Chapter 5
A/N: So this is my first fanfic and I didn't realize how much this site changes the formatting I had in my word doc. I went back ad edited the previous chapters and put the horizontal lines that didn't carry over. Hope that makes it easier to read.
Disclaimer: I wish I owned Naruto but I do not
Itachi was putting his boots on when a little Sasuke ran up to him, "big brother, when you get back from training will you play with me?"
"I'm not training today, I have my first mission. Maybe next time," Itachi told his brother.
Sasuke's big black eyes shined, "you have your first mission? What is it?"
"It is some kind of delivery. I don't know what or to who yet, but that's what I'm about to find out. I have to go meet my team at the hokage's office," Itachi told his little brother.
"Wow! That's so cool!" Sasuke beamed.
"We can play next time," Itachi said and poked his brother on the forehead. He got up to leave and started heading towards the hokage's office.
At the gate of the compound he found Shisui leaning against the entrance.
"Ready to go?" Shisui said with a calm smile.
Itachi raised an eyebrow, "I was expecting to find you bouncing off the walls with excitement."
Shisui started to lead the way to the hokage's office, "Well I am excited, but it is time to be serious. As a ninja you have to know when to shut off your emotions."
"It's strange how you can switch from a loud cheery guy to an emotionless shinobi," Itachi said.
"Well, not everything is fun and games, but not everything has to be dead serious too. I think you should loosen up a bit when we're not training or on a mission. You don't want to waste your life away always being so stiff," Shisui said.
"I'm not stiff. I'm just not as outgoing you," Itachi mumbled.
"There is nothing wrong with that. What I mean is you should allow yourself to smile more. Let yourself laugh. I understand you are under a lot of pressure being the chief's son and all, but you have to live your own life," Shisui said with his voice serious. "Look there's Jayne and Ayato."
Itachi was silent knowing what he said was true. He has always admired Shisui and thought of him as another brother.
"Shisui! Itachi!" Jayne waved at them.
"Alright, we're all here so let's go in," Ayato led them to the hokage's office.
The three genin entered the large round room in awe. The hokage sat at a large desk in the middle of the room. He was studying some documents and slowly looked up when he heard them enter his office.
"Ah, Team 5, are you ready to receive your first mission?" The hokage asked.
"Hai!" The three genin said at once.
The hokage pulled out a scroll and handed it to Ayato, "It is a C ranked mission since it involves traveling outside of Konoha, but it should be a simple task. I need you to deliver these textiles to a man that lives on the outskirts of Sunagakure. Our normal delivery man was struck with a fever so I am asking you."
"Of course. What is the deadline?" Ayato asked.
"I need the textiles to arrive today. Since this is the kids' first mission and they have never travelled before, I will allow you to return tomorrow if you find they need to spend the night somewhere to rest," The hokage said.
"Hai, hokage-sama," Ayato looked over the scroll. "We will head out right away."
"Perfect, you are dismissed. Good luck on your first mission team 5," the hokage waved them off.
With that they made their leave and started heading towards the city gates.
"So where are the textiles we need to deliver?" Jayne asked.
Ayato handed her the scroll, "right here."
She rolled open the scroll and found at the bottom some markings indicating a seal. "So they are sealed inside the scroll?" she asked.
"Yup" Ayato confirmed.
"How long does it take to get to Suna?" Itachi asked.
"At this pace, maybe three to four hours," Ayato said casually.
"Three to four hours?!" Jayne raised her voice.
"How close do you think Suna is? If we ran we could get there in half the time," Ayato said. "I was planning on walking and then making you guys run back."
"But that's so much running!" Jayne pouted.
"Yeah? What do you think I've been conditioning you for? Ya know, my sensei would make us run to and from missions. If we didn't get there in half the time we were expected to we would have to do 500 push ups when we got back," Ayato said remembering some not so fond memories.
"Is that necessary?" Itachi asked. He assumed as long as they got back before the deadline they were good. There wasn't any prize or bonus cash for finishing a mission so quickly.
"No, but it was for training our 'youthful souls'" Ayato smirked.
"What if we ran half way both times? Like half way there and half way back?" Shisui asked finally joining the conversation.
"Why are you trying to change the running plan?" Jayne chimed in.
"Well, I don't think any of us have enough stamina to run the full distance," Shisui said.
Ayato thought about it for a moment, "We can do that. We can run now and then walk the second half so you aren't all out of breathe when we arrive at Suna."
"What is the half way point?" Itachi asked.
"I will let you know when we get there," Ayato said. "Let's start running now."
Team 5 took off running through the forest path. Ayato and Shisui were a little ahead and Jayne and Itachi kept pace behind them. Jayne hated running. She was fast, but she hated it. She could keep pace with Ayato and Shisui but she'd rather not exert herself that much. Of course if she was in some kind of trouble she could run faster, but since her life wasn't in danger she felt no need for it. She glanced over at Itachi who was running next to her. He should be up with the other boys but instead he stayed back with her.
Itachi felt Jayne watching him and glance at her. She seemed a bit puzzled and spaced out.
