Kakashi looked on as Lady Shijimi, a buxom lady, smooshed Tiger, an equally overweight cat, to her face and bosom, cooing sweet names in a high-pitched grating voice. Tiger was the mission, a light brown feline with a red bow over its right ear. He watched his new young students he'd met only a mere month ago, the three of them graduated from the most recent class from the village academy; Sasuke was the last remaining member of the renowned and proud Uchiha clan, solemnly withdrawn and distant, he seemed to only tolerate the others with the rigid slump of his shoulder and a quick glare. Sakura, a young pretty girl with hair the color of her namesake impeccably kept, a clever and thoughtful girl who would surpass her peers if only she could stop chasing around the cool kid, specifically Sasuke. And finally, Naruto.
Kakashi let out a sigh as he looked at the yellow haired shinobi in his bright orange jumpsuit. Despite being a loudmouth with something to prove, there was something about him that grew on you like a fungus. He was reckless and had less wits than two ryo combined, but he worked exceptionally harder than any other of his teammates. Team seven, his newly assigned team, certainly consisted of some interesting personalities.
Naruto and Sakura looking pityingly at the feline they'd be assigned to retrieve, Naruto's lower lip turned down in a petulant pout, a counterpart to Sakura's wide emerald eyes trained on the animal. Tiger had fought tooth and nail to prevent his return, Naruto's face clawed up to show proof of the fight. Kakashi personally didn't blame the poor cat for running away, as it's petrified face disappeared into the voluptuous over powdered skin of its owner.
Behind their client, a bank of tables sat a few administrative shinobi and the Lord Hokage himself, his pipe smoldering. Lady Shijimi pressed her coins into one of their hands and took her beloved pet home. The Lord Hokage pulled another paper from his stack in front of him.
"Now, the next assignment for Kakashi's team seven will be…" he looked at the paper. "Hmmm… to babysit for the council of elders… to run errands to the neighboring village… to help dig sweet potatoes…"
"NO WAY! NO THANK YOU -! BORRRRING! GIVE US SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO DO. SOMETHING IMPORTANT! SOMETHING AMAZING!"
The owner of this obnoxious voice was, as Kakashi predicted with shame and embarrassment slithering up his back, to Naruto. He was a loudmouth brat who talked only about his love of all kinds of ramen and his lofty goal to be the next Hokage. While Naruto may have been the only one who had verbalized his displeasure, Sasuke, his quieter and moodier companion, agreed with him, not that he'd admit to agreeing with Naruto out loud. The kunoichi of the group, Sakura held her hand strictly controlled so she didn't physically smack some sense into Naruto's indignant face. Kakashi resisted the urge to rub his head in frustration, it had been a long month. Iruka, a teacher at the academy, in seeing his old pupil being disrespectful to his elders couldn't help but leap from his chair.
"Don't be a fool! You're only a beginner! Everyone starts doing grunt work. It's where you get experience so you can work your way up to the bigger things!"
"We've done tons of small stuff. Can't we get some action?!"
Kakashi stepped up and rapped Naruto on his blonde head.
"Naruto, that's enough. Knock it off!"
The Hokage looked upon the group and simply saw a boy trying to prove himself, it had been a long time since he'd graduated from the Academy all those years ago, but he remembered what it was like, twelve years old and not interested in the politics, just the action.
"Apparently, Naruto needs an explanation of just what these duties are. You see, every day our village receives many requests for everything from babysitters to assassinations. We take that tremendous variety and sort them into categories from A to D based on the degree of skill they require. We have also divided the shinobi into classes based on the level of their skills. You three," he gestured at the three of them with his smoldering pipe. "You are genin, before you were cadets at the Academy. Iruka is a chunin, Kakashi, a jonin, and I am the Hokage. After we of the upper echelon have sorted all the requests, we distribute them to those of the level of ability deemed most appropriate. And if the ninja in question completes those duties successfully then the grateful person, he or she has helped pays a fee. Thus far, the three of you have only just attained the lowest rank… Level D tasks are the best you could aspire to."
