05. A Test of Dedication
"Sasuke here at point B."
"Sakura here at point C."
"Naruto here at point A."
"Nakao also here at point A."
"Nakao, what are you doing at point A?" Kakashi-sensei's voice crackled through my headset.
"It wasn't my fault it was-"
"I see the target," Sasuke's voice came through the headset, cutting me off. "Fifteen meters."
"Good, move in," Kakashi-sensei ordered. The four of us dashed towards the target.
"I got it!" Naruto informed through our headsets. "I got-AAAH!"
I cringed, grasping for my ears instinctively.
"Is it the target?" Kakashi-sensei asked.
"Affirmative, it has the ribbon on its left ear," I said irritably, rubbing my ears while I bent down, hands on my knees to effectively visualize the target in Naruto's arms.
"Good, mission 'Find Missing Tohra' is complete," Kakashi-sensei announced.
Sasuke, Sakura and I watched as Naruto struggled on the ground with Tohra. She was a black cat with all her claws. Very sharp ones. Currently, they were tearing into Naruto's skin as he struggled to keep hold of her.
"I HATE CATS!" Naruto hollered into his headset, blasting all of our ears.
—
No sooner had we entered the Hokage's office did the wooden floorboards beneath my feet begin to quake. I looked ahead to see a large woman bounding towards us, well me in particular. I had opted to take the cat after Naruto had scared her half to death, and I actually felt the cat shudder in my arms as the woman approached.
"My precious Tohra! I was so worried about you!" the woman cried, wrenching the cat from my arms. The cat cried out, not having the chance to even bring out her claws as the woman crushed the poor feline against her large bosom.
My eye twitched as my heart went out to the poor cat. I even think I saw clumps of black fur fall of the creature as the woman's bone-crushing hug literally look like it'd snap the cat in half. Frowning, I glanced to my teammates; they seemed to be feeling the same thing. And that was: we did not do good today.
"I see you completed your mission," the Hokage commented, sitting behind his large oak desk.
My team migrated towards him. I opened my mouth to comment smartly, but Kakashi-sensei flicked me in the back of the head before I even got the chance. I grabbed at my head with a gasp and glared over my shoulder at him.
The Hokage smiled before turning his eyes to the papers scattered over the surface of his desk. "Well, we have many more missions for you. You can babysit the elder's grandson, grocery shop-"
"Don't you have anything besides for lame missions?" Naruto asked, annoyed.
"What!?" Iruka-sensei, who was standing beside the Hokage, exclaimed, shocked and appalled at Naruto's disrespectful outburst.
"All our missions are boring and easy!" Naruto continued, stubbornly crossing his arms over his chest.
"You bakka! All genin start out with D-ranked missions!" Iruka-sensei exasperated, his face flushing red with aggravation.
The Hokage sighed. "Iruka said it perfectly. All genins start out with the easy D-ranked missions. As you rank up to a chuunin you get to work on C and possibly B-ranked missions, they are harder. When you are a jounin you work on A-ranked missions. We set them up like this on-" the Hokage cut himself off as he looked at our group.
"Well last night I had chicken ramen, so tonight I was thinking about miso," Naruto told our group, glancing to our faces. Even Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei were listening; Sakura was even nodding seriously.
"Might I suggest beef?" I imputed. "Oh! They have this new flavor that-"
"Would you listen to me!?" the Hokage yelled, his forehead pulsating in anger.
"I'm sorry Hokage-sama!" Kakashi-sensei quickly apologized, rubbing the back of his head, embarrassed. He glared at us and we stared back flatly. No way he was going to scapegoat us.
"All I ever get from you is lectures, old man! I'm not a little kid anymore! I don't play stupid pranks and I don't goof around! I'm a ninja now and I want a ninja mission!" Naruto demanded stubbornly, stepping ahead of the group, staring the Hokage down defiantly.
It was silent for a long moment. I released a breath of air I didn't even realized I'd been holding. I was impressed with Naruto's insistence and took a peek at the Hokage. I wasn't exactly going to speak up but if Naruto could actually pull this off…
Iruka-sensei's nostrils flared in outrage. "You bakka! You-!"
