HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!
As a beautiful apology for taking ages to update Chapter 6, I decided to get started on this chapter ASAP... And guess what? It ended up HUGE. D:
For those who dislike long chapters, I'm terribly sorry! But like I said, I couldn't take out necessary things... And well... I think it's about time Ami got her first official mission, don't you? \o/
Ops, spoiler alert! Be prepared! ^^
Thank you MitsukiCHANandNarutoKUN for your review, you have no idea how happy I get when someone likes my stories *-*
Let's get to it, shall we? Enjoy!
Chapter Seven
Ami paced around impatiently. Although she should've been used to Kakashi's tardiness by now, this was beginning to get ridiculous. With a load groan she decided to walk around the village and hopefully spot him.
She didn't waste much time on her walk, practically dashing around the place. Some of the villagers even thought she was one some sort of mission. She could hear some whispering on how much she'd grown. It made her feel quite happy, although she'd never admit it.
"Don't go down there!" A random boy with spiky light brown hair whispered, worriedly.
"What? Why not?" Ami asked curiously.
"Shinobi are fighting!" The child said.
"Three of ours against two strangers in cloaks." A girl with short green hair stated.
"One of them is Hatake Kakashi! I know because he's my idol!" The boy said eagerly.
Ami froze suddenly. It would definitely explain why he was so late. She silently guided the two children away from the battle and quickly masked her chakra. She needed to make sure they were all safe.
The fight didn't seem too intense. Kakashi stood in between two other shinobi. They had their eyes closed. Standing before them was someone she knew all too well. Without hesitating she ran back to find help. There had to be someone around that could help them. Itachi was dangerous and she wouldn't let him harm anyone else she cared for.
"Nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-seven. Nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-"
"What are you doing?" Ami asked curiously, as she approached a man wearing a strange-looking green jumpsuit and hanging upside down from a tree trunk.
"Exercising of course!" The man grinned.
"Right... You're a jounin, aren't you?" Ami asked anxiously.
"Of course I am, Uchiha!"
"How do you know-"
"Hatake Kakashi is a good friend of mine. I know about all his students. Past and present. How may I be of assistance?" He said, leaping off the tree and landing perfectly on his two feet.
"I think Kakashi's in trouble. He's down by the main path to the park. He's fighting my brother, Itachi."
"Well there's no time to waste then! Hang in there Kakashi! Gai is coming to the rescue!"
Ami watched as the man, apparently known as Gai, ran off in a strange manner.
x.x
Naruto prepared to leave with Jiraiya. His overly large backpack hanging behind him. Ami paused and watched him from afar. Should she bid him farewell? Wish him good luck on whatever mission he was setting off to? She didn't really know what to do. She wasn't even sure what she was feeling. She allowed her feet to start moving forward.
"Ami."
She stopped suddenly and turned to find her brother tapping his foot irritably.
"Sasuke!" She said, visibly relieved. "I was looking for you. He was here."
"What are you on about?" Sasuke sighed.
Ami held on tighter to her brother's shirt. She was never capable of holding back her tears when she was around him and he knew it. He just didn't understand why she was like this.
"Who was here?" He insisted.
"Never mind." She cried even more. "It was a dream. It wasn't real."
Sasuke sighed and ran his hand through her hair. The only dreams capable of making her feel this way were the ones that involved Itachi.
"He won't hurt us ever again. I promise you." Sasuke whispered.
"Don't." Ami said suddenly. Sasuke stared at her confused. "Don't make me any promises unless it means you'll stay by my side forever. No matter what."
"Ami-"
"Don't! I can see it in your eyes. You're angrier than you've ever been and I don't want you to be this way. We'll get back at him someday. I know we will. But you can't let that control you!" She shouted.
Sasuke said nothing in return. The last thing he needed was to start an argument. Ami sighed and walked off. Sasuke frowned and followed closely behind.
"Stop that." Ami huffed.
"No." Sasuke smirked. Ami groaned loudly, making Sasuke laugh quietly. "We should go see Kakashi."
"Why?" Ami asked curiously, stopping right in front of him.
"To talk... About our training. I want us to train together. We've been too apart lately."
Ami smiled and hugged him tightly. She silently hoped Kakashi was home, safe and sound already.
x.x
"They're trouble, but from the look of things it doesn't seem like they've found Naruto yet." Gai stated.
"That's what's crazy. It doesn't add up!" Asuma sighed. "I mean, they had already infiltrated the village. It should be easy for them to find Naruto around here."
Ami quickly ran up the stairs. Sasuke trailed behind, amusing himself at his sister's sudden excitement.
"He's home." She said eagerly, as she heard muffled voices coming from inside. Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows.
"Besides, Itachi knows Naruto's face already." Asuma concluded.
Gai heard the loud footsteps outside and silenced everyone immediately. Sasuke entered Kakashi's apartment without knocking, despite Ami telling him not to. He went straight towards his Sensei's room, where he heard voices, now much clearer than before.
"Kakashi-" He froze when he realised the wild haired man was lying asleep on his bed.
