So by now, you must realize that we've reached the Gato story arc. Let's get this shit started.
"Is everybody in position?" Kakashi asked over a radio.
"I'm in position," Sasuke responded over his radio.
"In position," Sakura said to her teacher.
"The dime bag has been dropped Kakashi," Naruto said with a mild chuckle.
"Good, when the target takes the bait, we move." Kakashi commanded.
"Roger!" The three junior ninja acknowledged.
Kakashi thought to himself about what Naruto told him a week ago. 'Could she really be telling the truth? It seems too unreal to be true, but there are stranger thing in the world than what she said'
"Kakashi, Rasta took the toke, repeat the Rasta took the toke!" A voice chattered on over the radio, snapping the one-eyed man out of his musings.
"Roger." Kakashi acknowledged, "Move to subdue, non-lethal only. We need him alive to complete our mission."
"Roger! He's going to pay this time!" was the response over the radio.
In a clearing in the woods surrounding Konoha, there was a rather fat cat, just minding his own business, when he was suddenly enticed towards a nondescript, brown paper bag. He knew not why he was compelled towards it, but towards it he went nonetheless. Once he reached the bag, he felt some sort of strange compulsion to open this strange package; he found a dark brownish plant that was shredded up into little bits. This cat, being curious what it was, ate the plant and did he feel good after that. He was gonna just lay on his back with his stomach to the sky and just watch the clouds move around him in pure contentment.
Of course the brown paper bag was a trap, set up by everyone's favorite ninja team, and due to the success of their trap, all they had to do was simply walk to the cat and pick its stoned ass off the ground.
"I can't believe we didn't think of this before," Sakura said as she cradled the cat in her arms.
"I can't believe that it took you guys 5 times to actually listen to me," Naruto quipped back at her teammate. "I had this idea from the beginning."
"Whatever Naruto, Kakashi-sensei we caught the cat. Bow on right ear is confirmed, lost pet Tora has been completed." Sasuke said into his radio.
"Good, meet me back near the academy to turn in the cat." Kakashi told his students.
"Oh whosagoodkitty? Yesyouare!" A rather fat woman cooed to the cat.
"Good job Team 7, for your next mission we have… hmm…" the Third Hokage hummed as he looked over the D-rank missions available for that day. "Ah! There is babysitting the chief councilor's children, picking Potatoes and…"
"No." Naruto cut the third Hokage off. "No more D-rank missions, I want something that can actually challenge me."
"How dare you!" Iruka scolded the girl. "You are untested Genin! You aren't experienced enough to go any other missions."
"Hey there's something wrong with my cat." The fat woman said aloud, noticing that her cat was rather unresponsive but swatting at some random point in the air.
Turning towards the woman, Naruto made an angry face, "he's stoned off catnip, he'll be fine," she turned back toward the Hokage and Iruka, "I know, but this is the fifth time we had to catch this fucking cat, I think we should get something harder because if I see that cat one more time, I'm going to cut his nuts off!"
"Well I never!" The fat woman said as she left in a huff.
"Never what, dieted?" Naruto shouted back.
The Hokage laughed at Naruto's antics. "Alright Naruto, I'll give you a C-rank mission. Ah! Here's a good one, you four shall be bodyguards." The aged Hokage looked at Naruto, who was beaming at the prospect of the mission. "Send in the client."
'Maybe I can save Zabuza and Haku this time. Maybe I can put this mission right this time.' Naruto thought to herself.
Kakashi, on the other hand, had resumed his previous thoughts on what Naruto had told him.
"I want to know everything, now!" Kakashi commanded his charge.
"Just relax Kakashi-sensei, I'll tell you everything," Naruto told him, brushing off his hands. "And before you ask, it does involve the fox, just not in the way you think."
"So it isn't loose." Kakashi sighed in relief. Truth be told, he never did think that the fox could get loose, but with Naruto's massive power, he just wasn't so sure anymore.
"Nope, in fact we're kinda besties." Naruto laughed. "Yeah, he's kind of a big brother figure. He even tries to choose who I date."
Kakashi started laughing at that thought. Imagine a giant demon fighting possible suitors of his container. "Is there any way he can get out?" Kakashi asked, out of curiosity.
"Not really, I mean we've been trying to find a way to see if he could stretch his legs once in a while, but nothing so far," Naruto told the man as she assumed a thinking pose. "He's just been training me," Naruto half lied to her teacher.
"Kit, make sure you don't tell him that you're from the future. That could end up bad." Kurama told his container.
'I was gonna leave that part out anyway. It would just freak him out.' Naruto thought towards her demon friend.
"But it still doesn't explain the sword style and the water jutsu." Kakashi asked to no one in particular.