"Jayne, what is it?" He called out to her.
She blinked as if being pulled back into reality, "Sorry what?"
"You are staring. What are you thinking about?" Itachi repeated himself.
Jayne blushed when she realized what he said was true, "Sorry! I must have spaced out."
"Try to stay focused since we are on a mission," Itachi said. It wasn't cold but it also wasn't encouraging.
"Sorry," Jayne focused her attention straight ahead of her.
Itachi was quiet for a moment then spoke up again, "Jayne"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for the cookies. Shisui told me about how you guys made them."
Jayne was a bit shocked, "It's no problem. Plus, I made a promise I would make you cookies. Do you remember that?"
"I do, thank you"
They fell quiet again. Jayne wanted to talk to him more since they were teammates. She wanted to become close with both Itachi and Shisui. Itachi just needed some more effort since he wasn't as outgoing as Shisui.
"Itachi, how is your little brother?"
"He is well, why do you ask?" Itachi glanced back at her direction.
"I was just wondering. He is so adorable, I like it when he comes to watch us train," Jayne said.
"Yeah, he enjoys it. He seems to be fond of you as well.
"I wish I had my brother," Jayne mumbled to herself.
She thought about the leather chest that is assumed to have belonged to her father. Inside she found his diary, which she has been reading an entry of each night, although she doesn't really understand much of what was written. Lots of politics and people she doesn't know. Inside this chest was also a picture frame. The picture had a man, a women who seemed to be pregnant, and a boy. The father and son both had the same color hair and eyes as Jayne, the mother had darker brown hair and brown eyes. They were all smiling and loving. The mother was holding her stomach affectionately. Jayne wondered if that was her inside the stomach.
It took the team about an hour of running to get halfway and then another hour and a half to finally arrive at the outskirts of Suna. The man they were delivering the textiles to lived in a small desert cottage. Ayato approached the door and knocked and middle aged man opened the door.
"Yes?" He looked at the leaf ninja.
"Are you Kenta Ueda? We are here to deliver the textile from Konoha," Ayato said.
"Ah yes, but where is my usual delivery man?" he asked looking them over one more time.
"He has been struck by a fever and is unable to make the journey," Ayato said. He then turned to Jayne holding out his hand, "Scroll."
Jayne handed over the scroll she kept a careful hold of the entire journey. Once he got the scroll, Ayato released the contents sealed inside. About a dozen boxes full of textiles appeared before them. Jayne was a bit surprised at the amount the scroll contained. She was sure glad they didn't have to carry the actual boxes.
"I have the trade right over here," The man said as he brought them around the corner of his house. There were about a dozen crates full of different Suna spices.
"Jayne, take this scroll and seal them into it just like you learned at the academy," Ayato instructed her. She had great chakra control so skills like sealing should be no problem for her.
"Hai Ayato-sensei," Jayne took the blank scroll and drew out the markings in order to seal. She executed the sealing flawlessly.
"Perfect. Alright we will be on our way," Ayato said.
"Wait, would you like to stay for lunch? My wife usually makes some sandwiches when our deliveryman comes," Kenta quickly asked.
Ayato was about to speak when they all heard a low growl. They looked back to see Shisui with a flushed face.
He blushed and ran his hand through his hair, "What? He said lunch and my stomach got excited."
Jayne laughed and a smile spread across Itachi's face. Ayato sighed, "Looks like we better stay for lunch."
Team 5 soon reached the halfway point on the way back from Suna to Konoha. Itachi came to a stop when he saw Ayato slow down in front of them.
"Alright time to walk. We will probably be there in an hour and a half," Ayato said.
"Can we take a break?" Jayne gasped as she bent over placing her hands on her knees.
"What, you mean you don't feel like your youth is on fire?" Ayato said sarcastically.
"No, just my lungs," Jayne pouted. "I can feel a lake nearby. I want to refill my canteen."
Ayato turned to the two Uchihas who also looked in need of a break, "You two go to the river and fill up all of our drinks."
Shisui took Jayne's canteen and Itachi grabbed Ayato's. "What direction is the lake?"
"Not that far to the right," Jayne said as she plopped onto the ground.
"Alright, be back in a few minutes," Itachi said as he and Shisui walked off in the direction Jayne pointed them.
In the forest Shisui spoke up, "This mission is pretty boring."
"It is just a C rank mission. Plus, I don't think the hokage would give us a dangerous first mission." Itachi said.
"Yeah. I guess it's better than chasing down cats like Takamasa's team had to. We at least get to leave the village."
"Yeah I was expecting something like patrolling the entrance."
Itachi and Shisui arrived at the lake and started filling up the canteens.
Shisui smirked, "Jayne always knows where the water is."
There was a sudden noise behind them rustling through the bushes. Both Itachi and Shisui stood up and got out their weapons. Three men emerged out of the bushes.
"Man, do you think they are still chasing us?" The heavier guy asked his other two companions
"We got a good head start. Make sure you are suppressing your chakra," The tallest one said.
The third and scariest looking one suddenly noticed Itachi and Shisui, "Shit look, more Konoha ninja."
