I am sorry for the long wait. I apologize. ". Anyway, enjoy the next installment. =D Have a nice read~! There are probably grammatical errors...that will be fixed eventually...

Also Thank you all who reviewed. I'm glad you enjoyed it and if you didn't i hope this one will satisfy you!

"-Bzz-Target spotted… I think it spotted you Naruto, You better hurry…"

"Roger that, I'm moving in. Wish me luck-Bzz"

"Better hope you get out alive."

"Mweoear!" the victim yelp as two hands enclosed around its body, barring it from escape. It was so close!

"Bzz- Target captured, Mission completed-OWW! That stupid thing bit me! AGAIN!"

"Hn...What a waste of time...There are much more productive things to do then this demeaning job -Bzz."

"-Now, now, children, there's nothing we can do about it." Kakashi chided, as he and the rest of Team 7 arrived on the scene. Naruto had managed to tie up all four of his prisoner's legs, but his face and arms sported another batch of bite marks and scratches that clearly showed a valiant fight for freedom. Naruto only glared at the thing with clear dislike. It was that dreadful cat that belonged to the feudal lords' wife. Today was but another gallant but futile attempt at escape.

"I believe that this is the fastest we ever caught the stupid cat. Damn thing, I swear it's a spawn of a demon." muttered Naruto in clear distaste, as he continued to glare at their mission target. Sasuke merely eyed it with disdain bordered on hate for Naruto was no alone in his sentiment.

Sakura simply sighed before picking up the cat from the ground, breaking its bonds, much to the cats' relief. Naruto could only sigh before dully taking inventory of his wounds.

Sasuke took this moment to express his displeasure to their gray haired sensei, "This is a waste of time. How many times did the stupid thing run away? 10? 20?" He, like Naruto, had also had a nasty run through with the cat and wasn't too keen on being near it and would have gladly dropped it from the top of the Hokage tower if given a chance.

"You guys are too mean." complained Sakura as she scratch behind the cat's ear, producing a content purr, "Look, it's so adorable!"

"Just because it looks cute doesn't mean we have to be nice to it. That thing hates us just as much as we hate it!" Naruto shot back in annoyance. He had a total of six scratches and two bite marks solely on his face. He was definitely not pleased with this outcome.

After the first time they were assigned to this mission, Naruto always stayed as far away as he could from the devilish cat. The only time he would voluntarily go near it, was when it was his turn to catch it. Yet, no matter how he tried to seize it, the cat always managed to land a blow on him, whether it was a scratch or a bite, or in this case, both. It seemed that Sasuke was also a victim to the cat's claws and teeth as he too was accosted with bites and scratches. It was only Sakura who had no problems catching the cat. She had yet to get any wounds and if anything, it seemed as if the cat also developed a fondness for the pink haired genin.

"Seriously, why don't you guys like him? I think that he's rather cute, a little bit on the plump side, but cute!" cooed Sakura, before cuddling with the cat.

Naruto rolled his eyes in annoyance as he got up from the ground, "Might I remind you that we have a resident who doesn't like kitties?" asked Naruto tapping his head.

Sakura looked at him in confusion before she realized just who Naruto was referring to. "Well, it's not like it's going to hurt the 'resident' in anyway." replied Sakura with a huff.

Sasuke and Kakashi having been completely engrossed in discussion technique, soon ended their talk in favor of returning to Konoha.

Sasuke watched the two continue to argue about the cat, before his eye twitched in annoyance, "If you guys are done arguing, let's get back. The faster we are done with this, the faster we can go back to training." Sasuke bluntly stated.

"You've got to be kidding me! That's all we've been doing for the past couple of weeks! ", complained Naruto. He was still aching from the other day. Somehow, Sakura managed to land a punch on him, knocking him back a good couple of yards. It still hurt like hell even after she mended most of the damage.

"Are you getting frightened? Did that hit that Sakura land on you scare you that much?" shot Sasuke with a smirk.

Naruto let out a growl, "TEME! You-!"

"Will the both of you two just SHUT UP?" shouted Sakura in annoyance. If looks could kill, Naruto and Sasuke would have been to hell and back. The cat in Sakura's hand visibly shrunk in fright.

"Yes ma'am." They muttered in mock salute, though they still shot annoyed glances at each other.

Sakura rolled her eyes before smirking, "Good, because I wouldn't want to beat you guys to a pulp."

The two male genin winced, as past experiences drifted unwontedly into their minds. Training with Sakura had its ups and downs, sure she was specializing in medical techniques and her ability to heal was an extra plus. But, when she decided to use her monstrous strength, one hit could easily land one of them in the hospital if not blocked or avoided in time. Though it was a good thing that her reflexes were improving, it just made it all the more dangerous for the two genin.

