A/N: Discovered earlier today that this fic has made its way to Reddit! I'm not sure which one of you first put it up on there, but whoever you are, thank you very much! Reception for this fic has increased a bunch since, so I greatly appreciate it.
Keep on reviewing at this rate as well! I love the feedback.
Time for Chapter 5
Enjoy!
Team Seven waited in impatient silence as Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, sifted his way through a stack of potential assignments to send them off to complete. Chances were, they would once again be stuck performing a mundane odd job, such as catching another cat, or scraping muck from the gutters of a high-class citizen who could afford the help. Eight days had passed in total since the formation of the cell, and even Kakashi was somewhat growing tired of the mundane nature of their so-called 'missions'.
As such, as Hiruzen seemed to settle on an assignment to task them with for the first half of the day, Satsuki spoke up in surprising fashion.
"Hokage-sama, if I may ask, how long are you planning on keeping us to D-ranked missions?" she asked in a polite tone that drew a snicker from Naruto. The elderly leader laid three documents down on the desk in front of him.
"The next two months, I believe. A standard building plan for a new cell." he replied calmly. Nearly in unison, the genin's expressions all twisted into ones of disapproval and frustration. Even the classically undriven Shikamaru seemed to find the prospect of spending two entire months effectively acting as a village-wide custodian unappealing. Sensing their falling mood with ease, Kakashi spoke before any of them could say something they would come to regret.
"With all due respect, don't you think that the ease with which they've completed their past few assignments calls for a step up in difficulty? I don't think C-ranked would be too much as long as I keep a close eye on things." the Jonin suggested to his superior, much to the delight of his indignant students. Hiruzen studied the group silently for a few moments before reaching into a separate stack of papers.
"I suppose you have a point, but only one week of experience is a bit green for a group heading out onto the field. I'll give you something that should be fairly tame." he said. He then slid a document across his desk to Kakashi, who read its contents carefully.
"Basic travel security and project oversight. Sounds good. When exactly would we be leaving?" he inquired. The Hokage glanced up at the clock on the leftmost wall and then back to Team Seven.
"One hour from now. If you'd like to take this on, I'd suggest you get packing. Your client will be arriving shortly." he explained. At this, Kakashi looked back at his team and raised an eyebrow in their direction.
"Well? Do you want to or not? If you do, quick looking starstruck and pack clothes, rations, and water. Nothing more, nothing less." he asked shortly. Though it took them all a half-beat, the group quickly gave a collective nod and turned by their heels. Within moments, they were out of the Hokage building en route to their individual homes. Once they were well and truly out of earshot, Kakashi turned his attention back to Hiruzen.
"Why exactly did you want to keep them so close to home for so long?" he asked directly. The Hokage folded his hands in front of himself on his desk and eyed the spot where the genin had once stood.
"While I'm quite certain that my logic was sound in putting those three together, I still feel as though it will take time for them to truly mesh as a team. From what I've heard, while they've been completing their assignments without fail, there are still spats amongst them each time. Those lapses in synchronicity could cost them their lives. You know that." he reasoned eloquently. The younger man considered his points for a moment.
"Fair enough, but I also think that a crash course could do them some good. From what I'm reading, there's a chance we come across a fairly infamous bandit ring along the way. Each of them can probably handle a bandit by themselves, but not easily. They'll be forced to be coherent." he countered. Hiruzen stroked his bearded chin and visibly pondered the situation at hand.
"I think it's very much up to preference at this point, and I'll trust yours for now. Just know that they are your responsibility. If things heat up too much, you're to pull them out immediately, understood?" he said seriously. The silver-haired Jonin nodded and let out a long sigh.
"I'm still new to this whole 'Sensei' thing. I'm honestly glad I ended up with a group of viper-tongued brats. They don't use the title with me much. It always sounds awkward when they do." he said tiredly. Hiruzen chuckled and leaned back in his chair.
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't know the feeling. Taking on the younger generation as your own is no small task, especially in your case. You have a difficult group of kids. I have faith in you, though. You've been reliable, if a bit unconventional at times." he said confidently. Kakashi shrugged his shoulders.
"I've always been a nonconformist. Minato-sensei brought my team up differently than the other captains were at the time, and we...I turned out well, I think. I feel like these three are a bit ahead of the curb compared to their classmates. I can't even nail down why I think so." he said ponderously. The Hokage drummed his fingers on the desk absently and stared out the window.
