Chapter 8: Missions

"This is Blackfire. I've spotted our target and I'm moving in from the north." A figure spoke from his vantage point behind a tree.

"Cherry Blossom here. The target's identity is confirmed and I'm also moving in from the east." Another figure reported as she crouched down behind a bush.

"Scarecrow here. I'm just south of the objective. Do not engage unless directed." A figure stated lazily from atop a tree, pausing before he continues. "Btw has anyone seen or heard from Fox?" When he got a negative response from both, he sighed in resignation. "I've got a bad feeling about this." He muttered as he watched the target move about hesitantly, jumping at any and every noise it heard.

"I've got you now!!" A loud voice yells triumphantly as a bunch of figures jumps out from behind the target. The target looks up but realizes that it was too late to avoid the figures coming down on it.

"I knew it." Kakashi said, jumping down from the three he was in and walks over as the Narutos which had dogpiled the target poofs away to reveal a single Naruto with his arms around a struggling brown cat with a ribbon on one of it's ears. "Naruto. Didn't you hear my instructions over the radio?"

"But Kakashi Sensei. He was already so close that I couldn't help myself." Naruto protested. "It was instinct."

"Yeah well your 'instinct' almost blew two hours worth of work." Sasuke said as he appeared while putting a stick of pocky in his mouth and studies the cat. "Brown tabby with a red ribbon on it's left ear. That's Tora all right."

"Eheheheh... Guess I DID kinda' get carried away didn't I? But we caught Tora anyways so there should be no problem, right?" Naruto said with a foxy grin. But Sasuke's and Kakashi's eyes weren't looking at him but rather looking past him with fear in their eyes. Suddenly, realization hits Naruto as he feels an ominous presence behind him.

"Sakura's behind me isn't she?" Naruto asks fearfully and gets two nods from the male members of Team Seven. "And she's about to bash my brains in again, isn't she?"

"You have no idea." Sasuke muttered as even he shrank back from his female teammate's murderous gaze.

"NA-RU-TO!!" Sakura grated out as she loomed over her blonde friend who slowly turned around to face her, shivering in fright. "Do you have ANY how hard it was to catch Tora in the first place? What if he ran away again?"

"Ummm... I'm sorry?" Naruto replied weakly and hoping against hope that Sakura would be lenient towards him.

But it wasn't meant to be. "NARUTO NO BAKAAAA!!" As Sakura descended on him like some sort of demonic entity, Tora took the opportunity to rake it's claws across the unfortunate blonde's face. Naruto's screams of pain could be heard all throughout Konoha.

A few minutes later, Team Seven were making their way back to the Hokage Tower after the successful retrieval of Tora, the Fire Daimyo's wife. Currently, the said cat was in the arms of Sakura, purring contentedly while Naruto, who sported bumps on his head and scratch marks on his face, followed closely behind glaring at the cat the entire time. Sasuke and Kakashi brought up the rear with the last Uchiha munching on a pocky lazily and Kakashi still had his nose buried in his smut.

Kakashi looks up from his little book and silently regards his students. It has been a few months since they had started on their duties as official shinobis of the Leaf. He chuckles as he remembers the expressions of all but a select few of his fellow Jounins when he reported that his team had passed.

(Flashback)

"Team Eight has passed." Kurenai reported about her team. "Each of them are talented shinobis in their own right but together, they got the point of the true Genin Exam rather quickly. It does help that the Inuzaka's pack mentality and the Aburame's hive-like thinking are ideal for teamwork but it's Hyuga Hinata's gentle and willing nature which holds them together. They have the potential to become a fine tracking team in the future."

"Excellent." The Hokage said with a puff of his pipe. "I expect great things from them."

Asuma lights up one of his cancer sticks as he made his report. "Team Ten passes too. It took some doing and of course the guys needed Yamanaka Ino to get them started but when they do, they've got all the instincts of a veteran squad. I'm especially interested in Nara Shikamaru. He's much smarter and more perceptive then he looks and when properly motivated, he's got the makings of a great squad leader."

"You will have to guide him down the proper path then Asuma." The Hokage told his son who simply nodded. His expectant eyes and that of the other occupants of the room then turns to a largely unconcerned Kakashi who still looked preoccupied with his book.

"As for Team Seven..." He started without looking up from his book. "...They passed with flying colors. And no disrespect to you Asuma or to you Kurenai but this team got the objective right off the bat and even managed to take the bells from me before sunset of their first day."