After the bell test, the three agreed to create a training schedule that would best help them improve. It was a complete given that they all began wearing adjustable weights, absolutely necessary. It was then agreed upon that Sakura needed to build up more stamina and chakra, as well as increasing her speed. It was a daily routine to have both Naruto and Sasuke spar with her. The handicap allowed her to work on gaining a faster reaction to dodging and learning to time her attacks to be more fatal and effective.

Naruto, who had problems with controlling his chakra, was often found working sideways on trees and still water. Since he had a better understanding as opposed to his first attempts, he had an easier time grasping the concepts, though he probably needed a good deal more of work to get anywhere near Sakura's level of precision.

Sasuke simply worked on opening his sharingan bloodline. It was only the other day that he was able to activate it after a particularly rough fight with Naruto. Kakashi was greatly surprised by the development. Thankfully, he only brushed it off as pure luck, not that the genin were going to complain.

Surprisingly, Kakashi had decided to aid in their training. Perhaps it was their motivation or the fact that they acted unlike many kids at their age. Nevertheless, Kakashi had actually taken time to oversee their drills. Though he was initially shocked when he first found out that the three had devised such a routine, he was pleased by their determination.

When he asked why they were trying so hard, it was Naruto who answered for the whole team, "We know that we are only genin and we have ways to go if we want to become dependable ninjas. If we can't do this simple training then we aren't competent enough to protect ourselves and those that are precious to us."

Kakashi had to admit that the team was a lot more determined than some Chunin he knew, actually a lot of the Chunin he knew. He was pleased that they understood the amount of work that they needed to put in, that strength did not come from just waiting. He often pointed out adjustments to help improve their mobility and attacks. And before he knew it he was coerced into teaching them techniques that he would have never considered teaching until they were older. There was no peep of complaints when things proved to be difficult. If they came across a particular obstacle, they would ram at it until it came crashing down, sometimes to the point of exhaustion.

It was only two weeks ago that he had them do some drills that he had initially devised for beginning Anbu ninjas. One particular one was walking on rapidly moving waters that led to a waterfall. To his sadistic pleasure and to their immense displeasure, they were dunked in a few times before they got the hang of it. The moving waters made it no easy task to get back up. At one point, Naruto was almost became a victim of the cascading waters, but was luckily able to get on top of the currents, a narrow escape. That day of training was certainly not a pleasant memory to dwell upon. Much to their dismay, Kakashi then suggested that they conduct all their training routines while staying atop the moving water.

Let's just say, that it was not pretty and for many days, Team 7 was usually found cursing their teacher and his sadistic streak. For Kakashi it was payback for the bell exam and it soothed his wounded pride just a little bit. But, all in all, he was proud of his team.

They were all good at adapting and were becoming more adept at picking up techniques. However, this brought up questions such as how they were so mentally prepared and why they were so determined. Sure they said that they were doing it to get stronger to protect people, but who were these people? And why was it that sometimes a feeling of desperation was exuded in the way they trained? They were also a hell of a lot more mature and understanding then their school reports implied.

"OWW! That stupid cat BIT me again!" shout Naruto in anger while nursing his wound.

"Well it's your fault for trying to attach an explosive tag on it!" yelled Sakura in annoyance.

"Come on it was only a joke, it's not like it's going to die~!" whined Naruto.

"This is stupid...Just kill it and be done with the thing." muttered Sasuke, rolling his eyes.

…Well, so much for being more mature. Kakashi bit back the urge to sigh at his students. "Alright you three, let's get back and give in this mission."

Ten minutes later at the Hokage tower, Team 7 watched with a mixture of amusement, mortification, as well as a bit of pity as their target reunited with its owner. The feline was getting the life squeezed out of it as the feudal lords' wife clung to it like a doll. Some Chunin that were standing by the side winced as they watched what the cat suffered through. They, themselves remembered the times where they too had to retrieve the feline. It seemed that the wife had yet to change her habits.

"Oh my poor wittle bwaby kitty! Did you get hurt out there in the sqwwarrry foresst? I missed you SO much!" she cooed at the cat before enveloping it in another hug. The cat gave a painful yowl and began clawing at its mistress. However, it seemed as if it had no effect on her as she calmly dropped the payment and left the room all the while squeezing the cat.

With the duo gone, the room descended into an awkward silence. "You know, every time I see that, I can't help but to feel sorry for that lil' fella…even if it's a pain in the ass" said Naruto before turning to face the people before him. Sitting at a table was the Third Hokage, saddled with two Chunin who were flipping through reports.