"Dammit, we never have any good luck," the fat one said.
"Let's kill them quick and move on." The tall man pulled out a sword.
"By the looks of your clothing you appear to be escaped convicts from Konoha," Itachi said.
"We won't let you get any further," Shisui added.
"Look, these brats think they can handle all three of us!" The scary one laughed.
"Kill them!" The tall leader ordered.
The fat man then dashed towards the boys. He stomped his heavy foot into the ground and the Earth below them started to shoot out deadly spikes.
Itachi jumped back and then did some hand signs. Fire bullet jutsu. Several bullets of fire shot at the fat convict scorching him in several spots. The man was too slow to react and a couple shurikens flew into his arms.
"Fuck it hurts!" The man yelled. His arms became immobile and he couldn't put out the small flames that started on his clothes. The tall man kicked him onto the ground to extinguish the flames.
"Alright, so you beat down fatso here, but we are much better than that," The man said. He suddenly created a bunch of shadow clones, each one of them holding the same longsword. Pushing off from the ground, they leaped at the boys, about ten on each, swinging their swords at a crazy speed. The blades soon caught on fire creating an even deadlier attack.
Itachi closed his black eyes then reopened them, this time with swirling red ones. With his sharingan activated the moves of the many swordsmen seemed to slow down. He used his eyes to dodge every attack. The clones didn't relent as they kept slashing their swords. He watched the body movements of the clones, anticipating their next moves. He threw the shurikens so they would hit the exact spot the clones moved too. Five shurikens, five clones. A sudden scream filled the air and the remaining clones disappeared. Itachi looked in the direction of the scream to see the tall man crumpled on the ground. His body was shaking and he was screaming.
"Make it stop!" He yelled with his hands digging into his head.
Itachi looked over to Shisui who was standing not too far from the man with an intense look in his red eyes. Shisui trapped him in a genjutsu.
The last remaining man watched his comrade in horror, "W-what the hell? What the fuck did you do to him?!"
The man glared up at Shisui only to make fatal eye contact with his swirling red eyes. He instantly fell to the ground meeting the same fate as his partner. Itachi watched Shisui. He's never seen him use his sharingan for genjutsu before. In fact, Itachi hasn't even used it for genjutsu yet. They've never been in a situation where he has had to use it.
Shisui finally looked over in his direction flashing him a weak smile, "I thought it would be better to bring them back to Konoha alive rather than killing them. This is the best way to subdue them."
"Shisui! Itachi!" Jayne's voice sounded through the forest as she and Ayato emerged from the nearby bushes.
"What happened?" Ayato asked as he saw the three men on the ground, two of them in an unconscious state of pain.
"We were filling up the canteens when these guys showed up and attacked us. We think they are escaped convicts," Shisui said.
Ayato stared down at the men. Damn, that looks like a nasty genjutsu. He looked back up to the two Uchiha boys. Which one did this? Or did they both? "It appears so. We will bring them back with us."
Ayato looked back at Jayne who had gone quiet. She was standing there frozen, staring wide eyed at the men as the writhed around on the ground. He placed a hand on her shoulder. With the contact she seemed to snap out of her trance.
She quickly looked to the two boys, "Are you guys alright."
"Yeah, nothing got us," Itachi said.
"I will cuff them then release the genjutsu," Ayato said. He signed with his hands and cuffs made out of earth appeared around the convicts' wrists. He released the two under the genjutsu and they groggily woke up.
Jayne looked over at Shisui, who was unusually quiet since they arrived. He seemed to be avoiding her gaze and looked off in the other direction. She sighed at his strange behavior.
Ayato had seen the small interaction. Shisui must have seen the scared look on her face. The kid probably feels like he is what scares her. Ayato turned towards the three convicts who were back to their full attention, "All right you bastards, you are coming back with us to the leaf. If you try anything funny I will cut your fuckin ears off and you don't want to know what I will do when you run out of ears."
Team 5 stood in the hokage's office after returning their well-behaved prisoners to their cells. Ayato handed over the scroll with the Suna spices sealed into it and now they were just waiting to hear what the hokage has to say.
The hokage sat in his chair and read through the report Ayato had written up. "So, the delivery went well. The only trouble you ran into was with those escaped convicts and it seems you also handled that very well. Congratulations on completing your first mission. You are dismissed," The hokage said.
"Hai," team 5 said in unison.
Once they stepped outside of the hokage office Ayato turned to his students, "You have the day off tomorrow but after that we get right back to training until our next mission."
They nodded and began to go their separate ways.
"Hey, Jayne, wait," Shisui called out to her.
She quickly turned around. This is the first time he really spoke since the convict incident. "What's up?"
"I forgot to give this back to you," Shisui said holding out her canteen.
She smiled, "Oh, I completely forgot! Thank you, Shisui!"
"Well, I will see you later," Shisui started to leave to catch up with Itachi.
"Bye, have a good night," she smiled and gave him a wave.
Jayne held her canteen tight to her chest as she walked home. She sighed, "My first mission. I wonder what the next one will be like."
