The forest was quiet as the four ninja of squad seven hid in their positions.

"How far away is the target?" Kakashi said, he could hear his team over his radio link and could instantly tell who was who.

"Five meters and closing! How much longer are we gonna wait damnit?!" ...yup he could definitely tell who was who.

"I'm in position." Sasuke was ready.

"So am I." Now was the time to spring the trap.

"GO!"

"MEEE-YOOOW!!!" The cry of a captured cat was heard all through the forest.

"Gotcha you damn furbag!"

"Don't forget the target has a ribbon on its right ear that says "tora.""

"Got it, target is confirmed."

"Good then "mission: find the missing pet is completed."

"Can we change it to mission: destroy this hellspawned feline?!" Naruko said after nearly being scratched several times by the (supposedly) ninja trained cat.

After team seven had captured and returned the cat all three genin looked stunned at the abuse the cat went through as its owner smothered it with love, much to the poor animal's dismay. Iruka handed the hokage another D-rank mission for the team to complete.

"Okay, the next assignment for cell seven will be...to babysit for the council of elders...to run errands to the neighboring village...to help dig sweet potatoes...."

"NO WAY! HELL NO! BORRING! GIVE US SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO DO. SOMETHING IMPORTANT! SOMETHING ACTUALLY FUCKING WORTH IT!" While Naruko was screaming her head off each of her teammates had a different thought going through their minds.

'I have to admit, she does have a point......' Sasuke watched at his blonde teammate went off.

'She is such a pain!' Almost as if Naruko could hear her thoughts she turned her head to Sakura and bared her fangs at her.

'Sigh....we really need to work on that foul mouth of hers...hasn't she ever heard the saying "be grateful for what you can get?"' Kakashi had to admit to himself, like any other jonin he hated D-ranks, he had done his fair share already for the village....but they were meant to help train regular genin which he was proud to say his team was anything but normal. He noticed Iruka stood up to scold his student.

"Don't be a fool Naruko! You're only a beginner! Everyone starts out doing grunt work. It's where you get experience and learn teamwork. Everyone had to do them, I had to, Kakashi had to, even Hokage-sama had to!"

"But we've done tons of small stuff, can't we get some sort of action?! Hell even a simple escort mission would do damnit!"

"Naruko, that's enough knock it off." Kakashi bopped his student on top of her head making her curse yet again which made Iruka, Kakahsi, and the Hokage sigh knowing that doing something about her foul mouth would be quite the challenge.

Sarutobi pulled his pipe out of his mouth and looked at the angry blonde nursing the bump on her head.

"I guess Naruko needs to be explained just what these duties are...you see Naruko every day, our village receives many requests, everything from babysitting to assassination. We take all that and sort them into categories from A to D based on the degree of skill they require. We have also divided the shinobi forces into classes based on their level of their skills. After we of the upper ranks have sorted all the requests we distribute them to those ninja with the appropriate skill level. And...if the ninja in question does the job successfully then the grateful person they helped pays him a fee. Thus far Naruko you and your teammates have only just attained the lowest rank, D-ranks are the best you could aspire for." The hokage, happy with his explanation looked to see the look of understanding on Naruko's face...instead he saw her talking with her squad.

"Hey I had pork ramen for lunch yesterday, do you think I should go for miso ramen today or something else?"

"ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING?!"

"I'm sorry hokage-sama." Kakashi scratched the back of his head at the awkwardness of being caught not paying attention. Naruko apparently felt none of that awkwardness.

"I don't want to hear it! All the old perv ever does is apologize and then give me a lecture. It's not fair damnit! There's more to me than a trouble-making screwup!" Naruko crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. It was always the same, everyone thinks "Oh it's just Naruko, she'll always be the same mischief making screwup of the village!"

'Well no more of this shit! I'll show them all there is more to Uzumaki Naruko!'

Kakashi sighed wondering if he was going to be in trouble for his blonde student's outburst. The girl definitely took after her mother in personality...which Kakashi didn't know whether to be happy about that or be upset she wasn't calm and collected like her father.

"Very well, since you put it that way Naruko. I will permit you to attempt a C-rank mission usually reserved for chunin ninja."

