~ ҉ ~

And So It Begins

~ ҉ ~

A/N - Minor edits made

Naruto wanted to curse the sun. Seriously, how could it just sit there and turn his world into a freaking sauna? A creepy image of the sun popped into his head, of a cartoon sun smiling down upon them, "Friends! Let me give you a gift of warm days and clear blue skies!"

No. Just no.

They were not friends. They didn't want the gift. And clouds are a blessing, thank you very much!

He scowled, lying on his back in the training field. His arm was resting over his eyes, his world in perfect silence. But that freaking heat…

Sasuke just leant against one of the three vertical logs, watching over his teammates. Not in a friendly way, of course. Uchiha's were not friendly. He was just making sure they didn't annoy him. He wasn't fazed a bit by the heat; his shorts and short-sleeved shirt allowed for the cool breeze to brush against him.

Hinata sat comfortably, holding a book in her lap. The book contained hand-written notes and homework, of which Kakashi had given them. The book lay open on a page pertaining to the Konoha surroundings; the different animal species living within the area, as well as the geographical ecological environments.

Kakashi had told them all to study on tracking; how to track a target over small and long distances, the best way to track in different environments and the process involved in tracking different target types. The subject was quite vast, and Hinata wasn't quite sure if she had studied enough on each particular point, or if she had covered the right areas. She wanted to make sure she did her best, to keep up with both of her teammates, and to make her sensei proud.

She was so focussed on her studies, that she almost missed the approach of their sensei. She heard the small cracks of twigs being stepped on; she looked up to see what had caused the noise. Sasuke noticed their sensei as well, as he stood up straight, arms crossed over his chest. He gave her a look, and then tilted his head at Naruto.

She blushed slightly, leaning over to nudge Naruto in the shoulder to get his attention. Naruto just mumbled at her, kicking one of his legs out in her general direction. The closer Kakashi got, the more Naruto seemed determined to not be pulled out of his lazing about. So, Sasuke decided to do the sensible thing.

He kicked him in the head.

The moment his foot collided with the blonde's head, Naruto rolled over; a yelp erupting form his chest and his arms lifting around his head to ward off any future attacks.

"You bastard! What the hell do you think you're doing kicking me in the head?" Naruto snarled, glaring at his teammate. Sasuke rolled his eyes, called him an idiot and pointed towards their approaching sensei.

Naruto growled out an insult and turned towards Kakashi. The three students all stood at attention, waiting for their sensei to approach, except the small thing walking beside Kakashi was confusing for all of them.

If Kakashi noticed the thing beside him, he probably didn't care. He had a hand in his pocket, hair looking as though he had just gotten out of bed and his favourite Icha Icha book in hand.

"E-excuse me, K-Kakashi-sensei… but what is t-that?" Hinata called out; although it wasn't much of a call, rather it was slightly louder than her usual volume of voice. Either way, Kakashi seemed to hear her, stopping to stand a few feet in front of them. He put his book away, and used both hands to pick up the thing by his feet.

"This, my dear team, is Pakkun!" And lo and behold, Kakashi held a small brown dog under its elbows, its legs dangling and looking rather pissed off.

'What the hell have you got a dog for?' Naruto asked, missing what Kakashi had said and pointing to the dog in his teacher's hands.

Kakashi set Pakkun back on the ground, bringing his hands up to sign back. 'P-a-k-k-u-n is here to help you.'

'Pakkun? What the heck is that?'

The Dog growled, glaring directly at the blonde. "Me, you brat."

Sasuke smirked and Hinata gasped at the sudden speech from the dog. Naruto was just confused.

'Did he just….' Naruto looked up at Kakashi; he thought he had read 'brat' off the dog. Kakashi nodded.

'Yes. Pakkun speaks. Which is why he is helping you? It might take you awhile to learn to read lips off a dog, so in brought him in for you to practice on.'

'Why would I need to learn to read dogs' lips?' Naruto enquired.

'Because there may be times in which you will be separated from the team. In that case, most of the time someone, if not all of you, will have a mic set up to converse. Because you can't hear, a solution was to have Pakkun here, have the mic and translate things for you, and vice versa.'

Naruto nodded slowly, letting the information sink in. Hinata smiled, "T-that's great!"

"At least it will help the idiot not be such a liability." Sasuke muttered. Naruto missed the insult; too busy staring intently at the strange dog before him. Hinata had though, and felt a flash of hurt go through her. Kakashi just watched the Uchiha silently, eyes narrowed slightly.