"Why is Kakashi Sensei asleep?" Ami asked curiously, as she walked into the room.
"Why is this room full of jounin? What are you doing?" Sasuke asked irritably.
"What happened? Is he hurt? You did find him in time, didn't you?" Ami said, shaking Gai's arm from side to side.
Gai opened his mouth but no words came out. He looked towards Asuma and Kurenai, hoping they had a decent answer for the Uchiha siblings. Their attention was drawn towards the door once more when they noticed someone else entering the domain.
"Hey is it true that Itachi has returned and that he's come here to get Naruto?"
Ami stared at the person standing by the door. She had no idea who the man was. Sasuke clenched his fists and turned towards the man.
"Idiot." Kurenai mumbled.
"He's after Naruto? Why the heck is he after Naruto? I thought he was after us!" Ami shouted.
"You knew he was here?" Sasuke frowned.
"I... Well... Possibly." Ami said quietly.
Sasuke groaned and ran out quickly, pushing past the man standing in the doorway. Gai yelled in frustration and Ami looked over towards Kakashi worriedly.
"Of all the moments in the world, you pick this one to be asleep?" She whispered.
x.x
Ami knew Sasuke would search for Naruto all over the village. But she knew more or less where to find him. She wasn't going to allow Itachi to capture him. Not now, not ever. She was determined to not allow her brother to ruin her life any more.
"Sasuke!" Ami had managed to catch up to him. He obviously had managed to gather the information needed to find Naruto and was already heading out.
They soon reached a small town, not too far from Konoha.
"We should look around." Ami said quietly.
"Then I guess we'll have to go door to door. I'll take one side, you take the other. Send a signal if you find him." Sasuke ordered before running off.
Ami ran from door to door, like her brother ordered, as quickly as she could. She would ask if they'd seen a blond boy with a big man, with white hair. So far she'd had no luck. After going through what seemed to be fifteen different doors, she spotted Sasuke waving his arms around. He'd found him. It was now or never.
"What room is he in?" Sasuke asked the lady at the counter.
"Let's see... That would be room number one, on the second floor-"
The two dashed off before the woman could even finish explaining where the room was. Sasuke ran ahead, much faster than Ami was used to seeing. Sasuke knocked on the door impatiently and sighed because it was taking ages. Ami finally caught up to him when the door was being opened.
"It's not him." Ami said, almost in tears.
"Then let's go!" Sasuke shouted, already running ahead.
x.x
"It's been a long time." Itachi said calmly.
Naruto and Kisame stared at him confused. Kisame soon felt the different presence and looked back. He grinned when he spotted the two young Uchiha's, he was ready to prance on them.
"Uchiha Itachi." Sasuke spat.
Naruto's eyes widened once he realised.
"They look an awful lot like you." Kisame grinned. "I thought you'd wiped out the entire clan."
"I hope you're ready to die." Sasuke interrupted angrily.
Ami clenched her fists and activated her Sharingan. Naruto noticed both her and Sasuke let their anger grow and stared. He was aware of what Sasuke was becoming, but was it possible that Ami was going down the same path?
Sasuke ran towards them with a chidori in hand. Ami held her breath in anticipation, waiting for the perfect opening. She suddenly felt the need for new techniques. Itachi easily grabbed hold of Sasuke's hand. Naruto groaned and focused his chakra, gaining the attention of Kisame. But as quickly as his chakra came forward, it left.
"It's the sword! His sword absorbs chakra!" Ami shouted.
Itachi clenched Sasuke's wrist tightly, making him fall to the floor in pain. Ami frowned and dashed towards her brother. She attempted to kick him, but he grabbed her foot. She spun round quickly and tried to kick him once more, but he did the same move, making her fall to the ground. She remembered what Kei had told her about the Mangekyou Sharingan and tried to focus on her painful memories. Her eyes felt like they were burning and she cried out in pain. Sasuke looked over to her worriedly.
"What are you doing?" Itachi whispered.
His attention was torn away from his sister when he realised Jiraiya appearing right behind Naruto. Sasuke crawled over to Ami and cradled her protectively.
"What happened, Ami? Please answer me." Sasuke whispered worriedly.
Ami's eyes were wide. She stared up at nothing. Slowly, her mind drifted back into the memories of that painful night.
x.x
Genma was emotionlessly walking across the village when he spotted Naruto, Gai and Jiraiya carrying the Uchiha siblings. He sighed and walked up to them.
"I heard about Itachi. How are they?" He asked worriedly.
"They'll be fine eventually. Naruto and I are going to search for Tsunade." Jiraiya stated.
Genma carefully took Ami into his arms and stared at Jiraiya. Gai adjusted Sasuke onto his back and grinned.
"Genma and I will take these kids to the Hospital. You two should head out."
"Good luck." Genma sighed.
"No need! We'll be back with Tsunade in no time!" Naruto exclaimed eagerly.
Naruto followed Jiraiya quietly. The old man was going slower than Naruto had wanted him to. He silently wondered why exactly those two wanted him in the first place. He noticed Jiraiya was also deep in thought and figured the old man must know something.
