A/N: …well, the wait wasn't too bad this time, right?

I have a request for anyone who actually bothers to read the author's notes. If, while you are reading, you spot a spelling error or typo in my work, would someone please inform me? I was just rereading chapter seven (no, you really don't want to know why) and I found a couple of extremely embarrassing errors that I should have spotted before and was not happy to find in the final draft.

Finished at approximately three in the morning, so forgive me if there's an error or two.

Dedicated to iluvromance909, and if you guys visit her profile, you'll see why.

Nine: Separation

Attention: Sandaime Hokage

Memo: Requesting three separate missions assigned instead of one. Required to test individual capabilities.

Signed,

Hatake Kakashi

Attention: Hatake Kakashi

Memo: Request granted. See the missions desk for possible assignments – no doubt you've already got something in mind.

Signed,

Sandaime Hokage

It was somewhat of a relief to be sitting with my back against the railing of the wooden bridge, the quiet rippling of the stream under the planks a soft whisper compared to the all-encompassing roar of the ocean. The bird calls fluttering through the wind were all familiar ones again, none of the unexpected keens and whoops that had ground on my nerves while we were away.

It was good to be home.

The rest of my team (minus our teacher, of course) was waiting in the morning sunshine, the light warm on my face as it cleared the ridge. I was a little bored, but listening to Sakura desperately trying to gather the courage to ask Sasuke out on a date was amusing. She'd managed to stammer her way through half an overture when Sensei appeared, and in the rush of air I nearly missed Sasuke's sigh of relief.

"Good morning!" Kakashi-sensei chirped, and I found myself mentally comparing his voice to the birds twittering in a shrub nearby.

"You're late," Sakura snarled, sounding furious at being interrupted. I shuffled into a deeper slouch, uninterested in our teacher's excuse (I heard something about a bookstore and immediately stopped listening. They were well-known, our teacher's bad reading habits).

I started listening when Sasuke's foot tapped my railing. I don't know what I'd do without him – he was always the one who kicked me awake in class. Wave had been far too close.

I have never understood your propensity for dwelling on what could have been. It did not happen. Cease considering it.

I didn't have time to spare the suggestion more than an eyeroll before all my attention focused on what my teacher was saying.

"Sakura, you're going to be helping out at the hospital today; the boys are working on something else, so you'll have to have a quick talk to the head doctor to get an idea of what they need you for."

She made a startled sound of protest, and Sensei – I swear he gets weirder every day – said, "Shoo. Shoo-shoo."

I couldn't help choking with laughter, and nearly fell off the bridge as Sakura walked hesitantly away, pausing every few seconds like she wasn't sure if she'd get called back or not. Sasuke's hand on my collar stopped me from getting extremely wet. "Che. You're such an idiot." Be more careful.

Already Sakura's absence was obvious, a combination of the loss of her now-familiar chakra and the quiet following her usual racket. "So whatcha want us for, Sensei?" I asked cheerfully. "Boys-only mission or something?"

"Or something," Sensei agreed in a too-light voice, and I sat up a bit straighter, suspicious.

"What kind of something?" Sasuke asked from above me, moving a little closer.

"The fun kind, of course!"

"Crap," we chorused gloomily.

Kakashi didn't seem to notice our distinct lack of enthusiasm; if he did, he was doing a very good job of ignoring it. "Sasuke, the mother of the Hanasaki triplets wants to go to the markets today without the children; you need to watch the three of them for a few hours."

I shuddered, and stood up, dusting myself off. The Hanasaki triplets were little brats, although at the very least it was unlikely to turn into another Wave. A resigned 'hn' from Sasuke gave his agreement to that thought (at least it's not Wave) and I stifled a grin, turning towards the Konohan streets.

I didn't get far.

"Now, Naruto, where are you off to?" Kakashi-sensei asked lightly, and I froze, a ball of ice forming in my stomach. Sasuke had stopped moving too, and he stepped a little closer to me. No matter what Sensei threw at us, we knew there was safety in numbers.

Sensei shifted, and there was the dry rustle of paper on paper. "Naruto, you need to run messages to a few people." He passed me a handful of envelopes, three of which I promptly dropped, still not fully comprehending what he was asking of us.

"But… Sensei…" I said slowly, collecting the envelopes that had escaped.

He ignored me entirely. "Well, you both have your assignments! Hop to it!"