"S-Sasuke! Don't say s-such a thing!" Hinata scolded, taking a small step forward, hands held defensively in front of her chest.

Sasuke snorted, choosing to ignore her.

They all jumped when they heard a yelp, turning to find Naruto nursing his hands and glaring daggers at Pakkun.

"Don't touch me, Blondie."

"Blondie!?" Naruto screeched. Kakashi laughed, bending down to Pakkun and laying a hand on his head.

"Now Pakkun, be nice. You guys will have to get along if you're going to work together."

"This was your idea, Boss. I'm not getting to know him if I don't have to."

Kakashi sighed, scratching his temple thoughtfully. He stood, moving back to address all of his team. Thankfully, Naruto had turned his attention to his teacher rather than Pakkun. But no doubt he was silently cursing the dog in his head.

'So who did their homework?' Not surprisingly, Naruto was the only one who hadn't done a thing. Kakashi sighed. 'The homework is important, Naruto. Now you have no idea what the training is today.' Kakashi looked thoughtfully at his students. 'Okay, so it's less of a training lesson… more of an actual mission.'

The genin perked up at this.

'Really? A real mission! Awesome!' Naruto threw a fist in the air, happiness apparent in his voice. Even Hinata grinned at the announcement. Sasuke just smirked, a challenge written all over his face.

'Really really. It's nothing too glamorous. It's a search and retrieval.'

~ ҉ ~

"This is Sasuke. At location."

"H-Hinata. Arrived at l-location".

"Oi brat. The others are at their locations. So why the hell aren't you at yours?" Pakkun growled, scratching at Naruto's heels with his paws. Naruto may not have been able to pick out all the words, but he got enough to figure out the point.

'S-shut up!' Naruto signed, looking around. He felt sweat bead at the back of his neck, his clothes sticking to his back. The heat was getting to him, and the fact that he wore such heavy clothing wasn't helping either. He unzipped his jacket, allowing the cool air in. a sigh left his lips at the cool breeze, and then he glared at his annoying companion. 'I'm just a little lost, is all.'

"A little? Damnit brat, follow me." The Nin dog jumped off the branch onto another, leading him to the place they were supposed to be. Once they arrived, he notified the rest of them.

"Naruto and Pakkun, finally at location."

"What happened?" Kakashi inquired over the earphones. Each member had a headphone and mic set, although Naruto's was given to Pakkun for obvious reasons.

"We got 'lost'".

"I see… Can anyone see the target from their position?"

"That dog's annoying." Kyuubi's voice infiltrated Naruto's mind, making the blonde pause.

"Haven't heard from you in a while. Where have you been?" Naruto thought back, curious.

"Oh, you know, in the Land of Oceans. Asleep, you idiot."

Naruto glared at nothing in particular.

"Remember what I taught you, awhile back? Use that."

At the reminder, and a few moments of thinking really hard, Naruto grinned and snapped his fingers. He put his hands together, feeling the familiar rush of chakra flow through him. Pakkun stopped mid-sentence, looking over at Naruto when he felt the presence of chakra. He watched him curiously, what was he thinking?

Naruto felt the familiar pulse of the sonar-like technique, using small bursts of circular chakra to map out his surroundings. At the moment, all he could make out were blue-white images of trees. That is, until after a little focus he saw an odd shape amongst the forest floor.

"I see it!" Naruto cried out, looking his focus on the chakra and bolting towards the shape. Pakkun let out a startled yelp, jumping off to follow the blonde, all the while translating back to Kakashi and the team what had occurred.

"Naruto claims he saw the target. Moving now." Pakkun spoke into the mic, trying to keep up with Naruto.

"Can you tell us where he thinks the target is? We will head over." Kakashi responded, voice buzzing in the earphone.

"Uhh…. I'm not sure. He's sort of… all over the place. I think the target's moving, too."

"Okay. Keep us notified."

Pakkun lost sight of Naruto for only a moment, to then find him a little while later wrestling with something on the ground. He updated Kakashi on their location and jumped down to help the blonde genin.

"Calm down, you stupid cat!" Naruto cried out as the cat's claws raked across his skin. He didn't need any more scratches, and he was getting really pissed off with the assault. Pakkun barked at the cat, who hissed in response and dug its claws down deeper. "Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow!"