"A maddening truth of living is that, sometimes, we're slaves to the unknown. The answer to that question of yours will likely come in time, but you're likely to be made to wait for it. Though, it's possible that you piece it together before it reveals itself outright. Waiting is a part of life, and a thing we must all endure." he said sagely. The Copy Ninja adjusted his headband, which covered his left eye as per usual.
"I'm in no rush. What's the fun if I see it all coming? I'd rather be just as surprised as they are. Either way, thank you for making an exception for them. I sent them away before they could express it, but they're definitely thankful." he said with a formal bow. The Jonin then turned around and exited the office, and then the building as a whole, leaving Hiruzen to himself at the desk. With peace and quiet finally restored, the old man allowed himself to relax.
'They're growing up, Minato. Naruto and Kakashi both.'
Naruto stretched his back as he entered the Hokage building for the second time that day. As he had been instructed to do, he had gathered up what little extra clothing he owned, a few cans of meat he had recently bought, and a canister of water. It was all tightly crammed into an undersized backpack, which he had been using since his far earlier years. Once he was situated in the same location from whence he had left, it became clear that he was at least somewhat late.
"Right in the nick of time. We were about to leave without you. I'm almost disappointed." Satsuki, who was also carrying a bag of what Naruto presumed to be similar contents to his own, greeted him jeeringly. Ignoring her jab at him for the moment, the blonde swept his eyes over the group standing before him. Save for one person, it was simply his cell. Shikamaru, Satsuki, and Kakashi were all present. The one extra person was what caught the blonde's attention.
It was an old man of average height and build, with a grey beard and an unpleasant look on his face. In his left hand was a flask of something that certainly didn't smell like water, and his posture suggested that he was both weary and irritated. In short, who Naruto assumed to be their client appeared very much a negative addition.
"Brat's finally here, is he? Good, let's get moving." the old man grunted as Naruto joined Shikamaru to the left of Kakashi. The blonde prickled at the man's tone, but held his tongue for the sake of his better interest.
"His name is Tazuna. I've already briefed the other two, so I'll keep this short. He's a bridge builder from the Land of Waves, and he needs some light security on his way back to the sight of construction." the silver-haired Jonin explained to Naruto as the group began to walk toward the exit. Nodding along as the situation was laid out before him, Naruto glanced at the old man, who was apparently named Tazuna.
"What's the bridge for?" he asked simply. The old man scoffed at the question and took a swig from his flask of what was likely alcohol.
"I don't see why I should tell you that. You were late. If you wanted to know, then you should've been on time." he shot back in a mean-spirited tone. Naruto scowled and fought the urge to change his trajectory to get closer to him.
"Oh, you've got plenty of reason to tell me. I might not care enough to save your sorry ass if I'm all in the dark." he said bitingly. Tazuna barked a short laugh and pointed his flask at the blonde.
"Keep your brat on a leash, Kakashi. I think he might bite me." he said sarcastically, drawing a tired sigh from the Copy Ninja. Within a few minutes, the arguing died down again, with Naruto eventually submitting to ignorance rather than pushing his own temper any further. As those minutes went by, the closer and closer they drew to the outer border of the Hidden Leaf Village. When they reached the gate, Kakashi glanced back at the genin.
"Have any of you ever been outside the village before?" he asked curiously. Naruto and Satsuki shook their heads honestly, but Shikamaru nodded and let out a yawn.
"Yeah, a few times. We aren't dependent on it anymore, but the Nara hunt for food every once in a while. Mostly deer out on a reserve we own. Nowhere other than there, though." he elaborated when each of his teammates shot him questioning looks.
"Well, luckily for the two of you…" Kakashi began, gesturing to Naruto and Satsuki as he spoke before then pointing straight ahead of them.
"...the route we're taking is more or less a straight shot. A few turns here and there, but mostly straightforward. Keep your eyes peeled and your senses sharp. Keep a constant perimeter around Tazuna secure, and be ready to intercept anything that comes his way." he concluded, directing his genin into position a moment later. With their placement in the makeshift traveling formation determined, Team Seven began their trek to the Land of Waves with Tazuna in tow.
The first four miles were uneventful. Naruto and Satsuki bickered several times over mundane things, such as the superiority both of them believed to be held by their specific position in the formation, and once over whether or not Shikamaru was, in fact, sleep-walking. As it turned out, the Nara was very much awake, and promptly told them as much once the argument grew 'troublesome', as he had put it. The fifth mile removed from the village, however, was far from without action.