There were a lot of disbelieving murmurs inside the room. Hatake Kakashi said he had passed a team and even complimented them in the same breath.

"But how can that be?" An unnamed jounin exclaimed. "Even by our standards, your test is probably the most difficult of all. How could three genins who just graduated from the academy pass it and even take the bells away from you in a short amount of time?"

"Maybe that's because we have such an exceptional batch of graduates this year." Kakashi replied, snapping his book shut which indicated he was serious. "And you may not agree with me but I believe that my team has the most potential in their age bracket. A potential we have not seen since the Sanin."

The same unnamed jounin saw it fit to question Kakashi's statement. "You're getting soft Kakashi. I can probably believe in the Uchiha's potential but not an average-at-best kunoichi who has no shinobi pedigree and the village de-..." The Hokage gives the jounin a warning glance. "...linquent. The village delinquent. The three of them couldn't have passed."

"Ouch." Asuma thought to himself as he watches Kakashi narrow his good eye at the unnamed jounin. "This guy doesn't know Kakashi that well does he? It's never a smart idea to put down his team like that."

"An average-at-best kunoichi and the village delinquent you say?" Kakashi drawled lazily though there was a distinctly dangerous undercurrent in his tone of voice. "To me, they're the perfect examples of looking underneath the underneath.

Kakashi walks forward and continues talking. "Case in point. The average-at-best kunoichi Haruno Sakura's academic score is the best we've seen in years. She also has solid practical skills as well as a photographic memory, not to mention reports from her instructors of her near perfect control of her chakra. Of course, that could just mean her chakra reserves are low but for a mere genin, it's not bad at all. Never mind the fact that she wasn't even born into a family of shinobis."

Kakashi then gives the unnamed jounin a look before continuing. "The 'village delinquent' Uzumaki Naruto is the ONLY academy student in Konoha's history known to have been able to regularly evade and escape from genin, chunin and in extremely rare cases, jounin class pursuers. And that's AFTER he pulls off his outrageous stunts which almost NOBODY detects till it's already too late. That shows me that this kid is an extremely cunning and resourceful individual and is much more skilled then he actually lets on. Never mind his tenant." Of course, Kakashi also knew of Naruto's skill in Kage Bunshin No Jutsu but there was no need to spring that surprise here.

Kakashi decides bring up the last member of his team. "And of course, we have Uchiha Sasuke who is this batch's Rookie Of The Year. We all know that he is a naturally very talented shinobi who's very good at almost all it's aspects. But what not very many people know is that he didn't get to his level of proficiency by being complacent of his position in the village. To his credit, not once did he use his status as the Last Uchiha to curry favor from others but rather he chose to develop his skills the old fashioned way which is through hard work. And also the fact that he survived and even broke through the Uchiha's best genjutsu at a young age is a testament to his iron will."

Kakashi then turns to the unnamed jounin with a deadly look in his visible eye. "I stand by my claim that my team has a potential not seen since the Sanin and I will do everything in my power to help them realize it. I don't know what you hoped to accomplish by doubting my decision in passing my team and nor do I care. But I certainly don't appreciate your judgment of their competency when you don't know a damned thing about them. You should stop maligning others for your own satisfaction because it makes you look weak."

(Flashback End)

Kakashi chuckles as he thought back. He had allowed himself to get carried away by his emotions during that time but he certainly didn't regret it. He hated people like that jounin and was more then willing to knock him down a peg or two if only to prove his point.

He was broken from his thoughts by a disturbance in front of him. Looking ahead, he could see Team Eight who had just exited the tower, obviously from a D Class mission (probably manual labor) judging from the rather disheveled state of their clothes as well as the strong smell of sweat around them. Right now, Naruto and a clone were holding back Kiba and to Akamaru who was trying to get to a hissing Tora in Sakura's arms while Hinata stood in between hoping to calm her feral teammate down. Shino and Kurenai were watching the exchange along with Sasuke.

"Damn it!! Let me go Naruto!! I swear I'll turn that blasted furball into kibble this time!! I still haven't gotten back at him for turning my face into a scratching post!!" Kiba snarled as he struggled against Naruto's hold.

"Calm down dogbreath!! I know how you feel!! I really do!!" Naruto grated as he held on for dear life. "But if you're gonna kill Tora, at least do it in your own time and not when it's supposed to be the mission!!"

