Sorry for the late update! Nikoru and myself went to the beach with some friends, and Katie got so sunburnt! It was insane!
Special thanks to all my fans and KumorikoKumoriko for giving A+ advice!
A Dangerous Mission! Journey to the Land of Waves! 重要任務!波の国へ超出発!
Naruko Uzumaki, container of the Kyuubi, was chasing a cat. As it turned out, D ranked missions sucked ass. Between plucking weeds and painting fences, she couldn't help but feel that she was a glorified house maid. At least she didn't have to wear a uniform. "This is Blondie point A. I guess." She did not want to be doing this. The static from the earpiece halted momentarily.
"This is... Ducky... point C." Naruko smirked. The fact that Kakashi-sensei continued to use her childhood nickname for the soul purpose of annoying him was priceless. It would also be better if they weren't doing chores everyday.
"This is Sensei point B." Kakashi-sensei's voice interrupted the crackle in her ear. Then the three of them waited for Sakura. Naruko hit her head against the tree trunk behind her. This was getting uncomfortable.
"This is...Pinky...point D." That meant she had to be in the bush across the clearing. Mission 'Capture Tora the Cat' had already taken about an hour. She heard Kakashi sigh over the intercom.
"Sakura, you took too long. Move in on my count...three...two...one!" Many things happened all at once. Sakura jumped out of her bush and and ran towards Tora. Sasuke jumped from the underbrush to the left and closed in on the target. Kakashi appeared out of nowhere (his chakra was actually behind a tree, but the others didn't know) and flanked the cat's right.
Target was five feet away...four...three...two...NOW! She dropped from the tree branch, arms and legs curled. Her back arched so she wouldn't crush the target upon impact. The plan worked! She laughed maniacally, the damn cat was captured! Tora snarled and scratched and her captor's tummy.
"YOU GODDAMN DEMON CAT FROM HELL!" Naruko was past angry, dattebayo. Kakashi's eyebrow had receded to his hairline, and Sasuke smirked lightly. She grabbed the cat by the scruff of it's neck and held it away from her body. There was a hole in her jumpsuit where the demon cat had scratched. She looked at her tummy...only to see the wound closing up right before her eyes. She glanced up nervously and covered her stomach with a struggling Tora, wrapping her arms around the cat's stomach and pressing it's back over her skin.
No one had to know.
Sasuke Uchiha, sole survivor of the Uchiha Massacre and Rookie of the Year, stared at his blonde teammate. While convinced the two girls on his team would be undoubtably useless in the future, at least the Dobe was useful now. She was an...enigma, to say the least. Her strength was impressive, for a girl, and he supposed her stealth levels had to be off the charts to be able to hide in that orange eyesore.
He wasn't jealous of the Dead Last. He wasn't. He realized that the girl must have some genetic ability that allowed her to sense chakra. He realized that he would only ever be able to pinpoint chakra and sense how many signatures there were. He realized that he would never be able to tell one signature from another, but...
The Dobe had unconscious healing abilities too? Well, apparently she was no longer in the dark about them, as when she looked down at her stomach she noticed the wounds closing up. Naruko had attempted to hid it from them with a cat, and though he was certain that Haruno had missed the enigma, someone as highly trained as their Sensei would never be fooled.
Neither would he, because he was an Uchiha, and more skilled than the pink haired girl on the team...along with the rest of their class. If the Dobe had something to hide, she better hide it better.
Naruko smirked, watching the demon cat suffocate in the embrace of Madam Shijimi, wife of the Fire Daimyo. The damn thing deserved it, dattebayo! Next to her, Ducky wore a similar expression, as the cat had made life difficult for them all. Kakashi seemed indifferent to everything, so it didn't matter either way. And Sakura...it didn't matter, she wasn't important to Naruko anymore.
After the ecstatic woman bounced out of the room, Hokage-jiji turned to them, barely glancing at the scratch mark on her jumpsuit. Iruka's eyebrows were furrowed. The old man cleared his throat, "Your next mission can be one of the following: baby sitting Yojyu-sama's boy, grocery shopping for-"
She had stomped her foot down, arms crossed, with chakra channeled in her foot. She had meant to make a rumble for effect, but her chakra control was still awful and she overestimated...a lot. Her foot went straight through the floor. Deciding to play it off, she yanked her foot back up, and began her argument, "NO. I refuse to be a glorified house maid. One day you get a complaint for an orange jumpsuit, and the next thing you know, they'll shove you in a skimpy maids outfit! No, wait. Let me start over."