"No, no Iruka; Naruto's trying to show us he's grown up. I guess I can give you guys a C-ranked mission," the Hokage cut Iruka off. My entire team, including (actually especially) Kakashi, dropped our jaws in shock. The Hokage began to rummage through a drawer on his desk, finally producing a scroll. "You will be escorting someone to the Land of Waves."
"Who!? Who!?" Naruto asked, his eyes alit with excitement. He could barely contain himself, bouncing up and down on the heels of his feet. "Is it a lord!? Or a princess!?"
"Bring him in," the Hokage motioned to the door with his hand; a knowing smirk on his face hinting to me that this person was probably not a lord or princess.
We pivoted to watch the door to the office open. In stumbled an older man, no younger than fifty, with gray hair and glasses. His wrinkled face was tinted pink and he held in his hand a bottle that, besides for the neck of it, was covered in a paper bag. He hiccuped, grabbing onto the door frame for support as he entered.
I could feel my upper lip snarl in disgust and my nose wrinkle as though offended. He reeked of alcohol and the stale odor of being unkempt. My team assessed him skeptically.
"These brats are bringing me home? They don't even look like ninjas," the man slurred, pointing to us with the neck of his bottle. He hiccuped again. Every single one of us glared. My arms folded tightly over my chest. "What are they gunna do, play with me? My name is Tazuna and I need to be protected as I finish the bridge that will change my country's world. I need to be protected, even if it costs you your life. They look like weaklings; especially the short one with the idiot look on their face."
"Haha, who's the short idiotic one?" Naruto laughed, looking at our teammates.
The three of us immediately lined up beside Naruto. Sasuke was the tallest, followed by me, followed immediately by Sakura, leaving Naruto to be the shortest. It took a second for the realization to dawn on the boy.
"What!? I'll kill you!" Naruto yelled, lunging at Tazuna.
"Naruto!" I scolded, quickly grabbing him by the back of his jacket collar before he could get too far. He flailed about, making me practically dig my heels into the floor. "Naruto, you can't kill the mission!"
The rest of my team sighed as they watched me struggle. Kakashi-sensei seemed to be making apologetic gestures to the Hokage. Tazuna watched on, seeming completely unfazed and took a large swig from his bottle.
—
The house was empty and dark as I returned home around sunset. I dropped my backpack just inside the entryway with a loud thud. Without the need to flip on a light, I made my way upstairs in the dark. Only once I reached my room did I flick on the lights.
My room was rather plain. The walls were painted an easter yellow, the furniture painted white. The only furniture in my room was a chest-high wardrobe, a bed and a vanity. I didn't keep many knick knacks, leaving the surfaces in my room clear; save for my wardrobe. Atop it sat several picture frames.
The newest addition was a group photo of squad seven. I remember the day we'd taken it, after we'd passed Kakashi's test. The photo was customary but it was like pulling teeth to actually get it taken. The photographer was so fed up with us by the end that he finally just took a shot whether we were ready or not.
Kakashi-sensei stood in the background, one hand atop Sasuke's head, the other atop Naruto's. He still wore his face-mask, but it was wrinkled, indicating that he was smiling. The same could not be said for Sasuke and Naruto. Naruto's head was slightly turned towards Sasuke, a death glare on his face. Sasuke paid him no mind and only stared forward at the camera with a look of near despair on his face. Sakura and I were in front of them. I was standing directly between the boys, arms crossed over my chest and a triumphant smile on my face. I had forced Sakura out of the way (she'd been particularly annoying that day) and she was clearly fighting me in the picture. Her side was pushed against mine, clearly trying to get me to move. She was still attempting to smile at the camera but it was strained as she was forced in front of Naruto.
The photograph beside it resided in a black, wooden frame. It was one of my favorites. It was a shot of Kiba and myself from just a year ago. Keitaro had snapped it outside in our yard. It had been sunny that day and I had insisted on having a kunai throwing contest. I think we were testing off on it in class that week and I wanted to beat Sasuke at something. In the picture, I was hugging Kiba tightly around his neck, my cheek pressed against his, smiling at the camera. Kiba was looking at my meekly, smiling, his cheeks a pale pink.
