RECAP: They're going to get a mission
The four of them were walking to the hokage's office hoping to get Kankuro and Matsuri a mission. They were halfway there when Shizune came running behind them and spun Naruto around and repeatedly slapped him as she yelled-
"YOU BE WHERE I CAN FIND YOU, YOU AND YOUR CRAP-ASS LIFE, YOU BE WHERE I CAN GET TO YOU, YOU ARE AT OUR DISPOSAL!"
"WHAT THE HELL?"
"I'VE BEEN LOOKING EVERYWHERE FOR YOU."
"WHY?"
"...Let's calm down. OK quickly answer the following: is Sasuke prepared to fight? Is Sakura prepared to fight? Is Kakashi prepared to fight? Who else is at your level and prepared?"
"What's all this about-"
"ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTIONS!"
"OK OK. Uh OK Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi are all fit to fight. All of the rookie nine are at round about my level excluding Chouji, Ino, TenTen, Shino and Hinata. The others are preoccupied with other missions as far as I know. I may be able to get Shikamaru and Neji if necessary. Can I ask the reason?"
"No time, I'll get Kakashi. You get Sakura. Where is Sasuke?"
"He should be reporting to Tsunade soon."
"OK good...let me think...one medical...one close range...one long range...and a medium range. This'll work. OK strike getting Sakura. I'll get that done."
"You'll need to find a sitter if you want to get Sakura."
"Why?"
"Her baby."
"WHAT!"
"Apparently we don't have time for this. Listen and stay calm Shizune. Don't yell around that baby. Let Sakura say goodbye to that baby and if the baby starts crying let Sakura deal with it, do not interfere. She's not at her house she lives with Sasuke now. Before you get to their apartment call Neji and tell him to babysit."
"Ne-Neji?"
"I know it sounds strange but the person who'd be most careful with that baby is Neji and he'll be there before you and if I can't handle this mission without him I deserve to die out there."
"...Thank you Naruto. You need to report to Lady Tsunade now. I'll get Neji there before we leave. We'll be joining you all shortly but I'll need to trust you to be able to brief your teamates if we don't make it on time."
"Got it. GO!"
Shizune was off and Naruto and co. were too. Naruto was almost at full sprint. Gaara was of course running at the same speed seeing as they were at the same level. Kankuro and Matsuri were lagging only by inches.
"Naruto what's going on?"
"I don't know."
"You said it was a mission."
"Well I assume it is. That's all I gathered at very least it's an emergency but she wouldn't have tried to assemble a team if it wasn't a mission."
"Naruto this doesn't sound good."
"I know it doesn't. Shizune has only ever sounded like that when people from the waves invaded, turned out to be nothing but I'm not sure about this time. Why do you think I left someone with the best protective jutsu with Naru."
"Naruto we should help. I don't want you dying."
"Gaara I'll be fine, I don't want you to be endangering yourself for a village that isn't even yours."
"Don't be stubborn if she needs extra nin we're going."
"Shut up Gaara!...Just shut up. Nobody's dying on this mission."
Matsuri and Kankuro had done nothing more than exchange worried looks. In a few more turns they were at the hokage's office. While everyone else was about to run in panting and sweating into her office but Naruto of course knew better and made sure to compose himself and the others and enter as calm as possible. If they had charged in there freaking out Tsunade would've done the same. Naruto walked in first with the others following him. Tsunade was looking out the window with her chair facing away from them.
"Lady Tsunade, I'm here. I met up with Shizune, she's getting everything set for Sakura and getting Kakashi. Shikamaru, Neji, Kiba, Lee are at the level needed to assist if needed but are most likely occupied with other missions."
Still facing the window Tsunade started to talk.
"...Who'd you leave Sakura's baby with...assuming Sasuke is coming."
"Sasuke will be here and judging by Shizune's actions I assumed this was an emergency, I've left her with Neji."
"Good...good..."
"Lady Tsunade, Shizune sounded worried. If this is a state or emergency I suggest you pull yourself together and brief me on the situation!"