She shifted the other way, annoyance practically oozing off of her, "I am a registered ninja." Her voice was relatively quiet, for her. "A ninja does missions... not household chores." She pouted and turned away. While the Hokage merely sighed, Iruka jumped up in anger.
"Naruko! Show some respect to your Hokage! People come to the village every day to request tasks. Those missions are then divided based on difficulty levels, hence the A, B, C, and D rank missions- just like ninja are divided by Hokage, Jounin, Chuunin, and Genin according to their abilities. A ranks are assigned to Jounin, B and C ranks for Chuunin, and C to D ranks to Genin..."
By then he had noticed that Naruko was talking to her teammates about...ramen. "I personally like the miso, but pork is always good!" Her chirpy voice hid her devious smirk.
The Hokage's eye twitched, "Naruko! Pay attention when people talk to you!" Naruko turned to him, fists clenched in rage.
"Why?! No one does it for me!" Her hands covered her mouth as she glanced at her team. She hunched down on the ground, breath held in both anger and nervousness. Jiji sighed, and hand predictably held to his forehead.
Sounding almost tired, he called out to his receptionist. "Bring in Tazuna!" He turned back to the girl. "This is your first C rank. You will be pr-" He was interrupted upon the clients arrival. Naruko snorted before she could help it.
"I pay you all my money and you give me this? I doubt any of them could hold your weapons well, and the short girl shouldn't even be a ninja!" Everyone who knew Naruko held their breath in fear. Said girl snarled and lunged towards the man, only to stop short as Kakashi grabbed her jumpsuit. "My name is Tazuna, the bridge building expert. You will protect me with your lives until the bridge is completed." Then he burped, stench of alcohol assaulting Naruko's sensitive nose.
Kakashi sighed, knowing this was going to be a long mission- in a way that had nothing to do with the days to pass. "Meet me at the gates in an hour. Pack for a couple weeks worth of travel." With an influx of chakra, he disappeared in a whirlwind of leaves. Not for the first time, Naruko wondered if that jutsu could be performed without the added effect of leaves. If she put more chakra, maybe...it would look so badass if she disappeared in flame, dattebayo! One day she would do that to Kakashi-sensei... and scare him shitless!
She ran out of the room, feeling the need to pack quickly. She really only had weapons...and a pack for clothing. It would be enough. She shouved five jumpsuits in the bag, and changed into a different one. It was still torn from Tora. Kunai, check. Shruikan, check. She felt the pouch on her right thigh. Bandages, check.
A couple months ago, something weird happened. Her chest...had breasts. She never really thought about how one day she might turn up looking like her Oiroke no Jutsu. Of course, she hoped she never got that big. But there had been a problem. The villagers wouldn't sell her a bra. Not knowing what else to do, Naruko resorted to something she could have- bandages. Surprisingly comfortable, the solution had stuck.
She pulled on her underwear and 3/4 length shorts, and was ready to wrap her chest. Another great thing about bandages was that it hid the fact she even had a chest. Her jumpsuits already did a pretty good job, but you could never be too safe, dattebayo! Her orange suit soon made it's way on her, and she was ready to go.
Why did it feel like something was missing...
A squeak sounded from the window sill. Remy! She almost forgot! He had to come with her, given how long she would be away. She stuck him in her collar. Now she was ready!
As she approached the gates, she felt both anxious and excited. Each step that brought her closer to the future made her eyes widen and heart speed up. This was it! Naruko Uzumaki, future Hokage, was leaving the village! An escort mission, no matter how much of an asshole the client was, would be a great start towards her goal. Hopefully Teme and Sakura would be as happy as her. She had fought hard for this, and it would all pay off.
Arriving the meeting point, she noticed that both her teammates were already there, and Tazuna...but no Sensei. Her left eye twitched in anger. That man could be late for every training session for all she would care...but a mission? A wave of weak killing intent flared off of her body, alerting the others of her presence. Wisely, they decided not to push her.
Kakashi arrived within thirty seconds of her outburst, looking relaxed. His eye, however, told a different story. Anxious. He was anxious, and she had a good guess as to why. She glared at the ground, knowing she couldn't exactly pinpoint where the Kyuubi was. It was hard, knowing that it was inside of her...