The other photographs that littered the surface, aside from a recent picture of myself and Keitaro, were much older, by at least four years. There was a family photograph of my parents, Keitaro and me. Both Keitaro and I had inherited my mother's dark brown hair; though mine was curly like my mother's and Keitaro's could never sit flat, always sticking out at angles. Keitaro had also inherited her chocolate-brown eyes, flecked with gold. I stared into the eyes of my mother, memorialized forever in this photograph and my mind wandered to the smell of freshly made dumplings.
My eyes turned to my father. Keitaro had his facial structure, while I favored my mother's. But I had inherited my father's dark violet eyes, the color of amethysts.
My parents had both been members of the Makase Clan and married within the clan. My mother was the daughter to the clan ambassador, making her family more important than my father's, in our clan's hierarchal way of thinking. But my father had the desirable iris color trait that I'd been lucky to inherit. Deep violet-colored eyes were a traditional mark of our clan members (before the gene pool had shifted due to marrying outside of our clan) and it suggested pure-bloodedness.
As far as I could tell, there didn't seem to be a difference in those who still retained the trait. My brother was almost a prodigy and I was…well, average. I didn't stand out as much as Sasuke. And the skills that made me second-best in the class had been carefully honed and practiced to make them what they were today.
Pulling my eyes away from the photograph, they wandered to a faded pictures that I really should have put away years ago, but still hadn't. I couldn't explain why. But every time I went to remove it from its place amongst my memories, I could never seem to go through with it. And so it remained, almost hidden behind the other frames. But the glass was dusty, unlike my other pictures and I had to wipe it clear now in order to see the photograph.
There were four people in this picture. Keitaro and I were in it, him at age twelve and me at seven. The other pair looked nearly identical, save their ages; their ages which mirrored my own and Keitaro's. Uchiha Itachi stood next to my brother, a hand on Keitaro's shoulder and smiling gently towards the camera. Sasuke and I were in front of the older boys. I was hugging Sasuke tightly around his neck as I provided a wide grin for the camera. Sasuke's boyish face was pouting, but if I looked close enough, I could see the smallest of smiles creeping at the corners of his mouth.
I glanced between that photograph and the photo of our squad. Something was tugging at my heart, but I banished it. I didn't even give myself time to interpret what it meant. I banished it deep within the recesses of my mind where I firmly told it to remain.
Sighing, I wandered to the vanity, removing my weapons belt and placing it on its polish surface. Glancing into the mirror, I tied my long hair up into a thick ponytail and changed into a black tank top and yellow shorts. My mind had just wondered to what might be remaining in my fridge when I heard the doorbell ring.
Curiously, a skipped down the steps to the front door. I opened it a hair to find Kiba standing on my doorstep.
"Kiba!" I squealed happily, throwing open the door and launching myself at him.
I don't always greet my best friend this way, but it felt as though I hadn't seen him in ages. We'd been both so busy with our teams. And quite frankly, being in squad seven was mentally and emotionally draining. The sight of a friendly face made my lonely heart jump in joy.
Kiba chuckled and gave me a tight squeeze before letting me go. I withdrew and stepped back, allowing him into the house.
Forgetting about my meal plans, I hurried up the stairs back to my room, chattering over my shoulder as Kiba followed at a slower fate. "What's up!? I haven't seen you in forever. What on earth have you been doing? Had any fun missions? Are you doing a lot of missions? How's your team? Do you like your sensei?"
As I rambled off questions, I made a quick dash into my room, back over to my wardrobe. I quickly took the photograph of myself and Sasuke and placed it face-down on the surface. I turned back around, a smile on my face just as Kiba walked through the door.
He was smiling at me kindly, his chest a gentle rumble at my continual questions. He wandered over to my bed and took a seat, scratching at his shaggy head. "It's been fine I guess, nothing too exciting. I'm sure it's the same stuff you're doing. Kurenai-sensei is cool, a little fierce. She knows what she's doing and she places the same standards on us. Hinata and Shino? They're…different. It's very different from training with you."
