The Runaway Refugee
Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto.
"Hearts can break. Yes, hearts can break. Sometimes I think it would be better if we died when they did, but we don't" - Stephen King
"These D-ranks are getting on my nerves. Seriously, why can't they pay civilians for these jobs?"
"They're getting on your nerves? Naruto, you have your shadow clones do all the work for you," Sakura said.
"Yeah, but when they dispel I remember all the boring stuff they did, and my back even starts hurting a little if they pulled weeds or did something tiring. Plus, I just want to start getting interesting missions."
Sasuke looked up, struggling to swallow his ramen noodles quickly so he could speak.
"I thought you couldn't feel any pain from your clones?" he said in an inquisitive manner.
"It isn't really pain, it'll just feel a little sore. Kinda like how it feels after a hard training session."
To this, Sasuke's eyebrows raised in realization.
"What?" Naruto asked.
"I think we should talk to Kakashi-sensei about something. Well, something besides trying to get a C-rank."
"But, Kakashi-sensei, we've been doing these stupid chores for 3 weeks!" Naruto yelled.
"No, your clones have been doing them for 3 weeks."
"Yeah, but I remember everything they do!"
"I'm aware of how they work. It was a popular jutsu in my generation, before it became forbidden."
"How exactly do they work?" Sasuke said as he finished his spar with Sakura.
"Ah, there's a lot to it. Anything in particular you want to know?"
"Well, Naruto said his back was somewhat sore after his clones had pulled weeds for him. But, he also can't feel any of their pain. How does that work? He says he gets the memories from dispelled clones. Does he also get their muscle memory and training progress?"
"More pointedly, they can indeed accelerate one's training."
"And you never told me? I could've been using that the whole time?"
"It's dangerous to take in too much information from your clones. It is forbidden for a reason, after all. Plus, you use clones in most of training anyway, so I figured it wouldn't hurt much."
Naruto, still upset about his lost time, was soon placated by Kakashi, who offered to find a C-rank mission for compensation. After some mild cheers, the genin were led to the Hokage's office for a briefing on their new mission.
Team 7 stood in the Hokage's office, eager to receive their first mission that wasn't some mind-numbingly boring chore. Though they'd never admit, each of the genin could feel a tinge of nervousness picking at the back of their mind. They weren't necessarily nervous for their safety, but they were unsure of what exactly being a shinobi entailed. This mission would set the tone for the rest of their careers, and it would allow them to assess their skills more practically.
"Hello, you all," the Hokage started as he drew from his pipe. "The mission you have been assigned is simple, though important."
"How so?" Naruto said, too excited to let the Hokage finish.
"We haven't been able to contact the Hidden Mist Village in over two weeks. Trade has completed ceased. None of their courier ninja have arrived here lately. We are unsure of what has happened, but the recent developments have international consequences. You all have been assigned to travel to the Hidden Mist and stealthily determine what has happened. Understood?"
"Hokage-sama, what have our courier ninja and caravans said? Wouldn't they know?" Sakura said.
"One of our courier ninja last visited them about a week and a half ago. She was not told about anything beforehand, as it had only been a few days without contact, so she was not on the lookout for anything odd. Things seemed normal, to her, but she was in the village for less than an hour. Thus, we are assigning your team to it. Again, make sure to be stealthy; we want to learn the truth, after all. You are to leave as soon as possible."
"Alright, let's go get ready," Kakashi said as he led his students out of the door.
'Hmm, Kakashi-sensei said to pack for two weeks, so I guess I should take all the instant ramen I have. And some ration bars too, I guess,' Naruto thought as he cleared his pantries of food. 'I wish I had some storage scrolls,' he concluded, as he packed a hilariously large backpack with mostly ramen. As he finished up, he left to meet the rest of his team at the east gate.
To everyone's dismay, Kakashi had arrived first. Sometimes, it was easy to forget that he was one of Konoha's finest shinobi who was capable of being serious once in a blue moon.
"We should get to the edge of the Land of Fire within two days. From there, we'll have to boat to the island that the Hidden Mist is on, which'll take another day at the least. Let's go?"
Much later in the day, as the sun began to set, Kakashi instructed his team to set up camp next to a nearby river. They had made quite a bit of progress and were slightly ahead of schedule. They figured they could make it to the boat by midday the next day and arrive in The Hidden Mist the next morning.
"Alright, Naruto and his clones can collect firewood. Sasuke can pitch the tents and help find food, and Sakura can grab some water from the river and cook."
"What're you gonna do?" Naruto said.
Smiling, Kakashi merely pulled out his book and made himself comfortable.
Naruto, as if to mock his sensei, instructed a few clones to collect firewood as he plopped himself down next to Kakashi, trying to make himself even more visibly comfortable.
"Do you ever do anything besides read that smut?" Naruto said, breaking a few moments of silence.
Kakashi turned his head to the side. "Sometimes I torture young genin who interrupt my reading time."
"Torture them? You mean you use A Thousand Years of Death on other unsuspecting genin? You're even more of a pervert than I thought."
"It's an extremely advanced taijutsu technique, Naruto. Forbidden, too."
"Maybe it's forbidden because one too many old men used it on little boys!"
"Hey now, little boy, I could do far worse."
"You wish," Naruto said as he stumbled over to greet Sakura, who had just returned with some water to boil.
"Uh, do you have anything to start a fire with?" Sakura asked.
Naruto shook his head. 'Damn, I guess I can't cook my instant ramen,' he thought.
She silently wished that Sasuke were there to help. Instead, Sakura walked over to get some help from Kakashi.
"We should hit the shoreline of the island that the Hidden Mist is on in an hour. Remember, this is a stealth mission above all else," Kakashi paused to look at Naruto, before smiling. "Hopefully everybody in the Mist is colorblind."
Some slight banter continued as the team finally stepped foot on the island. Kakashi didn't notice any border patrol, though they did run aground in a rather remote portion of the island.
The group had decided to henge into a seemingly harmless caravan and slowly followed the road towards the Hidden Mist.
Upon reaching the outskirts of the village, the group collectively gasped. From their vantage point, which happened to be on a hill that overlooked the village, they should have been able to observe some sort of night life. However, they were instead hard pressed to find simple signs of activity, like lights… or any noise whatsoever.
Maybe, if they weren't so confused, they could have noticed how beautiful and clear the starry sky looked, or how the full, yellow moon reflected perfectly off of the glassy water.
Kakashi began to think aloud, only to be disrupted by a large cleaver that flew past them, far too high to have been thrown with malicious intent. However, upon taking a closer look at the cleaver, Kakashi immediately identified it as Zabuza Momochi's infamous executioner's blade. As quickly he had deduced who threw it, Zabuza appeared atop his sword, which had dug itself into a tree. Shortly thereafter, a young woman appeared as well, hiding behind the mask of a hunter nin.
"Kakashi of the sharingan… what business do you have out in a desolate place like this?"
A/N: As always, reviews are appreciated! Update schedule should start conforming to more of a weekly schedule, though I also want to start a new story written from a 1st person POV. I'm a much better writer in 1st person, for whatever reason. 3rd person feels awkward; I feel weird providing too many inner thoughts, which can really help to characterize people. Eh, maybe I'll figure it out as I write more. Hopefully. Lastly, do you all prefer shorter, weekly chapters or longer, biweekly chapters?