Several times, Kakashi had signalled for the group to halt abruptly, and spent a number of moments carefully surveying their surroundings before allowing the cell to continue on. When they stopped for a third time in less than a mile, Kakashi notified the group that they were likely being trailed. It wasn't until halfway through the sixth mile of walking that the reality of the Jonin's declaration would come to pass.
"None of you move. Stay as still as you can. Keep formation." Kakashi said authoritatively, halting their advance in the middle of a grassy clearing. All three genin obliged and lowered themselves into defensive stances around Tazuna. For an unnervingly long amount of time, there was silence. Just as Naruto began considering speaking up, the soundlessness was shattered utterly. In a flash, faster than could be reacted to by any of the three genin, two blurs crashed across the clearing from either side, with Kakashi being caught between them.
In an instant, the silver-haired jonin was bisected in a spray of blood and guts. Standing in the wake of the horrible scene that remained of their sensei were two figures, both of whom were bandaged across their faces with chain-like weapons strapped to their arms.
"For a Jonin, he certainly was simple to surprise." one of them rasped darkly. The other then turned his attention to the genin, who had indeed maintained their formation, but were all looking on feeling quite helpless.
"Easy pickings from here." the second of the chain-bearing men said. The pair then burst forward in a straight line. Despite their shock, and the absence of their leader, the cell all steeled themselves to defend both their lives and Tazuna's. Just before they could collide with Shikamaru, who was at the front of the trifecta, the pair veered off to their left harshly and redirected themselves toward Naruto. In spite of the extremity of the shift, the directional alteration took place at such a speed that the blonde was completely unprepared for the assault when it came to him.
With both of the men bearing down toward him, Naruto drew a kunai and prepared a futile attempt to repel the charge. A split second before the men could reach him, however, they were both stopped in place and sent staggering back by an unseen force. In the blur, Naruto had flinched and closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he saw Satsuki.
She had leapt into action just in time to intercept the two men, and had done so by performing a mid-air split to slam her shin bones into their oncoming skulls. The impact had done little to actually stun them, but it had sent them back a few feet and bought the genin a moment of time to breath.
"You look a little shaky. Terrified already, Naruto?" Satsuki asked with a smirk as she glanced back at him. Though his blood boiled at her gall, Naruto swallowed his pride and stepped forward to join her in their likely pointless fight against the terrifying Ninja before them.
"Not in a thousand years." he said as firmly as he could. Before either of them could act, the men suddenly froze in place, completely immobilized. It took little time for the reason as to why to hit them in the back of the head.
"I can't hold them long! If you're gonna do something, do it now!" Shikamaru yelled from his position several meters away. The commotion had contained the two enemy Ninja in one place just long enough for the Nara to line up his shadow with theirs. Needing no further prompting, Naruto and Satsuki rushed forward with Kunai in hand. Though the raven-haired girl was able to inflict a minor wound on her chosen target before the effects of her teammate's paralyzing jutsu could wear off, Naruto was not so fortunate.
The slight difference in speed between himself and the Uchiha had placed him a half-beat behind, and the chain-bearing man he had chosen to attack regained control of his body just long enough to leap out of range of the blonde's swing for his jugular vein.
"For a group of children, you've done well. Be proud of that. It will be your final accomplishment." hissed one of the Ninja. In stark contrast with her usual confidence and swagger, Satsuki took a step back and swallowed as the men prowled forward.
"Got another one of those in you, Shikamaru?" she called to her undriven teammate. The Nara shook his head nervously and circled to put himself between the commotion and Tazuna. Satsuki then glanced at Naruto.
"Any ideas?" she asked. The blonde pursed his lips and tightened his grip on the kunai he held in his left hand.
"Maybe one or two, but they're probably suicidal." he said honestly. As the seemingly inevitable conclusion of their young lives grew nearer, both literally and figuratively, a slight shifting sound caught the attention of all those involved in the scuffle. Then, in similar fashion to the arrival of the two men terrorizing Team Seven, another flash whipped its way into view, this time knocking both of the enemy Ninja flat on their backs.
"K-Kakashi-sensei…? I thought you were…" Naruto began as his surprisingly healthy-looking teacher held their oppressors down against the ground by their throats. The silver-haired Ninja looked back at his clearly-shocked genin over his shoulder and gave a smile underneath his mask.
"Eight out of ten, I'd say. Some good and bad in that performance, but mostly encouraging. I've got it from here." he assured them. A few moments later, both of the men who had been attacking them were tied to a tree and gagged. Though they had known it beforehand, it was now perfectly clear to all three of the genin that Kakashi was several large, extensive levels beyond them in every respect.