The Hokage looked up after concluding his lecture, only to see Naruto slumped on the ground, muttering to himself. He caught the word 'ramen' and 'miso' in his mumblings. His good humour quickly vanished in indignation.
"Are you even listening?!"
Kakashi rubbed the back of his head.
"I am sorry, Lord Hokage."
"I don't want to hear it! All the old fart ever does is apologize and then give me a lecture. But it's not fair! There's more to me than the trouble making screwup the old man thinks I am!"
Naruto folded his arms and audibly pouted. Kakashi lamented on the trouble he was going to be in later for Naruto's indiscretion.
"Very well," Curiously to any who noticed, both Iruka and the Hokage smiled to themselves. "Since you put it that way. I will permit you to attempt a C grade task – usually reserved for shinobi at the chunin level, the protection of a certain individual."
Naruto bounded to his feet, fists clenched in excitement.
"All right! WHO IS IT? SOME GREAT LORD? THE DAIMYO!? A PRINCESS!?"
The old man chuckled
"Compose yourself, Naruto. I'll perform the introductions straightaway. Please invite him in."
The door opened, and the first thing to hit their noses was the pungent odour of cheap sake. The man that appeared after the stench was a grizzled old man with unkept hair and a bulging ratty bag on his back. He leaned against the sliding door frame, a rope tied across his forehead, his skin bronzed from years of labour under the hot sun. He let out a loud belch before addressing the room.
"What's going on here? They look like a bunch of wet nosed brats." He eyed team seven and landed on Naruto. "Especially the shrimp. He's got the face of an imbecile. It's a joke, right? You kids aren't ninja, are you?"
Naruto looked at his comrades with a grin.
"Ha ha! Who'd you mean? Which shrimp? Which imbeci…" Naruto realized he was the shortest member present. At the realization, he lunged towards the old man. "I'LL KILL HIM!"
Kakashi grabbed the collar of his jacket.
"Wrong. No killing the old man you've been assigned to protect."
"I am Tazuna, a bridge builder of ultimate renown. Until I am safely back in my own country, where I'll be completing my next bridge, you'll be expected to protect me… even if it costs you your lives!"
Kakashi looked back at Lord Hokage, he simply nodded.
"Take Ms. Imai with you."
Kakashi mentally grimaced at the impending awkwardness, but simply nodded.
"Understood."
Kakashi strolled into a field outside the gates of the hidden leaf village. He stopped to watch his student he hadn't seen in a month since their dangerous run in. Nishira, laser focused on her training, hair tied back and sweat beading on her forehead. Her chest heaved from effort as she looked upon the tree stump target in front of her that had been lobbed into jagged pieces, with nicks and gouges in surrounding trees. He spotted her ninjato sticking out of one of the discarded pieces. She looked wild and fierce, the spirit he'd seen in her was still unbroken and it robbed him of breath.
He had assigned her a thorough training regiment to continue when off mission. It wasn't the way he would have preferred it, but his orders came directly from the Lord Hokage, and who was he to disobey the leader of this village. The wild look on her face had stopped him in his tracks. A flush that stained the sharp cheeks, hair whipping around her in a softness that didn't fit the strength of her jaw and nose. Those amber eyes that took everything in, calculating, stalking you like a hunter seeking its prey.
Satisfied with her own handiwork, Nishira sat with a ragged huff in the grass, leaning back on her hands to look up at the clouded sky, mouth still open and gulping air into her lungs. Curious, Kakashi noticed a couple of pure white deer at the edge of the forest, grazing, but one watched his student curiously. Kakashi held out his hand to wave at her as he approached.
"Hey! We have a mission! Pack your bag, it's an escort mission. Meet at the gate in half an hour!"
Her eyes searched him up and down, as though afraid he wasn't real. She stood to greet him properly.
"Where are we going?"
"Land of Waves. Get going, we're leaving soon."