"So pervy sage, are you going to tell me why those guys were after me or what?" Naruto asked.
"They weren't after you exactly. It's more like they were after what's inside of you." Jiraiya sighed.
"This thing... It terrorized the entire village, destroyed lives... Why would they want something like that?" Naruto sadly wondered, stopping in his tracks.
Jiraiya looked back at the saddened young boy and sighed.
"Let's not worry about that fact now. We should focus on our purpose for being here."
"Right!" Naruto beamed. "How exactly are we going to find Tsunade?"
"I meant your training." Jiraiya smirked.
"Oh! That too!" Naruto grinned.
"Just in case you ever encounter those guys again and I'm not around. I need to make sure you'll be able to handle yourself."
Naruto frowned at the thought of Itachi. He'd managed to hurt both Sasuke and Ami with no effort whatsoever.
"I want to get stronger so I can help them next time." Naruto said angrily.
Jiraiya stared at the blond boy curiously.
"He hurt them... So easily. He didn't even move! It wasn't a fair fight." Naruto frowned. "Did you see her face? She looked terrified. I've never seen her so scared."
Jiraiya smiled. Naruto was growing and feelings came along with it. Although he possibly still couldn't realise, he was slowly falling for the young Uchiha girl. It would definitely make an interesting love story.
"Come on kid, we haven't got all day." Jiraiya smiled.
"Pervy sage?"
"Yes, Naruto?"
"I mean it. I want to be strong enough to protect her next time." Naruto said quietly.
x.x
Ami blinked. She was slowly coming to her senses. The room was very bright and it hurt her eyes. Her eyes... She remembered the pain she'd felt before. But it wasn't there anymore.
"You've done it." She knew that voice. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "I knew you'd be able to."
She slowly sat up and stared at her surroundings. Finally her eyes spotted a familiar face.
"Kei?" She said in shock. "Is it really you?"
"I can't stay, Ami. But I decided to come back to see how you were." Kei smiled.
"Where were you? I went looking for you. Kakashi wants to meet you."
"I'd rather only you and your brother know of my existence, Ami." Kei sighed.
"But-"
"Please. Do not tell Kakashi I came back. Do not tell anyone. Do you understand?" He insisted.
"Yes." Ami frowned.
"But you've done it. You focused and opened up your mind. You've felt the pain. Now all you need to do is transform that pain into power. Then you'll have it." Kei smiled.
Ami sighed. She wasn't entirely sure how she could figure it all out on her own. She was going to ask Kei for some more advice, but when she looked up once again, he was gone. She wanted him to stay. The more Uchiha's around her, the better.
Ami eventually managed to sneak out of her Hospital room and into the village. She was quite glad to see familiar faces again. She spotted Genma running around from door to door and decided to go bother him for a while.
"What are you up to?" She wondered.
"Spreading the word." Genma smirked. "Shouldn't you be resting?"
"I think I've rested enough. What sort of gossip are you spreading around this time?" Ami smirked back.
"It's not gossip, Uchiha. It's a fact. The fifth Hokage's been selected."
Ami stared at Genma for a few good seconds before running off in the opposite direction.
"Isn't she supposed to be resting?" Raido asked, as he appeared behind Genma.
"Apparently she's rested enough." Genma laughed.
Ami ran towards the Hokage tower. She'd heard people talking about their next Hokage being one of the three legendary Sennin. She had to confirm it. On the way, she spotted Naruto heading into the Hospital with a tall blonde woman, and a smaller woman with short black hair.
"Naruto!" She called out, cheerfully.
Naruto spun round once he heard Ami's voice and grinned. Ami pulled him into a hug as soon as she reached him.
"Oh this is so cute!" The smaller woman whispered.
Ami furrowed her eyebrows and stared at the two women.
"This is Tsunade, the fifth Hokage." Naruto said, pointing towards the blonde woman. "And that's her assistant, Shizune."
"Honoured to finally meet you." Ami bowed, politely.
"There's no need for bowing. Come on, Tsunade's going to help Sasuke." Naruto said, dragging Ami into the Hospital.
"Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you!" One of the nurses scolded once she saw Ami entering the building.
Sakura was sitting beside Sasuke again. Much to Ami's displeasure. She tried not to be the jealous little sister, but she couldn't stand it when Sakura and Ino drooled over her brother. Tsunade casually walked in and wasted no time on treating him. Sakura watched the woman work intently. Ami gasped when she saw her brother open his eyes.
"No way." She and Sakura whispered simultaneously.
Both girls ran and hugged him tightly. Naruto smiled and made his way towards the door.
"Come on... You're not done yet."
"Yeah! There's still Kakashi to be taken care of." Ami grinned.
"I... I can stay here with Sasuke." Sakura said quietly.
Ami frowned slightly but agreed. Sakura's crush wasn't going to die down any time soon. She might as well try to get used to the idea.
"Disgraceful." Tsunade sighed. "To be taken completely out of the game, by two low life punks like that. I thought you were supposed to be the best."