…He was splitting us up?

"Come on, no time to waste," he urged, clapping a hand on my shoulder and making me flinch as he pushed me away from my friend. "Your messages are getting cold, Sasuke's charges are escaping…"

I twisted around in his grip instantly, trying to check on the Uchiha, and was shoved firmly in the back, making me stumble and nearly drop the letters again. "Come on, Naruto, get moving," he said sternly. I glared in his direction before breaking into a trot. The sooner I started, the sooner I'd finish.

My heart was thundering in my ears, blood pulsing disturbingly in the fingers clenched around the paper notes, and I realised dimly that I was shaking a split second before I tripped over the kerb.

Okay, I need to calm down, I thought, gasping for air. Sasuke might be stuck on his own with the triplets of doom, but I have got absolutely no reason to panic… oh, what the hell am I doing? Who the hell are these letters for, anyway? Damn sensei, he's probably trying to save on postage…

It took me several seconds, and more than one pass of my sensitive fingers, to decipher Kakashi-sensei's calligraphy: Maito Gai.

Isn't that…? On yeah, Squad Nine's teacher, I remember now. I shuddered again, and then sighed. The easiest way to find him would be to listen…

Like I'd told my team on that weird blindfolded mission, Rock Lee was bad; his teacher was worse. Tracking him down was far from hard, although as I fumbled through the trees (I know this area, dammit!) I felt a stabbing pain developing in my head, spreading from my eardrums. For heaven's sake… why is he so noisy?

He was running Squad Nine through a series of numbered drills. I had no idea what said drills entailed, but currently they were running laps as their teacher gave a speech on hard work and the "Flames of Youth".

I revised my opinion of Kakashi-sensei slightly. He was weird, but at least not clinically so like this nutcase.

"Maito-sensei?" I called to get his attention, only to cringe and cover my ears as he turned towards me.

"GOOD MORNING, YOUNG SHINOBI!! YOU ARE ONE OF MY ETERNAL RIVAL KAKASHI'S STUDENTS, ARE YOU NOT?! HOW MAY I HELP YOU THIS FINE MORNING!?!"

My eyes were watering; despite my attempt at protection, a driving ache rang straight through my ears and drove twin spikes of pain through either side of my head. It took me a few seconds to swallow the agonised whine in the back of my throat to choke out, "P-please, Maito-sensei, not so – not so loud – it hurts." I tried for an apologetic grin.

"My apologies, young genin." I was relieved to hear a normal volume of voice from him, and cautiously pried my hands from my ears, swiping surreptitiously at my eyes. "I am most sorry that my voice was causing you pain," he continued seriously. "Such behaviour is most unyouthful."

My headache was fading already, and I managed a better imitation of a smile this time. "It's – it's okay, sir. It's just me – Sensei says my hearing's hypersensitive, so loud noises really hurt."

"I would still apologise for causing you pain. It was not my intention. Now, for what do you require my assistance?"

I sighed quietly – so many big words – and explained, "Sensei has me running messages, and your name was the first one I could read." I held out the paper envelope, the paper almost-sleek against my fingers in a way envelopes usually weren't. Handmade or just good quality…?

"Thank you, young shinobi," Gai said seriously as he took the letter, and I relaxed minutely, putting both hands back on my little pile. "I can see you have other duties to complete, so I will keep you no longer, young shinobi. Good luck on your quest for my eternal rival Kakashi!"

He'd started getting a bit loud at the end, making me thankful I'd been backing away the whole time. I bobbed my head in a quick bow, trying for respectful, before escaping back into the forest, the sound of Gai's shouting starting up again as he 'encouraged' his genin.

Okay, one down. That wasn't so bad. I could do this. I could do this. "Ow," I grumbled, rubbing my cheek from where I had just walked into a tree. "Okay, next envelope… what the hell does this say?"

Sensei's handwriting was still nearly impossible to decipher – seriously, I will never again complain about textbooks – but I managed to figure it out eventually. At least, I hoped I had… "Um… Inuzuka Tsume… Kiba's mom, right?" I frowned to myself, stumbling inelegantly over a tree root and swearing crossly as I trotted back towards town. "She'd be at the clan compound, right? Unless she's on a mission or something…" I felt a flash of worry – would I have to hover around with her letter until she showed up again? It was bad security to just leave a message floating around – but shoved it aside. I'd deal with that if and when it came to it.