Hinata and Sasuke managed to find their spot, Hinata a little out of breath. Reaching down and picking the cat off Naruto, she cooed at it and it calmed down enough to settle down in her arms. It didn't hesitate to screech and hiss at Naruto, though.

Sasuke came over, identifying the cat. "We have located the target."

"Can you confirm?" Kakashi asked over the mic.

"Yes. It is wearing a bow on its right ear."

"Right. Everyone head back to the Hokage Office."

~ ҉ ~

Naruto cringed, staring at the sight in front of him. A very plump woman was hugging the cat so close to her bosom, he was afraid it would disappear from sight at any moment. She cooed at it, hugging it tight and absolutely missing the way that cat cried out for mercy as it tried to escape her clutches.

"No wonder the cat wanted to get away." Sasuke snorted, watching the sight. Hinata just nodded, feeling sorry for the cat. To her, the cat was just a poor creature. For Naruto, he was glad the cat was suffering.

The Hokage motioned for them, and Team 7 looked up. The Hokage Office was unusually packed; several officials were sitting around sorting scrolls, and some chuunin were milling about to help and offer some security.

"Now, that mission went rather well. The client is more than happy-" he paused when the cat let out a yowl of agony, "-which means that is was successful. As for your next mission, you can choose between gardening, babysitting or to clean up the-"

"No! No, no, no!" Naruto crossed his arms, making a large X in his annoyance. "No! Why do we have to do such stupid missions? Can't we do something more exciting?"

"Naruto-" Kakashi began, but Naruto didn't seem to hear him.

"We are more than ready-"

"Are you?" The Hokage cut off the genin, looking stern. He even made the effort to stand, slamming his hands on the table. "Your team is at a disadvantage. Whether we want to admit it or not, it has. I understand that the other teams have all gone and attempted C-rank missions, but your team will be stuck doing D-ranks until you've adjusted."

"Adjusted!?"

"You can't just stop us from doing missions because of the dobe!"

"B-but H-Hokage-sama…"

"Are you serious?" Naruto yelled out, furious.

"Yes, Naruto. We will not baby you. We are all aware that you cannot hear, and that does put your team to a disadvantage. You've managed to find a temporary solution, but Kakashi cannot keep brining Pakkun out every time you have a mission. Until something else is devised-"

Naruto gripped at his chest, hating the constricting feeling he got. His breathing had gotten heavy, and he tilted his head in his stress.

"No…no…"

"Your team will have to stay with D-rank missions."

"No! I will not be the reason we are stuck on D-ranks! I will not be a liability!" Naruto cried out, feeling anguish build in his chest.

"Hokage, might I say something?" Kakashi spoke up, putting a hand on Naruto's shoulder. With a single motion, Kakashi brought his other hand up, a single finger in front of his lips as a motion for 'Shh'. Naruto understood, stepping back. Hinata placed her hand on his shoulder in comfort, her face scarlet. She tried to murmur comfort to him, her hand shaking as she translated through her hands. But Naruto had his eyes squeezed shut, turning away from her support. Sasuke looked pissed, glaring at his teammate.

He knew this was going to happen. He knew that he would let his team down, and that they would hate him. He was a liability… even the Hokage thought as much… How was he supposed to deal with this? What plausible situation was there? Yeah, there was that stupid technique Kyuubi told him about, but… what else was there? He couldn't rely on that! One lapse of concentration and it slipped out of his fingers. There was no point!

"Go ahead, Kakashi."

"I agree that Pakkun was only a temporary solution, but I am more than happy to keep him around until we all agree, genin included, that Naruto is no longer in need of his service."

"But to keep Pakkun around, your chakra-"

"I am more than aware, Hokage-sama. Even so, Naruto has managed perfectly well with his situation. In fact, Pakkun has reported on something… very interesting."

Hinata and Sasuke looked up at that, watching their sensei curiously. Naruto had yet to open his eyes.

"Naruto has figured out some way of coping. We aren't sure exactly what it is, but he was able to pin point the exact location of the target… which was over four hundred metres away. I don't even think he realised the distance." Kakashi gestured to Naruto, and then stretched his arms wide. "The area we were in was dense and thick, theoretically Naruto shouldn't have been able to see through it all. Whatever he has figured out, will help him cope. And from what Pakkun had told me, it uses a small amount of chakra."

"Chakra? Was it a jutsu?" The Hokage enquired. The other officials sitting nearby began to murmur, feeling curious about whatever Naruto had devised.