Kakashi stared at the woman with a fowl expression. Ami held back her giggles. She wasn't about to make her Sensei even angrier, otherwise he'd take it all out on her on the training grounds.
"Sorry to disappoint you." Kakashi mumbled.
"Ok! That's Kakashi Sensei all done. So just one more and you're all done!" Naruto cheered.
"Rock Lee! He's right next door! Next door!" Gai, who had been clinging behind all of them, shouted eagerly.
Ami stared at the man with the green jumpsuit. How he and Kakashi were such good friends was completely beyond her imagination. They all quickly ran out of the room, allowing Kakashi more peace and quiet. However, Ami decided to keep him company a while longer.
"How are you feeling?" He asked eventually.
"Much better actually." She smiled.
"I guess I must say that I'm very thankful that you called Gai that day." Kakashi sighed. "I'm also surprised that you didn't barge in yourself."
"I was afraid to barge in." Ami said quietly.
"So you should be. You're not ready for him. Not yet." Kakashi stated.
"Will I ever be?"
"Of course you will!" Kakashi smiled through his mask. "I'm your Sensei, remember? When have I ever let you down?"
Ami laughed slightly. She hoped she'd get stronger soon. She had to be at level with Sasuke and both needed to be at level with Itachi. Or better.
"Could you teach me the Chidori?" Ami wondered.
"I suppose I could." Kakashi sighed.
"Really?" Ami beamed. "Great! Can Sasuke and I have training sessions together too?"
"Don't push your luck, kid." Kakashi laughed.
x.x
Ami collected the seventh missing cat of the day. She wasn't exactly a cat person, but doing D-rank missions seemed much more interesting than training at the moment. She needed a certain amount of D-ranks before finally getting a chance on a C-rank. She overheard some chunnin complaining about the proximity of the next Chunnin Exam and Ami was determined to be a part of it.
Shikamaru and his father were going through piles of paperwork, in the Hokage tower, registering necessary information. Ami happily walked but said nothing.
"What can we do for you?" Shikaku asked.
"Is it true that there's another upcoming Chunnin Exam?"
"Where did you hear that?" Shikamaru asked curiously.
"It's true." Shikaku sighed.
"Where do I sign up?" Ami beamed.
"You can't." Shikaku answered simply. "You can only sign up if your Sensei gives you permission."
Ami groaned. She'd have to find a way of getting Kakashi to go along with the idea. Perhaps her brother could be of assistance. Shikamaru and Shikaku finished their work and began to gather their belongings.
"Are you coming?" Shikamaru asked, bringing Ami back to the real world.
"Coming where?" Ami asked, tilting her head sideways. Shikamaru sighed.
"Fifth Hokage's-"
"Oh! That's today? I thought it wasn't going to happen for a while. Yes, of course I'm coming. Let's go!"
Shikaku laughed as the young Uchiha ran out of the building.
Ami managed to push past the villagers and find her brother hidden in the crowd. She wrapped her arm around his and leaned against his shoulder.
"Someone's excited." He stated, in his usual frown.
"Everyone's excited. You should be too." Ami smiled.
Tsunade finally appeared before everyone. Cheers were heard everywhere. Even Naruto beamed in happiness. Ami nudged her brother slightly and he eventually let out a small smile.
"From this day on, I shall protect this village as the fifth Hokage!"
x.x
"Where are you off to?" Ami shouted as she ran down the stairs, clumsily tripping over her two feet.
Sasuke stopped by the door and turned just in time to catch the young girl before she fell to the ground.
"No where special. But I already know that I must talk to Kakashi if I see him." Sasuke sighed.
"Can I come with you?" Ami grinned.
Sasuke rolled his eyes and closed the door. He ushered his sister to the kitchen and insisted she had breakfast before heading out.
They soon found Naruto and Sakura. Naruto seemed as if he was up to something mischievous. Although Ami wouldn't admit it out loud, especially in front of Sasuke, but she was definitely up for something fun and mischievous.
"You want to see it, don't you? I think it's about time." Naruto whispered.
"What are you talking about?" Sakura whined.
Naruto took out a torch from his backpack. Ami and Sasuke exchanged confused looks before turning back towards the blond boy.
"Kakashi Sensei's real face!" Naruto said, in a spooky voice and holding the torch under his chin. Sakura screamed and hit him on his head.
"This is lame." Sasuke stated, rolling his eyes. "You can count me out. I'd rather chase after lost cats."
"Yeah, you're totally right." Sakura sighed.
Ami smirked, realising Sakura's true intentions. Perhaps the pink haired, Sasuke-fangirl, wasn't so bad after all. She just needed some extra motivation.
"What if he has big lips?" Ami smirked.
Sasuke turned back quickly. Sakura and Naruto widened their eyes. All four silently imagined Kakashi revealing enormous lips from behind his mask.
"Or maybe buck teeth." Naruto grinned evilly.
