I'm sorry for not updating for so long! A combination of laziness and writers' block kept me from the site for months, but I am now officially back in business! I hope to be able to release the new chapter in two weeks! Thanks for sticking with the story!
Our First (REAL!) Mission!
Naruto left his house as usual, yawning. Team 7 had finished several missions lately, so he hadn't had much time to rest. 'It was one mission after another, though it was frustrating because they were only stupid d-rank missions!', he thought.! Naruto felt that he could do something more. . . . . .challenging. Walking with his head down, he (surprisingly) attracted no attention from the villagers, eventually arriving at his team;s meeting place, outside the Hokage tower. Today it seemed like he was the first there. 'Huh. Usually, I'm the last to arrive. Ha-ha! Sasuke and Sakura are late! And, of couse, he was MUCH He decided that he would wait there for them.
Eventually, he spotted his team mates in the distance. Screwing up his eyes and pouting, he waited until they arrived, only to spring at them shouting., "HEY! YOU'RE LATE! HA-HA, I'M HERE BEFORE YOU! HA-HA!" "Oh, shut up, Naruto," said Sakura wearily. "You must be as tired as we are. Shouting is no way to help a person with a headache. And besides, Naruto, if you say one more word, I'm going to punch you so hard that what I did to you at the ramen stand yesterday will seem like nothing.
Naruto gulped. He remembered that incident vividly. He had been eating at the ramen stand when Sakura walked past. Of course, being infatuated with her, he tried to ask her out on a date. It backfired on him as usual, and he was lucky to not end up in the hospital's intensive care ward. Still, he had had to go to the hospital for a checkup, just in case.. When he got out a couple of days later, he was terrified of Sakura, and avoided her at all costs. Ever since that day, he was very careful to stay on Sakura's good side.
Sasuke and Sakura sat down heavily. They were both sweating profusely, and Sasuke was panting, as if he had run a marathon. Naruto, who felt that it would be pointless talking, sat down, and decided that he would wait for Kakashi, as they did most mornings. They had learned that they would NEVER manage to make him come on time. After several minutes of waiting, Naruto stood up. "Alright!", he declared. "I'm not going to wait around any longer, waiting for Kakashi-sensei to arrive! I'm going to go find him! Who's with me?" He was about to leave when he heard Kakashi's voice say, "But I'm right here! Why would you want to find me if I'm here?"
Naruto jumped, not having noticed Kak ashi sneak up on him, unlike Sakura and Sasuke. He turned around slowly, and saw Kakashi standing there, looking bored. Kakashi said, "Well, if you're done chatting, let's get going, We have to see the Hokage about a mission." Naruto squinted his eyes, glaring at Kakashi, and asked, "Kakashi-sensei. . . . . . . . . . . .. do you mean a REAL mission, or are you talking about the same boring D-Rank stuff again? I want a real mission, not something that some kid from the Academy could do! Come on Kakashi-sensei, you know that we're ready!"
Kakashi sighed and rolled his eyes, staring upwards as if in pleading. Naruto had been asking for tougher missions since Day 2, and Kakashi had tried to make the missions harder, choosing ones that Chunins regularly did, which were slightly more difficult.. However, Team 7 had proved equal to that, and Kakashi was running out of ideas. He didn't know what to do.
He considered giving them a C-Rank mission. 'After all, they had done hard D-Ranks, right? They should be equal to the task of a low C-Rank mission.' Doubt struck him, suddenly. 'These are just kids, after all. What if. . . . . what if the mission was too hard for them? Then. . . .they might get severely hurt, or. . . or even killed! No way am I going to risk their lives like that. Not after Obito. . . . . . . . .. . ' He looked at Naruto, expectantly staring at him. Suddenly, he seemed to see the face of his sensei looking back at him. 'Sensei, what would you have done?' Suddenly, all doubt was erased from his mind. 'You would have let them prove themselves, and saved them if they weren't able. I know you would have. Sensei, I will try to do as you did.'
Turning to Naruto, he said, "Alright, Naruto. I'll let you guys do a C-Rank (Note: I changed the story a bit, giving them a C-Rank instead of a D-Rank.) today. I believe in you, and I think that you're ready." Naruto cheered, whooping wildly, and shouting, "YES!" Kakashi hit him gently to calm him, saying, "However, I expect you to behave VERY carefully and responsibly. Make even one mistake or error, and I WILL terminate the mission, and you will come back to the village, doing D-Rank missions under my watch again. Is that understood?" All three of them nodded. They were all excited, though Sasuke did not show it. Finally, they would get a chance to prove their prowess as ninjas!
10 minutes later, at the Hokage Tower. . . . . . . .
When they arrived, Naruto was bouncing on his feet, bursting with excitement. As they walked through the halls, their excitement steadily grew; even Sasuke was on edge. As they entered the Hokage's office, Sarutobi looked up from his paperwork, smiling. "Well, Kakashi, what feat of daring shall I set your squad to perform today?", he joked. Kakashi squared his shoulders, but before he could speak, Naruto shouted, "Jiji, we want a proper mission! I'm tired of this crap!" Sarutobi was serious. "Do you honestly believe that you are ready for a mission of a higher rank? Think carefully, now." He recieved no answer, but he didn't need one. It was clear from the fervent expressions on their faces, even Sasukes'.
Sarutobi sighed. "Well, as you are so determined, I'll give you a higher mission." He saw the excited looks on their faces, and how rapidly they sloughed away when he added, "Mind you, its' only one rank higher, a C-rank mission. That should be difficult enough for you." Seeing the mutinous looks on their faces, he hastily said, "Here's your client!" He pressed a button, and a door opened in the wall, revealing an old man with spiked white hair. He was carrying a nearly drained bottle of sake, wearing a black shirt and a white cloth, carrying a brown bundle of something or the other. He also sported an oddly shaped brown hat, shaped like a thin dome at the bottom, and tapering off to a tall, thin, projection.
He stared at them in a slightly bleary manner, and spoke with a sneer,. "So these are the ninja that are supposed to be protecting me? Look at them, they're squirts! You're sure that they can do the job?"
Kakashi had to hold Naruto back. He was straining and struggling, red-faced. "KAKASHI-SENSEI!", he shouted. "Come on, Kakashi-sensei!", he shouted. "He just insulted us! Don;t you think we should do something?"
"Naruto," said Kakashi calmly, "This is our client. We cannot be so rude to him." Turning to Tazuna, he apologized. "I'm sorry about that. Naruto can be a bit. . . . . hotheaded. . at times. Anyways, Tazuna-san, would you please tell me the details of the mission?"
The Hokage coughed, and said, "Ahem! Well, Tazuna-san has requested that we provide protection from some bandits who appear to be following him. He says that he spotted them tracking him in the forest, though they did not see him.