Did that make her a monster? Would she be different if the Kyuubi didn't lie within her? Her shoulders slumped, the weight of the world seemingly pressing down upon her. She had to become strong. Not only to protect herself or become Hokage...but also to protect her village from the Kyuubi.
Kakashi clapped his hands awkwardly. "Alright, lets move out." Seeing as Tazuna was a civilian, the team would have to walk the journey to Wave. She could feel the judgmental gaze from Tazuna. It didn't feel like the accusatory ones from the villagers...more like he couldn't figure out what to think. But then they passed through the gates, and Naruko dashed forwards. She was outside, dattebayo!
Remy popped out of her collar and squeaked in what she assumed was excitement. The old man stumbled in surprise before his snarky attitude replaced his shock. "What are you running around for girl?" He turned to Kakashi, "How are these snot-nosed brats going to protect me?" Kakashi sighed, looking up from that little orange book of his.
Instead of defending his genin, he chose a different route, "Do not worry, Tazuna-san. I am a highly trained Jonin. I will protect you." He ignored the glares from his team. They had improved a lot, but something about this mission seemed...off.
Naruko frowned and walked towards the front of the group. Sakura had engaged the asshole client of theirs in a conversation about Wave ninja. There were none. Only Hidden Villages had ninja, to maintain an 'equal position' to the neighboring countries. There were no ninja battles in C-rank missions...so why were there two chuunin chakra signatures in that puddle over there.
Before she could alert Sensei, the two ninja appeared. One wore a rebreather, and had poisoned claws on his right arm. The gauntlet that held the claws had a chain that connected him to the other ninja. He wore a camouflage suit with bandages around his waist, dark colored, knee-length sandals, and a ragged black cape. On his hitai-ate was a single horn.
His teammate, most likely brother, looked the same, if not for the pouches on his waist. His hitai-ate had two horns instead of one. The gauntlet was on his left arm, in order to connect to the other's chain. They looked dangerous.
Their chain tore apart her Sensei...but his chakra was behind a tree. The Kawarimi. He would be okay. "One down." Sakura screamed, probably thinking he was dead. But Naruko knew better, dattebayo! She grabbed a kunai and dashed behind one-horn. She slashed at the tendons behind his knees. That should keep him do-
"You little bitch!" The other ninja charged forwards before she could turn around, and slashed her hand with the claws. She was poisoned. Sasuke threw a kunai with deadly accuracy through the chain that connected the claws, and chained them to a tree. It was over. Kakashi-sensei took care of the rest. He walked back from behind another tree, a pointed gaze directed towards Tazuna. Something wasn't adding up. "We need to talk, Tazuna. You should have told us of this complication. This mission is now a B rank." He then looked at his team. "Good job, Naruko, Sasuke. You were calm and collected. Those were chuunin from the Village Hidden in the Mist."
He looked away, "The Demon Brothers. They are trained to continue to fight no matter the cause... I knew they were here because there was a puddle. It hasn;t rained for several days. Thinking analytically like this is important, Naruko... though I am curious to know how you knew they were there."
She scratched her neck nervously, "Eh, it's nothin' really. I just sense chakra... I'm just that awesome, dattebayo!" Sakura hit the top of Naruko's head in annoyance. Sasuke also looked slightly put out, and she hoped neither of them hated her for her talent. Not that it would stop Sakura from being a bitch.
"Naruko-baka! Stop showing off!" Naruko smirked. She knew what to do in this situation... The other day she had seen a civilian man do this while he was angry. Slowly, she raised her right hand, palm towards herself, and raised only her middle finger. She didn't know what it meant yet, but it looked offensive, and that was all she needed! The gasp from the other girl was extremely satisfying.
She was about to walk down the path once more when Kakshi-sensei spoke, "Wait, Naruko. The blade he cut you with was need to go back to Konoha. You need to be healed, and this mission needs to go to a more experienced team." She suddenly felt the pain flood back, and had to stifle a gasp. The wound had already begun to close up. But more importantly, that bastard of a sensei was trying to take away their mission. And it seemed Sakura agreed.
