A/N: I sadly lost my beta reader so this one is unedited, I'm sorry. If you find any mistakes or plot holes, please let me know.
"Hey, old man! What is our first mission?" Naruto burst out the moment they entered the mission handling room. Kakashi grabbed the blond boy by his shirt neck, holding him back. That was so 'Naruto' that Sumiko had to hold back a smile herself.
"It's fine, Kakashi. I know how he is." The Hokage returned. His beady eyes turned to gauge the other members of team seven and she bristled. Relaxing her body, Sumiko straightened, looking at the tired, old man right in the eye. His dry lips crinkled into a smile as he glanced at the papers sitting on his table.
"Your first mission…" He began, pausing for effect. She could see Naruto getting restless with excitement, noticing his bouncy feet and his clenched fists. No matter what she did, she couldn't bring herself to get excited. If she knew anything about the missions handed out to academy graduates, she knew they were nothing to get your heart pumping about.
"Your first mission is weeding Mrs. Nakamura's garden." The Hokage let out with almost a flourish and Sumiko thought maybe he reveled in annoying little kids. His eyes looked like they were sparkling with amusement and she wanted to wipe that look off of him. Annoying old fucker.
Naruto groaned. "Old man! That's not even a mission, dattebayo. Give us something good!"
Kakashi grabbed the back of his collar again, saying, "That's how it works, brat."
The two Uchihas leaped after their sensei and teammate, jumping over rooftops to land in front of their client's house. The neighbouring civilian jumped, seeing four shinobi land write in front of her house. Sumiko wondered how the civilians living in fire country weren't used to this by now. Shouldn't they know better? They did live in a ninja village.
Kakashi knocked on the wooden door and a moment later, it creaked open to reveal a woman dressed in red silk, a Japanese fan in her hand. She almost gaped. Had the civilian actually dressed up to greet them? Did she really have nothing better to do?
"Oh, I was just expecting you." She huffed, necklace bouncing on her heavy breasts. "Go ahead and weed the garden. It's getting too tedious for me to maintain."
She glanced at the yard. The plants were fighting for their lives as the weeds sucked the life out of them. They rose high, towering over the fragile plants. The weeds were winning, doing their best to survive despite conditions, just them against the world. And now Sumiko was going to rip them apart.
She gave a groan, stretching her mud covered hands. Her nails were caked in mud and if she was still in her previous life, she would've screamed in horror. Team seven had just finished weeding the garden and were in the process of planting small crops. There were also flowering plants and if she was Ino, she would've known their names but as it was, she had no idea which were which.
Sasuke looked over. "Want me to help you a bit?"
She shook her head, looking at his already halfway done garden. "No, it's fine. Just finish up yours. I can manage."
She looked over at Naruto, holding a crumpled rose plant in his hand. "Maybe you should help him instead." she laughed.
He turned around and rolled his eyes, getting up to walk over to their last teammate. She shook her head in amusement, going back to planting crops, laughing at the soft bickering behind her.
Sumiko dug a hole with the sickle and gave a pause as it struck something metal. She pulled at the soil with her fingers, letting it pile up on her palm before dropping it to the side till her knuckles brushed against metal. Pulling it out, feeling like a pirate, Sumiko observed the piece in her hand. Her heart thudded in her chest for she knew what it was.
The kunai had three piercing points, kanji written on its hilt. The hilt was wrapped with yellow felt, torn with age. The Japanese code looked faded, as if the energy it once had was gone. It reminded her of lost strength, strength that was once impossible to go against.
It was the fourth Hokage's kunai.
…
"Thank you for your work." the civilian woman said, hands clutching at each other.
"No problem" Kakashi replied and jumped back to leave. The rest of team seven followed before they landed near the Hokage tower.
"We need to submit the mission report and after that, you are excused." Their sensei announced as they walked up the stairs.
"What, that's it?" Naruto complained. "I'm finally a ninja dattebayo, why are we just doing servant work?"
Kakashi didn't even turn around. "Cause that's the only thing you're capable of as a newly-out genin. If you don't want to die on a mission, stay put and do as you're told."