Even outside the high stone and chainlink walls, it was all too easy to smell that this was distinctly dog territory, and it made the hair on the back of my neck prickle. The weight at the back of my mind shifted, and flickered, but didn't come forward. The noise inside of the dogs barking was nearabout deafening – the Inuzuka and me have never really gotten along. I totally blame the furball.

It was fairly easy to get someone's attention – with the dogs going mad, it was fairly obvious there was someone at the gates – and only a little harder to convince the grumpy-sounding chuunin I got hold of that I'd only give the message to Tsume herself. The matriarch of the Inuzuka Clan wasn't as bad as some people seemed to think – a little rough around the edges, sure, but that was the whole clan in a nutshell. She didn't like me much, I knew, but she didn't actively dislike me either. The message was met with a grunt and a gruff, "Now scram, already". The dogs were giving me a headache, so I was all too happy to scram.

The next name I managed to translate was one I only knew vaguely – Hagane Kotetsu. I think he's usually on desk duty or something… what's his buddy's name? Izumo? Maybe he'll be at the mission desk…

He wasn't, but the chuunin who was organising the forms for what sounded like a potential B-rank mission told me the pair was on duty at the south gate again, which at least meant I had no trouble finding them. From there, 'Kotetsu' was an easy question away, and I was down a third envelope.

"Tell Kakashi I think he's a bastard for sending a genin around with these messages," Kotetsu said breezily, handing me a slip of smooth scrap paper as I turned to go back into the village.

Great. Delegated to messenger bird. That's a great way to feel needed.

Next translatable name on the list is… Asuma-sensei, from Squad Ten. Okay, I know for sure that they're in-village somewhere, because if they weren't, Sakura would have complained about Ino's team getting to leave the village for a mission before us this morning instead of trying to ask Sasuke out. Heh, sucks to be him…

Which training ground does Team Ten use…?

I couldn't remember, but then again, my team tended to bounce around whatever was available anyway. Unless Asuma-sensei was much more organised than Kakashi-sensei, the same thing was probably happening for them.

I eventually tracked them down pretty much next to the Academy – I hadn't even known there was a training ground that close. The difference between Shikamaru's team and Gai's (or even my own, for that matter) was a marked decrease in noise levels. Chouji was munching on an ever-present bag of chips and doing something with his chakra that I couldn't describe, while Ino was lounging against a nearby tree. I had no idea what she was doing.

Shikamaru and the target of my search were sitting on the grass; from the occasional soft 'clacks' of wood on wood, they were playing either shougi or go.

"Asuma-sensei?" I eventually piped up to get his attention, when it seemed he was too focused on the game to acknowledge the human-sized messenger bird hovering a few feet away. "I have a message from Kakashi-sensei."

"Hm? Oh, thankyou, Naruto," he said distractedly, taking the note with one hand and moving a piece with the other. Shikamaru just paused for a few seconds, thinking out his next move, and then clackedanother piece into place. Asuma grumbled something under his breath, and the paper rustled.

"I envy you, Shikamaru," I commented, waiting for the return message Asuma-sensei was scratching out with a pen. "Your team is so much quieter than mine."

I winced as Ino suddenly barked something at Chouji, and Shikamaru shifted his weight. "I don't see how yours could be much worse," he drawled. "I have Ino."

I grinned. "I have Sakura and the person she likes to squeal over. Trust me, you got it easy."

"Thanks, Naruto." Asuma handed me another little folded slip of paper. "Take this back to Kakashi for me, would you?" He moved another piece, then swore under his breath at Shika's counter. I grinned again and shuffled my envelopes, looking for the next readable one.

Yamanaka Inoichi. Wow, I guess it's true that ninja run in families. "Hey, Ino, would you happen to know where your dad is today?" I said aloud, tipping my head to look at the girl absently.

Ino shifted on the grass, probably a little startled at being addressed. "He's either at Shikamaru's, or at work," she replied eventually.

"Okay, where's work?" I pressed. This time of day he probably wouldn't be at Shika's house yet. If he wasn't at work, then I knew where the Nara house was.

Ino shrugged. "The T and I department. I dunno where it is, though."

"Oh, that's okay, I know." I nodded cheerfully and ran off, wanting to just get this stupid mission over with.