'Mischief-making has been her only means of self-expression.' The hokage thought with a smile he could see Kakashi was stunned at hearing they were being granted a C-rank.

"You will protect a certain individual..."

"WHO IS IT? SOME GREAT LORD? THE DAIMYO?! A PRINCESS?!"

"Calm down Naruko, I'll perform the introductions right away. Iruka, please invite him in."

The door opened and a tall man above middle age walked in, a bottle of sake in his hand.

"What's going on here? These are the ninja assigned to protect me? They look like a bunch of snot-nosed brats. Especially the blonde, she's got the face of an imbecile. This is a joke right? You kids aren't really ninja are you?"

Kakashi heard his student growl and grabbed her collar before she could take off.

"I'LL FUCKING KILL HIM!!!"

"Wrong idiot. No killing the old man you're being paid to protect."

"You sure that girl is a ninja? Do I really have to place my life in her hands?" He looked with disbelief towards the hokage. Kakashi stepped in to defend his student's honor.

"While she may not look it Tazuna-san Naruko here has enough physical strength to level this whole building." The hokage and Kakashi could see Tazuna's eyes widen at hearing this.

'She certainly has the temper to do so, sometimes I wonder if Naruko is really Tsunade's daughter and not Kushina's.' Kakashi thought as he noticed his student became happy at being praised.

"Not only that but I am an elite ninja and will be coming along too. So no worries." Tazuna looked at the blonde girl and didn't know whether to believe the one-eyed ninja. He knew ninjas could do amazing things like breathe fire, walk on walls, and stuff like that but could that little blonde shrimp really have that much strength? He brushed it off and decided the brats needed to know who they were protecting.

"I am Tazuna, a world renowned bridge builder. Until I safely back in my own country, where I'll be working on my next masterpiece, you'll be expected to protect me with your lives!" Kakashi turned to his team and smiled at them.

"Okay team meet at the south gate in half an hour. Pack for at least a month."

At the gate Naruko was bouncing around with a big smile on her face making her two teammates look at her with curiosity. Sasuke was the first to speak.

"Hey she-hulk why are you so happy?"

Naruko looked at him and bounced over to him her face right next to his and at that moment Sasuke noticed her cheek was silky smooth while she whispered into his ear.

"Because asshole, this will be my first time in my life I've ever been out of the village. By the way...you smell nice, what cologne do you use?"

"Naruko! Get away from Sasuke-kun!" Naruko looked at Sakura and pulled her eyelid down with her middle finger and stuck her tongue out at the pink haired ninja which only further infuriated the girl.

"To answer your question she-hulk I don't use cologne, it's the body wash I use." Sasuke had to try his hardest not to blush at the closeness between the two only seconds ago. He attributed all his near blushing towards her due to the several awkward incidents the two had had.

'Her cheek was soft, just like mom's.' Sasuke thought while looking at the blonde girl who was pinning one of Sakura's arm behind her back and making her say uncle. After Sakura surrendered Naruko came up to Sasuke and didn't say anything, she just stared at him.

"Ye--" Sasuke was cut off when two fingers poked his forehead, just like his brother used to do.

"That's for calling me she-hulk. You're lucky I'm in a good mood thanks to this mission."

"Well, I'm glad to see all three of you are ready to go." All three genin turned to see Kakashi with a backpack on along with Tazuna.

"LET'S GO ALREADY!"

"You sure she's a ninja?" Tazuna whispered to which Kakashi simply nodded. Naruko however heard him.

"Hey you old bastard don't mess with ninja! Especially great ones like me! I the cream of the crop! In fact one day I'm gonna be the first female hokage! So remember my damn name! Uzumaki Naruko!"

Tazuna took a sip of his sake, a look of disbelief on his face.

"You? First female hokage? I doubt you got what it takes."

"Grrr, you're dead!" Kakashi bopped her on her head before grabbing her by the back of her collar and dragging her.

"I said no Naruko."

As the group continued their trip it was rather quiet except for the occasional happy giggle from Naruko at seeing something new. Kakashi looked at his student and smiled at seeing her truly smile, not the fake grins she loved to sport.

"Mr. Tazuna?" Sakura asked. Tazuna looked at her with a slightly annoyed look.

"What now?"

"You said you come from the land of waves right?

