Servus! And again an update, yay! Thanks to Mirani and Jestie Uchiha for reviewing, I'll treat you guys to ramen when I finally found the way into the Naruto world! (still working on it, though)

I'm so SORRY, I'm a whole week too late, but this week was like HELL. I even only slept half the amount I normally do! But I know this is just a lame excuse so for compensation this chapter is extra long. Well at least it's longer than the others...

Just now I realised that Gaara still didn't have his appearance! I have to update a bit faster from now on. At least until Gaara finally appears… Or else he'll come and kill me with his creepy sand attacks… But if he would do this, it would mean he knows the way to the Naruto world… Death, Naruto world, death, Naruto world… tough decision!

Sometimes I wonder… is anyone even reading my rants? Well, nevermind. Read and enjoy!

Sins and Sunshine

Chapter 9: Let's go to the Land of Waves!

"I got 'em! I got 'em!" Naruto shouted as he held tight to a cat that desperately tried to get away from him.

"Lost pet Tora captured. Mission accomplished." Kakashi-sensei announced.

- We're finally Genin now. But all missions we got were doing household chores or, like this time, capturing escaped pets. Normally I don't mind, especially since this is easier work than some suicide like a-rank-missions, but somehow… -

"Ow, ow! Guys, help me! Ow!" Naruto cried while the cat kept making more scratches on his face. Seems she doesn't like him… But who would after being forcefully held by Naruto?

I walked to the human scratching post and took the cat, that made itself comfortable in my arms and started purring.

"That's not fair! Why is she attacking me, but not you?" Naruto complained after I generously freed him from the oh-so-scary monster. Why, no problem, Naruto, thanks for all the gratitude!

"That's because cat feel attached to lonely people." Sakura aka Pinky tried to tease me.

"More like I'm good with animals, unlike you." I retorted and fondled the little cat. So cute!

"T-That's not true!" she defended herself. Very convincing. Not.

"Hello little Tora." she purred to the cat but instantly recoiled because the cat started hissing at her. I shrugged my shoulders and petted her head for successfully fighting off the pink threat.

"Maybe she likes me." Kakashi-sensei said but got hissed at just like the girl before him. I promised the cat a treat when we get back for not only fighting off Pinky but also the pervy-sensei. Hmmh, maybe I should get myself a cat, too…

"Maybe she only likes Minari." Kakashi tried to console himself and his two students, mainly himself.

But then there came Sasuke and petted Tora's head, that started to purr again and this way completely destroyed the last ray of hope of the others, so they now feel completely unloved. Well done, Sasuke. Maybe I should get you a treat, too…

"Why did you buy that cat a treat?" Naruto, who amazingly fast recovered from the cat scratches, asked me while glancing at the cat in my arms that appreciatively munched the cat food I gave her while we brought her back to the Hokage's office.

"Because she successfully fought off pervy-sensei and Pinky."

"Hey! Stop calling me Pinky!" the pinkhaired kunoishi shouted.

"I'm not perverted!" Kakashi-sensei complained hiding a perverted book behind his back.

"And for what are these?" Sasuke asked eyeing the sandwiches I gave him.

"For destroying their hope, because Tora likes you, too." I explained happily. Thunderclouds formed over Naruto's, Pinky's and pervy-sensei's head and they muttered a 'not fair!'.

"In fact, when did you buy those?" Naruto continued asking.

"When we passed that shop." I pointed in the direction where I came from.

"And could you have been this fast?"

"There was no one queued up at the cash desk."

"And why didn't we notice you buying these things?"

"I dunno. Maybe I'm ninja enough to sneak away without getting noticed. Or you aren't ninja enough to notice me sneaking away. Or you simply ignored me all the time. Take your pick."

Finally we reached the office so Naruto couldn't ask me stupid questions anymore. I knocked on the door to announce us and then pushed it open.

"We're ba-"

"Ohh, my cute little Tora. Mommy was so worried about her little boy!" a fat lady shouted and pulled the cat out of my grip.

"Tora is male?" I whispered to Sasuke was the was standing nearest to me while we entered the office.

"Hn."

"So why has he a red ribbon?" I asked. He just shrugged his shoulders.

Pitying I saw to the poor cat that got squashed in the arms of the fat lady.

"No wonder it ran away…" I muttured.

"Hn." Sasuke agreed with a little smile. Wow, I actually managed to make Sasuke Uchiha, wait that didn't come across well enough, THE Sasuke Uchiha smile! That's about as rare as Naruto getting a A+ in a test!

"Now there." Hokage said to get out attention.

"For squad 7's next mission we have several available tasks. Babysitting an elder's grandson, shopping in the neighbouring village, help with the potato digging,…"

"Noooo! I wanna go on a real mission!" Naruto interrupting the Hokage in reading our a~wesome next missions and forming a 'X' with his arms.