She simply nodded and took off. As she jogged past him, the smell of cinnamon and ivy permeated his mask.
The massive gates that lay at the mouth of the Hidden Leaf village towered over them. The two green doors were opened outward, towering over them. A small hut on the village side had two chunin that waved as people milled in and out. Nishira decidedly looked away from the rest of the team as she looked up to see a clear sky marred only by a couple of puffy clouds, her gaze scanned the tops of the trees of the forest, and back around to see the client, who simply took a generous swig of the bottle wrapped in a brown bag in his hand. She side eyed the small brooding boy with the raven-coloured hair, who took lengths to make sure his gaze wasn't detected, but when it met with hers, his dark eyes darted away. Sasuke, the raven-haired boy, physically turned away from the group. She'd heard the rumors about the destruction of his clan, at the hands of his older brother no less.
Sakura gazed in awe of her brooding teammate, if Nishira hadn't seen her around the library, she would accuse the girl of having only air between her ears. Nishira had learned Sakura did not come from a prominent shinobi family like most, they were merchants. But they used to be Shinobi, before the arrival of their pink haired child. Or they still were? Nishira wasn't sure. Either way, she hadn't heard much praise for the Haruno family, except for the smarts of their blooming daughter.
All they were missing was the one that Nishira couldn't quite get a read on. The village was just as gossipy as any other village; If you knew who to talk to, you'd know everything you could ever want and more. However, when it came to Naruto, the village spoke harshly about him as though he were the harbinger of their demise. With the stares and sneers, Nishira knew something was there, but for once, no one was willing to talk about it, only in hushed whispers. Not that she'd tried terribly hard to learn anything about Kakashi's new team, only if it came up, which for whatever reason, she found it did quite frequently with the convenience store owner at the base of her building.
It would be the first time in a few years that Nishira had left the leaf village. At least, by that she meant beyond the nearby forest for survival exercises or other training outings. She looked back the sprawling buildings in the village under the mountain with the carved faces of the great leaders of the village. Kakashi stood there in the entrance way with Sasuke, Sakura, and the client, they were just waiting for the last member of their team to arrive. By the reaction of the others, that seemed to be normal for him. As Nishira looked back at their client, and at the persons in the team, something boiled in her belly while looking at the young faces unmarred by the realities of life, still smooth and sheltered, eyes still glittering with certainty and idyllic hope. Injustice was the deep flame that burned at her heart, looking at children being given weapons and taught to kill. The term rested heavily on her still tongue; child soldiers, they were child soldiers.
"ALL RIGHT! ROAD TRIPP!"
The grating voice was the trumpet call for the arrival of the final member of the traveling party. Nishira looked at the cheeky grin the shortest member of the team gave. She pitied his enthusiasm, but at least, from her understanding, it was an escort mission with the most dangerous thing they'd encounter was bandits. She trailed behind as they began their journey into the forest.
"What are you babbling about?" Sakura shook her head at her decidedly uncool companion. In her mind Naruto was the complete opposite of the mysterious and reserved Sasuke.
"This will be the first time I've ever been outside of the village." Naruto embellished this by taking in every single sight he could see, which still only consisted of the forest.
"Am I really expected to place my life in the hands of this fool?" Tazuna looked at their sensei with a critical glare, who simply let out a sign.
"There's no call for concern. I'm an elite shinobi and I'll be along, too…"
Naruto crossed his arms with a steely glare.
"Listen, you old geezer! You don't mess with ninja, ever! Especially not a really good one, like me!"
Nishira smirked to herself, such ego. That much ego was going to get him killed, if the incessant shouting and flashy orange jumpsuit didn't.
"I am the cream of the elite. In fact, one day I'm gonna be the next Lord Hokage! So, remember my name. It's Uzumaki Naruto."
The client just took another sip from his bottle.
"Hokage eh? The Lord of your village? The best there is? I don't think someone like you has it in him."