"Yeah, what of it?" Sakura turned towards her sensei.

"Kakashi-sensei, are there ninja in that country too?"

Kakashi at this moment went into his rarely seen teacher mode though his face still had a bored look about it.

"No, not in the land of waves. But, as a general rule most other lands have their own hidden villages." Kakashi pulled out a scroll marked Kakashi-sensei's big scroll of shinobi: The Five Principal Shinobi Territories.

"You actually carry that scroll around with you everywhere?" Naruko asked, surprised her sensei would do that.

"You never know when it might come up in conversation Naruko, plus this is also a map of the continent which is good for finding our way to far off lands." Naruko just shrugged as Kakashi went back to explaining about the villages and the kages.

"The old man may be powerful but he's still a damn pervert." Naruko said which made Kakashi sigh at his student's lack of respect and her language.

"Anyways, there is nothing to worry about. On C-rank missions you won't face any ninja from other nations." Tazuna was quiet which did not go unnoticed by Sasuke or Kakashi. The puddle that the group passed by did not go unnoticed by Kakashi either. The next thing the group knew two ninja had Kakashi wrapped up in a spiked chain and had basically torn him into pieces.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura screamed as the two nin looked at the group with dreadful eyes.

"One down, now for the blonde bitch." The next thing Naruko knew both of them were either side of her. What her attackers didn't notice was the large tick mark throbbing on her forehead or the fact she was growling.

No one...called her a bitch and got away with it.

"Your turn." Naruko did the only thing she could think of doing in that situation...she stomped her foot. The two nin were completely unprepared for the shockwave that reverberated through the ground making them lose their footing which was what Sasuke and Naruko needed. Sasuke immediately jumped up and threw both a shuriken and kunai pinning the spiked chain to a tree. Both nin tried to couldn't get the chain to budge. In their desperation to get the chain loose both didn't notice Sasuke and Naruko come up on their blind sides. Sasuke sent one of them flying with a kick while Naruko cocked back her fist and sent the other one flying causing the chain to break from the twins gauntlets.

"Naruko, you okay?"

"I'm fine asshole, don't worry about me." Sasuke had to smirk at that, even after he saves her she insults him. Both enemy ninjas took off towards Tazuna making Sakura pull out a kunai and stand in front of him. Both Sasuke and Naruko took off after them.

'Damnit, we won't make it!' All seemed lost until the two ninjas were clothes-lined by Kakashi.

"Kakashi-sensei! You're alive!" Sakura was happy to say the least.

Naruko looked back at where Kakashi got shredded and noticed nothing but wood splinters.

'Freaking substitution, had us worried for nothing.'

"Good job you three, glad no one was injured. I didn't know you could do that with your foot Naruko."

"Hehe, to be honest sensei...neither did I. They called me a bitch then surrounded me so I did the first attack that came to my mind."

Kakashi smiled at her.

"Quick thinking on your part though next time make sure you're doing something that you know for sure will work." Kakashi looked over at Tazuna and his smile vanished, a calm serious face now apparent.

"Mr. Tazuna, I'd like to have a word with you."

********

"I'm still upset you wouldn't let me take their gauntlets Kakashi-sensei."

"Naruko you don't know how to fight with gauntlets, especially gauntlets of that size so you having them would've been pointless...and possibly detrimental to the squad." Kakashi looked at his blonde student who crossed her arms over her chest at being told no. The boat ride to the land of waves was quiet for the most part.

"What do you mean sensei? Naruko uses her fists to fight all the time so wouldn't gauntlets help her?" Sakura was honestly curious why Kakashi said no.

"Sakura, Naruko isn't used to fighting with weights or gauntlets on so say she did take them and we got into another fight. You think the enemy will wait for her to get used to them?"

"I guess not." Sakura was upset she didn't realize that sooner.

"Now I'm all for you guys learning kenjutsu, bojutsu, or exotic styles such as claw fighting but not during a mission. Now Naruko if you still wish to learn to use gauntlets in your fighting style we can get you some and I can teach you or find someone who is a true expert after we get back to the village okay?" Naruko looked at Kakashi and thought about what he said. At least he was willing to teach her and not just say no or make her figure it out herself.

"Okay sensei!"