"The thing is… it wasn't a jutsu. It was just a use of Chakra. There was no specific concentration in his body, it was even and controlled, but no hand signs were needed to summon up the technique. Naruto is smart, Hokage-sama. He isn't a liability. He can handle a C-rank mission. And if it doesn't go well, then we can wait as long as it takes for him to adjust, to whatever level you agree to."

The Hokage leant back in his seat, mulling over Kakashi's words. He really had Naruto's best intentions at heart. He knew the boy would do great things, but the impairment would limit those things. His dream was to be Hokage, but no Hokage's so far had had any type of impairment. They all had normal, if not perfect, hearing, sight, taste, touch, smell – all their senses were in tip top shape.

He only wanted what was best for him, but if Kakashi thought he was ready…

"Alright. One C-rank mission will be carried out, to determine the group's readiness for further missions."

Sasuke let out a breath, smirking ever so slightly. "Finally…"

Hinata blushed happily, and then shook Naruto's shoulders. Her embarrassment was shoved aside as she tried to pry Naruto from his unhappy state.

"N-Naruto-kun! Naruto-kun! We can d-do a better m-mission!"

Feeling sick of the shakes, he lifted his hands and gripped her wrists, sending her an annoyed look.

"What?"

'We can do a better mission! A C-rank!' Of course, her hands shook as she signed to him, a happy feeling settling in. They were going to do this!

"R-really? Thank you!" Naruto moved his head to see past Hinata, to look towards the Hokage. "Thank you!"

"Now now, I haven't even told you what you're doing." The Hokage hid a smile at the blonde's antics, shifting through some papers to find the corresponding scroll. "Here we are, your C-rank mission. You are to go escort-"

"A lord? A princess!?"

"Calm down, Naruto." Kakashi hushed, smacking him lightly over the head. Naruto looked up and scowled.

After a moment, Naruto realised he had still be holding onto his teammate's wrists. He looked to their hands then back up to Hinata, whose face had turned incredibly scarlet. He quickly dropped her wrists, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry" he mouthed.

"As I was going to say; you are to escort a man named Tazuna to the Country of Waves. He wants to leave the day after tomorrow. So that should give you time to prepare for the mission, and get in any last minute training." The Hokage said, falling back into his chair. The bright smile on Naruto's face was worth the hassle.

"Thank you, Ojii-chan!" Naruto shouted in his happiness, throwing his arms up in glee. Sasuke smirked, unwilling to give a verbal thanks. Hinata smiled, scrunching her hands into fists at her chest. Kakashi merely shook his head, his expression a mystery to everyone but himself.

Naruto managed to dodge the book that came flying at his head, only because his attention had still been focussed on their Hokage. Even though the Hokage looked mad as all hell from the nickname, Naruto just laughed.

"Okay you brats, get out of my office. I don't want to see you until after this damn mission. Kakashi, you can stay here. I need to have a word with you."

~ ҉ ~

'We should do something to celebrate!'

"No."

'Aww come on! Our first C-rank mission!'

"No."

'Isn't there anyway to convince you?'

"No."

'Damnit, you're such a jerk!'

Hinata watched the two boys, walking side by side as they walked away from the Hokage building. She watched them argue quietly, Naruto become more animated while Sasuke more agitated. She was actually sure that another word out of Naruto would cause Sasuke to –

SMACK

-oh. There it was.

"What the hell was that for, you bastard!?" Naruto yelled, picking himself off the ground. Sasuke retracted his fist, looking pissed.

Hinata squeaked and scrambled to help Naruto off the ground, blushing while she did.

"S-Sasuke-kun! Why did you h-hit N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata stammered, making sure Naruto was standing alright.

"Because he's annoying. And so are you." Sasuke snorted, crossing his arms and walking away.

Hinata felt something inside her crack at his words. It might have been her confidence, or perhaps the fragile hope that they were all beginning to get along. When Naruto saw her expression, he felt himself get angry. He didn't hesitate to run after Sasuke and smack him in the back of the head.

Sasuke stumbled forward slightly, turning and sneered at his teammate.

"What the hell!?"

"Damnit Sasuke, go apologise to her!"

"What? Why should I do that?"

"Because you made her cry!"

"She's not crying, you idiot."

"Well she's about to!"

"God you're an idiot, leave me alone."

"No! Not until you say you're sorry!"

