Shikamaru led the artistic ninja to the hokage room. Naruto looked at him, he was slightly different then back in the old days. Since the ANBU his skin had some color back, but the paper white was still evident. He wore a full black shirt buttoned all the way to the top with his scrolls and ink by his side. "Hokage-sama," Sai he bowed.

"Sai I have a very important mission for you. Your team will deliver the peace treaty scroll to the Land of Earth."

"My team," he echoed, "Then what about me?"

"You will lead a diversion away from them. You will carry this bomb scroll in case they capture you. Use it as a last resort."

"Hai, hokage-sama...are you sure that my team alone can pull of this mission. They are still genins. Shouldn't someone with more experience do it?"

"Well with a full armed escort the enemy will suspect our plan and we cannot let that happen. We already think spies have infiltrated and are gathering information. If we send out an armed escort they will follow and risk the mission. Therefore, a small team of genin will do. The enemy will think that they are just on a normal mission."

"Understood, I will get my team," and with that Sai bowed and was gone.

On the way back Sai wrote a message to his team to meet him at the library. After he was done it formed into a small bird that perched on his finger, "to Ken," he commanded. The bird nodded and flew away. Sai then went to prepare for his mission.

NOW, YURI POV

By the time we got here Sai sensei was already waiting by the library, reading another weird book on relationships. He slipped it in his pocket as we greeted him. "Hey Sai sensei, we going to see the hokage now?" Ken asked. Sai sensei just came over bent down and ruffled our heads like we were three. He says that in his book it was a sign of friendliness. Ken thought it was weird and always made a face, but Aya and I didn't mind at all. We always smiled when he did that."Yes he has summoned you guys for an important mission."

"Then what are we waiting for?"

IN HOKAGE'S ROOM, YURI POV

"Yuri, Aya, Ken, you are being assigned a mission to deliver this peace scroll. You have been chosen because the enemy will never suspect genins to be doing such an incredible mission. Just to be safe Sai will create a diversion leading the enemy away from you. Don't let us down, the fate of the two nations rest in your hands."

Aya and I both nodded, "Understood." Ken just sighed. The future of two powerful nations rest in three puny genins hands, no pressure of course.

"You will set out tomorrow, while Sai will go today to get a head start. You're dismissed."

NOW AT THE GATE, AYA POV

We walked with Sai sensei to the gate to see him goodbye. The scroll hung tightly on his waist, next to his paper and chakra ink. "Yuri," he said as he handed a small ink rat to her. It sniffed her hand and scurried on to her shoulder. Ken and I looked at it curiously; its smooth ink skin glistened in the sun as it twitched his nose."Be careful," sensei said. Then he smiled and rubbed our heads again. After that, he was gone.

KEN POV

After sensei left I excused myself from my friends saying that I have to go prepare. I was already late for my date; she's going to kill me! I quickly arrived at the dango store noticing that she was already sitting at a table with an orange dango in her mouth. Pretending as if I had not just ran all the way from the other side of town I casually walked over and sat down next to her. Before I could even open my mouth she took her dango stick and poked me on the chest. "You're late," she said in a low demonic voice. That wasn't creepy at all. I shifted nervously.

"I-I-I'm sorry Hine, I-" She suddenly stuck a dango in my mouth. I stare blankly at her, confused and frightened. She's gunna kill me, she's gunna kill me, oh crap she's gunna kill me with a dango. My heart beats faster as she came closer; her soft golden braids dangling in front of her face, her icy blue eyes penetrating mine. I froze as she closed in and planted a kiss on my cheek.

"It's okay, just sit," and with that she leaned back against the chair swishing a dango in her mouth. I exhaled, not realizing I was holding my breath all this time, and chewed the dango in my mouth. I gulped it down and leaned back looking as the sun shined through her hair. She was wearing a flower dress with a large bow tied around her waist. The bright light in the back made her radiate like the sun, and she looked like a princess. "So tell me, where were you two hours ago." I flinched as I detected the iciness in her voice.

"Uhh, I had a mission from the hokage."

"Oh, what is it," she asked as she wrapped her hand around mine and leaned on my shoulder.

"U-U-Uhh well, my team has to deliver a peace treaty to the Land of Earth," At this point Hine jumped up. "What?"

"I umm… I forgot something," she responded as she left Ken dumbstruck and alone at the store. Way to go Ken, I thought as I stuck a dango stick in my mouth.

AYA POV

Since Ken left us, probably for his girlfriend (he's such a terrible liar); Yuri and I decided to go back to my house. Bored, I asked her, "You wanna spar a little?"

"You are so on." Yuri set down sensei's ink rat as I put on some light slim armor. We stood facing each other in fighting positions. I unsheathed my twin blades, the sharp rings echoed in my ears. I noticed as a small leaf carried by the wind was evenly sliced as it passed through the blade. I smiled. I looked at Yuri with a playful grin.

On the other hand, Yuri was inspecting her weapon. She slid it on, the inactivated claws rested on the back of her hand extending past her wrist. With a satisfied look she activated them, the claws jutting out at lightning speed. With her black stripe orange jacket, fur gloves and deadly claws she looked like a tiger, and I was its prey. She lunged and swung at me but I quickly stepped aside and slashed at her back. Somehow she knew and dodged away, aiming for my legs in the process. I did a backwards somersault but just as I landed she was headed straight towards me, claws extended forward. I quickly crossed my blades in a defensive X position as our weapons collided. We locked in a stalemate and waited for the other to make a move. As we stood there my mind raced to find an opportunity, but then strangely Yuri looked up like she was waiting for something. I followed her eyes with a big question mark written all over me, BIG MISTAKE. I mentally slapped myself as I fell on my back when she kicked me in the stomach. Rule number one: never fall for your enemy's tricks, argh. I'm so stupid. I stare up at Yuri who grinned in victory. "Round one, I win," she declared.

"Not so fast." I flicked my wrist and slammed the dull edge of my sword into the back of Yuri's knee. As she buckled I retreated to a safe distance ready to turn the tables. As soon as I got back on my feet I lunged at the defenseless kitten. I was just a few inches away until…

"Aya, Yuri, lunch is ready!" WHAM!

Yuri got distracted by food (she always is) and didn't notice me coming straight at her. I tried to dodge her but it was too late. We clashed into a giant ball and rolled into a bush. Thankfully Yuri's claws were inactivated and my swords were out of the way or else this might have ended badly. My dad had an 'ouch' look on his face, "Well come in soon, food's getting cold."

I sighed, "Well I guess it's…" but Yuri was already gone, probably to the table to go eat some more of my mom's cooking, which she loved so well. "That girl is like Choji sensei…can't stop thinking about food", I mumbled while going inside for lunch.