the village, but she had come to the gate many times before with her mom and brother to see her dad off on a mission, and then to greet him on the days of his return. She had even stopped by to see Asuma and Kurenai off when she knew they were leaving. It felt different now, knowing she was the one going to be walking through the gates this time.

She wondered if her mother and brother would greet her when she returned home like they did her father.

It brought her a sense of nostalgia and a budding sense of homesickness, despite the fact they had yet left the village.

She was a ninja herself and was officially taking her first steps out into a dangerous world where few ever returned.

At least it was a beautiful day with not a cloud in the sky. Somewhere, she bet Shikamaru was gazing up at the sky with a lazy smile on his face as Chouji crunched on his favorite barbeque chips while Ino badgered them about things that didn't matter.

Chouko thought after all was said and done that she'd visit them and see how they have been doing.

"Alright! We're off! Come on, let's go!" Naruto cheered taking the lead of the group with Chouko right behind him, matching his pace comfortably.

"What are you getting so excited about?" Sakura asked.

"This is the first time I've ever left the village!" Naruto grinned taking in all the sights. "I'm a real traveler now!'

Chouko covered her snort with a giggle. Naruto was such an adorable dork at times.

"Hey!" Tazuna yelled. "Am I really going to be okay with this squirt?!" He directed his attention towards Naruto.

"The only joke here is you." Chouko deadpanned.

"Chouko!" Sakura reprimanded with a firm glare.

"Hahaha! Well, I am a jonin. There's no need to worry." Kakashi said. "I'll be watching over them."

Chouko sensing Naruto was about to snap gave him a playful push forward with a knowing smirk. He looked back at her with a pout but she only hummed, wagging her finger and shaking her head.

Naruto gave a short huff before a smirk curled over his lips.

"Hey, old man!" He called over their shoulders.

Chouko sighed.

"Don't go around mocking us, got that? I'm a super-elite ninja who is one day going to be called Hokage by the people of my village! Remember my name: Uzumaki Naruto!"

"The Hokage's the super top-dog ninja in the village, right?" Tazuna snorted inhaling down more of his booze. "I sure as hell doubt someone like as puny as you could become Hokage. The lot of you aren't worth much more than a headache. You'll just end up dead and becoming someone's burden."

Sakura's shoulders slumped glumly while Sasuke glared coldly at Tazuna.

"I find that ironic coming from you." Chouko snapped. "You don't know Naruto. You don't know Sakura, Sasuke, or Kakashi-Sensei, and you sure as hell don't know me! The only thing you know about us if that we're supposed to protecting your lousy ass, so you can get back to your precious little bridge. Don't go slandering our names around when you have none of the facts. We're going to do whatever it takes to accomplish our dreams, and then the pitiful likes of you will have but no choice to acknowledge us!"

Tazuna and Chouko stared at one another intensely. The whole time he hadn't taken a sip of beer.

"The day I acknowledge any of you is the day I sprout wings and fly, butterball." The older man grunted and turned his head to her.

"The wings of metamorphosis take time to grow and change, but those who aren't willing to put in the effort will never know that feeling. I think that's something my mom would tell me at this moment. She always says weird things like that, but they somehow make sense." Chouko smiled despite the tension in the air. "Your wings never grew because you refused to grow. You refused to change. You condemn the world around you and wait for other people to bring that change to you. In the end, you're left on the ground watching as everyone else soars above you."

Tazuna's jaw dropped in disbelief. Who the hell did this brat think she was to sprout such nonsense to him?!

Kakashi groaned and did something none of them expected...

He picked Chouko up and threw her over his shoulder with a grunt. The rotund girl shrieked and pounded on his back, absolutely red in the face, embarrassed, and amazed, and at the same time. She really shouldn't have been so surprised that Kakashi could lift her, considering how strong he was, but it didn't make the situation any less humiliating.

"Have you lost your mind, Kakashi-sensei?! You're going to hurt yourself!" Sakura yelled. "She's not exactly made of feathers!"

"Shut it, forehead!" Chouko scowled. "What's the big idea, Sensei?!"

"Hey! Get your hands off of Chouko, pervert!" Naruto yelled in her defense. "She's way too young for you, you creepy old geezer!"

The blood poured to Chouko's face as she let out an ungodly squeal.