"Well how about you apologise to her for being such an idiot!"

Despite their bickering, Hinata stood still, unsure of how to proceed in this situation. She knew she should do something, but her body refused to let her move and stop them from fighting.

"Sassukkkeeee-kuuunnnn~!"

The voice had two of the three stopping. Naruto only stopped when he saw the minute change in Sasuke's expression, and he realised something must be happening. He looked up, trying to figure out what had happened. Argument and almost-tears forgotten, they turned their attention to the approach of a pink-haired girl coming up to them.

"Sasuke-kun! Fancy meeting you here?"

Sakura skipped over, falling just a little too closely for Sasuke's liking. She folded her hands behind her back, leaning forward with a smile. Sasuke wrinkled his nose and leant back. It wasn't long before her two other members caught up with her. One was someone who Naruto recognised very quickly. He had shaggy brown hair, just as long as Naruto's. His face was adorned by red triangles facing down, representing his clan. A white dog was nestled in his hoodie, eyes squinting at the world around him. Kiba Inuzuka.

The other was not familiar. He had long brown hair that swept past his shoulders in thick spikes, and it was covered by a woven beanie. His skin was tanned, almost like Naruto's, but perhaps a few shades darker. His tunic covered his skinny legs to the knees, tied to his waist with an orange sash. Bandages wrapped around his arms, and a brown cloak over his shoulders. His attire was strange, but also oddly familiar.

The kid had pitch black eyes with a green iris, and his shark-tooth mouth was pulled into a grin.

'Who are you?' Naruto signed, looking at the boy. The boy frowned, staring at Naruto's hands.

"W-Who are you?" Hinata repeated for him, speaking up slightly. The boy kept frowning for a few seconds, before grinning outright.

"I'm Yota!"

'You're on Sakura-chan and Kiba's team?' Naruto asked, squinting.

The boy cocked his head to the side, a frown back on his face. "What are you doing? Teach me!" The kid said, thrusting his hands out. Naruto leant back slightly, almost confused, but he grinned.

"Sure!"

"Neeeee, Sasuke-kun! Are you busy?" Sakura asked, trying to get her attention back.

"Yes."

"With what?"

"Not you."

"We we're going to go celebrate getting a new mission. Weren't we?" Naruto interjected, feeling a foxy grin cover his features. Sasuke turned his head and glared.

"…Yes."

"Aww! Can we join?" She asked, trying to seem cute.

"You know we can't. We have our own stuff to do." Kiba huffed, and his dog barked in agreement.

"Stupid! Don't make up stuff!" Sakura growled, turning in anger to her teammate.

"Ne, Calm down Sakura!" Yota said, placing his hands on his thin hips. "We do actually have stuff to do. Kurenai-sensei said we have to go train."

Sakura threw her hands up in annoyance at her teammates, but turned back to Sasuke with a pout.

"Sorry Sasuke. Maybe another time?" she winked and was about to move, but noticed Hinata and Naruto in her way. She leant forward to hug the shy girl, and completely ignored the blonde. The trio left, but not after Yota had attempted to follow Sakura's lead in a hug and almost making Hinata faint.

"So… back to this celebration?"

"No."

"Damnit Sasuke!"

~ ҉ ~

"Kakashi. I need you to do something for me." The Hokage said, leaning back in his seat. Kakashi raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. A non-verbal sign to keep going. "You must make sure you watch over these kids. You have very special children in your care, and if anything were to happen to them, all hell will break loose. Normally, having these children in a team together, due to blood lines and family, would be impossible. Can you imagine what would happen if your team were to be wiped out? Konoha families will lose heirs and entire bloodlines if they were lost."

Kakashi snorted at this, but because he was aware of the severity of the conversation, he kept his mouth shut.

"You are obviously aware of my displeasure at sending Naruto out so soon. I would rather give him a few more months to become better adjusted-"

"At the expense of his team?" Kakashi interrupted. "Surely you understand the kind of pressure the Hyuuga clan has on Hinata. As the heir to the clan, he has to prove herself to her father. She would not be able to progress and show this if she was to be kept back at Naruto's level. And do I even need to mention Sasuke and the Uchiha? His clan may not be putting pressures on him now, but he has a lot to live up to because of the pressure that the village puts on him – to expect him to live up to his Uchiha name. These two need to be pushed just as much as Naruto. He has to be pushed to learn how to cope with this disability, and this can't be done with you cuddling him."

