Teeeheeeee, missions have started! And guess what's first?

The only reason I'm updating is because I really enjoy the encouraging reviews from all my readers! I thank you!

As much as I don't want to, I'm going to write the wave mission, because something important happens. (Wink wink)

Innocence

Chapter 13

Team seven trooped into the mission distribution room, startling both Iruka and Sarutobi from their new appearances. Narue smiled and waved at Iruka, happy to see the instructor, Sarutobi got a smile from her, and it lifted his old wrinkly heart.

"Team seven requesting a c-rank….ya got one?" Kakashi said to them who were sitting behind the desk. Sarutobi and Iruka looked a little surprised; they hadn't seen the team for two months and them they show up asking for a c-rank? Unheard of!

"Are you sure their ready? They had barely got out of the academy!" Iruka exclaimed at the Hokage's side, slightly disbelieving in their skills. Narue grinned mischievously and flickered out of existence in front of the kind chuunin.

"What are you talking about Iruka-sensei? Our skills are just fine! We trained all the time!" Narue's voice came from behind the man, and he whirled to see her rocking back and for on her feet, hands behind her back and smiling impishly. A little shaken, Iruka turned back to the others, finding Narue already standing in her original spot, as if she had never moved.

"Well, your abilities seem much better, and I have just the mission for you. A routine escort mission for a bridge-builder to wave country. Please let Tazuna-san in now thank you." The elderly Hokage called to the Anbu guards at the door.

In walked a graying man that stank of sake, he was carrying a pack with several papers in it; and a sake bottle was in his hand. Taking a swig from his drink, Tazuna inspected the genin with blood-shot, slightly drunken eyes.

He grunted, "this is all Konoha has to offer, why I wont be safe at all, under these brats protection! I don't think they look like ninja, especially that short blonde midget." He burped and took a swig of his sake. Well, at least he tried; a kunai broke the bottle and stuck into the wall right beside his face, quivering with the extra force behind it.

He trembled and turned to stare at the 'blonde midget' who had her hand out from throwing the projectile, "I would be careful of what I said around us ninja Tazuna-san! You might just get hurt along the way." Narue was innocently smiling, as if she hadn't just thrown a knife that barely missed impaling her employer's head.

"Well, Team, go get your things from your houses, and meet me at the north gate in 20 minutes…is that understood?" Kakashi asked his students, who all replied, "Hai, Sensei!" Shika and Sasu ran out the door, while Narue only flickered, appearing outside the window on the beam. She turned to the Hokage and Iruka, giving a small wave and smile, before dropping backwards from her perch.

Iruka gasped and ran to the balcony, opening the glass doors and grasping the banister. Narue had fallen about 10 yards before she flickered, and began jumping form roof to roof with her awesome ninja skills. Flipping and catapulting herself around, thoroughly having fun.

Kakashi, still beside the bridge-builder sighed and said, "I still need to figure out what Anko taught that girl…. (Sigh)"

At the gate, we find team seven packed and ready to go….except for one problem, their client and teacher WEREN'T THERE.

"Stupid one-eyed-sensei, he's always late!" Narue muttered, boredly flipping a kunai around. Shikamaru was leaning up against a tree, doing his favorite thing, watching clouds float by. Sasuke was simply standing with his arms crossed, glaring at the ground.

"Hello students! Sorry we're late! I had to give CPR to a fish; the poor thing was drowning in its own fish tank!" Kakashi emerged with Tazuna, who was looking at the smiling jounin with barely concealed disgusted amazement… he swore that the man was a freak.

Crickets chirped as the three genin stared at Kakashi, obviously not amused by his excuse. With an uncomfortable cough, Kakashi ordered them to move out, starting on the road.

Narue smiled lightly and serenely as the sounds and sights of nature swept over them all. The green leaves on the trees rustled, and the sun warmed her skin. As much as she liked living in Konoha, Narue still missed sleeping under open night skies while she traveled with her parents and Shizune. The other's noticed the peaceful look on the little girl's face and smiled softly; she had reached into each of their hearts, and set up an apartment, warming them with her own little fire.

It had been an hour already, and nothing had happened at all. No bandits or ninja trying to attack Tazuna, hell not even a squirrel was in their sights. Narue had become slightly bored as all they were doing was walking. She was trying to the best of her abilities to keep herself occupied. From humming a song to not stepping on rocks, the girl could not find anything, and finally gave up.

Running up behind the laziest boy in the group, Narue jumped on his back, whining in his ear, "Shikaa-chaan, I'm bored!" Shikamaru stumbled due to the extra wake and said, "I can't help you with that! Now get off my back!" He tried to shove her off, and failed, mostly because of her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

He quit trying to throw her off under the threat of suffocation and allowed the girl to ride on his back. The others on the journey snickered at the boy's predicament: Narue had wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. She settled her neck onto his shoulder and had started to doze off. Shikamaru awkwardly held the girl in place, as he was much bigger that the itty bitty blonde, coupled with the fact that his two Kodachi making it tough to hold onto her.