Kakashi sweatdropped, and smacked his face with his free hand.

What the hell had he gotten himself into?

"That's enough of you." Kakashi-Sensei hummed marching forward. "Come on along, little ones!" Kakashi sang as if speaking to a group of younglings.

He adjusted Chouko on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and move forward. Naruto opened his mouth about to protest when Kakashi shot him a warning glare.

"You'll be next if you don't behave."

The blond clammed up and apologetically looked away from his friend who had all but given up on life.

"I hope you break your back." She hissed giving into fate.

"Hm, did I hear something?" Kakashi hummed.

Chouko groaned.

"I'm sorry, okay? Can you put me down now, please? I get it. Lesson learned. I won't smart mouth the drunk...for now, at least."

Kakashi hummed for a minute before unceremoniously dumping her onto the ground. She landed with a loud thump on the ground that left her momentarily stunned. Only when she came to her senses did she notice her group slowly moving away from her with a very amused Tazuna shooting her a nasty smirk.

Chouko scowled under her breath and raced to catch up with them.

Chouko sighed looking up at the cloudy blue sky with fondness while keeping an eye on her surroundings. She could hear bits and pieces of a conversation that Sakura was having with Tazuna that she didn't care much about, that is until she heard Kakashi interject himself.

"No, there aren't ninja in the Land of Waves," Kakashi-Sensei spoke. "But in other countries, there are hidden villages that each have their different customs and cultures where ninja reside." Kakashi-Sensei paused to see if they were still with him. "To the many countries of the continent, the existence of a shinobi village means military power. In other words, that is how these nations maintained their relationships with neighboring nations. Even so, the villages are not under the control of the nations. The ninja villages are not controlled by any government, they're independent and have equal stats. Now a small island like the Land of Waves has natural protection from the sea, so there's no need for any ninja village.

Kakashi tapped his chin thoughtfully knowing he had all their attention of him.

"The Land of Fire has the Hidden Leaf Village, while the land of water has the hidden Mist Village; Land of Lightning, the village hidden in the clouds. The Land of Wind, the village hidden in the Sand and the land of Earth, the village hidden in the Stones. Only the leaders of these hidden villages are permitted the name Kage, which means shadow. Hokage, Mizukage, Raikage, Kazekage, Tschuikage; these are the leaders, the shadows that rain over thousands of ninja."

"No kidding!" Sakura laughed. "The Hokage is that powerful?!" '

That lame geezer is really that powerful? Sounds fishy!' Sakura's inner voice thought.

Naruto snickered remembering the time he pulled his Sexy Jutsu on the Hokage and how he fainted from blood loss!

Sasuke and Chouko were silent.

"Hey!" Kakashi yelled. "Are the four of you doubting the Hokage?"

They all froze and shook their heads.

"Well, don't worry." Kakashi-Sensei patted Chouko and Sakura's heads. "There won't be any ninja combat in a C-Rank battle.

"Then, there's no worry getting into a scrape with foreign ninja!" Sakura breathed in relief.

"Of course not!" Kakashi chirped.

Chouko wasn't sure how she felt.

Chouko eyed Tazuna wearily out of the corner of her eye. He was fidgeting with his half-full bottle of booze, squirming under the eyes of anyone who watched him for too long. His eyes were shifty, too. Sakura continued to make small talk but Tazuna's answers were very vague and he didn't go into much detail or specifics. Anything of notable importance he went out his way to avoid answering by taking a drink and grumbling on about nosy kids, which was enough to deter Sakura and for her to move on to her next string of questions.

Eventually, Tazuna reverted to non-verbal communication. He would shrug every now and again or let out a grunt but it was clear that he had no more interest in talking to which Sakura seemed to take the hint.

Was he sweating? Or was it from all the booze he drank? Either way, he wreaked of suspicion...

Chouko moved to walked beside Kakashi-Sensei. She gently bumped into his shoulder and with his attention, on her, she moved her fingers into patterns unlike hand signs made for jutsu, rather these hand signs were used for silent communication between allies.

'He's very suspicious.' Chouko said without the use of words.

Kakashi Sensei nodded in silent agreement and gave her a gentle pat on the back, as they moved forward with added caution.

Chouko was beginning to think this mission wouldn't be so simple after all.