Gaara shot him a look which he knew he'd get after talking to Tsunade like that but if this was and emergency he needed to know about it so he shot him a look right back. After they had finished exchanging looks Tsunade turned her chair around. Her eyes were welling up, which was probably why she'd been talking quietly the whole time.
"...I messed up Naruto. I sent genin on a D rank..."
"That's what you're supposed to do-"
"Do you remember when you three were sent as genin to the land of waves?"
"Yes, I do."
"And do you remember how that quickly turned into almost an A rank as you fought an assassin. An assassin from the waves no less."
"Yes, I do. I also remember that no one could've known and that you weren't hokage at the time."
"Point is, the third should've checked that out before sending genin seeing as it was a mission from the waves."
"Lady Tsunade, I'm not sure but there might be lives at stake. Let's not waste time."
"Naruto, I sent a team of genin to the land of waves. Waves Naruto, they're the most brutal ninja."
"..."
"It was a D rank...but I should've know better..."
"Tsunade!"
Naruto walked up to the desk and slammed his hands on the table as he yelled her name. Gaara cringed, he could've at least added Lady to her name if he was going to yell it.
"Stop this whimpering! What do you need me to do?"
No response and she wouldn't look him in the eye so he bent down to meet her eyes which were releasing a very small amount of tears no matter what she did. Naruto didn't want to be so rough with her but he needed to be briefed.
"Man up! I need to briefed! I need to brief my team! We need to go now!"
Gaara, Kankuro and Matsuri had never seen Naruto so serious, it was very impressive. Tsunade wiped her tears and looked up.
"Naruto not every team of genin is as strong as yours was. All four of them are in the hospital about to die. A jounin is about to die along with his genin."
"I need to be briefed."
"They were supposed to be on a simple farmhand mission in the waves. Helping with a rice paddy, there has been a decline in manual laborers and their ninja are constantly out on much higher ranked missions."
"Why is this an emergency?"
"They ran into some form of a wave ninja. According to their jounin they probably weren't rogue but they seemed to do whatever they wanted including attacking children from the leaf. The teams jounin said they were almost to the fields when they crossed paths. They were they first members of the village they'd seen. Once these ninja saw their headbands they engaged them in a fight. The jounin's original assumption was that it was another jounin with his genin but once in battle they were clearly outmatched and barely escaped. We've reported multiple times to the mizukage."
"Get to your point!"
"I am! You told me to brief that's what I'm doing, now listen! When you report anything to a kage they respond, no matter how menial it is you respond. The only time you wouldn't respond is if you are not on good terms. As far as we knew we were but when the report was sent third time we are to assume they are against us."
"You can't assume that just yet maybe they've gotten lost-"
"Don't you think I've thought of that! I've investigated and exhausted every reason as to why they won't keep contact with us. The elders wouldn't let me investigate anymore and told me to do continual sweeps of surrounding villages in the land of fire to make sure no ninja from the waves have infiltrated. We started the sweeps and I included border sweeps. They've sent out a team of what appear to be jounin to attack us."
"We will out number them if ambush us here."
"No we won't Naruto. I screwed up. I knew all of this was going on and still...the other jounin are out...all but Kakashi and Asuma. They're delegating with feudal lords. Reviewing this very topic. And those who aren't are out on other C and D rank missions. We should've sent genin but since those three show no sign of recovery the elders have decided that they need to undergo more training. The trainers being almost every academy teacher. Seeing as they know that we have almost no jounin left they must also know we have a huge surplus of genin. We have to assume the rice paddy mission was simply to gauge the overall strength of this village's genin. As you know evern compared to the Sand we have the strongest ninja and genin. I don't know what's happened or if it's some kind of jutsu but their genin are at jounin level. And now you and your team are going to fight jounin. Do you realize what your up against?"
"I've been briefed. I' ready to go. I will brief my team. If they show up here I'd greatly appreciate it if you sent them to the front gates."
"Understood. Naruto is there anyone else who you think could assist anyone at all."
"...I'd like to recruit Shikamaru. I'd also like to take Kiba."