"Much less awesome?" I said playfully before wandering over to plop down next to Kiba.
"Easy there you ego-maniac," he chuckled. "Hinata is…incredibly passive. Still really quiet; and there's no confidence at all. She spends the majority of her time stuttering out apologies if she doesn't do something perfectly. And Shino…? He's…"
"Strange?"
"I was going to say different. But strange works. Maybe a little creepy."
"Is it the bugs?" I asked sympathetically.
Kiba shivered. "They're unnerving."
I patted his arm. "Well I'm pleased to hear it's all going well."
"Trouble in paradise?" Kiba asked with eyebrows raised but a knowing smile on his lips.
I smacked his arm. "You know damn well my team is a nightmare."
"Quite. Actually the reason I came over. Needed to know if you needed help disposing of a body," Kiba pretended to look around my room for such a body.
"You know full well I wouldn't accept help. No witnesses. I'd be forced to kill you too."
"Well I was sure you'd at least maimed Sakura."
I sighed dramatically. "No such luck. But I guess I really shouldn't complain as much as I want to. Our ragtag bunch still seems to get the job done. Oh! And guess what! Naruto managed to snag us a C-ranked mission."
Kiba's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Are you serious? How did he manage that?"
"By being Naruto I guess," I waved a hand dismissively. "But don't be too jealous. We're just escorting some old drunkard to the Land of Waves. Have to watch him build a bridge."
"Well old drunkards and bridges aside, the travel will be kind of nice. Change of scenery."
I shrugged nonchalantly but inside I did feel a sudden rush of excitement. Getting out of Konoha, getting to see more of the world, it was something to be happy about at the very least.
"Well travel safe," Kiba said, getting up after a quick peek to the darkening skies outside my window. "Don't let the old drunkard pull any fast ones."
"I'll be on my guard," I rolled my eyes.
Kiba gave me a kiss on the cheek, bid me farewell, and I returned to my quest to find something for dinner.
—
I yawned loudly, stretching and smacking my lips sleepily. "You know…if all missions are going to start out this early in the morning; I don't think this ninja gig is going to work out."
"You're an idiot," Sasuke muttered.
Standing between him and Sakura, I shot him a glare. "Well somebody ate too many grumpy-flakes for breakfast this morning."
"Knock it off, Nakao. You're giving me a headache," Sakura rolled her eyes.
Before I could make a smart reply, Naruto's shout grabbed my attention. "They're here! They're here!"
We glanced over to see Kakashi-sensei escorting Tazune towards the massive gates. As he neared, he motioned to the guards with his hands and they set to work, opening the large, wooden doors.
Naruto whooped in excitement, rushing out of the gates as soon as there was room for him to wiggle through. He was practically jumping up and down on the heels of his feet, excitingly taking in his surroundings. He reminded me a bit of a child at the zoo.
I had to admit, the sight was slightly endearing and I found myself annoyed at Sakura when she annoyingly piped up.
"What are you so excited about?" She asked.
"This is the first time I've been out of the village!" Naruto replied, his obvious awe and wonder not the least bit dampened by Sakura's judgmental looks.
"Yeah, Sakura, give the guy a break," a replied, rolling my eyes. I couldn't help the silent thoughts that followed. We're not all so lucky to have living parents who go places and do things with us.
"Am I really supposed to trust my life to this punk? He's a joke!" Tazuna said, pointing to Naruto who currently had his back turned.
I found myself growing increasingly annoyed with my travel companions; and suddenly very protective of Naruto and his ability to remain unjaded in the face of this cruel world. I envied his spirit, but admired it. And if he could fine some joy in this life, especially by just seeing a new stretch of land, then screw everyone else who'd been defeated by life and chased away their demons with more dangerous things.
But Naruto had heard Tazuna and he whirled around, glaring angrily. "Hey! Never disrespect a ninja! I'm one of the greatest ninja ever and one day, I'm going to be Hokage! Then you'll have to respect me!"
