Author's Note: Wow. I feel like I'm way behind on everything. Haha.
At least I'm on time with another update! :D If you couldn't tell, I've been shooting for adding a new chapter every Monday and Friday.
Oh, and I have some exciting news! (For me anyway... not sure if you're all going to be as excited as I am haha)
I thought of a new story idea! It's strange because I usually can't think of new ideas while in the process of writing a story, but this idea just came to me and I love it. It's way different from anything else I've written.
I'm still going to finish this story first, before I start writing the new one. It's just easier that way, sorry!
But I can tell you that it's going to be a GaaraxOC story. For real this time. Haha.
Thanks to Ninja Trio's Best, ILuvOdie, Angel32497, Sara and Kisa, and BlackRose723 for the amazing reviews! They made me happy, as usual. :D And I'm glad you all liked the fluff!
Nine: Squad Seven… Plus One
The next morning, my alarm clock's high-pitched ring wrenched me from my pleasant slumber. I jolted upright, startled by the sudden noise, and tried to look around through sleep-crusted eyes. Wiping them clean, I turned to glare at the source of the ringing, which read seven o'clock, and pressed the 'Off' button. When the sound had ceased, I breathed a heavy sigh of relief as I let myself fall back to the comfort of my bed.
Turning my head to the side, I expected to see a sleeping Kakashi, but I was disappointed when I realized that I was alone. I wondered if it had all been a dream. His touch, his smell… it had all felt so real. Deciding against putting myself through the mental turmoil involved in deciphering the previous night, I hoisted myself upright and slid off the bed to prepare for the day's mission instead.
I dragged myself into the bathroom for a quick shower. Thankfully, the warm water managed to wash the sleep away from my face and energize my body. When I had finished washing the grime from my skin and hair, I rinsed my soapy self before turning the water off and immediately wrapping myself in a towel. I quickly brushed my teeth and lined my eyes with black liner before turning to exit the bathroom. My feet tapped against the cold tile as I headed back to my room for some clothes.
Remembering the previous day, I made sure to peek through the door before opening it completely. I didn't want another embarrassing half-naked encounter with Kakashi. The room was still empty, so I quickly made for my closet and pulled out my Jonin uniform. I stepped into the black pants and pulled the black long-sleeved shirt over my body, immediately rolling the sleeves up just past my elbows. Before slipping into my muted green vest, I pulled my hair into a low, messy bun.
To complete my ensemble, I searched through my top drawer for my headband. When I did not see it, however, I furrowed my brows in confusion and pushed the drawer shut. I turned on my heel, trying to remember where I had left it, when I saw the sun glaring brightly from atop my bedside table. Sighing, I plodded toward it to find my headband placed neatly on the surface. I reached out to grab it so I could wrap the fabric around my forehead. Before I could do so, however, I noticed a piece of folded paper had been hidden underneath the material, so I opened it up to examine its content.
"Kae—
Meet Naruto, Sakura, and I at the village gates at nine o'clock. We'll plan everything out before we leave.
—Kakashi
P.S. I hope you slept well. :)"
I smiled at the postscript. This must have meant that Kakashi was, in fact, here with me last night, and it wasn't just a dream. I tossed the paper back onto my bedside table before pulling the black cloth of my headband tightly against my forehead. I then grabbed the two holsters I had stocked the night before, strapping one around my right leg and attaching the other to my left back pocket. The clock read 8:45, meaning I had just enough time to make it to the village gates to meet my comrades.
Since I was going to be away for a few days, I locked the doors and windows before exiting my apartment. I gazed upwards at the morning sky as I started along the rocky path. It was a beautiful bright blue, and there were only a few fluffy white clouds floating along. A gentle breeze caressed my exposed skin, offering a bit of relief from the hot sun. It was a lovely day, and it seemed like everyone in the village was outside enjoying it.
When the village gates were in sight, I noticed that both Sakura and Naruto had already arrived. I waved to them as I approached, and they returned the gesture. "Hey, Kaeda Sensei," Sakura smiled.
"Kaeda Sensei! Long time no see!" Naruto shouted.
I smiled at the both of them. "Every time I see you two, you look so much older than I remember. Naruto, when did you get taller than me?" I patted his head with my hand.