"Agreed. I'll file this. You go round them up and I'll-"
Gaara interrupted her.
"Sorry to interrupt you but Naruto would also like to recruit help from the Sand. The three of us are available to help."
"I'm sorry Gaara but I can't do that without asking and paying your land."
"I am the Kazekage's Jinchuuriki son. I will decide for my land."
"If you insist. We could use all the help."
Naruto interrupted this time.
"The three of you, if you could step out for a minute."
Gaara and Naruto stared at eachother for a second before the three of them left. Naruto got closer to Tsunade and started talking softly so the three of them wouldn't hear no matter what.
"Lady Tsunade. You can't let them go."
"Why's that?"
"Like you said out ninja are the best possible match for the waves but we're clearly not strong enough this time. I'm planning on fighting those ninja until I can't throw another punch or knife. Once I hit that point I'll be protecting Sakura and Sasuke until I finally die. I was hoping that I could die knowing Gaara wouldn't, knowing that Kankuro wouldn't and knowing that Matsuri wouldn't. I can only protect so many people."
"Naruto. You will not die. If you do I will be so pissed."
"...Please...don't let them go...I have to protect Sakura for her baby...I have to...but I love Gaara so this, this is how I'm going to protect him...let me..."
"Naruto, I can't. Mainly because I know you're not going to die. But also because I know that those three ninja out there love you and if you die without giving them a chance to save you they'll never forgive themselves. If you die like that when you watch over them they will be in constant pain and you can't protect them from that."
"..."
"You three can come back in."
The three ninja came back in and Naruto turned to face them. Before he was too far from the desk Tsunade handed him a few scrolls.
"Hold on to these. It'll keep me informed."
Naruto unravelled on of them and looked inside. Tsunade continued explaining.
"They're thin so they won't take up too much space you just write in that square in the middle and use these hand signs written next to it and the message will transfer to my copy of the scroll. You can only use these once though."
"Alright we'll keep you posted. We'll be waiting at the front whenever everyone is ready to come."
"OK let me check and see who's available from the list. OK it appears that Shikamaru is out on delegation. Kiba should be returning from his mission tomorrow."
"...So you're telling me the only two ninja I requested are gone?"
"I'm sorry Naruto. You are the strongest young ninja I've seen since your father. Soon I think you'll surpass him. The three sand ninja plus team 7 are only ninja I can send. If Shikamaru shows up and if Kiba shows up early I'll send them out with you."
Naruto leaned in closer to Tsunade like he had before. The three sand ninja couldn't hear him if he talked quiet enough seeing as they were just inside the door.
"Tsunade, without those two my chances have gone way down. I know we can't postpone this, I know that. I'm begging you don't send Gaara."
"Naruto, do you remember what I told you. If you die like that Gaara will hate himself. Do you want that?"
"That won't happen, I want him to live, even if I don't."
"You are all going to live. If you get in hot water send me a message and I will send some chuunin followed by myself. Remember if that does happen you need to give me warning, the elders won't just let me send chuunin out without a complete explanation. We're all nervous about sending more ninja out...which is why I'm keeping Kakashi here..."
Naruto put his forehead against Tsunade's which surprised her but she didn't let it show because Naruto was starting to cry.
"Tsunade...you're taking away my jounin...please let Gaara live...please..."
Tsunade stopped talking quietly and now everyone could hear.
"NARUTO! YOU WILL NOT DIE! The four of you, by now Sakura and Sasuke are almost here, you'll probably see them on the way out. You will all survive. Fight as much as possible, I do not expect you to defeat these people. I expect you to learn their techniques and retreat before it's too late. Now, Go."
Naruto nodded and walked out before anyone else. Kankuro and Matsuri quickly followed Gaara was about to but Tsunade asked him to her desk. She looked him in the eyes before talking to him.
"Gaara. You, you especially. You. Must. Not. Die. You must live, no matter what you leave behind, you must live. Naruto won't tell you this but he doesn't even want you to go in fear that you will die. I've told him that nobody will. Don't make me a liar."
"...Understood."
"Go."