"N-Naruto Kun's right Kiba." Hinata said, trying to pacify the Inuzaka heir. "B-Besides. Tora belongs to the Fire Daimyo's wife so if you harm it, there'll be trouble."

"Then at least let me and Akamaru maul the fleabag a little!!" Kiba growled as Naruto tightens his grip on him and his clone on Akamaru who was trying desperately to snap at the cat.

Naruto then glares at his dark haired teammate who was still munching on one of his damned pocky. "Hey Teme, when you're done chomping on that junk you call food, would it be too much to ask for a little help here?"

"Says the guy who likes his ramen with all the artificial preservatives and flavorings 24/7." Sasuke stated, smirking around his pocky. "Besides, you seem to have things under control there dobe."

Before things could escalate however, Kurenai claps her hands to get everyone's attention. "All right boys, break it up there. Settle down Kiba. You shouldn't hold a grudge against Tora. Dogs and cats don't like each other remember so her reactions towards you and Akamaru when you tried to catch her was simply natural." She told her student who relented under her gaze with a grumble. Naruto sighs in relief as he lets go of his hold on Kiba and his clone releases Akamaru who returns to Kiba's jacket. Kiba may not be the smartest guy in Konoha but he was damned strong especially when he was riled up like this.

Kakashi chuckles at this. "So I take it you guys have also been given this mission?" He asks Kurenai who answers with a grimace. "More times then we care to count."

Kurenai then turns her crimson eyes at Naruto. "And you must be Uzumaki Naruto. Though Hinata has told me a lot about you, I believe this is the first time we actually spoke to each other. My name is Yuuhi Kurenai and I'm glad to meet you"

Naruto scratches the back of his head in embarassment. "I'm glad to meet you too. I'm nothing special. Just another guy following his dream."

"We're all following our dreams Naruto so there's nothing wrong with that." Kurenai said. "It's just our manner and determination in accomplishing our dreams which is important."

Shino clears his throat loudly as he watches the cat in Sakura's arms shift impatiently. "You should bring Tora to the Mission Room." Shino said stoically. "The Daimyo's wife is already waiting there and I believe it is best for everyone involved that you give back her pet ASAP."

"Good advice." Sakura said as she looks at Tora. "The Daimyo's wife must be worried about Tora already."

"Well it was good to see you guys again." Kakashi said he starts to walk up to the tower. "Maybe we can work together on a mission in the future."

"Later guys." Sasuke said with a lazy wave as he follows Kakashi.

"Good bye." Sakura bowed low then hurries after Sasuke and Kakashi.

"You guys better take care of Hinata Chan, ok?" Naruto stated as he catches up to his team. Hinata's face reddens at this. Kurenai simply chuckles as she leads her team away.

(Inside the Mission Room)

"Kakashi Sensei... Isn't that considered as animal cruelty? Not that I care or anything but I kinda understand now why Tora keeps on running away like that." Naruto whispered to Kakashi as he watches the Fire Daimyo's fat wife practically smother Tora.

Sakura was shaking her head sadly at Tora. She wasn't all that bad. She just didn't like Naruto for some reason.

For his part, Sasuke simply clasps his hands together and mutters a quick prayer for the unfortunate feline. "Rest in peace Tora."

Kakashi winces at his team's antics. He hoped the Daimyo's wife didn't hear or notice them.

"Good work Team Seven. Excellent job of retrieving Tora." The Hokage said. "For your next mission, you have a choice of painting the fence around the Hyuga compound, walk the Inuzaka's dogs..."

"MMEEOOWW!!"

"TTTOOORRRAAA!!

"...Or you could go retrieve Tora again." The Hokage said with a sweatdrop.

"No."

The Hokage looks at Naruto who sat down crosslegged on the floor and scowled at him.

"Naruto, what the hell are you doing man? You wanna get us in trouble?" Sasuke whispered harshly.

"Get up Naruto. You're being rude to the Hokage." Sakura added. But alas, Naruto was not listening to either of them.

"C'mon Ojiisan. Enough of these lame D-Class missions. They're just chores that some people are just too lazy to do!" Naruto stated as he pointed to his hiate. "We're shinobis of Konoha and they're just a waste of our skills. Don't you have anything better there for us?"