Naruto was silent.
"Well…" Sumiko began, trying to clear the tense atmosphere, "Why don't we have a get together at our house? Sasuke?"
Her brother gave a shrug so she continued. "It is just afternoon and we have the rest of the day free so let's hang out. If you're free, sensei, then please come over. We would like to get to know you better."
Kakashi stopped as Naruto exclaimed, "Yes! I love to hang out at Sumiko-chan's house!"
He resumed walking but Sumiko continued to observe him. "Sensei?" she prompted.
"I have work to do after this so I won't be able to come. You guys have fun." His body showed no signs of discomfort. He looked relaxed, pace steady. If she didn't know better, she would've thought he was telling the truth.
"Are you sure?" She asked, voice soft. "We would love to have you over."
He showed no hesitation. "It won't be possible this time, kitten."
Sumiko blushed at the nickname, still cringing at her half-formed plan. Couldn't she have done something better? Even academy students may be better than her. Heck, even Naruto would've pulled the plan out better. It was really embarrassing.
Lost in thought of her mess-up, it was only when Kakashi knocked on the door leading to the Hokage's office that she realized he had somehow managed to put her off of her questioning. She hadn't even realized the fact that she had stopped trying to convince him.
Well, he wasn't one of the strongest jonin for nothing.
…
The smell of cheese wafted through the air, filling the room with a pleasant fragrance. Sumiko's stomach rumbled and two hungry gazes looked at her from behind. Putting in some homemade herbs mixture that substituted for oregano, she stirred the pasta, the red colour looking delicious to her ravenous stomach. Putting a lid on top, she let the pasta sizzle and turned around.
"Is it ready, Sumiko-chan?" Eager blue eyes asked.
"Not yet." She replied, sitting on the opposite chair to the two boys. "It'll be done in a minute or two."
She turned to her brother, glancing at the open scroll on his lap, his head bent to read and observe the data. "Are you reading the scroll I gave you this morning?"
He looked up, eyes cloudy at being suddenly pulled to reality. After a moment, he answered, "Yeah. You were right, these genjutsu techniques are chakra-intensive. I kind of understand how they used it with the sharingan but I'll have to give it a try before I can be sure of the method used."
Sumiko hummed. "Yeah I figured. We can try it out later."
Naruto walked towards Sasuke, curious eyes moving over the scroll. He tapped one end of the diagram for sharingan control, the kanji hiding under his finger. "From what I've learnt because of you too, this here means you use the yin chakra to form a negative image and yang chakra to form a positive image right?" He tilted his head to the side, considering. His finger tapped at another end. "This here says that if you use too much of any one, it might disrupt the jutsu."
Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, you're right. It's a pretty risky jutsu, kind of a make it or lose it one. I don't quite understand why you would need to make a positive image though. "
Sumiko blinked, thinking. "Well, imagine you showed an enemy shinobi that he's drinking in a bar and there's lots of girls around and he's getting inebriated. That's a fun but deadly genjutsu." she gave a feral grin. "I kind of like it."
"Sumiko-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, hands rubbing at his head, adjusting his hitai-ate that he refused to remove. "Don't make such an evil face dattebayo! I hate it when you do that."
She laughed. "What if I was evil?"
"Don't worry, I would never let you be one." His answer was immediate, as if that wasn't even something to consider. "And anyway, evil wouldn't really suit you. You're way too nice to be evil."
"You might be a little biased, Naruto." she laughed again, standing up to get the cooked pasta.
Piling some in three dishes, she set them on a tray along with three glasses of water and brought them to the table. Putting one in front of each of her teammates. They were finally ready to tuck in.
Naruto grabbed a spoon and swallowed some of the pasta, the red sauce dipping off the edge of his lips. "It's amazing, Sumiko-chan!" He exclaimed. "Sasuke, bastard, say something!"
He gave a grunt but Sumiko noticed her brother poking out a bit of tongue to lick the empty spoon. Sasuke dug in, eating bite after bite, slowly emptying the dish. Naruto stared at him. Sumiko giggled.