"I'm in." Sasuke and Sakura stated.
x.x
They found Kakashi hanging by the gates with Genma and Raido. Naruto and Sasuke both surprisingly agreed that Sakura and Ami should use their female cuteness to get Kakashi to agree to go to lunch with them. It didn't take much convincing, especially after Sakura stated that they'd treat him for a change.
"The four of you treating me to lunch? I wouldn't be surprised if it snowed on me... Or something." Kakashi said, looking around and making sure there were no traps ready to get him.
"Just eat up." Ami grinned happily.
"You guys are up to something. I'm sure of it."
"What? Are you crazy?" Naruto laughed nervously.
"Kakashi Sensei, you just got out of the Hospital." Sakura chirped.
Kakashi finally gave in and grabbed a pair of chopsticks. The four children cautiously watched and waited for their Sensei to pull down his mask.
He was halfway down the bridge of his nose when Ino, Chouji and Shikamaru jumped into the scene. Ino seemed eager to see Sasuke out and about. Naruto and Sakura screamed while Sasuke and Ami face palmed.
"Get out of the way, Ino pig!" Sakura shouted.
Ami smirked at the nickname. Sakura definitely was growing on her.
"That was delicious." Kakashi said eventually.
The seven present froze instantly. Ami stared at the empty ramen bowl in disbelief.
"So fast." Naruto mumbled.
Ichiraku and Ayame stared at Kakashi in complete awe.
"Ok... Now I'm curious." Sasuke frowned.
Sasuke decided they should follow Kakashi around for the day. The wild haired man eventually stopped at the book shop and practically drooled over a number of books. Kakashi eventually found the four of them, but they ran off as quickly as they could.
Sasuke then suggested they follow him one at a time. Naruto was the first to go, but lost him pretty fast. Sakura and Ami decided to go together. They found Kakashi staring at a gravestone for hours.
"What is he doing over there? He hasn't moved in ages." Sakura whined.
"This is too depressing, even for him." Ami mumbled.
"Wait a minute!" Sakura shouted suddenly.
The pink haired girl ran out of the trees and over to Kakashi. Ami stayed back, not understanding what Sakura was up to. She only ran down when she heard Sakura scream.
"Seriously? We've just spent hours watching a fake?" Ami complained loudly.
They returned to their rendezvous point, frowning.
Sasuke was the last to go, but he returned almost just as quickly as Naruto had. He had said he'd become tired of shadowing their Sensei.
Ami decided she wanted to eat dumplings that evening. Kakashi stopped her, holding a small scroll in her face.
"I have no idea what that is and I didn't do anything." Ami said quickly.
"I'm not here because you've done something." Kakashi laughed. "It's a mission outside of Konoha. One that Squad Seven will be doing tomorrow."
"I guess that means no training tomorrow." Ami frowned.
"Well no... You'll be too busy for training." Kakashi said cheerfully.
"I will?" Ami beamed.
"Well, you are a part of Squad Seven, aren't you?"
Ami screamed in pure joy and hugged Kakashi tightly.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I won't let you down, I promise."
x.x
The four were much more determined than Kakashi had ever seen them. He figured it was Ami's excitement rubbing off on everyone else.
They soon reached the inn where they'd be resting. The owner greeted them very eagerly. They were led to their room, where they found a table filled with food, waiting to be eaten.
"Oh this is too good!" Naruto exclaimed happily.
The five sat around the table. Kakashi noticed his four students silently waiting for something to happen.
"What's wrong with you lot? No one's picking up their chopsticks."
"Oh it's nothing. Don't wait on us, Kakashi Sensei. You go ahead and eat." Sakura insisted.
"Actually... I'm kind of on a diet right now." Kakashi said.
Ami rolled her eyes and grabbed a pair of chopsticks. Naruto smirked towards a tea pot that was placed neatly in front of him. He suddenly threw it up in the air, claiming his hand slipped. Ami stared at the scene. Kakashi suddenly jumped up and protected himself with the table, making all the food fall to the floor.
The four huddled together after Kakashi left to apologise for making a mess in their room.
"Don't worry. I have a plan." Sasuke smirked.
Naruto and Sasuke had managed to convince Kakashi to head out to the hot springs with them. Sakura and Ami both frowned for not being able to follow them. They soon returned to the room, dumbfounded that Kakashi had covered his face with a towel.
Naruto came up with the next plan. He, Sasuke and Sakura dressed up as rogue ninja. Ami huffed about being left out of the game plan once again, but proceeded to distract Kakashi as much as she could.
Kakashi began to work on the fence while Ami brushed the horses.
"Where are the others?" Kakashi sighed.
"No idea." Ami replied innocently.
The three finally appeared, dressed up in the clothes Naruto, had randomly found.
"Hatake Kakashi!" A disguised Naruto demanded.
"What are you three up to now?" Kakashi sighed.
"What are you talking about? We're just three wandering ninja. It's not like we want to see what's under your mask or-"
Sakura hit Naruto on the head before he could finish his sentence.
At that moment, three random people jumped up and claimed they wanted Kakashi.