Said Hokage chuckled quietly at the blonde's comment before looking through the folders that lay before him. "Well, there is no help around that. It seems you guys have completed another mission. I believe I have a mission where some shop owners need help organizing a-"

"No, oji-san" Naruto interrupted in a testy tone, plainly unsatisfied with the choice of mission.

"Hey kid, don't go disrespecting the Hokage like that!" sneered one of the Chunin who sat alongside the old man. Clearly this man was one of the many people who despised the blonde. There was a mummer of dissent that rumbled through the room as glares were aimed at the blonde. However, Naruto pointedly ignore the genin and the glares, favoring only the old man who had just lit his pipe.

"I, no we all, want to do more advanced missions then these meaningless ones that even grade school students can do." complained Naruto. He was really getting tired of being assigned to hunting for the cat every other day. "We probably completed enough of these low rank missions to equal two teams worth combined. Actually, scratch that, we surpassed that amount weeks ago."

"Are you sure you and your teammates are up for it?" asked the Third Hokage, a small smile on his lips.

"Hell yes, Old man! We all want to do a harder mission! As a team, we can get any mission you throw at us and come back with absolute success!" replied Naruto, a confident smirk on his face.

The Hokage looked slightly surprised at the mention of team, but the rest of the people excluding Team 7 looked on in annoyance and barely concealed dislike. Seriously, this kid was talking way too big for his own good. Well it was obvious the brat would be so supercilious. After all, the blonde was the holder of the demon.

Hokage noticed the sudden sour air could not help sigh in mild disappointment. Something had to be done about this blind hatred. However, regardless of what those Chunin thought of the blonde, the team had really done an outstanding job as they have surpassed the necessary quota by a good amount. He was not about to let the deed go unnoticed. The team deserved a chance. "Alright, I do not mind giving you a higher leveled mission, but it will be based on one condition." The three genin traded confused glances. What did he mean by that?

The Hokage continued, "I would like to see the three of you explain to me the concept of the ranked missions. Keep in mind that you all have to contribute and be sure to include details. Mind you, I expect that each of you provide me with at least one different type of rank."

Sure, it was not a hard task to complete, however, the Hokage was curious to see how they would react, especially Naruto. Everybody, in the room knew that Naruto was in the lowest rung when it concerned academic topics. Some of the Chunin smirked. The blonde was going to screw up. They were sure.

Team 7 blinked in unison and traded surprised glances. Since when did they ever have to do such a thing as this?

'Was this supposed to be funny? Cause' I don't see the funny in this…' thought Naruto indignantly. He already figured that the old man was going to challenge him with something but what the heck was this! He was actually offended.

'I believe he is trying to teach us the concept that a ninja must be both mental and physically honed.' replied Sakura in an airy tone. 'Remember we're genin. If I remember correctly genin are only taught mission rank D to rank A. That's only four, unless we decide to talk about those ranks…'

Naruto rolled his eyes 'Well, then. We'll just have to prove that we aren't stupid.'

'Someone just start speaking...' commented Sasuke, all the while watching the Chunin like a raven that had just spotted a tasty morsel. They looked like they were waiting to for the opportunity of seeing the team fail. He wouldn't actually mind testing how he faired against them…if they were to decide to get physical. Hell, he could probably teach them a great deal more than what they could possible learn on their own.

Sakura gave an exaggerated sigh before beginning to speak, "Well Hokage-sama, the lowest rank is D. These missions are, considered by many, as dull work or basically useless common work. Some of the more prominent missions include ones like saving an animal, taking out the garbage, planting, or other task of that nature. Genin who want to be Chunin must complete at least 8 of these missions. I would like to add that, we completely pasted that point."

She gave a small glare at the Chunin before her as she paused to take in some breath. Many of them were looking at her in mild surprise, which only served to annoy her ever the more. Did they think she lacked intellect? The nerve!

The Hokage on the other hand, chuckled. He had gone over the reports concerning all the team that passes. It was clearly evident in the papers that she was the top in the class academically. If anything, he was surprised by the attitude that she was now portraying. Iruka had told him that even though the girl was smart, she was usually rather timid unless it concerned the Sasuke boy.

Seeing that she had not provoked the slightest twitch from the Hokage, Sakura continued in a more clipped tone, "Next there is the C ranked missions. These are mostly taken by Chunin. These missions consist of assignments related to protecting travelers or delivering important documents. Genin who take these missions are sometimes liable to death though I feel that that is beside the point. One cannot learn and grow more experienced if he/she is always protected."

"So it seems you have a grasp on the basics then. Well done." said the Hokage in amusement, "But I asked all three of you contribute something. The two males of the team have yet to add their part to the discussion."

Naruto fought the urge to once again roll his eyes, "Stop being so impatient, oji-san. We were not done yet."