After they had all finished their dinner, Sumiko leaned back and Sasuke picked up the dishes, Naruto helping him with the cleaning. She let her eyes close, just drowning out the world for at least a moment. She could hear her teammates' soft conversation, the words too blurry to make out. She liked days like this.
The two boys walked back to her and Sasuke asked, "Sumiko, play something for us."
"Yes, yes, please, Sumiko-chan! I love your songs!"
"Which one do you want me to play?" She asked, standing up to get the guitar propped against the wall.
"The bird one. With the blue, blue sky." Sasuke answered, propping his chin on a palm. "I like that one." She shrugged.
Leaning the guitar against her arm, she started with a slow strum. The sound vibrated through the air, creating a tense atmosphere filled with anticipation.
Playing the first chord, she began to sing, her voice filling the room.
"You say if you could fly,
you'd never come back down.
You only have eyes for that blue, blue sky."
She closed her eyes, thinking of the opening song, trying to remember as much of the animation as possible. Sumiko had loved it so much that at one time, she couldn't stop watching it. She had wanted to listen to it again and again and had finally learnt it on her guitar. She was glad of it now, in her next life. Singing this song to Naruto and her brother, it felt like she had accomplished something. It felt like this was meant to be, that she wasn't an anomaly to this world.
"You've yet to learn what sadness is
And are just now grasping what pain is like
Even the feeling i have for you,
Must be expressed with words"
She felt the music in her veins, the song flowing like blood through her body. The guitar was an extension to her, something she could wield better than anyone else. In this world, the guitar was special only to her.
"As you awaken from a dream into an unknown world,
Spread your wings and take flight"
Her heart beat loudly in her chest, thumping along with the music. She felt lost in the song, as if she was back in her room, in front of her laptop, comfortable and happy. Her chest was aching with pain, to have her life back, to get her people back.
"You say if you could fly, you'd never come back down,
You aimed for those white, white clouds
You know if you can just make it through, you'll find what you seek
So keep trying to break free, to that blue, blue sky
That blue, blue sky
That blue, blue sky"
The words flowed out of her mouth, as if it was the most natural thing. The song wasn't someone else's anymore, not here. Here, it was hers and only hers.
"With a sound like all politeness was gone,
The rusted old window broke
Look, you're so sick of looking at that cage that you're throwing it away
Without ever looking back again"
She remembered how it felt to live along with the Uchiha, how their expectations seemed to strangle her. She remembered how their eyes judged her, how it made her want to lock herself up so that she would never be opened, so no one would ever look at her again.
"That throbbing beat takes your breath away
And you kick open that window and take off
You said that if you ran, you would obtain it
You're tempted by that distant, distant voice
It grasps your far too dazzling hand,
Until you pursue that blue, blue sky
I understand that you are falling, but continue to follow the light"
She thought of her older brother, the only one who could provide any respite. She thought about Sasuke who tried to protect her no matter how impossible it seemed. She thought of her parents. She thought about how she had left their bodies without a further glance and ran to her brother instead, running like it would be the last time she would ever see him.
"You say if you could fly, you would never come back down
You search for those white, white clouds
If you break through, you'll know you'll find it
So try until you break free to that blue, blue sky
That blue, blue sky"
As the song came to an end, she thought that maybe it was okay. She had family here too. She had her brothers and Naruto who was like another twin she had to take care of. She had her classmates, she had Kakashi now. She had people in her life that meant something to her. So maybe, this wasn't so bad. Just maybe, it was going to be okay.
…
The cat snuggled in her arms, dozing off on her shoulders. Sumiko rubbed the top of her head, smiling as Tora-chan purred. She really didn't want to return her to the daimyo's wife.
Bringing the cat forward, she handed her to Madam Shijimi with a disappointed frown. As soon as she took hold of the cat, she rubbed Tora against her face. Tora gave a growl, hackles raised. Sumiko seethed.