"Well it's about time you decided to show yourselves." Kakashi mumbled.
He dropped a now tied up trio by his feet. Sakura exchanged worried looks with Ami and the young Uchiha came into play immediately.
"You fool's! You fell right into our trap! We've known all along you've been targeting Kakashi Sensei!"
The trio mentally smirked at Ami's declaration.
"That's impossible! Are you telling me we were exposed from the very beginning?" One of the strangers spoke up.
"Of course! We did all this just to lure you guys out." Ami smirked.
"Well I'm not sure I really get what's going on around here, but whatever." Kakashi shrugged.
Ami untied the trio while Kakashi took care of the three strangers.
Naruto eventually picked up the courage and walked straight up to Kakashi.
"Sensei... What's behind that mask of yours?"
"My mask? Well if you wanted to see what was behind my mask, you should've just said so." Kakashi sighed.
"So does that mean you'll show us?" Sakura asked hopefully.
"Sure. I don't mind." Kakashi shrugged.
The four children gathered around Kakashi, anxiously waiting for him to pull down his mask and finally reveal what was hidden behind it.
Kakashi sighed and slowly began to pull down his mask. "Behind this mask..."
The four stared up at Kakashi with eyes wide. Behind that mask...
"Is another mask!"
x.x
"Ok! Let's do it! Whatever the mission is, I'm ready to go!" Naruto yelled.
"Where's Kakashi?" Ami asked curiously.
"Kakashi won't be here at all." Tsunade stated as she entered the room. "All of our jounin are busy on other missions. You four will have to handle yourselves on your own."
"So I still get to go?" Ami asked eagerly.
Sasuke sighed at his sister's excitement.
"Yes. It's an important B-rank-"
"B-rank? I'm actually going on a B-rank mission?" Ami jumped cheerfully, not caring that she'd just interrupted the Hokage.
"As I was saying, it's an important B-rank escort mission. But it could turn into an A-rank mission if you run into trouble." Tsunade continued.
"So who are we escorting?" Sasuke asked.
"I don't know." Tsunade replied casually. "Every four years our neighbour, the Land of Tea, holds a dedication ceremony at the Great Todoroki Shrine. Each time we're asked to escort a runner who will participate in the race, which is part of the ceremonies. This year, the messengers who were bringing the request were attacked before they could get here."
"Who attacked them?" Naruto wondered.
"I'm completely lost." Sakura sighed.
"Don't worry about that for now. When you meet Jirocho, he'll fill you in on everything." Tsunade stated.
"Jirocho, the gambler guy!" Naruto exclaimed.
"They're expecting you in the Land of Tea by the end of the day. So get moving!" Tsunade ordered.
Ami was skipping out of the room in pure joy. She had a huge smile spread across her face and didn't care who saw her. Finally a mission she's been waiting for!
They were barely half way when Naruto decided it would be a good idea to stop for a lunch break, despite everyone's disagreement. The four quietly waited for their food after they had placed their orders. Naruto seemed just as excited as Ami about being on such an important and high ranked mission.
Out of nowhere, a random boy stopped by their table. He seemed to be slightly older than them, but not by much. He wore dark shorts, t-shirt and had some sort of cloak over it all. His dark hair was tied back in a pony tail. Ami thought he looked like a much younger version of Kei.
"Just sitting around in the shade, sucking down sweet bean soup? A ninja's life is pretty cosy." He snickered.
"What did you just say?" Naruto said angrily. Sasuke nudged his arm to make sure he stayed put.
"Guess you don't get much action in your village. Judging by how out of shape you look." The boy smirked. Sasuke frowned at him.
The boy turned his attention to the two girls who sat opposite Naruto and Sasuke.
"Hey sweeties. I didn't mean you two of course. I'm Morino Idate. What about you?" He smirked. Sakura blushed slightly and Ami stared at the boy.
"Are you going to punch him in the nose Sakura, or should I do it for you?" Naruto shouted angrily.
"Sakura." Idate's smirk never faded. "I guess that leaves only you."
Sasuke clenched his fists and prepared to punch Idate across the face. Ami stood suddenly and frowned at her brother. She then proceeded to hold out a hand towards Idate and smiled.
"I'm Uchiha Ami."
"Sakura and Ami... Beautiful names for beautiful girls. Since fate brought us all together, why don't we talk about our future?"
"Future?" Sakura asked confused.
"Our future, in which you give up this ninja nonsense and run away with me." Idate smiled.
Ami frowned and decided she'd let her brother deal with the stranger.
"Quit hitting on them or I'm going to start hitting you!" Naruto shouted angrily.
"Relax, I was just kidding." Idate sighed. "But the rest of it was no joke. If there's one thing I hate, its ninja. So I suggest you go back to where you came from, otherwise there will be trouble."
"Oh yeah? Well bring it on tough guy!" Naruto stated furiously.
"Calm down, Naruto." Sakura ordered.
"She's right. We haven't got time to waste with him." Sasuke snickered.
"What? After what he just did, you're going to just let it slide? What happened to your pride as a brother and a shinobi?" Naruto whined.