-By the way, where did the fat lady run off to?-

Of course he immediately got scolded by Iruka-sensei. Who long he was already there we shall never know.

But Naruto kept complaining and the Hokage started to explain the ranks of missions to him and from this point on I stopped listening.

Ah there was the fat lady again! She was paying the reward for getting her cat back. Yay, money!

Then the others got bored, too, and Naruto started to tell us what he ate yesterday, which was ironically still more interesting than the speech of the Hokage, who only noticed at the end of his speech that nobody paid attention to him.

But Naruto kept complaining and that he wasn't a little kid anymore, but a ninja and now wanted a real mission. After that he sat down on the floor and started pouting. Very mature Naruto, very mature.

To our all surprise, his acting like a little child actually helped, because the Hokage gave us a c-rank-mission: The protection of a certain individual. Our naïve little Naruto, of course, wanted right away to protect a princess. Yeah, as if they would send a few weak genin to protect a princess.

And then Hokage called in the one we had to escort. It was an old man with grey hair and a two-day-old beard. He held a bottle of beer in his hand and reeked of alcohol. He eyed our team.

"The shortest one with the super stupid-looking face. Are you really a ninja?" he scoffed at Naruto. Naruto, at first, laughed and asked who was the shortest, then realised that it was him and freaked out. Well done, old man, this way you'll surely be popular with us. Not.

Again the man took a pull on his bottle, before he finally decided to introduce himself to us.

"I'm the super expert bridge builder, Tazuna. I expect you to provide me super protection until I get back to my country and complete the bridge."

Aha… ever heard of modesty? Seemingly not.

After everyone packed his bags we met at the main gate of Konoha to set off. I didn't want to go on this mission. The bright sun was high in the clear blue sky and it didn't rain for weeks. Who would want to wander about in a misty place like the Land of waves while there's such perfect weather?

Our group barely went a few steps out of the gate when Naruto ran ahead and uttered a cry of joy.

"What are you so excited about?" Pinky asked irritatedly.

"Because I've never left the village before!" the hyperactive ninja explained while excessively looking from one side to the other.

"Hey, am I really going to be safe with that brat?" Tezuna asked sceptically. I somewhat could understand him. If some random hyper brat wanted to protect me I would also fear for my physical – and mental – health.

"Haha… Well, I'm a jonin, don't worry." Kakashi-sensei soothed him with a smile.

"Hey, old man. Don't mess with ninja!" Naruto shouted and told him about his dream of becoming Hokage – like always. But since I heard that almost every day I focused on my surroundings instead. Somehow I had a feeling that something bad would happen on this c-rank-mission. You know this, when you have this really bad feeling about something but can't quite explain why? That's how I feel at the moment. But maybe I'm just being paranoid and should just ignore it… Yep, ignoring is a good idea.

Meanwhile Naruto continued his fight with the bridge builder and once again had to be stopped by Kakashi-sensei from attacking the client. No client attacking, Naruto. This way we won't get any money! Well, after this we proceeded on our way.

Then again I had this bad feeling but this time many times stronger, as if something harmful would be near.

"Did you feel this, too?" I whispered to Sasuke. He has really sharp senses so if there really was something he would surely have noticed it.

"Hn?" he looked at me questioningly.

"Nothing, forget it."

Apparently it really just was my imagination. I shrugged and increased my walking speed to catch up with the others. I didn't even notice that I came to a halt while being in thoughts. Then why was Sasuke standing right next to me? Did he wait for me?

"Stop being on such good terms with Sasuke!" Sakura snarled at me when I was walking past her. I looked at her nonchalantly.

"What's so bad at being on good terms with your team mates?"

"Everything if it's about you and Sasuke-kun!"

"Jealous?"

"Not!"

"As if." I muttered and walked over to Naruto to get away from the pink threat. Since I hadn't a cat with me this time I had to do this on the traditional way, meaning purposely ignoring her.

Later Sakura asked Kakashi-sensei if the Land of waves had any ninja and he answered with a no. Then he told her something about the different shinobi villages and co.

Omigod! Kakashi tries to be a sensei! Quickly, distraction, distraction! Oh, a squirrel!I watched the cute squirrel as it sat on a tree and ate a nut. Awww!

I finally started listening again when sensei assured us that it would be very unlikely to encounter enemy ninja at a c-rank-mission. I hope so!

Later we crossed a little bridge over a rivulet. Why would anyone need a bridge to cross this rivulet? It was so was that one didn't even have to jump over it. Waste of tax money.