"Madam Shijimi, I'm sorry to tell you but the way you're treating your cat is wrong. You have to give them their space." she said, trying to soften the words as much as she could. "If you want, you could come over to my house in the Uchiha Compounds. I can teach you how to take care of Tora-chan."
A hand pulled at her sleeve. "Sumiko–" Sasuke cautioned her, reminding her of reality. She hesitated before adding a soft, "no offense."
It didn't seem to have any effect on the daimyo's wife. "What did you just say?" She growled out. Her voice became flippant. "There's no way I'm bringing my darling Tora-chan to that creepy, abandoned compound. Who knows what could happen there?"
Well.
Okay.
Calm down.
It's completely fine.
Sasuke rushed forward, as if to grab the civilian and strangle her then and there but Sumiko grabbed his arm. She gave the woman a smile, all teeth no charisma. "You are right, Madam Shijimi. The compounds haven't been cleaned in so long, there are surely pests lurking about. Sorry to bother you."
A hand brushed against hers. She hadn't even noticed Naruto come to stand beside her. Right behind her was Kakashi sensei, his body ready for a fight.
The Hokage cleared his throat. Kakashi moved back, his posture remaining in the same relaxed state. The tension hadn't left her brother's body, however, when Naruto burst out, "What are you saying, cat lady with weird hair? Sumiko-chan's house is lovely. She keeps it very clean."
The Hokage gave another cough. "We can do invitations later, children. If you want, Sumiko-chan, both you and Madam Shijimi can come over to my house someday. I would love to host you."
She wondered how to say no.
Thankfully, she didn't have to as the Daimyo's wife exchanged pleasantries and finally left.
"Now," the Hokage began with a sigh. "I have another mission for team seven."
Sasuke was still seething beside her. As for Sumiko, it was like she could feel electricity running through her veins. She felt like she could do anything with just a thought, the 'anything' preferably being crushing Madam Shijimi's stupid face.
"What is it this time?" Naruto asked, his voice unnaturally quiet. "Weeding again?"
"No, it's babysitting the chief counselor's three year old, helping his wife do shopping, digging up potatoes and–"
"No!" Naruto interrupted. His eyes had continued to grow as the list went on, despair visible in his furrowed brows. "I want to do a real mission, not this kid stuff. I want something challenging and exciting. Come on, old man!"
Well, he had been saying the exact same thing for the entire week and she didn't expect today to be any different.
"Idiot!" Iruka sensei erupted. "You're just a fresh genin. You need to prove your skills through easy missions!"
"But! Babysitting isn't even a mission!"
A blow landed on his head and he dropped to the ground. Kakashi's hand was still hanging in the air. "Will you put a lid on it?"
Sumiko simply blinked. She was getting surprisingly used to acts of violence.
The Hokage hummed in thought. "How about your first C rank mission then?"
"Yes!" Naruto cheered.
Sumiko's face paled. Shit.
She rubbed her stomach, trying to calm her panicking nerves. Sasuke turned to her, noticing her fidgeting form. "What's wrong?"
She pursed her lips. "I don't feel well, all of a sudden. Don't know why."
Brows furrowed, he asked, "You want to go to the hospital? Or maybe go home and sleep? We don't need to do the C rank."
She looked over at Naruto. He was jumping on the balls of his feet, excitement showing in his twitching body. They really shouldn't go. This was risky as hell.
Her fists clenched. The grin on Naruto's face hadn't disappeared even now, as the Hokage explained the mission. "You will be bodyguards for a journey. "
"Really?" Naruto exclaimed. "Who are we guarding? A princess?"
She rolled her eyes. As if there was a chance of that. Pretty princesses didn't come so easily. Or princes. It was quite unfortunate.
Sarutobi called for a chunin and he rushed forward to open the door. A man came in, alcohol wafting off of him in torrents.
His eyes landed on them. "What the– A bunch of little snot nosed kids?" Liquid rushed off his chin as he drank from a wooden bottle. He leaned against the wall. "And you, the little one with the idiotic look on your face. You really expect me to believe you're a ninja?"