"Keep your voices down! We need to cut off the engine and row from here on out. If Gato finds us we'd be in big trouble." Kakashi remembered the conversation he had earlier with the bridge builder.

(Flashback)

"Who is after you Mr. Tazuna? A C-rank mission is for bandits and highwaymen, not against enemy ninja. So out with it."

Tazuna sighed before taking off his hat.

"A very dangerous man is after me, he wants me dead."

"A very dangerous man? Who?"

Tazuna sighed again, hoping that after he told the ninja this they would still want to help him.

"You've probably heard of him, his name....is Gato." Kakashi's eye widened at this, he knew just who Gato was.

"You mean Gato of Gato Shipping and Transport? They say he's the richest man in the world!"

"That's the one, he seems like a legitimate businessman but the truth is, the man is like the devil himself. He traffics in drugs, contraband, slavery, assassination, you name it. He has my country in a stranglehold and since we have no ninja of our own we can't do much about it. My bridge is the one thing he fears, if it is completed then Nami no Kuni can not only survive but thrive!"

"So you're Gato's main target because you're the architect and overseer of the bridge."

"Exactly why Gato wants me dead. Please..." Tazuna dropped to his knees, his hat forgotten on the ground next to him.

"I beg of you, help me, help my country. I only had enough for a C-rank bodyguard and I have faith you all are strong enough to help me. I'll gladly pay you for an A-rank after the bridge is complete! Just please keep protecting me! I have a daughter and a ten-year old grandson, I can't leave them!"

Naruko looked at Kakashi who seemed to weigh the pros and cons of accepting to continue helping him. Naruko looked at the crying old man and imagined his family. She never had a family so she knew what it was like to be left alone...she wouldn't let that happen to another.

"Kakahsi-sensei, I'm for helping him." Both Kakashi and Tazuna looked at the blonde whose face had a determined look on it.

"You sure about this Naruko?"

"I've never had a family so I know what's it like to be left alone to fend for yourself. I'll be damned if I let that happen to someone else!" Kakashi smiled under his mask while Tazuna looked at the girl with awe.

'Maybe she does have what it takes to be hokage...' He thought while wiping the tears from his eyes.

Kakashi looked at his other two students and saw they had the same determined look. It seems his squad had made up its mind.

"Alright we'll help you, I'll send a notice to the hokage about the rank change, you'll have a few months to pay the difference. That sound good?" Tazuna nodded while Kakashi summoned a nin-dog and sent it off with a scroll in its mouth.

(End Flashback)

"Tazuna-san, it seems we've gotten in unnoticed. I'll drop you off by the mangroves so you can sneak in."

"Thank you." Naruko was amazed at seeing another country, even though it seemed like the village had seen better days it still looked amazing to someone who had never left the village before. The boat came to a stop at a small dock.

"This is as far as I go. Watch yourself."

"Thanks, we will."

Kakashi was worried though not for himself.

'This mission officially is the worst one I've ever had. There will be another attack, and it won't be chunin this time, it will most likely be jonin...could this be any worse?' A sound off to their right alerted the squad and Naruko launched a shuriken at it.

'….I spoke too soon.'

"Naruko! What the hell?!" Sakura yelled at her teammate jumping the gun like that. She got even more upset at seeing Naurko had nearly hit a rabbit.

"Why the hell is this rabbit white? Isn't it spring-time?" Naruko said holding the frightened rabbit by the scruff of its neck.

Kakashi knew the answer to his student's question.

'A snow hare? Naruko's right, its coat should be brown this time of year. That means it was kept indoors for use as...'

"A replacement..."

"Hmm you say something sensei?"

" EVERYONE GET DOWN NOW!" Just after Kakashi finished warning his squad a large object came spinning out of the trees flying just inches above everyone and slamming into a nearby tree. Atop the sword was a topless man with the same camouflage pants as the demon brothers, his lower face covered by bandages and his headband tied at an angle on his head.

"Well, well....Momochi Zabuza, the kid who ran away from Mizugakure. Naruko, Sasuke, Sakura, don't interfere with this. This guy is on a whole different level compared to you guys."

Kakashi's opponent was silent as Kakahsi reached for his headband.

"This may get a little rough."