"WELL, YOU'RE OLD AND STUPID! I am doing all the right things, and I'm doing them fast. And when I become Hokage, you're gonna wish you were a lot more respectful to me right now!"
Tazuna just eyed the puny loud-mouthed brat.
"Respect you? I don't think so. Not even if you did become Hokage."
Nishira swore she could hear the steam coming from Naruto's ears.
"YOU'RE DEAD!"
Kakashi took this opportunity to interject and grab his pest of a pupil by the white collar of his highlighter-coloured jumpsuit.
"I said no, you little dunce!"
And with that, the journey began, taking them farther and farther away from the village. As they travelled for a while in easy silence, it was broken when Sakura asked a question.
"Uh.. Mr. Tazuna…?"
"What now?"
"You come from the Land of Waves, right?"
"What of it?"
"Kakashi sensei? Are there shinobi in that country too?"
"No. Not in the Land of the Waves. But as a general rule, even with all the differences that exist in local customs and cultures… most other lands have their own hidden village where a shinobi clan resides."
Kakashi took a deep breath, this was something they should have learned at the academy. "There are five principle shinobi territories; Konohagakure: village hidden in the leaves; Kirigakure: village hidden in the mist; Kumogakure: village hidden in the clouds; Sunagakure: village hidden in the sand; Iwagakure: village hidden among the stones. For most of the countries on this continent, the shinobi villages serve as the military force. They protect their own people and handle the ongoing relations with neighboring countries! Yet, the villages do not answer to the rulers of their native countries. Instead, they are on an equal footing with the government. In the case of very small island nations where an invasion would be difficult to mount, a shinobi village is regarded as unnecessary. Among the various ninja villages, in particular those located in the lands of Konoha, Kiri, Kumo, Suna, and Iwa are large – and their strength is immense. Those are called the five great lands of shinobi. They are also the only places where the shinobi leader calls themself a kage, or shadow."
It was a brief history, there were many smaller lands, each with their own governments and ideals.
"Really? Lord Hokage is so amazing!" The shiny brightness of Sakura's voice didn't fool anyone, Nishira understood the label to be 'teacher's pet'. Kakashi's eye peered at her.
"You obviously don't think so. But there's nothing to worry about. You won't face any duels with shinobi from other clans while you're handling C level duties." Kakashi placed his hand on her head in a comforting way.
"So, I don't have to worry about encountering any foreign shinobi?"
"Of course not!" Kakashi laughed at the absurd idea.
Observed only by Sasuke was the change in Tazuna's expression. The slightest change in his eyes that guiltily flicked down to the path they travelled.
As the group continued down the winding road, Kakashi glanced at a stray puddle in the middle of the dirt road they travelled on. As they passed, he glanced around at his students, Naruto up in front hopping with boundless uncontained energy, Sakura floated between the front and the back of the traveling party, with Kakashi, Tazuna, and Nishira in the middle. Nishira side eyed Kakashi, observing the slightest change in his demeanor. His hands still firmly in his pockets and his eyes remained slightly hooded in a relaxed expression, but Nishira was aware of how his steps ever so slightly fell out of rhythm as they walked to allow himself to fall to the back of the party. Kakashi nodded barely perceptible, his right eyebrow dipping in a micro expression, a move she'd learned to recognize as a cue. Deliberate for those who knew its existence and usually used to trick a student into falling into a trap. As they kept walking, Kakashi herded Nishira with him very casually.
Their only warning of an incoming attack was a mechanical rumbling of metal clanging against itself, echoing in the divide between the walls of thick forest. A bladed chain wrapped around Kakashi and Nishira, their backpacks crushed together, the teeth of the blades sinking into their skin. Two opponents in gas masks each held one end of the deadly chain. The each ran in a half circle around the bound pair.
"One little piggy"
"Two little piggy"
And they pulled. Kakashi's eye was wide in shock and Nishira's mouth hung open in a silent scream. Blood splattered around them, dousing the rest of the team in a hot spray, as their comrades' bodies were torn apart into jagged pieces before them.