Naruto glanced at Sasuke, then at Sumiko and finally at himself. Her eyes narrowed. Naruto grit his teeth. "Huh? I'll demolish you!" Kakashi grabbed his collar. "Let me get my hands on him. I'll demolish him!"
Sumiko placed a hand on his shoulders and he stopped immediately, glancing at her. Her gaze, however, was locked on the drunkard.
"Hey, Mister, " she began. "Why don't you spar with him? You should win right? Considering he's just a little kid?"
The man's eyes widened. "Huh? Why's a little girl telling me what to do?" The words slurred together. "I didn't know kids playing at being ninja had such an attitude."
Today just wasn't her day, was it? This was why she hated civilians. They were useless themselves, but didn't even acknowledge the fact that ninja were better than them. They asked for shinobi protection but did not respect them at all. Why should she bother protecting them when they gave her nothing in return? She should just open up a restaurant. Or a band. That would be fun.
"Sumiko-chan isn't a little girl, bastard! Who are you to say? You can't even stand on your own feet without support!" Naruto yelled, pointing an accusing finger.
Sasuke had a hand on his kunai pouch. Was he really going to attack the civilian?
She burst into laughter, the voice cracking through the tense atmosphere. Tears of mirth gathered at the edge of her eyes. She clutched her stomach, trying to stop the giggles forcing their way out.
"This is ridiculous." She wiped her eyes. "The amount of stupid shit going on today is literally ridiculous."
She looked at the man, giving a little bow. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. As a shinobi, it is my duty to protect you. Please allow me to prove myself."
He stared at her, lips pursed before looking away. She smiled. "Well, whatever, I guess."
A hand tapped her head. "Well done, kitten."
Warmth spread through her. She had done the right thing, after all. She was still experiencing a dopamine rush when the man introduced himself. She drowned it out, hearing the praise over and over in her head. She kind of wanted to hug her sensei.
Sumiko hadn't even realized when they accepted the mission but they were currently on their way home to pack their bags for a two-day mission. Shit.
She had no idea how it even happened. One second the Hokage was explaining the mission and the next thing she knew, they were getting ready to go. Maybe she had still been high on Kakashi's praise or the world had decided to skip a scene, she didn't know. At any rate, Sumiko had other things to worry about than missing time.
Kakashi had just disappeared with a command to meet in half an hour when she stopped her two teammates. "Um… listen…" She hesitated. How exactly was she supposed to put this?
The sun was high in the sky, heat waves causing a bead of sweat to roll off her forehead. It was the sun, not something else.
"Is it about before?" Sasuke asked, eyes staring into hers. "Are you not feeling well? We can still quit the mission?"
She glanced at Naruto to see his eyes widen before narrowing in concern. "Sumiko-chan? Are you okay? Are you not feeling well?"
His disappointment had switched to concern in less than a second. She marveled at it. How could she do this to her teammates? She knew the risks but if they wanted to improve, they had to go on missions like these. If they didn't fight strong opponents, they would never get the chance to improve. Naruto and Sasuke obviously wanted to go on the C rank. They had been waiting for this for so long. How could she rid them of this chance?
Kakashi's words echoed in her ears. Will he be disappointed in her too? Would he call her weak for quitting the mission? Would he ever praise her again?
No. She couldn't back out now. She didn't want to be any more of a failure. Team seven had managed to survive in canon without any problems. They should be able to this time too. They had Kakashi with them. He was the infamous copy nin. There was no way he would lose to Zabuza.
"Sumiko?" Sasuke prompted, bringing her out of her pondering.
"Ah," she gave a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of her head. "No, that was just excitement for the mission, I guess. What I wanted to say was, pack extra. I know it's just a two day mission but you never know what could happen."
They gave a nod, face serious. Sasuke's body was taught beside hers, his fists clenched together. She could almost see the excitement thrumming in his veins. Sumiko didn't know what she had gotten herself into, but whatever it was, she was ready for it. Maybe.