"Oh, I was actually taught them by Kumajiro. He's kind of a wacky guy." Naruto said to her teacher.
"How exactly did this happen?" Kakashi asked amazed that she was trained by a ninja who's been dead for almost a century.
"He fought the Kyuubi and lost. The Kyuubi was impressed with his skills, so he absorbed Kumajiro's body into his, and the Kyuubi can summon him whenever, so he taught me a lot of his stuff." Naruto explained.
"Are there any more?" Kakashi asked his curiosity piqued again.
"Yeah, I've met about seven of them so far. Beni Hideki was helping me with the seals to help me and the Kyuubi." Naruto said with a smile.
"The original seal master of the lightning country?" Kakashi whistled, "Those two are really powerful ninja, you may be in for a treat if they train you."
"Oh I know, I've been reading up on each of them, it's all quite fascinating." Naruto said as she walked away, eager to meet her friend for their date… uh… I mean… for dinner in a completely platonic friendship like way.
'There must be something that she's not telling me. I can feel like she was holding something back yesterday.' Kakashi was snapped out of his thoughts when the stench of booze invaded his senses. An extremely intoxicated man, dressed simply stepped into the room.
"This is your client, Tazuna," The Third Hokage said to the ninja present.
"Oh look, I got inky, pinky, blinky and prostitute to protect me, I'll be safe for sure," Tazuna slurred out, his words dripping with almost as much sarcasm as alcohol. He laughed at his own little joke and went to take a swig from his sake bottle, only to find that it had been cut right through, without so much as disturbing him. He looked around to see Naruto holding a kunai and the rest of the bottle.
"Call me a whore one more time, and it'll be your balls next," she said as she took a swig from the bottle. "This tastes like piss, you can have it back," she handed the bottle over to a dumbstruck Tazuna and went to join her team once more.
"Alright," Kakashi said in an attempt to defuse the situation. "Well get started in a few hours. Everybody should pack for at least two weeks of travel and bring all your Shinobi gear, then meet me by the village gates, Dismissed." Naruto and Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke while Sasuke and Sakura walked out.
Naruto went back to her apartment to gather her things for the infamous mission to the Land of Waves. This was the moment she was waiting for; this was her chance to actually change the future. Of course she did not know what saving the two mist ninja would do to the future, but saving their lives would be worth it.
"How can I save them? I need a way to convince Zabuza that coming to the leaf would be better than a life on the run, and I need to save Haku from killing herself." Naruto grumbled as she gathered her things, "Ugh… This is too much pressure on me, I need help,"
"Would this be a good time to appear?" a voice in her head asked.
"Oh hey Beni how's the progress on the seals going?" Naruto asked.
"They're progressing, but I figured out how one of us could leave the seal indefinitely," Beni Hideki said with pride in his voice.
"You mean I can let one of you out for forever?" Naruto asked, thanking the deus ex machine that she wouldn't have to go this alone. "But how could I choose which one of you? It's not fair if I let one out and not the others."
"Ah but that's the beauty of my sealing, only one of us would be able to be let out, but it can be interchanged, almost at will." Beni told his young friend.
"So you guys can come and go whenever you feel like it? That's awesome!" Naruto shouted aloud. Remembering why they started this whole seal in the first place, "Can Kurama come out too?"
"Not yet, but I'm close. I'm really close. Oh shit, someone's coming!" Beni warned her.
Just as he finished warning her, Rock Lee appeared on her balcony. "Naruto-chan!" Lee went to embrace her.
"Hey Lee," Naruto said as she returned the gesture. "Hey, I'm gonna be on a mission for a couple of weeks, could you…umm… could you watch my place for me…" Naruto asked sheepishly, staring at and fumbling with her feet.
"Of course my Naruto-chan! I shall make sure that your home is ok while you are away on your mission." Lee said as he gave her his trademarked 'Nice Guy pose.'
"Thanks Lee, I owe you one," she said as she gave him a light peck on the cheek. "I really appreciate it." Lee in response to the unexpected action, turned bright red and just nodded, before passing out. Naruto just gave him her keys and left smiling.
"Hey kit, I think it's finally happened. I think the hormones finally took over your conscience ideas and made you like boys." Kurama told his container laughing a foxy laugh.
'I do not, it's just that I really appreciated it and wanted to let him know.' Naruto said defensively. 'Besides, last time I came home from this mission, my apartment was covered in spray paint and most of my stuff was destroyed. I'm just being proactive.'
"Of course you are kit, and the fact that you liked kissing him was just a fluke," Kurama laughed.
'I did not!' Naruto thought back, almost instantly, everyone in the seal erupted with laughter. 'You guys are assholes.'
Not much action in this chapter, but the next one, I promise will hold the entire wave arc.