"Come on over, all of you. You included, Tazuna." he called to the group after confirming that he had securely captured their enemies. Once they were all present before him, Kakashi narrowed his eyes and shot a glare in the direction of the bridge builder.
"You have quite a bit of explaining to do. These aren't bandits. Not even close. These two are known as the Demon Brothers. They're Chunin." he said sharply, letting his words sink in for a few moments before continuing.
"If you're a simple bridge builder, why the hell are A-ranked criminals after you? Something bigger is going on here, and I want to know exactly what. Talk, Tazuna. Spare no details." he demanded seriously. The old man stared at the Jonin in tense silence for nearly a full minute before finally working up the nerve to respond.
"I am a bridge builder, but...maybe I was a bit dishonest about my importance." he said nervously. Kakashi snorted and jammed his thumb toward the Demon Brothers.
"Clearly. Now start talking." he snapped bluntly. Tazuna then took a deep breath and forced himself to relax somewhat.
"The bridge I'm directing the construction of is vitally important. The Land of Waves has been under the thumb of a Mob Boss for the past decade. Gato is the name, if you've heard it before. The bridge would open up trade with the Land of Fire. It would jumpstart our economy." he said, taking a pensive sip from his flask between thoughts.
"If we were able to control our trade again, we would be able to wiggle free from his grip and possibly build up the funds to actually drive him out. Gato knows what we're trying to do, and he wants me dead. If I die, that bridge probably goes up in smoke." he finished. Kakashi silently assessed the situation, weighing multiple variables at once.
"I have half a mind to turn around and leave you here with these freaks until they break free. You blatantly lied to get a lower price for security, and complained relentlessly about my team's services. You put them in danger, too. This is closer to an A-ranked mission than a C-ranked mission." the Jonin said in a dark tone. Tazuna tensed and stepped forward.
"Please reconsider. Without this bridge, my country will be completely helpless." he begged desperately. Kakashi shrugged his shoulders.
"I really don't give a single damn about your country, Tazuna. The Land of Waves is small, and if Gato ever got bold enough to try anything brave in the Land of Fire, we have the forces to squash him inside of a month. I don't see why I should care." he said somewhat coldly. Though he opened his mouth to argue initially, the old man hung his head in defeat. The Jonin then turned back to his team, who were all looking on silently.
"Let's go back home. I'll work out a C-ranked mission for us tomorrow. We've done enough for today. I'll give you all a chunk of my monthly pay." he offered. Much to his surprise, all three of the genin shook their heads.
"I don't see why we shouldn't go through with this. We're already here, and we dealt with our first problem just fine. Let's see this through." Naruto said firmly, drawing nods of agreement from his teammates. Kakashi raised an eyebrow.
"You do realize that you definitely would have died if I hadn't stepped in, right?" he asked skeptically. Satsuki shrugged her shoulders and stepped forward.
"Yeah, but we still managed to hold them off, and it's not like you won't be here for us again. I don't like the idea of backing out. I hate to say it, but I agree with Naruto." she said. The silver-haired Jonin's eyes then drifted to Shikamaru.
"What do you think of it?" he asked. The shadow user gestured to Naruto and Satsuki and brushed some dust from his shoulder.
"About the same. My mom would kill me if she found out I ran away from danger. I'd rather deal with this than her, honestly." he said in a matter-of-fact tone. With the vote unanimous, Kakashi took a deep breath and looked back to Tazuna, who was wide-eyed.
"Count yourself lucky. They're a hell of a lot nicer than I am. Now go set up our tents. We're stopping here for the day." he ordered the old man, who eagerly scampered to his feet to oblige. The Jonin then pointed to Naruto and Satsuki.
"Go get some firewood. Shikamaru and I will catch something." he said. The genin all nodded and did as they were told, with the blonde and the Uchiha striking out to gather wood while Shikamaru remained the Kakashi to hunt.
Though they all knew it to be a risky decision, they never could have known just how life-altering the chain of events they had set in motion would be.
A/N: Okay, so I know I definitely rushed that a little, but don't worry. I'll be taking my time with the Wave Arc. The next few chapters will be far less jumbled, and I'll be introducing something...unconventional ;)
Sorry if this chapter was bad. Don't love how it turned out tbh. Tell me what you thought in a review anyway :)
See you next chapter! Read and Review!
