Disclaimer – Kishimoto owns Naruto and the characters therein.
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Memories Of Others
Chapter 13
Journey Of A New Genin
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Hiashi looked up at the knock on the door-frame.
"Ah, Naruto." He said, motioning for the blond to enter.
"You sent for me, Hiashi-Dono?"
"I did." Hiashi said. "I have a mission I would like you to take, although I must apologize for the lack of warning. It will last several weeks and starts tomorrow morning. I will pay personally for it and I believe that it will be your first C-rank."
"May I ask what the mission is?" Naruto asked.
"You may." A new voice said and Naruto half-turned.
"Jiji!"
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Kurenai looked at her team proudly.
"You all packed?" She asked and her three genin nodded.
"I have clothes and supplies for three weeks in two storage scrolls." Hinata said.
"Two weeks, plus stuff for Akamaru." Kiba stated.
"Two weeks." Shino said quietly.
"So, we ready to go?" A new voice called and Kurenai turned.
"Indeed we are, Tazuna-sama."
"Good." The elderly civilian said. "Hang on, I thought I was only getting four of you?"
"Heh, there's five of us." Kiba said, pointing to Akamaru who was perched on his head.
"I wasn't counting the puppy." Tazuna said with a frown. "Who's the blond?"
Team eight stared at him, then turned to see the grinning genin behind them.
"Hey guys." Naruto grinned, tossing a small scroll to Kurenai. "Odd thing, I've got a mission that takes me to Wave as well, so if you don't mind, I'll tag along with you guys. That okay?"
Kurenai opened the mission scroll and scanned it before rolling it up again.
"We'll be glad to have you along." She smiled as she handed the scroll back.
"Cool!" Naruto grinned. "I even stopped by Ichiraku's and filled a scroll with piping hot Ramen for our first evening meal on the road. I remembered your faves and even got a bowl of beef for Akamaru."
"Best tag-along ever!" Kiba cheered. "Whooo!"
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"There they go." Hiruzen said, concentrating on the image in the crystal sphere. "Their first C-rank mission. At least if something happens, backup will be available."
Hiashi looked up from the sphere with a quizzical expression.
"Hokage-sama?"
"Ah, I don't think it's my secret to tell." Hiruzen smirked, earning an irritated glare from the Hyuuga clan head.
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"You know, this is my first time actually outside Konoha." Naruto commented as they stepped through the main gate. "I've looked though the gate and across from the top of the walls, but I've never actually been outside the walls… until now. I kinda expected it to feel… different."
Kiba sniggered for an instant before Shino dope-slapped him.
"I also have never departed from the protected environs of Konoha before today." He intoned. "I fully understand Naruto-san's reaction."
"Yeah, yeah." Kiba grumbled. "Akamaru and I've been out here loads. There's some good hunting over there."
"Then let us hope that we are not the ones being hunted." Kurenai stated, before she frowned. "Naruto, why did you just send out a dozen clones?"
"Scouts." Naruto explained. "Between my clones, Hinata-hime's byakugan, Kiba's ears and nose and Shino's Kikkaichu, no-one's going to get near your client."
"True." Kiba smirked, then he frowned. "Hey, Naruto, just what mission do you have that sends you to Wave? I'm not complaining, it's cool having an army ready to defend us, but what exactly is the mission?"
"Classified." Naruto smirked and Kurenai raised a hand to hide her smile.
"So." Kiba said as the gates of Konoha slowly receded into the background."You fully equipped for this mission too?"
"Four weeks of supplies, enhanced medical kit, reserve currency bundle, backup weapons, tags… yep, I'm ready."
"How?!" Kiba yelped. "That must have cost loads!"
"Since I'm no longer paying rent, I now have more money." Naruto shrugged. "That reminds me, when we get back, I'll have to show you my new house, Hinata-chan. It's kinda out of the way, being in a small valley behind the Hokage monument, but it's mine now. It's where I found the picture I showed you."
"I… I'd like that." Hinata murmured with a smile.
"You have a house!?" Kiba half-moaned. "I still live with my mom and sis. I gotta start earning more so I can get a den of my own. Sensei, are we allowed to do solo D-ranks?"
"Elite genin like yourself are not encouraged to take solo D-ranks." Kurenai replied. "Among other reasons, independent genin like Naruto need the income."
"Damn." Kiba grumbled. "Well, bud, looks like we gotta stay where we are for now."
Akamaru let out a small whine.
"I know, I know." Kiba sighed, then he brightened up. "Hey, if we defeat any bandits on this mission, will get rewarded for it?"
"We'll need to send them back to Konoha for the reward to be registered." Kurenai said. "That's the reason why we Jonin often carry Prisoner Scrolls, although they can only hold the prisoner for a day or two before they fail."
"Sounds like a project for you, Naruto-kun." Hinata giggled.
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"Kurenai-sensei," Hinata said as she deactivated her Byakugan, "There are two shinobi hiding in a small hole covered with a genjutsu of a puddle just over the hill. They are wearing horned head-protectors, one with a single horn and one with two."
Kurenai stopped walking and pulled a book out of one of her hidden pockets. She started to leaf through it, then paused before handing it to Hinata.
"Can you find them for me?"
Hinata quickly flicked through the book, then paused. "Here, Sensei!"
"The Demon Brothers Gozu and Meizu, formerly of the Hidden Mist village." Kurenai read. "Individually classified as low to mid-C Rank, when acting together, threat rating is high-B Rank. Taijutsu focus with poison secondary. Reward, 60,000 Ryo each or 150,000 if captured together."
"A hundred and fifty thousand Ryo!" Kiba breathed. "I could buy a really neat den with that!"