"Hokages are powerful and wise. You are puny and brainless," Tazuna replied, taking a swing from his bottle.
"I'll kill you!" Naruto exclaimed, lunging for Tazuna.
"Naruto, no!" I quickly blocked his path and grabbed tight to his jacket.
"Let me go! I'll show him!" Naruto squirmed beneath me.
"Knock it off!" I whispered fiercely as my counterparts walked past us. I felt Naruto slump and I patted his shoulder, murmuring in his ear. "Don't let people get to you Naruto. Don't listen to them. People always fear the flames that burn the brightest."
Clearly surprised, Naruto looked at me as though he'd never really seen me before. His blue eyes were wide and, at first, suspicious. But as they searched mine, they softened. I said nothing more, only clapped him on the shoulder and followed my companions.
It was a beautiful day for traveling. The weather was warm but with a slight breeze that kept the sun's rays from feeling too intense. The sky was a lovely azure blue, completely void of clouds. It hadn't rained in days and there were no storm clouds in sight.
At some point, Naruto had taken lead of the group and was practically marching as he led the way. Sakura and Tazuna followed and Kakashi walked at a slower rate behind them. Sasuke and I brought up the rear.
"Hey, Tazuna," Sakura started. "You're from the Land of Waves, right?"
"Yeah, what of it?" Tazuna confirmed grumpily.
Sakura glanced over her shoulder at Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei, doesn't the Land of Waves have their own ninja?"
"Well, no. Most countries have a hidden village of ninja, like Konoha, which are independent and not ruled by a government. They are the country's military power, per say. The Land of Waves is a small island and really has no need for their own shinobi. The surrounding water is their protection," Kakashi-sensei explained.
"So we're not going to run into any foreign ninja or anything like that, right?" Sakura asked.
Kakashi-sensei chuckled. "Not likely."
—
"I'm bored!" I finally announced as the journey continued. I was tired and there was pebble caught in my sandal that I couldn't dislodge no matter how many times I'd taken it off and shook it.
Sakura scoffed and glanced over her shoulder to me. "Really Nakao, can't you act like a proper kunoichi?"
"Excuse me?" I snapped.
She glared. "How can a ninja say they're bored? We're on a mission, it's our duty and you shouldn't be complaining."
"I'm not complaining about you, am I?" I muttered, loud enough for Sakura to hear but she simply "hmphed" and turned away. I set to glaring burning holes into her back when my foot suddenly sunk into the ground. I quickly lost my balance and found myself face-first in the dirt. My team turned around to watch me sputter and curse.
"Oh sure, no one help me," I rolled my eyes, getting to my feet. I could feel water in my shoe and I kicked out repeatedly in attempt to dislodge it. It felt weird; awfully thick for water.
Glancing down to the puddle I'd blindly tripped in, I glared at it suspiciously. The water in my sandal felt gross and I was a little concerned about what might be in that water. I grumbled under my breath and signaled for the group to proceed. I moved after them but I vaguely noticed Kakashi start to lag behind.
Barely a minute after my little episode, a disturbance rattled by instincts. I'm not sure how to explain it. It was like the wind pattern changed and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, telling me something wasn't right. I then heard the clinking sound of metal chains and I turned around just in time to find we'd been joined by two ninja.
They were dressed all in black. Headbands were tied around their foreheads and the insignia revealed them to be mist shinobi. They each wore special gauntlets on their hands that transformed them into metal claws, easily capable of slicing my freaking neck open. From their gauntlets, they expelled chains into the air, which shot over to Kakashi-sensei and wrapped around his body, binding him tightly.
"Kakashi-sensei!" I cried breathlessly.
Instinctively I made to rush to his aid but stopped suddenly when the two ninjas pulled on their chains. I could only watch in horror as Kakashi's body shuttered sickeningly against the force of the chains before they cut through him like paper. Something wet splattered against my cheek. My stomach turned as I realized it could only be Kakashi-sensei's blood.
"Got you!"