"Cuddling? Listen here, Kakashi-"

"You don't think that making him spend months taking on D-rank missions will help him cope with life as a ninja? He needs experience in the field and actually fighting with people outside this village in order to adjust." Kakashi gripped the bridge of his nose between his finger and thumb, trying to quell his rising agitation.

"I apologise for being brash, Hokage-sama. But the progression of these children is important for the village and cannot afford to be hindered by months of time spent hidden in the village. Naruto will get time to adjust, and he will have his team to help him. I understand that you only want what's best for Naruto; I understand, I do. But there is also such a thing as being over-protective."

The Hokage stared down the Jounin for several minutes. Total silence inflected the office, with neither ninja speaking. Finally, the Hokage lent his temple on two fingers, staring almost disappointedly at the Jounin.

"Years have made you wise, Kakashi. However, I couldn't imagine it would teach you disrespect. I should throw you out of this room with the way you speak to me. You're damn lucky I like you."

Kakashi laughed at his words, but was soon silenced when the Hokage did not join him.

"I understand what you are speaking of. If I am going to allowing your words, then there is another favour I must ask. The first was to look after the kids. The second favour I will ask of you is to find out what's happening with Naruto."

Kakashi raised a silver eyebrow, unsure of where the Hokage was going.

"The technique that you and Pakkun talked of today was quite enlightening. Naruto may be stupid at times, but he also has his moments of intelligence. However, I doubt he was able to surmise this particular… move, by himself. We had discovered, many years ago, that The Fox was teaching him; we know for sure that The Fox was speaking to him – Naruto even told me himself that 'the voice' didn't like me. Obviously, we made sure to fix the seal. We just couldn't risk The Fox turning Naruto against us. There were other risks involved in allowing communications between Naruto and The Fox, as you can probably understand."

The Hokage hesitated, almost unsure of how he should speak his next words. His face crinkled from his thoughts, and he turned an absent look to the Jounin.

"I need to make sure that there is no more communications between Naruto and The Fox. If I could bring myself to say that demons name, I'd curse it to hell and back. If you think that there is a possibility of communications, or something happens with him – new techniques, odd behaviours, anything – you need to bring him straight back here."

Kakashi nodded. "Whatever you say, Hokage-sama."

~ ҉ ~

On the day of their mission, everyone met up with the Hokage in his office. Apparently, they were supposed to meet their client there and then begin the escort.

"Everyone, I want you to meet Tazuna, of the Country of Waves."

When the man entered, Naruto wasn't sure what to expect. He was expecting a man dressed in formal robes or even a woman in a nice gown. But what he wasn't expecting was a man to come stumbling in the room, a damp towel around his neck and a bottle of sake in his hand. The man stopped, scrutinizing the group carefully.

"These…. Are a bunch of idiot kids, aren't they?" The man slurred, pointed at the group. His face was flushed from the alcohol, and even his steps seemed miss-matched as he tried to stand straight.

Naruto scowled at the man, and even Sasuke had the mind to glare at him too. Hinata bowed respectively, her voice trembling slightly.

"H-hello, Tazuna-san. We will be the t-team to e-escort you. It is a p-pleasure to m-meet you."

Tazuna turned to her, head swinging slightly on his shoulders. "Who are you supposed to be?"

"Tazuna-san. I'd like to introduce Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata."

"Oh crap, you're putting me with that deaf kid?" The room went silent. "What?"

"Tazuna-san." Kakashis voice was strained, obviously forced. His eyes were smiling in that way that spoke 'I'm pretending to be happy, but you're seriously pissing me off.' "We would appreciate it if you would not insult the team who will be protecting you. Not only is it offensive, but also unwise."

"But you're practically handing me to the wolves with this brat!" he growled out, motioning towards Naruto. Naruto growled and moved forwards, raising a fist and opening his mouth to scream. But instead, he was whacked over the back of his head by his teacher, who looked sternly at the client.

"May I remind you, Tazuna-san, that this is only an escort mission. There is no risk involved in this, as we are only helping you on your way home. If you do not wish for our services, you may have to wait several more days, maybe even weeks, for another group to come by and accept this job. So, I'll remind you, that it is unwise to insult those who protect you. Because if wolves do show up, who's to say they just won't let them have you?"

"Did you hear that? He just threatened me!" Tazuna pointed towards the Hokage, who looked just as annoyed as Kakashi was now displaying.