She grasped her kunai tightly, and slammed it down on her wound. Morbid fascination arose as the poison visibly flew from her hand. "No! Why am I so different!? I swear by this blood, I will protect Tazuna and complete this mission! I don't wanna hold anyone back anymore! I just...wanna be like everybody else." She had whispered the last part, but Kakashi-sensei and Teme seemed to hear. Damn Uchiha was going to hold it over her. She stood up straight, "Let's go." With her hair whipping in the wind and confident disposition, she really did look like a leader.
Kakashi-sensei shook his head, "That was really cool and all, but if we don't bandage that wound you will bleed out. She nodded and pulled bandages out of her pouch. It hurt a little bit as the gauze sucked away the oxygen from her wound, but it would be best if the others didn't see that she could heal. Then they began to walk again. A large lake seemingly appeared out of no where, and mist settled heavily over the water.
A small boat was waiting for them. Six people made the wooden thing slightly wobbly, but it wouldn't be an issue. A huge bridge emerged, and Naruko gasped in amazement. She had never seen any structure so large! The rower glared at her noise. He was not supposed to help the bridge-builder, it would be dangerous if they were caught.
There Kakashi began his interview with Tazuna. "Tell me- why did you lie about the mission. If it isn't a good reason..." he turned away to look at the water, "I will be forced to leave you when we reach the shore." All the people in the boat whipped around to look at the masked man. This was going too far, right?
Tazuna shifted uncomfortably, "I am being targeted by a man called Gato. He is a very powerful man who is after my life, because of what I am doing. Wave Country... is very poor. Even our nobles have very little money. If I complete the bridge, we will be able to connect with other villages. Gato does not want us to regain our freedom and prosperity, as it will interfere with his shipping monopoly. And he will do anything to stop the bridge from being built."
The island slowly grew closer, and a heavy air settled around them, but it was not the mist. Kakashi still seemed unconvinced, "Still, that is not a good reason to lie. Our Hokage could have-"
Tazuna interrupted, "You must help me! If I am killed, my poor grandson will cry for me, 'I want my Grandpa!'" He imitated the sounds of a crying children. Somewhat bitterly, Naruko knew that was a superficial cry, not pained. "My daughter has no husband, she is still young enough to become a ninja and swear revenge on the Leaf. Plus," he turned to the blond, "she already promised."
By then we had reached the shore, and the rower of the boat turned around. Kakashi finally nodded, "Alright. We will continue the mission." Tazuna nearly cried in relief, and she felt some guilt lift from her shoulder. Someway down the path a small chakra signature appeared behind a bush. Deciding not to take a chance, she threw a shruikan at it. Sakura screamed. Naruko flinched as she noticed it had only been a white rabbit. "Oops. Sorry, just wanted to make sure." Her sensei nodded, and they continued to walk.
It was actually pretty peaceful out toda-
A huge chakra signature flew towards them. She ducked down just before Kakashi spoke. It was a man. He didn't wear a shirt, and he wore cow print pants, of all things. But she had no room to judge, wearing an orange suit herself. She glanced nervously at the man and then Kakashi. The stranger was a missing-nin, a Jonin. He stood on a giant-ass sword, dattebayo! She wanted one!
But that was beside the point. They had to protect Tazuna. The three genin formed a triangle around the bridge-builder. Naruko wanted to fight, but...this guy, he was so strong. A wave of self-depreciation hit, and she realized there was a long way to go before she was Hokage...even though her chakra reserves were more that a chunin.
Kakashi turned to face them, "Guys, I want you to stand back and protect Tazuna. This guy is way out of your league." He turned to face the missing-nin, "Zabuza Momochi, 'Demon of the Mist', rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist." Zabuza pulled his sword from the tree, appraising Kakashi. "Well, since I am fighting you, I guess it couldn't hurt." They watched curiously as Kakashi pulled his hitai-ate away from his eye. A red one stared back at them, three tomoe swirling.
Ducky stiffened beside her, "The Sharingan." It was barely audible, even to her. She looked at him curiously.
"The Sharingan?" He nodded, glaring at their sensei. What was the Sharigan, that made him so angry? "What is the Sharingan?" She whispered, not wanting to look stupid in front of Sakura. She was a bitch, but she was smart.
Zabuza stood straight, crossing his arms. For the first time, she noticed both Jonin wore masks. Maybe she should one day, it did seem cool... The missing-nin's voice broke through her thoughts, "Well, if it isn't Kakashi Hatake, the 'Copy-Cat Ninja' said to have over a thousand...stolen techniques."