I gazed at the sky. There still wasn't even a single cloud and the sun gently shone through the treetops. This day truly was too beautiful to spend it in a ever-nebulous country. Ahead I saw a little puddle, what in itself was strange because, like already mentioned, it didn't rain for weeks. But I took the opportunity and leaped into the puddle of water. For a brief moment it sounded like the puddle was moaning. Can puddles moan?

"What are you doing? How childish." Pinky nagged to the nth time, but I happily ignored her – like always – and ran straight to Kakashi-sensei.

"Sensei, can puddles moan?"

We others gave me a confused look. However Kakashi spun around but unfortunately too slow, because he was already getting attacked be two enemy ninja, who came out of the puddle. So that's why the puddle moaned. I apparently stepped on the head of one of them. At least I hope it was only the head. You never know!

The enemies chained Kakashi with an iron rope that had shuriken-like links. Then they pulled on it and Kakashi got torn to pieces. At least it looked like that. I doubt that a jonin would actually fall for a simple move like that. But we couldn't really see what happened to him because of the dust cloud, so Sakura and Naruto thought he died. So much trust in our sensei, wow.

Meanwhile the attackers appeared behind Naruto who was frozen from shock and couldn't even move a finger. They wanted to attack him the same way like Kakashi but I pulled him out of the way just in time before he got ripped to pieces.

Sasuke jumped up and pinned their chain with a shuriken and a kunai on a tree, this way the enemy ninja couldn't move anymore because the chain was connected to their gloves. Sasuke then jumped on their arms, grabbed their gloves and kicked their faces.

However the two ninja detached the chain and one charged at Tezuna while the other lunged at Naruto. I decided that Naruto needed my help more than Tezune at the moment, because he had Sakura as a meat shield and Sasuke came to his help, so I shoved the blond again out of the way, crouched down and kicked for the evil ninja's legs. His caught my leg and slung me away. I landed on my feet and wanted to launch at him again but in this moment Kakashi, who wasn't dead after all– oh wonder –, appeared behind him and hit him unconscious. Then he did the same with the other one before he could even reach the bridge builder.

Sakura was simply happy that the sensei was still alive, Sasuke wore his already-knew-expression and Naruto saw amazed at the shreds of wood that lay in the dirt instead of Kakashi.

"Naruto, sorry for not helping you right away. At least Minari came to protect you." sensei said with a disappointed look in his eye. So much for the next Hokage…

Then he turned to Sasuke, Sakura and me.

"Well done, Sasuke, Minari. You, too, Sakura."

Naruko looked like he was suffering because he couldn't do anything.

"Hey" Sasuke said smirking at Naruto.

"You okay, Mr. scaredy cat?"

Naruto snapped and run towards him.

"Sasukeeeeee!"

"Leave it alone, Naruto." I stopped him.

"If I hadn't help you, you would've gotten severly injured or even killed. So if you want to be angry at someone, be angry at yourself."

"Hey, Minari! That's mean of you!" Sakura complained and felt sorry for the blond who right now looked like a beaten dog.

"But it's true!" I defended myself. I also felt sorry for him but pity won't get him anywhere. I think.

"You're right, Minari-chan. I'll do my best from now on." Naruto cheered up but I we all knew that this big smile of his was fake. Wow, I feel really bad now… Well, I just smiled and ruffled his hair.

"Tazuna-san." Kakashi addressed the old man.

"I need to talk to you."

After tying the two ninja to a tree Kakashi-sensei explained to us that they were from the land of the mist and told us some other facts.

Then the two wanted to know how he knew what they planned.

"On a sunny day when it hadn't rained in days, a water puddle shouldn't exist. Oh and Minari over there said that the puddle moaned." the jonin explained.

"What needs that fucking brat to jump into it, anyways." one of them mumbled. My eye twitched and I kicked into his face. I hope I broke his nose…

"What are you doing, Minari-chan?" Naruto asked shocked.

"He insulted me." I simply said and withdrew. Hey, I just don't like it if someone insults me!

Then sensei continued his explanation of why he didn't step in at the beginning and that they were after the bridge builder and so on. Honestly, what do I care? I just want to get over with this mission as fast as possible and then go home. So please, less talking, more hurrying up!

Later Pinky suggested to abandon the mission and go back, but Naruto just had to get his way and so we continued this stupid mission. Dang it!

Poor Minari is forced to work. Haha! Okay, happy with the length of the chappy? Not mad at me anymore? Aaaargh, please don't hit meee! *hides under the desk* I'm sorry, I'll try to always update on time!

Anyways… Seems like I'm developing a slip personality or something like that… Strange… but it would be fun somehow – I think…

Ok~ next chapter team 7 encounters Zabuza! Stay tuned!

Too lazy for any preview, but I'll update next weekend so you don't have to wait too long.^^