…
Sumiko's fingers twitched as most of team seven waited in front of the main gate. Her fingers were wrapped around the bag's stripes, clutching them till her skin almost chaffed. The searing pain helping to clear up her thoughts, Sumiko looked off into the village, waiting for their sensei.
He finally dropped in from one of the poles, landing feet not causing a stone to move. He brushed a hand against the back of his head as his students looked at him with an unimpressed look. "Sorry, I had to help this little girl with her books." His eyebrows rose. "They were heavy."
Sumiko rolled her eyes as Naruto shouted at Kakashi. "You sure you didn't drop your own book accidently, sensei?" She asked, voice taunting. "That would be quite traumatic for the little girl."
His eyes widened, hand immediately reaching to his pocket. Kakashi glared at her. "Kitten's being very funny today."
It's the nerves, sensei, she thought with a wry smile. Dry humor at its best.
"Hurray!" Naruto shouted, all of a sudden. Sumiko turned around in surprise. She really could see the joy in that, to be completely honest. "I'm going out of the village for the first time! I'm an adventurer now!"
Oh. She almost burst out laughing. That was why.
"This brat is a joke." Their contractor muttered under his breath.
"He's with me and I'm a jonin so you'll be fine." Kakashi replied. She didn't miss the subtle warning in his voice. He had had enough. So did she.
"Naruto," Sasuke called out. The moment he looked over, a kunai flew to his face.
Sumiko cried out. The kunai flew straight and if Naruto hadn't moved to the side at the right moment, his left eye would've been crushed. "Bastard!" Naruto gasped out. "What are you doing? Are you stupid?"
Sasuke looked away just as she caught his lips inching up. "You just annoyed me, that is all."
The blond ran forward, fists raised. "You bastard!" Sasuke jumped back, avoiding the fist as Naruto barrelled forward. Her brother aimed a kick at him, intending to swipe him down and Naruto jumped over it, bringing up a leg towards Sasuke's chin.
He ducked under, her teammate's leg crossing over his head. Before the situation could extend any further, she grabbed Naruto's leg yet to land, aiming a kick at her brother at the same time. Caught completely unaware, both her teammates dropped on the ground and Sumiko grabbed their wrists, interlocked with each other.
"You need to stop. We have to behave in front of a client or our reputation could be ruined." She reprimanded before giving a shrug. "Not that I can say much, given my previous act."
"Tsk"
She stood up, releasing them. The two boys got up, brushing off their shirts. "Sumiko-chan, you ruined my shirt!"
She gave a sheepish grin. "Oh, yeah. Sorry about that."
She looked over at Kakashi. He was leaning back against the gateway, an eyebrow slightly raised. He was the epitome of calm. It really pissed her off.
"Sensei, you really should stop them next time." she shook her head, eyes widening as she recalled all their fights. "Things can get… well, a little messy."
Kakashi shrugged. "You seemed to have gotten a handle on it."
With a sigh, she began walking, the two boys joining her. Kakashi trailed behind their client. To her surprise, there was no book in his hand. Did Hatake Kakashi really care what a civilian thought of him? She couldn't really believe it. He was better than that.
It had been an hour since they had started walking and Sumiko was already annoyed. When were they going to reach if they went at a snail's pace? The old man really needed to hurry up.
She jumped over a puddle of water, the trees reflecting in the light blue. It reminded her of a beach. "Hey, Sasuke, Naruto… You want to play a game?"
"What game?" Her brother replied with a curious tilt of his head.
"Um… How about –" before Sumiko could say anything, she felt a presence behind her. Instincts kicking in, she turned around. Two magnanimous chains wrapped around Kakashi sensei and before anyone could move a foot, they door him to pieces.
She didn't wait for a second. Eyes searching, she looked for the shinobi pair. Two shadows landed behind Naruto. She could hear him screaming for Kakashi but it was just a blur in the background. Her feet carried her towards him before she could even think. The next second, her kunai whipped out, flying straiht towards the chain. It should've whipped the kunai away but it flew in, the tip digging itself into the kink where the chain was held together.