"Tazuna-san, as Kakashi has explained, you do not insult the members of my village, no matter your own personal opinion of them. We are doing you a service, and I assume you would not treat others the same way. And as of his threat… I only heard a piece of advice." The Hokage was as formal as usual, despite his rising temperament, and the genin snickered at the final words. Hinata, of course, didn't, instead she did flush an odd shade of pink.

"Kakashi… let me remind you to be polite to your client. Perhaps, do not let personal feelings get in the way either." Kakashi nodded at the Hokage's request.

"Fine then. Well what are you damn kids waiting for? Escort me home already."

Naruto smiled, despite the words the man had spoken against him. Who cares what some random drunk guy thinks? He was finally going to do a mission worth bragging about!

He was finally able to leave the village, and begin a C-rank mission!

Maybe he could get through this. He grinned. Who was he kidding? Of course he could! He was Uzumaki Naruto! The next Hokage!

~ ҉ ~

The team found themselves at the front gate of the village, not thirty minutes later. Each genin had a small pack on their packs, presumably packed with Ninja tools, small food items and some medical equipment. Of course, Kakashi was carrying a pack too, with higher quality equipment. Just in case. With a motion from the Jounin, the three genin nodded, falling in step behind their sensei, who walked alongside their client.

Just when Naruto was about to take his step out of the village, he paused. The group passed him, looking curiously towards the blond, who hadn't even stepped out past the gate.

"N-Naruto-kun?

'It's just… I've never actually stepped outside of the village before. I know I should be excited right? My first mission and all?' Naruto signed, still looking at the dirt in front of him, as if instead of dirt, it was actually a great expanse of lava.

Hinata would have stepped over to him, but her shyness got in the way. She looked to Sasuke than back to Naruto. The Uchiha merely scoffed, stepping past her with his hands in his pockets. He continued to walk forward, apparently at ease with leaving his teammate where he was.

Kakashi shook his head at the other genin, moving to Naruto and placing his hand on his shoulder to capture his attention. Naruto looked up, curious.

'It's understandable to be nervous. All genin would be. Although, in most cases the village genin have already been outside of the village, for small things.' Kakashi signed, looking towards the client. He gave him a look, something akin to 'give us a minute', to which Tazuna huffed and took a few steps forward closer to Sasuke, eager to keep moving. Sasuke didn't seem to like the client approaching him, however.

Kakashi was quite sure that had Naruto not been deaf, he would have already shot out past the gate and would have been hurrying them all along. He also realised it would only be a few moments until Naruto got back his confidence and would parade around and do just that.

'But don't worry Naruto. I'm sure that everything will be fine. Besides, this is only an escort mission. Not much to do, and very boring.'

Naruto grinned up at his sensei, and then proceeded to take his first steps outside the village. A bubble of happiness rose in his chest, and he let out a laugh, dashing forward. He went past Sasuke and Tazuna, staring into the trees and forest alongside the path from Konoha.

"Will a kid like him really be capable of this mission?" Tazuna enquired, the flush from his face lessened from before. He seemed to have sobered up, at least. But even so, he still carried a bottle of sake with him in his hand.

"Of course. And even if he wasn't, I'm a Jounin and can handle whatever is thrown at us." Kakashi replied, smiling behind his mask.

Naruto turned to face them, a smile still planted on his face. Sasuke seemed repulsed by the happy vibe the blonde gave of and simply scowled in his direction. Hinata was smiling prettily at his exuberance though, a delicate blush plastered on porcelain features.

"Hurry up! Let's go!" The blonde enthused, even giving the group a cheery thumbs up. Sasuke scoffed, moving forward and shoving past Naruto. Hinata followed behind him, although she stopped to walk in step with Naruto. Of course, the fact that she kept repeatedly saying 'e' sort of annoyed him, but he was happy to have the company.

Tazuna rolled his eyes, taking a swig from his bottle. Kakashi walked forward, Tazuna a step ahead of him, watching the group from behind. He felt a chill down his spine as they walked; the kind you get when you can sense that someone is staring at you. He moved a hand up to rub at the back of his head, eye roaming the treetops. When nothing menacing came to sight, he dismissed it.

Nothing bad would come from this, would it? He had these… ninja, to help him out? At least the older one would be of use… right?

Tazuna sighed, scratching his head. He hoped this was worth it.

~ ҉ ~