"Rewards get split between the party that captures them." Kurenai commented. "Genin get a single share, Chunin get two shares, special Jonin three and full Jonin get four."
"That would grant each of us genin eighteen thousand, seven hundred and fifty ryo while Kurenai-sensei will receive seventy-five thousand." Shino mused.
"What?" Kiba yelped.
"I have an idea." Naruto said with a lopsided grin. "It'll help us gain actual combat experience without the risk."
Hinata's eyes widened in realization.
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"Here they come." Gozu whispered as the group crested the hill and strolled down the path towards them, the members throwing glances at the nearby woods. "Amateurs."
"Shhhh."
The duo remained silent as the party of six passed by the puddle, then they launched themselves at the unsuspecting group.
"One down!" Meizu gloated as their shuriken-chain wrapped round the dark-haired woman and snapped taut, slicing through her and scattering her remains on the ground. The four genin froze and the duo took advantage of their hesitation to launch a barrage of kunai at their target, the old bridge builder. The kunai slashed through the air and impacted him…
…causing him to vanish in a cloud of chakra smoke.
"Huh?" Gozu gasped as he froze, shocked by the unexpected turn of events, then the genin were moving. One of them seemed to explode into a cloud of bugs that engulfed the two chunin, blinding them. Gozu felt the chain detach from his brother's gauntlet and was about to follow suit when a new voice spoke, a feminine voice promising pain.
"Eight trigrams: thirty-two palms!"
A barrage of light yet incredibly painful strikes jolted Gozu like he was a puppet being shaken, then he collapsed to the ground, unable to command his muscles to move.
"Gatsuga!"
The swarm of bugs lifted just in time for Gozu to see his brother being hammered into a tree by a swirling drill of chakra, a drill that dissipated to reveal the feral-looking one of the genin group.
"Oh yeah! Bring a crane for they are down!"
"Well done." The Jonin's voice said approvingly and Gozu managed to turn his eyes to see a second group approaching, a group identical to the first.
"Huh?" He managed.
"We're Kage Bunshin." The feral genin gloated. "I hope you like the fact that you got owned by clones!"
Gozu would have groaned, but the effects of the strikes were too much and he fell into blackness, never seeing the clones vanish in puffs of smoke.
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"Oh yeah, we rule!" Kiba gloated. "Didja see how I slammed him into a tree?"
"You all did very well." Kurenai smiled as her genin finished assimilating the memories that they had received. "However, the actions of our adversaries has raised several questions."
"Like how do we get them back to Konoha for the reward?" Kiba asked.
"You don't need to worry about that." Naruto said reassuringly as he created ten clones which moved to pick up the downed chunin. "My clones can take them back and tell Jiji what we took them down.
"Whoo! Eighteen thousand ryo!" Kiba gloated. "A few more bounties like this and I'll be able to finally move out of mom's house!"
Kurenai smiled at Kiba's happy-dance, then turned to Tazuna.
"Now." She said, storm-clouds seeming to form out of nowhere as she loomed over the alcoholic client. "You will explain to me just what is going on!"
Tazuna whimpered as Kurenai's eyes started leaking fire.
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"I wonder what they're discussing?" Kiba wondered, looking over to where Tazuna was talking rapidly, but no sound was emerging because of the genjutsu-field that Kurenai had enclosed herself and their client in. "It looks like… what was that?"
"What was what?" Hinata asked as she activated her Byakugan while Shino released a swarm of Kikkai.
"It come from the treeline, a sort of flash of light… well, three of them." Kiba mused. "I've never seen anything like it before!"
"I wouldn't worry too much about it." Naruto said reassuringly. "I'm pretty certain that it was something my clones did."
"Oh." Kiba said as he relaxed. "Okay. Sorry."
"On the contrary, you did good." Naruto replied. "I need to be more careful about using that technique, I didn't realize that the flash was that bright."
"Huh? What technique?"
"We need to move to the next camp-site." Kurenai called as she walked towards them, a guilty-looking Tazuna following her "There are decisions to make, and we need to discuss them."
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"Man, that sucks." Kiba grumbled. "I mean, a whole country being oppressed? We've gotta do something about it!"
"If this Gato has hired one set of nuke-nin to prevent Tazuna-san from completing his project, it is only logica to assume that there will be other obstacles in our path also, obstacles that will be more difficult to overcome." Shino provided. "We will need reinforcements."
"And you will have them." A new, yet familiar voice said.
"Hokage-sama!" Kurenai gasped and Hiruzen held up a hand.
"Only a Kage Bunshin, Kurenai. Now, let me talk to your client."
The team watched as Hiruzen guided Tazuna away and erected a privacy jutsu.
"How the heck did he get here?" Kiba asked in shock, then he turned to Naruto. "And what was with that dozen clones you sent off? Where did they go?"
Naruto simply smirked.
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"Tazuna has agreed to certain… reparations for attempting to deceive us." Hiruzen stated as he led the shivering civilian back to the campsite. "Continue with your mission, I will have another team moving to reinforce you by tomorrow morning, although it may take a day or so for them to catch up."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Kurenai said gratefully.
"As the first Jonin on-site, you'll still be in charge." Hiruzen said, fixing her with a stern yet supportive look. "I shall look forwards to reading your report. And yes, the bounty has already been paid into your accounts."
Hiruzen's clone vanished just as Kiba let out a loud whoop of triumph.
"Oh yes! Personal den, here! I! Come!"
"I wonder who Hokage-sama is sending?" Hinata mused thoughtfully as Kiba began another happy-dance.
"As long as they're not super-scary, I don't care." Tazuna quavered.
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Authors afternote: For those of you who didn't manage to decode the last chapter's encoded spoiler, you should have a pretty good idea of what the technique is now…