None of them noticed that Idate had already disappeared from where he once stood. Ami looked around the room in disbelief. Could she really not have noticed him leave? Their food eventually arrived, along with two bills. Idate had left his for them to pay.
"That's it, there's no way we're letting him get away with this." Naruto said angrily, already running out.
Sasuke and Ami followed closely behind while Sakura paid the bills.
"I don't know what this kid's training has been, but he's incredibly fast." Sasuke stated.
The four set out as fast as they could, in order to find the so called Idate. It didn't take long for them to find him. Especially since Idate had been clumsy enough to not look where he was going. He ended up tripping on tree roots.
"Serve's you right." Naruto shouted, appearing just above Idate.
"You've got a lot of nerve." Sasuke stated, standing on a tree behind. Sakura stared down at Idate angrily.
"Did you really think you'd get away with it?" Ami smirked, appearing towards his right, on the ground. Kunai held tightly in hand.
Idate clenched his teeth for a few seconds, before falling to the ground whining and claiming he was sorry. Ami lowered her hand and looked towards the others, hoping someone would know what to do.
"I couldn't pay the bill because all my money was stolen and then you guys came! I shouldn't have done it but I didn't know what else to do!" He continued whining.
"You could have just said so in the first place." Ami sighed.
She walked over to him, closely followed by the others. Naruto opened his mouth but something fell on his head before any words could come out. He reached out to grab the small object, which was now on the floor, but Idate quickly snatched it.
"Hands off. This belongs to me." He said angrily.
Idate slowly removed his leg weight and held them up. Ami stared at him, wondering what he could be up to now.
"On your mark... Get set... Go!"
Idate dropped the leg weights, resulting in a thick cloud of smoke. Ami quickly coughed her way through, only to realise the boy was on the move once more.
"Let's go!" She shouted, before speeding ahead of the team.
She activated her Sharingan and made sure she had him on lockdown. He wasn't escaping this time.
"Ami! He's too fast! We won't catch him and we'll delay the mission!" Sasuke shouted out, hoping his sister would hear.
Ami stopped in her tracks and watched as Idate sped away. He was too fast. She sighed and walked back towards the others, deactivating her Sharingan along the way.
"I'll get him next time." She muttered.
x.x
Jirocho welcomed the four children. Naruto seemed eager as ever. Jirocho proceeded to explain the legend behind the Ceremony at the Great Todoroki Shrine and why they needed shinobi's help in the first place.
"I beg you; please lend us your strength. If the Wagarashi win again, that will mean they'll control this village for four more years." Jirocho said.
"Not going to happen! I'm on the job!" Naruto beamed.
"Who are we supposed to escort anyway?" Sasuke asked, in his usual bored tone.
Jirocho clapped twice and someone quickly appeared behind the doors. The person allowed himself in and soon exchanged looks with the four children.
"You?" Ami said in complete disbelief.
"So you already know each other? That makes everything easier!" Jirocho exclaimed.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Sakura muttered.
Ami, Sasuke and Sakura decided to take a look around the town. Sakura wanted some sort of souvenir from the mission. They stopped by a local shop where Sakura began to look around key chains. Sasuke and Ami continued to observe the people around the village. Three men arguing with someone on the ground soon caught their attention.
"You're just not getting it, are you? We can take whatever we want." One of the three arrogantly stated.
That same person grabbed hold of the man who was on the ground and went to punch him.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Ami smirked, as she held on to the big man's fist.
Sasuke walked up behind his sister and stared at the other two men, angrily.
"Why don't you and your friends take a hike?"
"Get them out of here! Those are the Wagarashi's men!" The woman in the shop whispered worriedly.
"Don't worry... Those two can take care of this." Sakura assured her.
"You asked for it!" The man, who still had his fist caught in Ami's hand, shouted.
The man tried to punch her off with his free hand, but Ami quickly twisted his arm backwards and punched him with her spare fist. As he backed away to wince in pain, Sasuke kicked him in the stomach. Ami then turned her attention towards the other two. She quickly grabbed them and hit their heads together. Sasuke then proceeded to finish them off. The three men ran away as fast as they could, carrying and supporting each other along the way.
x.x
The famous race finally began. Idate sped off in his usual speed, but instead of taking the usual route, he ran off in a different direction. The four followed him and fast as they could. Ami activated her Sharingan and kept him on lockdown.
"I can keep track of him if we don't slow down." She shouted back at the others.
It took Ami a good ten minutes of extremely fast running before she managed to reach Idate.
"Finally caught up to you." She said, trying her best to keep up the pace.
Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura managed to catch up a few minutes later.
"What gives? Why did you come this way?" Naruto demanded.
"Would you shut up? It's none of your business anyway, kid." Idate spat.
"Who are you calling a kid?" Ami said, mocking a shocked expression.
"No need for attitude." Naruto mumbled.
Ami eventually stopped, making Idate and Naruto do the same. Idate was about to yell at her but she held out a hand, making him close his mouth instantly.