Naruto laughed. "I've been tall for a long time. I think you just shrunk!"
"Naruto!" Sakura grumbled, clenching her hand into a fist and holding it up in a threatening manner, "Show a little respect, you idiot!"
Naruto held both of his hands up defensively while whining, "Come on, Sakura! Give me a break, I was just kidding!"
I snickered at them. "It's ok, Sakura." I said, "I know that Naruto is just a big goofball."
Naruto grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck with his left hand.
"So," I sighed, "Kakashi's late."
"Yeah," Sakura groaned, combing her fingers through her shoulder-length pink hair, "that's Kakashi for you."
"Tell me about it!" Naruto agreed, "And we've been putting up with it for three years!"
"Patience is a virtue, you two," I laughed. I began tapping my foot as I searched the vicinity for Kakashi, and I groaned when I still hadn't seen him after a few seconds. "And it's a virtue that I obviously don't have. Where is he?"
Sakura and Naruto laughed, joining me in my search for Kakashi. After a few minutes, I finally noticed a mess of spiky silver hair in the sea of villagers, and I breathed a sigh of relief. "There he is," I said.
They averted their eyes to the direction in which mine were looking, and when they had each found him, they simultaneously called out, "Kakashi Sensei!"
Kakashi lifted his head upon hearing their voices. He waved when he saw us, shoving a volume of his favorite pervy series of books into his back pouch. "Hey there, everyone," he greeted, "are we ready to discuss our mission, then?"
"We've been ready for five minutes," I grumbled, glaring at him.
"This is nothing, Kaeda Sensei," Naruto told me, "In the past, Kakashi has kept us waiting for hours!"
"What's your excuse this time, Kakashi Sensei?" Sakura asked with a laugh, "Get lost on the 'path of life' again?"
"No," Kakashi answered while stretching his arms over his head, "I just woke up a little late is all."
Sakura and Naruto appeared somewhat surprised. "Well that's a new one," Sakura said to herself.
"Alright," I sighed, clapping my hands together in hopes of earning everyone's attention, "Are we ready to get started here?"
The other three nodded their heads. "I have a quick question first," Naruto said.
"What's that?" I asked him.
"What exactly are we investigating?"
Kakashi took the lead on answering his question. "Do you know Toshiro Isami? He's one of Kaeda Sensei's students."
"Yeah, I know him. Kind of short, white hair in a ponytail, always wears a black and green jacket?"
"That's him," Kakashi nodded, "And I'm assuming you know about the Isami clan's kekkei genkai?"
"Eh…" Naruto's voice trailed off as he struggled to remember.
"It's a chakra absorption kekkei genkai," Sakura explained to him, "They use a technique that's similar to the Hyuga clan's gentle fist, but instead of simply stopping the flow of chakra, the Isami clan ruptures the vital chakra points, causing chakra to leak out. The Isami can then absorb this chakra into their own body and use it for themselves."
"Whoa!" Naruto exclaimed, "That's so cool!"
"Anyway," Kakashi continued, "Kaeda Sensei and her team came across some strange men who were acting suspiciously around Toshiro. Because of this, we believe that there may be a group of people who are targeting Toshiro in order to steal the Isami clan's kekkei genkai. Our job is to investigate and hopefully try and find out who is behind all of this so we can stop them."
"Alright, yeah," Naruto growled through gritted teeth, his fists clenching tightly as his blood began to boil, "We can't let these bastards get away with something like that!" I laughed quietly to myself; Naruto's appearance may have drastically changed over the years, but he was still the same hotheaded kid he had always been.
"So, what's the plan?" Sakura calmly asked after nudging the blonde boy in hopes that he would calm down a bit.
I cleared my throat before speaking. "Well," I began, "I thought that we could first go to the area where I encountered the men. If we head into the direction that they went when they were leaving, maybe we'll come across some clues as to where they might be now."
"Good idea," Kakashi agreed, "From there, we can check out any neighboring towns and villages to find out if anyone else has spotted them."
"Sounds good to me," Sakura concurred as she pulled her black gloves over her hands.
"Yeah, let's go!" Naruto shouted.
"Kaeda," Kakashi turned to me, "lead the way."