It stopped moving, as if choked. A shuriken flew past her and she leaned back, letting Sasuke's throw slam the chains against a tree, the blunt end of her kunai sticking out through the middle.
The shinobi gasped, try to pull out their weapons. Sasuke jumped on their metal-covered hands, breaking their weapons. The two moved back, one running towards Naruto and the other towards the civilian.
Shit. She forgot about the old guy. Running towards him, she whipped out a kunai, throwing it towards their client. The enemy shinobi sped towards the man, the kunai digging into his flesh, giving a satisfying squelch. He gave a scream, the sound muffled through his mask.
After a look to the side, Sasuke had neutralised the other shinobi and all she could see was a small wound on Naruto's hand. She cursed.
"Sasuke, please tie up both the shinobi. I haven't knocked mine out so you'll have to take care of that. " The words were clipped and to the point. She didn't like ordering her brother around but this situation would have to allow it.
"Sumiko… Kakashi–"
"It's fine, just do what I tell you."
She ran towards Naruto, examining his hand.
Blood was rushing out of the wound and the area around it was turning blue. Shit.
Sumiko looked up at one of the trees. "Kakashi sensei, please tell me I'm wrong and the wound isn't poisoned."
A green blur dropped down from the tree and the next moment, the rock beside her was gone and Kakashi stood there instead. "I was wondering why you didn't seem to be very worried." He sniffed. "I thought you didn't like me much after all."
Kakashi's body was tilted, one eye on Sasuke. She would've thought the other was on her if it wasn't covered. Unless it belonged to a Hyuuga.
She glanced towards Sasuke, in the middle of tying the two shinobi together and gave a snort. "As if you'd die by some random chunin level shinobi."
He raised an eyebrow as she got back to examining Naruto's wound. "You seem to hold me in quite high regard. I feel pressured."
If Sumiko hadn't known about him as much as she did, she would've thought he was being sarcastic. His wry tone would've deceived anyone who didn't know him very well.
"Sensei, we need to head back right? Naruto needs to get treated." she said, brows furrowed with worry.
"Well, you're right about that." he replied, eyes gazing calmly at their client. "It seems someone lied about the details of the mission."
The man looked away, guilt visible in his sagging shoulders. It was ridiculously easy to read civilians. He gave a shake of his head and began to explain. Sumiko couldn't be more annoyed. Here, her teammate was poisoned and they had the time to listen to a random man's rant? He had lied and that was it. They should head back while they had the chance and give him a penalty on top. This would just not do.
After Tazuna-san had finished explaining, she eyed her group, especially Naruto. His eyes had that weird look and she knew what it meant.
Before Naruto could stand himself with the kunai he had just pulled out from his back pocket, Sumiko grabbed his unhurt arm, holding him back. She glared at him. "No"
"Sumiko-chan!" he complained. "Don't stop me! I'm not going to be the one hurting our C rank mission."
She did not release his hand. He still had that determined look in his eyes and she knew that if his hand was released, he wouldn't allow himself to hold them back. Her hand tightened. A breeze blew her hair in her face as she glared at him. "No"
Sasuke had come to stand with them by now, contemplating their stand on the mission. She turned to Kakashi for help.
At her gaze, he said, "Well, Naruto, we need to consult with the Hokage anyway. This mission is no longer a C rank and chunin or higher ranked shinobi will be sent." he gave a pause. "If even that will occur because Tazuna-san here lied to us, so he might be given a penalty and his mission ignored. We will have to ask the Hokage how to proceed."
"We can't do that!" Naruto shouted. His voice was raw, as if he was trying to save his own life. "We can't just let the villagers of Wave country go through such misery. We have to help them!"
She rolled her eyes, pulling his hand to get his attention. "You can't save everybody, Naruto. We don't know what can happen on this mission. It could be very risky!"
His eyes grew desperate. She didn't want to see the blue so raw. "Sasuke," he began. "Back me up here. "
He gave it a thought before answering. "I want to do this mission." His eyes were on her, asking for permission. No matter how much he wanted to go on this mission, he wouldn't if that was what she wanted.
Her shoulders sagged.