Another hour passed, and Narue's snores resounded around the trees, mixing with their foot falls. Up along the road, they caught sight of a suspicious puddle on the side. As they passed, the ninjas watched the puddle closely; no one noticed when Narue's snores halted.

Two ninja's melted out from the puddle, and dashed to each side of Kakashi, bringing out a thick, shuriken chain, wrapping it around the surprised jounin.

"One down" one of them said thorough his face mask, the mask seemed to distort the man's voice, making it seem as if the speaker was dying.

The two suddenly appeared beside Shikamaru, still carrying Narue. They swung the chain between them and stated to say "Three down" when the chain was halted by two shuriken pinning it to a tree. Sasuke smirked as he lowered his arms and sprang to action, dodging up to one of the two, he paused waiting for something.

"Wh-what?! I can't move!" a shadow connected to the both of them, running across the ground back to Shikamaru who had his hands in a seal. Smirking, Narue no longer on his back, she couldn't be seen.

Sasuke spared no time wondering where the blonde was and quickly knocked out the on he was beside with a sweeping kick to the head. Glancing over to the other, he found him already unconscious, Narue sitting unconcerned as she released the knocked out man from her sleeper hold. He almost laughed at the size difference between the man on the ground and the child on his back.

They each heard clapping and looked to find Kakashi applauding on their performance. A second look to where he was 'killed' told them he switched with a log, and watched from afar.

"Good work you three! You just took out two b-ranked missing-nins named the demon brothers!" the boys looked proudly at one another, Narue squealing delightedly, "however, I now know who their target was, Tazuna-san." The jounin glared at the man, making him break out in nervous sweat.

"Wh-wh-what do y-you mean?" he stuttered, laughing nervously.

They were on the move again, this time Narue walking on her own two feet, alert for anything suspicious. 'Kaka-sensei said that there is a chance an even more powerful bad-guy may come along….hmmm' she narrowed her eyes and tensed.

They were all startled when she shot a kunai into the bushes and leaping after it. Tazuna jumped, what was it this time?

Narue reappeared out of the trees carrying a white object, the team relaxed when they saw it was only a bunny.

"Narue! Don't scare us like that, and don't just randomly throw kunai into the woods, they're sharp." Kakashi berated her, acting like she was a stupid child who didn't know anything about being a ninja. Narue cast her teacher a confused/hurt glance and hurried over to Shikamaru's side, head down and hunched between her slim shoulders. Sasuke glared at the man from his position on the other side of the group, somehow disappointed in him.

Narue whispered to Shikamaru, "I knew there was someone there, a piece of clothing was pinned by my kunai!" Shikamaru thought this over and lowly whispered, back, just loud enough for Sasuke to hear also, "Kawarimi!" the genin straightened and peered into the sudden mist, casting their eyes around for any sight of humanity.

Kakashi sensed something coming his way and yelled, "GET DOWN!" he was, however, slightly put out when he noticed that his students had hit the floor before he yelled, pulling Tazuna down with them, wasn't he supposed to do better than them?

Just at that moment a huge head-cleaver spun over their heads, thunking to a stop halfway into a tree.

Eerie laughter echoes around the blank mist, and the team stood to see a human figure standing on the sword handle. As mist cleared in the area around the figure, they could make out the man was tall and had a muscular build. Only bandages covered his chest and mouth. A scratched headband was slanted to the side on his head; they couldn't make out the village sign though.

"Well, well, your fairly good to dodge that attack by Kubikiri, I applaud you." the man jumped down from his perch and grasped his gigantic blade, he then disappeared as the mist obscured his location once again. His voice came from a different place the next time, causing them all to swerve and face him, fearfully, how do you fight an enemy you can't see?

The mist cleared again and showed his face, Kakashi gasped, "Momochi Zabuza, A-ranked missing-nin from Kiri!" Zabuza grinned sadistically, and said, "Glad that you know of me, my reputation precedes itself. It will make it all the way easier to kill you." He disappeared again, and Kakashi ordered quickly, "Mussu formation, now! Stay out of this battle, its mine!"

Kakashi ran off to where he thought the demon of the mist would be, leaving his students behind, surrounding the bridge builder in a triangle. A chuckling voice grinned from behind them, "He shouldn't have left such pitiful rookies behind." Zabuza had appeared in their midst, sword at the ready to cleave through the terrified Tazuna.

The genin's eyes widened, as they moved. Shikamaru appeared to block the sweeping cleaver with his own swords, grunting at the weight and strength behind the attack. Sasuke moved at the same time, grabbing the builder and leaping a good distance away. Narue flickered into the space in front of Zabuza, in between him and his blade.

She gritted her teeth as she flipped onto her hands, bringing her feet up to smash into the huge-man's chest. The blow sent him about a yard away, breaking the man's contact with the two genin, and by then they had already retreated to Tazuna, in their previous position.

Zabuza was slightly impressed by them, it was a clean formation and maneuver that got the client to relative safety, not many genin can do that. A kunai appeared propped against Zabuza's neck in an instant, and Kakashi's voice sounded beside his ear, "Its over for you." Zabuza grinned, "I think not." He burst into water, appearing again behind Kakashi, Kubikiri pointed to his back.

