AN: Yo yo. Tryna keep my word here with the whole writing of something every day. I know it won't hold up forever but it's time to see how far I can get. I think I can definitely make it to March lol. I'd like to thank everyone who has taken the time to review the previous chapters. It is genuinely one of the most exciting things to me - being able to read that feedback. The Spanish reviews were a surprise, but a pleasant one never-the-less. Be sure to follow and favorite for more!

Anyways. Enjoy!

Naruto stood silently reading the scroll in front of his face. Towards his right stood Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, both clad in their usual attire. The only difference to be seen is the grey backpack that Sasuke had and the white one that Sakura dawned. They all stood on the small bridge that their sensei, Kakashi Hatake, had told them to meet up at. It was currently a few hours past the original meeting time that Kakashi set, yet neither he nor the bridge builder was in sight. Sounds of the river below them mixing with the birds flying above flooded Team-Seven's ears.

The sun shone bright, Kakashi's lateness, and the feint breeze that so usually fluttered through the village in the leaves. To Sasuke and Sakura, everything seemed so normal. Everything except their blonde teammate. Usually, Naruto would be bouncing around, unable to sit still, all the while constantly asking Sakura for a date or complaining about the tardiness of Kakashi. Usually, Naruto refused to sit still. Usually, Naruto refused to shut up. Today, however…

"Hey, idiot, what's up with you today?" Sasuke turned as he spoke to the blonde. Naruto jumped at his stern, cold commanding tone.

Naruto made a mental command and poof! A cloud of smoke appeared as the scroll in front of his face disappeared. He shook his head while attempting to go over all of the information he had just read. I can't tell him I was just reading… they can't see the scroll so they'll just think I'm crazy! I can't have Sakura think I'm crazy. And I won't give Sasuke more ammo to use against me. "I was simply uhh… thinking is all. You know, mentally going over the route for us to take to the land of waves." See, I'm not crazy. I'm just smart is all. Naruto thought to himself after he spoke what was clearly a lie.

Sasuke opened his mouth but before he could speak Sakura interjected, "What do you mean going over the route? We didn't get any maps or scrolls to look over!" Getting something past Sakura would prove to be a difficult task, and for someone like Naruto, that task quickly goes from difficult to impossible.

Naruto was sweating. Uhh look normal, look normal… "W-well no, we didn't. But, I knew we had to go to the Land of Waves so I…" he stammered and tripped over these words before saying "so I went to the library and looked at some of the local maps and read up on the area! Did you know, they have no bridges connecting their country to the mainland? They rely on internal trade and exports through boating. Isn't. That. Crazy!" Luckily he was able to remember some details that Tazuna had told their squad before his death.

Sasuke smirked, "Well, that is quite useful. Maybe you won't be as much deadweight as I thought." Sakura's expression was shocked, to say the least.

"Wow Naruto, that IS really smart of you."

Before Naruto could even respond to the compliments a swirling pile of leaves appeared in front of the trio. This pile dispersed revealing none other than their sensei. Late as usual.

"Yes, that is quite smart of you Naruto. Maybe you're finally taking this shinobi thing seriously," Kakashi remarked as he flipped a page of the book that he currently held in hand. "I guess all those times of me telling you that some of these missions are so serious that you could die," the sensei made sure to emphasize those words, "are finally resonating with you."

Naruto's face went slightly blue as he gulped. Thats right. Kakashi-sensei has said that quite a lot… "Ahaha yeah, exactly!" He tried perking up, being as chippy as he could be with his tone, "We're shinobi now. SHINOBI, we gotta take this thing seriously, which also means you too Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said now accusatorily as he pointed a finger at his sensei, a devious idea creeping into his mind.

Kakashi was taken aback by the accusation thrown by his student. "Whoa, whoa, what's that supposed to me-" before the masked man could even finish his statement Sakura bopped Naruto on the back of his head.

Reprimanding him, she then yelled, "HEY, you got some nerve talking to our sensei like that! You should apologize right now!"

Naruto sat momentarily stunned on the ground. Somehow, after years of being smacked around, he was still surprised by Sakura hitting him the way she did. Not to mention the force behind the blow. Ouuuuuch. She really can throw a punch jeez. Naruto thought to himself. "Look, all I'm trying to say is," he then spoke as he got up and dusted off his jumpsuit, "all we've really done together are either low-level missions that are basically legalized child labor AND some measly teamworking exercises. I mean come on, you haven't even taught us basic chakra control!" Naruto was at the point of shouting now, finger pointed again accusatorily at Kakashi.

Sasuke closed his eyes, thought for just a moment, and then spoke, "Yeah, actually for once I agree with him. Naruto's right. We haven't done any actual training. At least, not with each other. Not under your tutelage. I still have to work after hours on my own to hone my skills."

Sakura nodded, making sure to back up her crush, "Y-yeah, Sasuke's right!" Naruto's face dropped at the notion as he thought about how it was his idea, not Sasuke's. "What is the point of us calling you sensei if you don't actually teach us!"