So preoccupied I'd been that I hadn't realized the ninjas had moved and were rushing Naruto from behind. He whirled around at their cries to find their spiked chains being hurled in his direction. My mind went blank with only the sound of whooshing in my ears. My only thought was to get to Naruto before he befell the same fate at Kakashi-sensei.
My feet moved forward, propelled only by instinct. Somehow I'd made it in time and I found myself in front of Naruto, facing the chains I was sure would rip me to pieces. But my body was reacting quicker than my mind. I pulled my daggers out. I deflected one of the chains with the dagger in my left hand while the other chain met my blade in the right. Gritting my teeth, I turned the dagger over and over until the chain was now wrapped around my blade rather than my neck.
The ninja attempted to pull his chain back and I dropped my other dagger to hold onto one with both hands. Sweat dripped from my forehead as I dug my heels into the dirt in a very lethal game of tug-and-pull.
My eyes didn't leave my attacker as I yelled for assistance. "Sasuke!"
He answered my call by sending a shuriken at the chain. With a cry, I pulled away and the shuriken took the chain with it, sailing over to a tree and embedding itself into the bark. Another shuriken came and took the other chain, freshly released and brought it to its twin. The ninjas, attached to their chains, came with. A kunai followed and the tip sank into the hole of the shuriken, effectively chaining the ninjas to the tree. Sasuke then landed on the top of the ninjas, kicking their heads with such a force they cracked against each other with an echoing, hollow sound.
It was all very impressive, but not effective enough. The force ripped the chains from the gauntlets but the ninja were free. They immediately split apart and wasted no time in rushing their targets. One headed straight back for Naruto and me, the other rushed towards Tazuna. Sakura jumped in front of Tazuna and took out a kunai, holding it in front of her in defense. While I was glad to see her rising to the occasion, I knew that kunai wasn't going to help her. Not when these ninjas had their claws out, their metal so sharp they looked as though could shear through my jugular vein like butter. I actually found myself worried for her, but it was a fleeting thought as my own opponent grew dangerously close.
"Sasuke!" I called out without any real notion of his location. "Help Sakura!"
With the ninja quickly advancing on me, I couldn't spare a glance to see if he'd actually followed my order. I retrieved the blade I dropped and crossed the two to form an 'X' in front of me. My heart was racing and the blood was pounding in my ears like angry waves against the shore. I felt the force of the ninja hit my blade, felt my elbows buckle in effort, heard the clashing of steel against steel. I pushed against the force with all my might and was surprised to find the ninja fly backwards.
I blinked in surprise and quickly realized that it hadn't been my strength pushing the ninja back. Kakashi-sensei stood next to me, his arm out as he caught the ninja by his throat. His other arm had caught the second ninja, making me realize Sakura hadn't been nearly as far away from me as I had thought; and Sasuke hadn't needed to rush to her assistance. However, when I glanced over, he had came to her rescue and was watching Kakashi with annoyance plastered on his face.
I looked back to Kakashi-sensei and it took my adrenaline-drowned brain a full minute to catch up to speed. My hand reached to my cheek as I glanced to the spot where I thought Kakashi-sensei had perished. But it wasn't pieces of his body that littered the ground: it was chunks of logs. He had used a replacement jutsu.
I pulled my hand away from my cheek and examine my fingers. They were sticky. It was sap, I realized.
I glanced up to find my team circling Kakashi-sensei. I sheathed my daggers and stepped next to Naruto instead of standing in front of him; but Kakashi-sensei was already looking at him.
"Sorry I didn't come earlier, I didn't think you'd freeze up that much."
I glanced to Naruto. I saw his face shift through a series of mixed emotions before Kakashi's voice dragged my attention back to him.
"Sasuke, good work, very smooth. Same with you Nakao, way to take charge. And same to you Sakura," Kakashi-sensei smiled beneath his mask.
I found myself smiling as pride flushed through me. But as I turned my flushed face to Naruto, I noticed he was shaking. My eyebrows crinkled in confusion.
"Hey."
Naruto and I glanced up to see Sasuke watching us.
"What?" Naruto asked, his face apprehensive.