Noticing, Kakashi said, "I suppose we could still just drop our client." His voice was hesitant but the decision was clearly made.
Naruto looked at her triumphantly. She sighed. "Fine. But Naruto, we're going to head to the hospital first. We can catch up to Sasuke and Kakashi sensei later."
"But we'll miss half the mission! " He complained.
"It's either this, or no mission at all. "
He gave a huff. Cheeks puffing, he looked like an adorable little bear. "Fine"
Well, that was that.
…
Rough bark scraped against her shoe as she jumped over tree branches. Naruto was ahead of her, impatient to go back to the mission. She shook her head. Even after being poisoned, all he could think of was saving people and making their lives at least a little bit better. He was a strange kid like that.
Leaves rustled as they rushed past, occasionally brushing against her bare arms. This was why she preferred her uniform without sleeves even if it showed more skin. At least it wouldn't get ripped or pulled in a fight.
"Hey, Sumiko-chan…" Naruto began. His voice was soft but it sounded loud in the calm forest. "How did you react so fast?"
She paused. "There's a secret the Uchiha have that they haven't told anyone. An age-old secret that makes sure the clan stays on top."
He hadn't looked at her before but now he did, waiting for her to catch up. "As shinobi-in-training, we are put under genjutsu so real, you can't tell right from wrong. We don't know we are under their control, it doesn't occur only while training." She paused for breath, recalling her sessions. It had been a nightmare. "They did it at any time, even when we happened to be sleeping. Sometimes, the enemy was a foreign nin, sometimes they were our own. We were supposed to protect our clan and give our life in the process if needed."
Naruto frowned at her. "I don't understand. You couldn't tell you were under a genjutsu? Isn't that attacking a Konoha shinobi and going against the rules?"
She gave him a grin. "Yeah, that's why it's a secret, isn't it?"
He stared at her, eyes wide. Before, they looked deflated somehow but now, they were bright, as if filled with determination. She continued. "It developed our battle instincts. Of course, it wouldn't compare to being in actual battlefields but it was something. Also, Sasuke and I were trained by the best of the best, our brother. Kind of the reason why I had a quick reaction I suppose."
He was silent. They rushed past trees after trees and she could finally see Konoha in the distance. Just as they were about to enter, Naruto whispered. "Was it scary?"
"Sometimes."
…
Sasuke's POV
The civilian moored his boat and Sasuke couldn't help but worry. How would his sister and Naruto come without a boat? Kakashi stood beside their client, hair swinging in the air. It seemed he had no worry in the world. It seemed he had never experienced tragedy in his life. Maybe he hadn't.
He cleared his throat, trying to get his sensei's attention. "How will Sumiko and the other guy come without a boat?"
Kakashi's one visible eye turned up, as if thinking. It had to be a 'thinking' gesture because he would never dare to roll his eyes at Sasuke. Then again, maybe he would.
The civilian turned to him. "I'll have my man take this boat back to the shore. He'll bring them in."
He shrugged, looking away.
A rustle.
A kunai in his hand before he knew it, thrown straight. A squeak.
He waited for someone to emerge. When nobody came, he peered through the bushes to see a brown blur merged with red. A dead rabbit.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. He looked away.
"Tsk"
Instincts on edge, he rubbed his shoe on the ground. A whistle through the air. Kakashi's shout. He ducked.
Looking back, a huge sword had pierced the tree behind him, clanging in the air. Standing atop was a man dressed in loose pants, held tight by leopard print leather. Sasuke's body looked straight at their new enemy but his eyes turned sideways, towards Kakashi. His lips parted behind the mask.
A whisper.
"Zabuza"
A/N: I haven't posted for so long, I'm sorry. The chapter was already written but I prefer to be at least two chapters ahead before I post a new one so I can make changes if I wish to. Unfortunately, I was only able to complete one. My exams are coming up and I have a ton of things to study so the updates might get a little slower. I hope you guys don't mind it very much!
Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter. We finally entered the land of waves arc in this one. Let's see how it goes! xx.