At this point, Kakashi was the one sweating. He gave a soft tension-breaking laugh, "You guys bring up good points, but uh, we sort of have to meet with the bridge builder at the village gates. Come on, let's go, I'll figure something out while we walk." He then turned and began to lead his troop without taking a further word from any of them. Of course, his students groaned, how could they not?

What world am I living in? Kakashi thought to himself. Not only did all three of them agree on something, but now Naruto of all people is the one bringing up chakra control lessons. How did he even know what that is? I know for a fact the knucklehead didn't pay a single wink of attention in class. He decided to bookmark the thought before continuing to read his novel. The rest of his squad followed suit. Walking behind Kakashi is Tazuna then behind Tazuna stood the row of Sasuke, Sakura, then Naruto.

Kakashi seemed to be unfocused on the path, his attention glued to his book. Tazuna is drinking. Sasuke and Sakura focus on their surroundings. Naruto on the other hand…

Let's see here. Quests! With that, the scroll appeared again.

Quests

Main Quests:

- Guide the bridgebuilder back to the land of waves

Rewards upon completion:

Gain One Level

50,000 Yen

Choice of

5 Exploding Kunai

25 meters of Ninja Wire

20 Shuriken [+1]

Side Quests:

- Convince Kakashi to teach Team-7

Rewards upon completion

New Skill or Jutsu depending on the path taken

Improved relationship and teamworking skill with Team-7

- Explore konohagakure Locations pinned on Map

Rewards upon discovery are unknown

Locations pinned:

Ninja Weapon / Clothing Shop

Village Library

The Leaf Arena

Yamanaka Flower Shop

Clan compounds of the Aburame, Akimichi, Hyuga, Inuzuka, Nara, Yamanaka

Naruto's attention was stuck on the Shuriken [+1] as one of his potential rewards. He had no idea what the +1 entailed, but he did know that currently, the Shuriken he held in his inventory did not have a +1 attached. He also wondered about the side quests. New skills and jutsu were always tempting. But, the rewards unknown for exploring the village definitely piqued Naruto's interest. He closed this menu before calling up another.

Inventory

The inventory menu was unique in the sense that it didn't just list items. Instead, it was split into three sections. One section shows Naruto what gear he currently had equipped for. This section had one slot for clothing, one slot for holsters, and two slots for trinkets. Naruto had no clue what trinkets were, but he could've sworn to see that word described in the help menu earlier. Currently, his clothing slot was filled with his orange jumpsuit. Speaking of the orange jumpsuit…

Orange Jumpsuit:

+2 to physical defense

-10 to stealth

Unique: gives the user three additional active item slots

Naruto frowned at reading these stats. Jeez, minus ten to stealth… cmon it's not THAT bad.

One section shows usable items. Usually, this section would only have five slots, but due to the orange jumpsuit, Naruto wore he had access to eight. In these slots, Naruto holds plenty of kunai and plenty of shuriken, two fuuma shuriken, three paper bombs, and two smoke bombs. The last section displays items that take time to put into an active inventory slot. This section displayed plenty of items, ranging from his ramen at home to a small notebook in which the boy could write down notes and goals. Along with the notebook for regular notes there was a tablet inscribed "Spellbook" with the description of the item saying it contained information on what abilities and talents Naruto had already acquired, as well as abilities and talents Naruto could acquire. Naruto figured there was no more perfect time to review this book than the present. He summoned it to his active inventory, an action which took only a minute.

Wow, that was fast! Naruto mentally remarked as he saw the icon from his inactive inventory move into his active inventory. He then felt a small weight gain in his backpack. With that, he swung the back around and pulled out the book. A grind formed on his face as he pulled out his book and began to skim through the pages.

Sakura glanced over, her eyes catching Naruto with a book. "Hey Naruto, what's that in your hand?" she wondered as she began to read the title.

Naruto gulped. Oh wait that's right. This thing shouldn't exist! I didn't think she could see this… Thinking on the fly Naruto shot her with "Oh, just some book I found in the library. It was in the 'highly recommended' section." Sakura looked shocked. This Naruto seemed so different from the one she was used to.

"Oh that's cool," She said as she read the title, "Icha Icha Paradise? What is that about?" Naruto laughed, completely oblivious to what his teammate thought he was reading.

"Oh you know, just some really awesome fantasy novel. I really wanna be like the guy in here," Naruto said, completely bluffing.

Kakashi turned, an excited look in his eyes, "oh you're also reading the Icha Icha series? You know, it's my favorite," he said with a goofy expression written across his face. His mind is clearly somewhere else. Sakura snatched the book out of Naruto's hands and began to read the book. The more she reads the more her face turns and becomes the same shade as her hair.

"I, I think I'm okay. I don't need to read more," her face contorted into genuine shock and her thoughts raced. I didn't even know that kind of stuff happened like that. Jeez, guess Naruto really didn't change at all.

All the while a small cackling could be heard within Naruto's mindscape.