"You're not hurt are you, Scaredy-cat?"
Naruto made a disgruntled noise in his throat, his face flushing red. But for once, he didn't have it in him to immediately counter. And I realized in this moment the emotions that had taken over his face. Shame.
"Sasuke, you dick!" I suddenly shouted at him, my hands balling into fists at my sides. So Naruto had frozen. He didn't have the years of training behind him as we did. And the look of shame and self-loathing I had witnessed on my loud and over-confident teammate pulled at my heartstrings. And I wasn't about to allow Sasuke to make him feel worse than he already did. But Sasuke only looked at me flatly, portraying in a single facial expression how much he did not care about my opinion of him.
This, of course, infuriated me further. The adrenaline hadn't completely left my system yet and it was roaring for me to land a nice punch upside his head. But as I opened my mouth, Naruto let out an angry cry and moved to lunge at Sasuke. "Sasuke-!"
"Naruto!" Kakashi-sensei suddenly called sharply, stopping Naruto dead in his tracks. We all blinked and glanced over. Kakashi continued. "Don't move around so much. These ninjas have poisons in their claws and the more you move around, the quicker the poison will run through your system. It's in your blood and we need to take it out."
My heart clenched as I rounded on Naruto. I grabbed his wrist and held up his left hand. Three scratch marks marred the back of his hand. Naruto's eyes lit up with fear while my stomach twisted.
I had felt hopelessly guilty when I'd thought Kakashi-sensei had been shredded to pieces. I had promised myself I wouldn't attend another funeral; that I would be better; that I would keep others safe. I thought I'd gotten to Naruto in time. But I hadn't. They had knicked him at some point in the fight and I hadn't prevented it.
Silence befell me as I solemnly watched Kakashi-sensei drag our enemies to a tree and tie them to the trunk. Sakura, Sasuke and Tazuna followed him the short distance to get a better look. I stayed with Naruto, releasing his hand but keeping my shoulder close to his to remind him not to move.
"These are Chuunin from the Mist Village. Their specialty is relentless attack," Kakashi-sensei explained as he examined their headbands. It certainly explained how they had endured a probable Sasuke-induced concussion and still continued their attack.
"How did you know about our ambush?" one of the enemy ninja asked weakly, glaring up at Kakashi-sensei with hatred, but also with a sense of fatigue.
"Because of Nakao."
"Huh?" I glanced up.
"You brought to my attention the puddle when you stepped in it. A puddle on a hot day when it hasn't rained in weeks?"
"Well then why did you leave it to the genin to do the fighting?" Tazuna asked.
"I could have taken them out quicker, but then I would have learned nothing. I had to know who their target was," Kakashi-sensei looked to Tazuna accusingly. "They could have been after us, or you. In your report, you asked for standard protection against robbers and highway men, this is why it was ranked a C-ranked mission. If we had known ninja were after you, we would have classified it a B-rank or higher. Our mission was simply to escort you and protect you while you finished the bridge. We would have staffed differently and charged you for a B-ranked mission had we known. Obviously you have your reasons, but lying to us is unacceptable. We are now beyond the scope of our mission."
Tazuna was looking down at the ground, his face hidden by the shadow his hat was making.
"We're genin," Sakura piped up. "This mission is too advanced for us. We should turn back."
Instinctively, I wanted to argue with her. I even found myself glaring at her the second the remark had left her lips. But I faltered. A quick glance at Naruto's hand reminded me that I wasn't the ninja I needed to be. That perhaps she was right after all, and we simply were not strong enough, fast enough, good enough to be on this mission.
"Besides, Naruto needs treatment right away to get the poison out. In our village, we can get him to a doctor and get the poison out," Sakura continued.
"Naruto's hand could be a problem," Kakashi-sensei agreed. "I guess we should go back to the village."
"No!" Naruto called out so fiercely I actually jumped in surprise.
Everyone turned their attention to Naruto. I only had a split second of warning and no time to intervene as Naruto took out a kunai and drove it straight through his injured hand. Blood splattered out, ran down his hand and dripped onto the dirt ground. Naruto cringed in pain for a minute before he looked each of us in the eye. "This mission is still on!"