"Kakashi of the sharingan I presume? I guess it would be too much trouble for you to just hand over the old man huh?"

'Kakashi of the sharingan? ...SO THAT'S WHY HE'S CALLED THE COPY CAT NINJA!' Naruko thought now knowing that Kakashi probably was a bigger threat on her growth list than she originally thought.

"Squad! Assume the manji battle formation! Protect Mr. Tazuna, all of you need to stay out of this fight. That's the kind of teamwork that will keep you alive. Now Zabuza..." Kakashi lifted his headband revealing the famous sharingan eye making Zabuza whistle.

"To face the legendary mirror eye so shortly after meeting you...this is an honor."

'I thought only the Uchiha had the sharingan?' Sasuke thought as his sensei and Zabuza stared each other down.

"When I was an assassin for Kirigakure, the bingo book had quite an entry on you. The man who is said to have copied over a thousand jutsu. But enough chit-chat, I'm on a very tight schedule and my orders are to off the old man. But it looks like I'll have to kill you first." In the blink of an eye Zabuza and his large sword both vanished from the tree only to reappear on top of the water.

"Is he walking on water?" Sakura asked, fear evident in her voice.

"Kirigakure no jutsu." With that a thick fog appeared and Zabuza vanished.

'If I recall correctly Zabuza was master of the silent killing technique. I better warn my team.'

"All of you stay on your guard, I haven't necessarily mastered the sharingan eye yet, if you underestimate him you can guarantee yourself a quick death!"

"Eight points...the throat, spinal column, lungs, liver, the jugular vein, the subclavical artery, the kidney, and the heart...so many choices, what vital, vulnerable place should I pick?"

Naruko looked and saw Sasuke was terrified but she also felt a presence nearby her. She decided to do something about it.

"Asshole, snap out of it!" Sasuke heard Naruko's voice and looked at her.

"EVERYONE JUMP!" Sasuke, Sakura, Tazuna, and even Kakashi jumped up as Naruko slammed her foot on the ground making the nearby area rumble like an earthquake and the ground beneath her become a small crater. Kakashi noticed Zabuza was off balance due to Naruko's attack and he pressed his advantage by reappearing behind him jabbing his kunai into his spine. A second Zabuza appeared behind Kakahsi which did not go unnoticed by Naruko.

"Sensei! Behind you!" It was too late as Zabuza's weapon cleft clean through Kakahsi who melted into a puddle of water.

'A water bunshin? When was he able to copy me in this mist?'

"Don't move Zabuza, it's game over. Thanks for the shockwave Naruko." Kakashi now had his kunai to Zabuza's neck.

"The blonde girl's got some strength, but do you really think this is over? You just don't get it do you? It'll take more than copying me like some kind of monkey to defeat me...a lot more. But I gotta admit you are good. While the blonde girl screamed for everyone to jump you made the clone and while I was thrown off by the shockwave you used my own kirigakure technique to watch me! Too bad for you though..."

A voice came from behind Kakashi making his eyes widen.

"I'm not that easy to fool!" The Zabuza Kakashi had cornered melted into a puddle.

"Shit! That asshole was a water clone too?!" Naruko wanted to help her sensei fight but she knew this was a fight that was out of her league. Zabuza swung his sword in a wide arc making Kakashi duck while the swordsmen stuck his sword into the ground so he could swing his body and kick Kakashi away towards the water. Kakashi slammed into the water and for some reason found it much harder to move his limbs then normally.

'Why is this water so heavy?'

"Gotcha! Suiro no jutsu." Before Kakashi could escape a large sphere of water surrounded him while Zabuza stood off to its side with one arm in the prison keeping it functional.

"Good luck getting out, that prison is inescapable. Now it's time to deal with the others, Mizu bunshin."

One of the destroyed water clones reformed itself slowing drawing its sword as it stared down the genin.

"You think you're a ninja just because you wear that headband? A true ninja is one who has taken lives with their own hands, has crossed and recrossed over the barrier between life and death. You're not ninja, you're not even good enough to be in my bingo book, until that happens...you're just brats." Naruko noticed the clone vanished from sight.

'He's to your right! Duck!' A weird voice came from the back of Naruko's mind, it sounded like a woman's but she had no time to think about it as she did what the voice said and just barely ducked under a kick from the clone.