Naruto was entranced in his little spellbook. The first few pages showed him his learned jutsu abilities. Shadow Clone, Multi Shadow Clone, Henge, Substitution, Harem. Nothing too crazy. It also states which talents he currently has. Something was written regarding his convincing 'talk-no-jutsu', his abilities with thrown weapons, and his abilities regarding steath. Each page showed a bunch of different talents and abilities which he could learn. Unfortunately for Naruto, all of them were locked behind talent points, stat levels, or prior ability unlocks. Specifically chakra abilities. It was apparent to Naruto that his previously learned ability to stick to objects with his feet was gone.

You have got to be kidding me, he thought frustratedly. Of course, I lost that ability. I did learn it during the mission right before I died. Guess I gotta relearn it.

Naruto and Kakashi, both lost in their own worlds, didn't notice the two ninjas jump out of a nearby puddle. These two ninjas, Gozu and Mezu, with bands adorning the symbol of Kirigakure, and metal chains sharp enough to rip Kakashi into ribbons. He did not stand a chance. After his execution, the brothers rush the bridge builder. Sakura assumes a defensive stance, kunai in hand. Even with her steadfast movements, her resolve could easily be seen as weary. Her knees shook with increasing intensity.

Naruto blanked. He was so absorbed in his book that he completely forgot about this. KAMI, this again! I have a chance to actually show up Sasuke. With that thought finished he jumped in the air, flying towards the two chunin.

"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu" he yelled, and with a big flush of smoke multi copies of himself arrived. The clones charged into battle, however, the brothers easily cut through them. By utilizing their linked chain the two split across the battlefield and literally mowed the clones down. Smoke filled the clearing momentarily. Just enough time for Sasuke to make his move.

He threw a kunai into the center of the chain, causing the chain to be pinned to the ground. This cleared the smoke and gave him the perfect window to surprise attack Gozu. A swift punch to the side of the temple and he flew across the dirt road until his chain, which was still pinned to the ground at Sasuke's feet, clinched tight and caused him to stop.

Mezu, enraged at his brother's struggle, ran to attack Sasuke in revenge. Before he could make it even two steps toward the boy Kakashi appeared out of nowhere. For Kakashi, two run-of-the-mill chunin were easy to take care of, even if they did happen to be the 'Demon-Brothers'. Once apprehended and tied to a tree Kakashi turned to Tazuna, looking angrier than any of his students have ever seen him before.

"Tazuna, we need to have a little chat. You see, we were hired for a simple escort mission. Protect you from bandits, highwaymen, petty thieves, you know the simple thug type," with his eye curling into a smile and his voice laced with venom he said, "so do you mind telling me why two chunin, the Demon Brothers, thought to attack you? Do you mind telling me why you put my teammates, my comrades in danger?"

Tazuna by this point had sobered up. He looked at his feet in shame. It was at this moment he came clean about everything. The whole reason why he needed protection, and why he couldn't afford more help. Everything was explained, everything.

Kakashi let out a long sigh as his hand pinched his nose, "Well, we can't really turn back now. As for these guys…" Kakashi made a hand sign and summoned a shadow clone of his own. "Take these guys back to the village. Ensure that the Hokage is informed of this immediately." His clone nodded and began to prepare himself.

Naruto stood looking at a screen, definitely a prompt created by his new friend.

Option A: Help the bridge builder without help

Rewards:

Full Mission Payment

More individual XP

Option B: Request backup

Rewards:

No Mission Payment

Half individual XP

Talent/Jutsu Point

Possible New Skill Up

Having realized what was happening, and seeing a timer in front of him start counting down from 10, Naruto knew he needed to make a decision quickly. "Sensei, if these guys are pretty bad dudes, don't you think we should request backup?" I definitely do NOT want to die again, he thought.

Kakashi hmmed at the idea of backup, "While that is not a bad idea, and it would definitely help, the village does not run a charity Naruto. We would need to pay for that backup squad somehow."

"Then I'll make the additional payment," Naruto said immediately, to the shock of everyone around him. "Whatever it is, I don't care. You heard how dire Tazuna said the situation is. His people barely even have food to eat. We need to do everything we can to help him, and I'm willing to make that sacrifice!"

Sakura and Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, he has a point. We do need to do what's right," Sakura said. He may be the same ol' Naruto, but that Naruto sure does have a big heart.

"Look, you heard the geezer," Sasuke added, "we might've been able to handle these shmucks easily enough, but if they send ninja like you Kakashi-sensei… well I have too much to lose."

Naruto saw the menu in front of him glowing, option B now taking up the entire screen before a poof. He then saw a timer appear in the top right of his vision, showing him how long until backup arrived.

"Okay, you all make great points. I'm proud of you three, you know that. Working together the way you did, and all coming to an agreement. Now, this is what a squad should be. Alright," he turned to his clone, "make sure to also inform the Hokage to dispatch another squad. I deem this mission to be easily a B-rank, possibly A-rank territory." The clone nodded, and with that, set off in the distance.

AN: I wanted to go more in-depth on the abilities here but I also want to make sure the story progresses and chapters do not drag on. Please, let me know if the chapters have felt like they've dragged on. Also, let me know your thoughts on this chapter. If you like the story you know what to do, F and F of course!

PS: Since you've made it this far, how about you answer the question of the day?

Who do you think the 'backup' is going to be and why?