Possible
Possible
Chapter Three: Mission for Two
Author's Note: Hehe, is all I can say.
"Tsunade-sama, we have just received reports on Akatsuki activity Rain Country," said Shizune, laying down a report in front of the Godaime Hokage. Tsunade took the file and opened it. As always, Yamato was a reliable man to trust, so Tsunade chose him for scouting missions to the Rain Village and other countries to keep an eye on the enemy, so as to be constantly prepared for an attack. "It seems that they are planning something huge this time, Hokage-sama," Yamato said, removing his ANBU mask and setting it upon the table.
After reading the file, Tsunade lowered it, revealing a dark expression on her face. Yamato sensed her worry, and said, "Do you need a squad to go over and check on the situation?" Tsunade nodded her head, but said, "Not just any team. The Akatsuki can easily recognize Sakura, Kakashi or Naruto. I'll be sending only two shinobi this time." Yamato frowned and said, "Wouldn't it be better to rely on Team Kakashi rather than other shinobi who do not understand the Akatsuki's power?" Tsunade thought about it for a moment before saying, "They're after Naruto and the Kyuubi. It's dangerous; what's more, we only need to spy on them for a while before returning to Konoha to give us a full report. I'm sending in two shinobi that they do not know at all. That will give us the upper hand." Yamato seemed to understand Tsunade's plan and said, "Very well, Tsunade-sama. I will see—" The blonde Hokage raised her hand in silence.
She looked down at the files of the two shinobi she had already chosen in advance and said, "Don't bother. I've got two people in my mind already."
She opened the files, revealing the faces of Yamanaka Ino and Takahashi Ichiro to Yamato. He narrowed his eyes upon seeing that Ino was Tsunade's choice of shinobi. There were far more powerful and skilled shinobi than that mediocre Yamanaka! "Tsunade-sama, I don't think sending her will be a good idea—" Tsunade, yet again, raised her hand.
"I'm sure they'll succeed. I have complete faith in them," she said with finality in her voice. Her stony glare was a sign for Yamato to leave, and to say nothing more. Yamato sighed and saluted before saying, "I understand." Right after he disappeared, Shizune was the next one to speak. "Are you certain Ino is up for the job with your student?" she asked, her voice laced with concern and worry. "She has only encountered the Akatsuki once."
"And that was only a year ago," admitted Tsunade. "But Sakura is quite busy with Team Kakashi, and there is no other suitable medic nin that I can send to assist Ichiro. She won't be doing most of the fighting – if there ever is – but she'll be there to heal Ichiro if any injuries are dealt to him." Shizune nodded and decided that Tsunade knew best on what to do now, for the Akatsuki were moving fast into their grand plan: to create the ultimate weapon for world domination. Every single shinobi is now vital to the Hokage. "Besides," Tsunade added, "She is as good as Sakura now. She'll be able to heal the most severe of injuries, giving Ichiro yet another good advantage over the Akatsuki." Shizune soon broke into a small smile. She knew that her sensei was capable, but she didn't imagine her to be so tactful and strategic in every move she makes. That's what makes a powerful Hokage.
"Shizune," said Tsunade suddenly, looking up at her student. "Summon Ichiro and Ino here immediately. They're leaving in three days." Shizune seemed shocked at the short amount of time they have left in Konoha before leaving for the Rain Village, but she didn't say anything, unless she wanted to piss the Godaime off. She nodded and left the office. Shizune disappeared halfway while descending the stairs and appeared inside the Yamanaka Flower Shop, surprising Ino. "Shizune-chan!" she yelped, jumping in her seat. "What's with the surprise visit?" Shizune looked towards the counter and replied, "Tsunade-sama has a mission for you and Ichiro-kun." Ino sat upright with a wide smile on her face. Finally, something to keep me busy!
Shizune was slightly dumbfounded when she saw Ino's face light up like a Christmas tree at the mention of a new mission. Ino got off her seat from the counter and said, "Okay, I'll go get Ichiro. Tell Tsunade I'll be there in a quick moment." Shizune had nothing more to say, so she merely nodded and disappeared. Ino checked herself in the mirror in the back room before leaving the flower shop. Halfway, it had suddenly crept upon her that she had just tried to make herself look better before going to see Ichiro. "This vanity is so getting on my nerves," she murmured to herself, being one that hasn't been too conscious of her looks for any person since Sasuke's departure. The walk towards Ichiro's apartment was only a mere ten minute walk. Ino recalled seeing him on the third floor of the apartment building, staring at her from his window. Before she even got to start guessing which one was his apartment, Ichiro opened the door and walked out of his place. "Takahashi!" yelled Ino, slightly flustered. Ichiro raised his eyebrows and asked, "Yes, Yamanaka?" Ino's hard glare softened into a face that spelt "I was only kidding". "How come you never told me where you lived?"
"I assumed you knew," he replied dryly, scratching his head. Ino shook her head and laughed. "Well, next time, let's exchange information about ourselves when you're completely sure you can tell me something in return. So far, you've either guessed correctly, or come into my place by chance!" she said with a huge smile. Ichiro smirked, for the first time in a long time, and said, "I gather this isn't the only reason why you're here?"
"Oh, yeah," Ino said, turning red. She had almost forgotten the mission before Ichiro had guessed her intentions, again. "Tsunade-sama is assigning us a mission, and she wants to see us both," she finished. Ichiro's expression returned to its normal, icy state as he said, "Just the two of us?" Ino shrugged, that becoming an annoying habit once in a while. "Shizune told me to inform only you. If there was anyone else, she would have told me." Ichiro sighed. What was Tsunade up to now? "Alright, let's go, before she starts making a fuss," Ichiro said.