"Not bad, but it won't be good enough to save you." Naruko could see that large sword held above the clone's head about to crash down on her.

'Roll to your left and throw a kunai at him!' As the sword came down time seemed to slow for the blonde haired girl as she again listened to the voice rolling to the side while simultaneously drawing a kunai. As the sword came down impacting on the dirt Naruko used her strength to fling the kunai at the water clone watching as the knife pierced it's chest making it dissolve into another puddle. Naruko immediately flipped up onto her feet as Sasuke landed close to her.

"Naruko, Sasuke, Sakura! Take Tazuna and go! This isn't a fight you can win! If he wants to keep me here he can't leave the prison!"

"Admirable Kakashi but this ends now." Zabuza made a single handseal and another water clone appeared on the edge of the lake. Before it could even do anything a seemingly focused tremor ripped into it revealing a grinning Naruko who at the moment learned she could direct her strength thanks to the strange voice in her mind.

"Hey freak, what's life without eyebrows?" Zabuza glared at the smiling blonde who cracked her knuckles.

"Got a new listing for your damn bingo book right here, a girl whose gonna be the first female hokage. Uzumaki Naruko, Konoha Genin and Head Bitch in Charge!" For added emphasis Naruko flipped Zabuza off.

"Hey asshole, I got a plan." Sasuke looked at her, despite all that was going on he couldn't help but notice her confident smile and how cute it made her look.

"So now you have a plan she-hulk?" Naruko's eye twitched but then she remembered the situation at hand and forgave him...this time. Zabuza was getting annoyed and summoned another water clone from the previous destroyed one who blocked the genin from making it to their sensei.

"What are you two doing?! I told you to get out of here! His clones can only go a certain distance away from him before he loses concentration! Take Tazuna and run!"

"No offense sensei but shut up and let us rescue you! Don't forget what you taught us, shinobi who abandon their teammates are worse then scum!" Kakahsi had to smile inwardly at his students taking his lesson to heart but against Zabuza this was suicide.

"Fools." The clone said.

In the blink of an eye the clone slammed into Sasuke sending him to the ground and standing over him with a foot on his chest.

"Sasuke!" Sakura was worried for Sasuke, even though he was the rookie of the year she just saw him get taken down like it was nothing. Naruko on the other hand was pissed, nobody beat up on Sasuke but her, he was her personal punching bag/minion!

"Hey freak that's MY Uchiha punching bag! Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Over a dozen clones of Naruko appeared each with a kunai in hand. Zabuza was impressed that a genin knew such a high chakra cost technique and could use it well.

"Shadow clones huh? And quite a lot of them too." All of the clones and Naruko leaped upon the mist assassin hoping to dogpile him into submission but that plan went to hell as he spun his sword around in an omnidirectional arc around him destroying the clones and sending Naruko flying. Naruko dug into her pack and withdrew a weapon hoping that her half-assed plan would work.

"Sasuke catch!" Naruko tossed him a windmill shuriken and she noticed his look of understanding as he caught it and she winked at him which would have made him blush had they not been fighting a crazy assassin ready to kill them.

"Shuriken are useless against me!" The clone said as Sasuke took to the air launching the projectile with all his might. The clone could only watch as the shuriken went right past him towards the true Zabuza.

"At least you were smart enough to target the real me but it won't work...AMATUER!" Zabuza said as he caught it only to notice a split-second later another one just under it. All three genin watched with anticipation as the second shuriken came closer and closer though their hopes were dashed as the assassin simply jumped over the second one.

"As I said, still an amateur!"

Zabuza watched as the Naruko sitting on the ground flipped him off before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

'A shadow clone? Then where i--'

"HEY ASSHOLE! AMATEUR THIS!" The second shuriken turned out to be the real Naruko who threw another windmill shuriken at Zabuza watching with a big grin on her face as he let go of the prison to dodge and her grin grew even bigger as she saw she had managed to cut his cheek with her projectile.

'That little bitch!' Just as Zabuza was about to launch the shuriken he had caught at her he noticed it was stopped by something. He turned his head only to came face to face with Kakashi's sharingan eye.

"Now Zabuza...it's game over."