Silence fell over us for a moment as the shock crossed our features. I watched the blood drip to the ground and found myself yet again almost in awe of his dedication.
"Uh…Naruto, it's really noble how you expelled the poison like that but…if you lose any more blood…you're going to die," Kakashi-sensei pointed out.
Naruto stared for a minute before freaking out. "No! I don't wanna die!"
I shook my head but found myself chuckling as Naruto proceeded to pacing frantically in circle, panic on his face. I pulled out a roll of bandages from a pocket on my belt and grabbed the boy, stilling him as I wrapped the bandages tightly around his hand.
"Thanks, Nakao," he sighed in relief and I gave him a soft smile, feeling the gnawing guilt recede just a little.
"Nakao."
"What do you want?" I snapped grumpily, turning to Sasuke.
Sasuke ignored my hostility and simply pointed to my right arm. I frowned and looked down to find three, deep scratches across my upper arm. So much adrenaline had been pumping through my system I hadn't even noticed I'd been injured. Upon examination, I noticed mine were much deeper and larger than Naruto's, and despite the fact that I realized I had poison in my blood, I felt that guilt recede a little further. I had protected Naruto after all. Perhaps not completely, but it was apparent his condition would have been considerably worse if I hadn't been there to take the damage.
But as that feeling seeped from my mind, a new feeling cropped up. Doubt. I wasn't Naruto, and the thought of driving a kunai into my skin did not appeal to me. But I wasn't about to be the reason this mission failed; especially after Naruto's noble gesture.
Sasuke must have noticed the conflict on my face because he moved closer to me. I looked up at him uncertainly.
"Give me your arm," Sasuke said, holding his hand out.
I grabbed at my arm defensively. "No!"
"If we don't get rid of the poison, you'll either die, or call the mission off," Sasuke told me, staring directly into my eyes.
I bit my lip but understood the truth in his words. After a moment I sighed heavily and held my injured arm out to him. Sasuke took it carefully, pulling out a kunai. I quickly squeezed my eyes shut and turned my head away, as if this would do anything to dull the pain. Sasuke didn't count to three and before I was prepared, pain exploded in my arm. I caught the small scream in my throat and sealed my lips to prevent any gasps of pain. My left hand grasped my pants, clutching the fabric tightly.
I counted silently in my head until the acute flash of pain muted to a dull ache. I slowly looked over to find my wound was bleeding steadily, soaking the fabric of my black shirt as Sasuke now pressed the flat of his kunai against the wound to bleed the tainted blood out.
"Is it almost done?" I asked meekly.
Sasuke's eyes found mine again. "Don't be such a baby."
A jolt shot through my body at his words and suddenly I was six-years-old again.
"Owww!" I moaned, laying face down in the dirt.
Sasuke quickly ran over to me, dropping to his knees beside me and helping me sit up. "Are you okay?"
I instantly grasped at my abdomen as a sharp pain shot through me. I whimpered, glancing down. Several thorns were sticking out of my skin. Sasuke looked at them concerned.
"Sasuke-kun, they hurt!" I squeaked, glancing up at him with wide eyes. I wasn't crying, I wouldn't cry, especially not in front of Sasuke, but the pain was explosive over my tiny abdomen.
"Don't be such a baby," Sasuke scolded me, but gently, as he held one of my hands in his and set to pulling out the thorns one by one as carefully as he could.
I was jarred back to reality and blinked but Sasuke wasn't watching me. He had his eyes on my arm as he removed the kunai and proceeded to bandage the wound.
"Thanks," I muttered, embarrassed and took my arm back, avoiding his gaze.
"Okay everyone, let's get moving!" Kakashi-sensei announced, drawing our attention.
Without a second glance at Sasuke, I moved after my team while trying to make it look like I wasn't fleeing from his presence. Which I totally was.
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Author's Note: Just a friendly reminder to feed your writers this holiday season! We eat praise and any review that starts with: "Well this doesn't suck too much". Lots of love, readers!