Kakashi leaped away, just as the cleaver was thrust. Now Zabuza and Kakashi stood across from each other, glaring and sending all of their killing intent at one another.

Tazuna was ready to wet himself from all the angry pressure, but the genin simply shrugged it off, they had gone through this training with Anko and a friend of hers called Ibiki. (Shudder)

"Show me your Sharingan, Kakashi, show me your full power." Sasuke started at the mention of his bloodline and sent an inquisitive look to his sensei. Kakashi reached up and lifted his headband, revealing the red eye.

Zabuza leaped backward onto the water, settling into a stance. He knew he was out of reach and he hoped that this jounin was so arrogant enough to follow him. He was.

Kakashi followed the man, doing hand seals. Shikamaru gasped, the idiot! "Narue! We need clones now!" she nodded, catching on, and making the hand-sign.

In a poof, there were three clones of the girl, and they took up positions around the startled Tazuna, Sasuke Shikamaru and the original Narue ran over to the edge of the lake, watching quietly as Zabuza and Kakashi exchanged jutsus. Shikamaru murmured, "Anyone knows the technique to walk on water?" Sasuke shook his head ruefully, Kakashi did not teach him any chakra control exercises, but Narue nodded, she needed the control for her tai-jutsu style.

"Okay, I want you to go out there and come up behind Zabuza; he is definitely going to use some jutsu to keep Kakashi-sensei still. Sasuke, I want you to get wet in this and swim over to Kakashi, but stay under the water, he has used the majority of his chakra already from the signs from his body must be the Sharingan. Once Narue breaks Zabuza's concentration on the holding jutsu, I want you to drag sensei under the water, and bring him to the shore, tell him why he's not allowed on the water anymore. Narue, distract Zabuza enough so I can stretch my shadow over the water and connect to him. Once he's caught, knock him with a chakra fist to the head alright? Now go!"

The two went about their tasks quietly, Narue stepping softly onto the surface of the rippling waves and dashing around to the sides of the fighting jounin. Sasuke ripped a reed out of the water and slipped under the surface, the reed above for air.

Shikamaru took a deep breath and concentrated gathering his chakra with the help of a hand seal, drawing his brows down through the effort. Stretching his shadow on the solid ground was easy enough, but stretching it across the moving, unstable water surface will be MUCH harder.

Narue positioned herself about 3 meters from the back of the mist-nin, trying to be silent and hide her chakra at the same time. If he noticed her now, the plan would be ruined and Shika will be disappointed in her.

Narue finally caught a little flicking movement of a one handed sign behind the large man's back. Kakashi cried a startled oath when water tendrils suddenly started to climb his legs and sink his feet into the abnormally thick water. Narue charged at Zabuza's back, yelling an incomprehensible war cry.

Zabuza jumped to the side, as Narue's foot hit the air where he once stood. Zabuza was forced to abandon the hand sign in order to block the flurry of punches headed towards his head. He was slightly irritated that such a small kid could keep him on alert, also because a small bit of her punches nicked his arms and body, the flesh becoming a bit numb for some reason.

The little brat was aiming her fists at nerves around his body, trying to disconnect them from his brain activity and stop them from functioning…a clever brat, though a brat none the less.

Shikamaru noticed when Kakashi was suddenly released, and dragged under water. He unleashed his shadow, clenching his teeth to keep his concentration. Sweat beads rolled down his forehead and neck as he threw his shadow from his feet, across and around the liquid surface of the lake, to just barely catch hold of Zabuza.

Zabuza cursed when he found that he was unable to move his limbs, and was forced to watch as Narue closed in on him. A fist glowing with the amount of chakra stuffed into it. All went blank for the demon, not when Narue's fist connected, but when senbon needles sunk in.

A mist wearing hunter-nin appearing after the needles saying, "thank you for your assistance, I will take it from here." The nin jumped away before questions were asked, and Narue ran to where her teammates sat.

"That was odd; the hunter-nin just took off." She heard Sasuke speak, as she got closer. Shikamaru had lied down on his back, sweating and gasping for air; the technique had wasted most of his chakra. Sasuke looked the best of them all, only a little breathless and wet.

"Why is that odd?" she asked, plopping down, thoroughly exhausted from having to expend her chakra and waste energy trying to get a clean hit o the elusive Zabuza. Kakashi however, took that moment to faint, and that distracted the frowning Shikamaru.

"Come on; let's get him to my house, its really close." Tazuna told them. The three genin tiredly stood, and Narue used her last bit of strength to drag (drag, not carry) her sensei the rest of the way.

I just kept writing! O.o longest chapter for sure! 3121 words! (grins)

Not the best fight scene, but I did my best, did you all like it?

I changed it a lot from canon and all because I think that team seven's skills and Narue being female would influence it somehow, also the fact that I like it when Kakashi screws up and his students have to save him! .

I thank you gaisensei for the much needed information on the swords and I hope you agree with my choice! And trust me, I got Hayate for a specific reason, you'll just have to wait for more chapters to find out! .

Review please! And can you tell me if I'm making team seven too strong? I don't want a team full of Mary Sues.

-mayu