"Naruto, you're out of line!!" Iruka exclaimed angrily. "You're not supposed to refuse any missions being given to you by the Hokage. Besides, these D-Rank missions are important to develop team chemistry."

"We know that Iruka Sensei. But you should know better then anyone else how good our chemistry really is." Naruto argued. Sasuke had to admit that Naruto presented a valid point. Team Seven's teamwork was better then any other genin teams and probably even most chunin teams due to the fact that they had been together for years even before they became an official team.

Iruka was about to answer him but the Hokage stops him with a thoughtful look on his wizened face.

"Tell me Kakashi, how many D-Class missions have you done these past few months?" The Hokage asked the silver haired jounin.

"A little over 50 Hokage Sama." Kakashi answered. Truth be told, he was also getting a little sick and tired of these D-Class missions which were no more then menial labor and he knew that Sasuke and Sakura probably felt the same way. The only difference was that he and his two other students were too sensible to question the Hokage like this.

"Hmmm... Alright Naruto, you win." The Hokage said as he rummaged around his desk. "I'll allow your team to do a C-Class mission."

"Alright!! Now you're talkin'." Naruto exclaimed jumping to his feet. "What's it gonna be? Do we get to go kick some bandit's butt or what?"

"Hold your horses there Naruto." Kakashi stated lazily. "Maybe we should hear what the mission is first before you get all excited."

"It's nothing really too difficult." The Hokage said, reading some papers in front of him. "It's a simple escort mission. A client just wants to hire some shinobis to accompany him back to his home in Wave Country."

"That doesn't sound too bad." Kakashi stated. "We accept the mission. At least my team will get some experience working outside Konoha."

"Indeed they will." The Hokage said. "Tazuna, you may come in now." A bearded and overweight elderly man wearing a white workshirt, brown shorts, sandals and a straw hat staggers into the mission room. But the thing that the occupants noticed most about the man was that he reeked of cheap sake.

The Genins of Team Seven had the same thoughts running through their head.

"Is that guy..." Sakura thought.

"...Dead drunk..." Sasuke continued in his head.

"...In the middle of the day?!" Naruto finished with a look os disbelief in his face.

"I am the Super Builder of bridges Tazuna. And I expect you to protect me with your lives till we get to my home in Wave Country." The old man identified as Tazuna declared.

Kakashi steps forward. "My name is Hatake Kakashi Tazuna San. Me and my team will be the ones escorting you to your home."

Tazuna squints at the genins and snorts in derision. "Are you kidding me? Do you really expect me to believe that a little blonde shrimp, a duckass haired munchkin and a kitten with a forehead like a billboard will be the ones to protect me? Yeah right."

Quick as a flash, Kakashi stood in front of Tazuna as he held back his team from doing anything harmful to the old bridgebuilder no matter how much he deserved it.

"Who the hell are you calling a little blonde shrimp 'ya old fart?" Naruto raged as he struggled against Kakashi's hold.

"Call me a duckass haired munchkin again in my face 'ya old lush. I dare 'ya." Sasuke seethed as he fingered his kunai.

"I've got your billboard right here pal." Sakura grated as she waved an actual signboard threateningly. "And I'll bash it right over your damned head you creep."

"All right guys, break it up there." Kakashi said then looks critically at Tazuna. "I advise you not to underestimate my team Tazuna San. Even by shinobi standards, they are very much capable of protecting you and the worst we could encounter in a mission like this would probably be some bandits which they can handle easily. And even if things would somehow go wrong, you've still got me, a jounin of Konoha, to finish whatever job they can't so you can rest easy."

Tazuna's expression falters for a moment and Kakashi could swear that he saw a twinge of fright there. But just as quickly as it appeared, the look of fright disappeared and was replaced by a scowl. "You better make sure of that. I'm paying you good money to keep me in one piece."

"You can count on us Tazuna San." Kakashi said with his eye smile then turns to his team. "We'll meet at the main gate tomorow morning at 8:30 A.M. ok team? Make sure you prepare for a at least a week-long trip. Dismissed."

The team voices their confirmation of their orders and files out of the mission room. Tazuna also leaves the mission room but this time, Kakashi noted with finality that the old shipbuilder had a troubled look on his face which indicated that something was amiss.

"Whatever it is, this should prove to be an interesting mission for us." Kakashi thought to himself.

He had no idea how right he was.

Author's Notes: This chapter is now over. As usual, R&R