…What, exactly, is in these notes, that they're being sent to Torture and Intelligence? Suddenly I'm a little worried.

Finding T and I was, like I told Ino, quite easy. Okay, so it would be hard to find for most people, but, well… actually, I have no idea why I know where it is. It's sure as hell not a place I frequent.

Wait… 'Tachi-nii used to get sent here a lot. Me and Sasuke followed him at least once… against explicit orders, of course, but he must've known we were there…

Argh. This thinking is making my head hurt. Where the hell is the door…?

Getting in was a whole other story. I had to stand through three patdowns, a chakra check, and two 'intentions' checks. Mind you, the receptionist sounded nearly as bored and annoyed as I did, which made me feel a little more vindicated in being pissed off by the procedure. Plus, the receptionist (no doubt eager to be rid of the annoying genin who wasn't even a threat) was all too happy to point me towards Ino's dad, who was working through a pile of reports when I knocked. "Messenger," I explained, trying not to sound too exasperated.

He mumbled something in response as he read Kakashi-sensei's letter, writing furiously with the hand not holding the paper and his mind clearly on something else. "Thanks" was mumbled distractedly and I scarpered, make a silent vow to never get conned into a desk job. They looked like utter hell.

Even the mission desk had to be better than that.

I checked the envelopes I still held, the paper slightly crumpled from being clutched for so long. Okay, and this next one is… um. Shiranui… Gerima? Man, Sensei's handwriting is really bad… wait, no, no, I think it's Genma…

Who the hell is that?

I couldn't recall ever meeting or hearing of someone by the name, but since I still wasn't entirely sure whether or not I was reading it right, I decided to just skip it and flipped the envelope to the back of the considerably diminished pile. There were only two other messages, and I eyed one of them with considerable trepidation. I didn't know much about Yuuhi Kurenai, except that she was a genjutsu master, one of the newer jounin, and the third jounin-sensei for this year.

Hey… wasn't that Neji dude's cousin in this team…?

However, Hinata was infinitely less annoying than Neji, or Sakura, come to think of it, and the 'wild card' Kiba was apparently having a staring contest with Shino's sunglasses.

Hey. That's just what I picked up from Kurenai telling Hinata not to worry, that Kiba wasn't actually going to attack him, and that Shino was probably asleep. It wasn't like I had any visual cues to help.

"Um, Yuuhi-sensei?" I asked, feeling oddly shy.

"Hm?" She moved, a kind of loose grace in her chakra that caught my attention briefly. "Yes, Naruto? Has Kakashi forgotten about the messenger bird system again?" she added kindly.

I grinned sheepishly in response and dropped my eyes – genjutsu users tended to be a lot more observant than their counterparts – and offered her the letter, then waited in semi-awkward silence as she made an odd noise (or maybe it was Hinata squeaking like that) and quickly penned a reply. "Would you mind taking this back to Kakashi for me?" she asked, not actually handing me the paper until I nodded.

Man. Women are weird. All the other people just shoved their replies at me and ordered me to take 'em back.

Kiba and Shino hadn't moved the whole time I was there, and I had the sneaking suspicion that Hinata had been on the verge of fainting (again. Seriously, she must be anaemic or something – happens all the time).

In spite of all this, I came away with the odd feeling that Squad Eight was the most normal of our year.

The only other envelope I had happily proclaimed 'Ibiki' in Sensei's appalling calligraphy, and I groaned. Wonderful. Back to T and I, I guess…

This time the "receptionist" took one look at me and my pathetic handful of envelopes and waved me through, mumbling something uncomplimentary under his breath. I couldn't help but roll my eyes, wondering if they had any other form of checking who people are other than that first check, because otherwise that guy just let a potential security risk into a place that handles a lot of dangerous prisoners and intelligence.

"Okay, Ibiki, Ibiki, I really hope he's not on shift at the moment…" I mumbled, shuddering at the thought of the smell of the lower sections. Not that I'd ever been down there, but I'd been around enough people who worked there to know the smell that clung to them had to be a hundred times worse. The too-familiar weight in the back of my mind perked up a little at the remembered stench of terror and pain, and I shoved it back with an eyeroll.

It took me nearly ten minutes to track down the head of T&I, and a further twenty to actually find the office he was (apparently) doing paperwork in. I heard very little ink or pen scratching when I went in, as opposed to Inoichi.