There was a distinct knock on the door as Tsunade looked up from the map that was laid before her. "Come in," she said, marking their destination as they came into the office. Before anyone said anything, Ichiro growled, "Do you mind explaining why there are only two people for this mission?" Tsunade looked up at Ichiro and Ino with a serious expression on her face as she said, "I'll explain it later. But right now, you need to know your mission." She stood up and turned to the window behind her and looked out over Konoha. "As both of you know, the Akatsuki is on the move again. This time, heavy activities were detected by Yamato in the Rain Village, and we believe that that village is the base of their operations. I need the both of you to spy on them for a period of time, picking up any useful information you may find along the way. The reason why I'm sending only the both of you is because the Akatsuki have already started to expect Naruto's team to infiltrate the village, and they will be planning a trap to capture Naruto. Even though Team Kakashi may understand the Akatsuki's power, the organization does not recognize you two," she explained in a strong tone that meant business. Ichiro considered the situation for a while before asking, "Then what about Ino?"
The blonde kunoichi looked at her teammate and wondered: was there concern hidden behind his expressionless voice? Or was it a hint that he decided that if she had gone, she would be a great burden to him? Before Tsunade could explain, however, Ino cut in herself. "I think I'm very capable in handling this mission with you, Takahashi," she said with her usual, teasing tone, "And besides, someone needs a doctor once in a while." Ichiro sighed, finding no end to Ino's witty answers and the pure logic that she and Tsunade probably had seen in this arrangement. "Alright, alright, but if you get hurt, I'm not a medic ninja like you are." Another bingo! He's figured me out already, Ino screamed inside her head. I should really get to know him, one way or another. "I guess Ichiro will be the leader, then," announced Tsunade. "Ino will be under your care now, as her combat skills are nowhere as good as her medical skills."
Ichiro scoffed. "You make it sound as if I'm babysitting Ino," he grumbled. Ino giggled at his reaction and noticed a slight change in him since last night. Tsunade smiled as well and said, "Okay, enough of all this nonsense. You'll be leaving in three days time. These days are for you to equip yourselves in the way that you see fit. I'll be waiting for you tomorrow at the Eastern Gate at nine in the morning. Dismissed." The two saluted and left the Hokage's Office immediately without a word. Ino looked at Ichiro and said, "Have you ever been to the Rain Village?" The brunette nodded, and said, "I think that was before the Akatsuki moved in. I remember it constantly rained day and night. It was just a visit though, with Tsunade and Jiraiya. We stayed there for a while." Ino was surprised to know that Ichiro had traveled to many places throughout his life, and he was only seventeen! "So I'm guessing… you have a lot of experience?"
He opened the door for her and answered, "Maybe."
"Tch, stop being so secretive!" she complained. Ichiro couldn't help but to shoot her a smirk and say, "Stop intruding on my secrecy, then." Ino sighed and slapped her forehead; there was nothing she could do about this guy. Soon, they had decided on lunch first, before heading their separate ways. They stopped by Ichiraku's Ramen, and soon, halfway through eating their hot ramen, Ino initiated another conversation. Ichiro knew that she wanted to know him just as much as he knew her, but he wouldn't let her in anyway. She could try, and maybe even explode in frustration one day, but Takahashi Ichiro had already decided many years back that he'd lock himself up and throw the key away. He purposely ignored her endless questions by finding the ramen miso soup as an excuse, and he slowly drained the bowl while Ino kept attacking him with personal questions.
As soon as he finished, he looked at her with a ominous stare and said, "You're pretty persistent." Ino smiled triumphantly and drawled, "I know I am." As soon as Ino saw his shifty eyes, she knew that he was going to ditch her in the middle of their lunch. She grabbed his hand tightly and said, "Oh, you're not going anywhere before I'm done with my ramen!" Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku Ramen, smiled warmly at their actions. "Ah, a couple in love," he said. "When I was your age, I dated my wife like the both of you! Always bickeri—" Ichiro nearly fell out of his seat when Teuchi assumed that they were dating. "No, it's – we're not actually dating – I mean, we're just friends," he said after much struggling with his words. "Nope," argued Teuchi. "That doesn't explain your nervousness." He winked at Ino and said, "Keep the guy. He's the kinda guy any girl would fall for." Ino turned a deep shade of red and said, "He really means it – we're just friends!"
Teuchi laughed heartily and said, "Normally, when friends argue, they're bound to fall in love!"
Ichiro grimaced. Oh please, I hate that clichéd stuff.
The three days passed as if it were one, and soon, Ichiro and Ino found themselves standing in front of the Eastern Gate, awaiting Tsunade's appearance. Ino had spent the last three days stocking up on medical supplies for almost every kind of injury, while Ichiro had bought several more kunai and trained his taijutsu and ninjutsu during the three-day-wait. Soon, Tsunade arrived and said, "You're early." Ichiro turned his head to Tsunade and said, "As usual."
"Alright, are we ready to go?" she asked. Ichiro and Ino nodded. "Good. But first, I'd give you a few tips. The Akatsuki are not to be dealt with lightly, as both of you know. You may even find yourselves facing their leader."
"We understand," answered Ichiro. "I'll protect Ino with my life." Tsunade smiled at that sentence. Ino almost let a loud gasp escape her lips, but managed to suppress it. With his life…? It's not even a mission to protect me, and he's talking as if I'm somebody who needs severe protection from some dangerous killer or something, thought Ino to herself. Although she couldn't believe what Ichiro had just said, she still liked the idea of being protected by a strong shinobi, especially a guy like Takahashi Ichiro.
"Ino?" called Ichiro, staring at his teammate who was evidently somewhere off in her own world. "Ino!"
The blonde kunoichi snapped out of her train of thoughts and said, "O-Oh, um, let's go!"
A/N: Whoa, I'm really rushing like the wind now! Three chapters in two days!