Another murmur of outrage came from the Chunin at the disrespect the boy showed. The Hokage was half tempted to roll his eyes be only beckoned the three of the genin to continue with their talk.

Sasuke picked up from where Sakura left off droning in a monotonous voice, "The next after this is B ranked missions. The difficulty is a lot higher than that of C ranked missions. Most B ranked missions involve retrieving important documents or protecting someone and taking them to a certain location. For these missions, it is mostly Jounin or Chuunin ranked ninjas who perform these assignments. After that are ranked A missions. These missions are significantly more dangerous. Ninjas ranked as Jounin or higher are usually assigned for these tasks. Rank A missions are extremely risky and the possibility of a death or severe injury is always there."

There was a moment of silence. This was the most he ever spoke and rather unsettling. The raven haired genin simply glared at the people before him, as if daring them to make a comment.

The Hokage cleared his throat. "…I see you seem to grasp the whole concept, but I'm disappointed that Naruto didn't add anything." said the Hokage all the while taking a draft from his pipe. Many of the Chunin smirked at the failure, though there was no sign of distress from the team. Kakashi had yet to even raise his eyes from his book.

As the sandaime reached for a D rank folder, a sharp voice cut through the room, "Hokage-sama, who said we ever finished?" Everyone looked at the speaker in shock. It was Naruto. Naruto was NEVER formal to the Hokage. What in the world was going on?

The Hokage chuckled at his antics, "Very well, Naruto, if you have something to add, then I'll give you the C rank mission that I have right here." He pulled out a folder from the pile and placed it down on the table.

Naruto smirked in glee, "All right then. I believe that we have one more rank that was not covered."

Many of them wondered…did this kid really know or was he simply bluffing?

Undaunted, Naruto continued, a smirk evident on his face, "The last rank would be the S ranked missions. These are normally taken by Anbu, who are…the secret force of ninjas that…protect Konoha. Sometimes there are Kages who also participate in these missions. These missions are highly dangerous and can range from assassinations to "information gathering" or spying…I do believe that is the basic outline of those missions."

Dead silence greeted him. He looked around the room and raised his brow at the reactions of many Chunin. "What? Surprised that I actually know something…? I'm not that stupid of a fool that I remain ignorant to the information around me." He huffily said crossing his arms, daring someone to counteract his comment.

"They didn't think an idiot like you would know that though. Remember, you're grades were abysmal" muttered Sasuke.

Naruto glared at his teammate in annoyance, "Hey! Who's side are you on?"

The Hokage could not help but to outright chuckle, "Well this was a rather unexpected turn. Good job, I did not expect you to know that tidbit of information. But, as I promised, I'll give you the mission. You will escort this bridge builder, Tazuna back to his home village."

A Chunin quickly left, only to return with an old man with a bottle of sake. The man, Tazuna, leaned against the wall and stared at his soon to be escorts. He took a sip from his bottle before he drawled, "Is this all you're giving me, one adult and three pip-squeaked brats? I thought I asked for proper escorts."

Three shuriken went flying before anybody could make a simple comment. Each landed on the wall behind the man, only a millimeter shy of it's target. The fact at how deeply wedging deeply into the wood showed the power and speed at which the projectiles were launched at. There was a tense silence as the carpenter could only stare in shock.

It was Sasuke who broke the silence, eyeing the sake bearer with a piercing gaze, "Don't misjudge us. We were assigned to protect you and that's what we'll do."

Sakura continued, an innocent grin belied her cold emerald stare, "Don't underestimate us 'brats' for we are more than a match for you."

Naruto raised his brow but made no comment. Instead he strolled to the wall to retrieve the weapons that he had thrown. He had no need to speak as his two teammates simply said it all.

Kakashi, who surprisingly did not yell at any of them, calmly flipped through his book and gave a small giggle before marking a page. He closed the book with a small thump and beckoned his students towards the door, "I guess it's time for us to pack then. Hokage-sama, we accept the mission. I will meet you guys at the gate in an hour."

Team 7 nodded in unison before leaving the room. Once outside, the people in the office could hear the shouts of two boys and the laughter of a girl as the three ran to get ready. Kakashi, who remained behind to receive the report, looked Tazuna who had yet to move from his position, "You really shouldn't underestimate them. They are really strong and can hold their own. Come, We are all going to meet at the gate."

Tazuna only shook his head in disbelief before taking a huge gulp from his gourd. He then followed Kakashi out. With the dissaperance of the two men, the room broke into a hive of noise. What in the world happened?

The Hokage had a thoughtful look on his face. Team 7 was definitely more different from when they were first together. Those reports were now nowhere near accurate.

Feel free to comment or critique. =D I hope you had an enjoyable read. [M' going to try to update everything faster =D hopefully. rawr]