"It's genjutsu." She stated.
Idate stared at her for a few moments. His eyes widened when he realised a perfect red Sharingan beaming in the sunlight.
"Your eyes... They're-"
"Magnificent? Yes, I know." Ami smirked. "It feels different though... The genjutsu, I mean. Ironically enough, I'm still not the best when it comes to these things."
"Well if it's genjutsu, then all we need to do is release it." Idate sighed.
Idate clasped his hands together and focused his chakra. He felt proud once he realised he'd released it.
"There!" He exclaimed, quickly running towards the opening.
"Wait! Not there!" Ami shouted.
Sasuke and Sakura managed to grab hold of Idate before he fell off the edge of the cliff.
"I told you not to go that way." Ami sighed.
"Whoever's behind this placed a genjutsu over another one." Sasuke stated.
Idate and Naruto ended up bickering once again, resulting in Naruto's ninja gear falling over the edge. Sasuke quickly put an end to their constant bickering and eventually Idate explained his reason for taking a different route in order to win the race. They soon continued their way and eventually reached the ocean.
"What's that out across the water?" Sakura asked, once they reached the beach.
"It's the half way point. Modoroki Shrine, over on Nagi Island. We can probably get ourselves there within an hour from here." Idate stated.
Idate ran towards a small house, located on the sand, and asked to borrow the boats. They quickly set sail across the ocean. Naruto and Sakura worked on one side of the boat, while Sasuke and Ami took care of the other.
"He's too fast to be a normal person, don't you think?" Ami whispered.
"I'm certain, actually." Sasuke smirked. "He's probably received training in one of the hidden villages."
"Now that you mentioned it... His name... I'm sure I've read it somewhere before." Ami sighed.
"I've got the same feeling."
The mutual thoughts of the Uchiha siblings were interrupted by another bickering session. This time, Naruto was talking about how he made it to the final round of the Chunnin exams. Idate then mocked him, stating that they'd either lowered their standards or the proctor was a complete push over.
"I remember now... Morino Ibiki." Sasuke smirked.
"He's a shinobi in Konoha!" Ami exclaimed happily.
"Wait... What? My brother... He's alive?" Idate said, dumbfounded.
"Well of course he's alive. Why wouldn't he be?" Naruto laughed.
"No... Seriously, he's alive?" Idate asked once again.
Ami wanted to ask why he would think otherwise but her thoughts were brought elsewhere when she noticed an arrow landing on their deck.
"Great. Now what?" Naruto complained.
"It's an ambush." Sasuke stated.
The enemy fired more arrows and used it to get closer to their boat.
"Sakura, keep an eye on Idate. The three of us will take care of the enemy." Sasuke ordered. "Naruto, start working on these ropes. Ami and I will cover you."
"Got it!" Naruto beamed.
Naruto began to work on the ropes, only to realise they needed to be cut and he didn't have anything with him anymore. He tried to get something off Idate, but got declined. Ami groaned and threw one of her kunai's over to Naruto.
"Hurry up, you knuckle head!" Sasuke ordered once again.
"Heh, piece of cake." Naruto grinned, once all the ropes were cut.
He was cut off by Sakura's sudden scream. Their boat suddenly filled up with masked ninja.
"They're clones! Only the real one can attack!" Naruto shouted.
"One of them isn't a shadow clone!" Sasuke stated.
"Just tell us which one!" Sakura said, worriedly.
The real one attempted to attack Naruto, but ended up being fooled by his Shadow Clone jutsu. The clones disappeared but soon reappeared as water clones. Two grabbed Ami, one on each arm, she flipped backwards and knocked them into each other.
"Water clones are weird." She muttered.
"Time to end this." Sasuke said, angrily. "Give me an extra boost, Ami."
Both siblings prepared their signature fireball jutsu hand signs but were interrupted when Sakura realised the oil falling onto them like rain.
"Now what?" Ami whispered towards her brother.
"Guys! Look out!" Naruto shouted, pointing towards the air.
The enemy fired another arrow, this time a burning one. Their entire boat was in flames in a matter of seconds.
"We're going to have to abandon this boat and swim to the port." Sasuke stated, fighting off a few more water clones.
"No way! You only want to use me as a decoy! You want them to focus on me so you can get the heck out of here!" Idate shouted.
"Quit talking nonsense!" Naruto exclaimed.
The fire around them was only increasing. Sasuke was beginning to lose his patience with everyone.
"Idate you need to trust us! We're here to help you." Ami insisted.
"Forget it! I don't trust ninja!"
Another water clone appeared before them and tried to grab hold of Idate. Sakura destroyed it completely, by hitting it with the already broken down pillar. Another clone threw a kunai in Idate's direction. Ami pushed him out of the way and received the kunai to her shoulder. Idate grabbed her instantly and silently hoped she wasn't hurt too bad.
"Just go. We'll be right behind you." She said, wincing slightly.
To be continued...
So, too long? You can be honest, I won't mind! :p
I'll get started on Chapter 8 soon, promise! ^^ XOXO