"Message from Kakashi-sensei," I announced in a bored tone, all too happy to hand over the second-to-last note on my pile, leaving me with the one I either didn't know or couldn't read. As Ibiki pocketed his note with a rustle of paper and cloth, I had a flash of inspiration, fingering the unintelligible note. "Since I'm down here, would you happen to know who Shiranui Genma is?" I asked hopefully, and got a grunt that could have constituted either surprise or derision.

"Yeah, I know him." Oh yes! "But not where he is," he was quick to add – some of my elation must have shown a bit too clearly. "Sorry, kid." He sounded more amused than sorry, and I left the creepy HQ for the second time that day, with no idea where to find him, but at least fairly sure that Genma existed.

I spent hours trekking over the village looking for 'Genma', but everyone I asked either ignored me, didn't know who he was, or didn't know where he was. Honestly, Ibiki had been the most helpful, and when the head of Torture is being the most helpful you know there's something up. My head ached, and I had no idea why the furball wasn't fixing whatever the hell the problem was, which only made me grumpier. Eventually, I gave up on ever finding this 'Genma' character and stormed back to the little red bridge, intending to just throw the damn letter in the stream if Sensei wasn't there.

Fortunately for village security, my teacher was leaning against the railings lazily, and I heard him shift, probably to look at me, as I got closer, and I scowled at him. "How did you go, Naruto?"

"Who the hell is Genma?" I snapped by way of reply, my temper made worse by the unmitigated thudding of my head. "I've been all over the damn village and I can't find the guy, so if it's really that important, take the damn letter to him yourself. For all I know you just made him up to annoy me!"

"Hey!" said another voice, belonging to the other person I had sensed on the bridge; his chakra was vaguely familiar, but clearly not someone's I actually knew, so I had ignored him up until now.

Kakashi-sensei was grinning, I just knew it. "Naruto, I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine, Shiranui Genma. Be nice to him; he just got in from a mission. Genma, this is Naruto, one of my genin. He's been delivering messages today."

"Speaking of," I grumbled, thrusting the last envelope at this Genma dude. "Take the damn thing. And you get these." I turned and shoved the return messages I had picked up at my teacher, who started to go through them leisurely.

"Oooh, what did you get?" Genma asked, his voice laughing.

"Note from Asuma, note from Kotetsu, challenge from Gai, paper bomb… Naruto!"

"How did that get in there?" I didn't remember Gai giving me anything to take back…

"…but, assassination attempts aside, nothing interesting," my teacher finished, hand going out to pat my shoulder absently. The unexpected contact made me flinch. "A job well done, eh, Naruto? You're the first one finished, too!"

I stared at him flatly, too tired to make an effort to hide the blankness in my eyes with a smile. "Can I go home yet?"

Kakashi's Log

Sakura did well at the hospital. Separated from Sasuke and other influences from her age group, she did better than I'd expected. This kind of arrangement could be beneficial for her.

It certainly would be wise to get her some medical training; the people I've spoken with have confirmed she has potential for it.

Sasuke wasn't as focused as I thought he would be. He kept losing one of the triplets, and seemed to have trouble getting him back. He also seemed to be very upset with me by the end of the day, though I'm not entirely sure why…

Naruto did alright with messages (see attached replies; Ibiki was zero help, told me to do my own job and let him do his), but he was in an appalling mood by the end of it – it seems he had trouble with my handwriting. He was also a bit scratched up, and horribly jumpy. Something in the way he looked at Genma and me…

…No. That can't be right. I can't believe it. I won't believe it.

…maybe…

Japanese Concepts: Plurals

The correct English way to create a plural changes depending on the word and the context it's being used in, but the general way is to add an 's' or 'es', except in special cases like oxen and geese. When using romaji to write out Japanese words as we so often do for fanfiction, a lot of people follow the 's' or 'es' rules, but this isn't strictly correct – grammatically speaking, no 's' should be added, or any change made to it at all. It's like sheep and sheep, or fish and fish – Japanese words used in the context mentioned above can act as both their singular and plural forms.

And if anyone tries to tell me that 'fishes' is the plural form of 'fish', I will sic my graduate year grammar teacher on you. This is the teacher who had a stroke, and came out of hospital a few days later to mark spelling tests.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.