Hello and welcome back to another chapter! I hope you all are staying safe as always!
Yes, I know what I said last time about not updating this until I did something else but apparently I have no self-control so sue me! (Don't actually sue me I am broke.) Anyway, This chapter is more set up than anything but sometimes that's just how it goes and I think looking at the meat of the chapter you guys can envision a lot of future possibilities for what we can do. I struggled a lot trying to decide on how I wanted to write this so I hope it comes across well and it was the version I was most content with. As usual, I talk about a lot of my decision making at the end and I also addressed some of the more common questions you've all been asking so hopefully that helps clear up stuff.
Now, enough rambling from me. Please enjoy the chapter and I hope you all are as excited for the future as I am!
...
"Target has been captured… again."
Natsumi pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance as she watched her teammate struggle to keep his grip on the furiously flailing feline that was their target. "Tora-chan", the famous or rather infamous pet cat of one Madam Shijimi or as she was more commonly known, the Daimyo's wife. The creature was not exactly fond of her master for various reasons and as such had a nasty habit of not only running off but also being a rather large thorn in the side of all freshly minted genin who were tasked with retrieving her. She was starting to notice, however, that more often than not it was their squad that was assigned to capture the little devil and it was beginning to wear on her nerves, twice in one day was more than enough but three times in an afternoon was ridiculous.
Clicking her teeth she easily seized the feisty cat by the scruff of her neck, holding her like a newborn kitten and bringing it to her face, the struggling pet suddenly falling still as irate cerulean orbs bored deeply into her own beady black eyes and a rather dense air of dread quickly enveloped the clearing like a suffocating miasma.
"Tora-san, I believe you had enough fun for one day it is time to go home, now." Her words were almost glacial in their delivery sending visible chills down Tora's spine and all through her tail, her body falling limp as if resigning itself to its fate. She was familiar with this human and she knew that nothing her master could do would compare to the nightmares she would face at the hands of the little blond girl holding her at the moment.
"M-Meow…" Tora mewled weakly in surrender.
"I'll take that as compliance." Natsumi nodded and adjusted her hold of the cat to something a bit less degrading, securing her gently within her arms while brushing her finger softly behind her twitching ears. Despite the feline's earlier fear, she smiled happily at the soft purr that escaped its throat under her ministrations. She did admit to having a small soft spot for animals, they could be as behaviorally complex and unique as any individual yet their simplistic way of thinking often made them far more rational in her opinion. That said, she wasn't going to spend the rest of the day chasing down a fretting housecat.
"How come she doesn't bite the hell out of you but she uses me like some kind of scratching post?" Kiba scowled as he saddled up to them, his glare directed firmly towards the purring pest pressed happily against her chest. His face was covered in bright red scratch marks and she could see some indents where Tora's teeth had punctured his skin, for such a small creature she sure put up an admirable amount of fight.
"I'd wager she simply knows better." Natsumi preened rubbing the back of Tora's neck with a slight smirk, a clear hint of amusement at his plight present within her voice. "Perhaps if you didn't charge ahead like a rabid dog you wouldn't end up under her claws." She pointed out taking a small shot at his habit of leaping before he looked, something she'd been working to correct during their training.
"Yeah yeah whatever, next time you can catch her then if you're so damn good at it." He huffed far too occupied with the burning sensation in his face and hands to bother arguing with her. "Could you heal these up already?"
"And allow you to grow reliant on my aid? I think not, besides I thought the Inuzuka enjoyed showing off their war wounds?" She shook her head and began to make her way out of the clearing leaving him to his suffering. "I'd think a few scars from your clan's mortal enemy would be something worth taking pride in." She mocked, clearly referencing the well-known animosity between cats and dogs and none too subtlety hinting that he learned a bit too hard into his canine roots.
"I'm not a dog damn it!" He shouted.
"Could have fooled me" She snorted. "Now hurry up Hinata-san and Kurenai-sensei are waiting for us." She chimed, they had other missions to run today after all and they were wasting daylight.
"I hate you, I hope you know that." He growled childishly while running after her knowing full well she'd leave him behind if he let her.
"Your hatred has been received and noted down to be reviewed at a later date, you can expect me to care at some point within the next fifty years or so." She drawled sarcastically.
"Arf arf!" Akamaru peeked out of his master's hood with a wide grin stretched upon his snout.
"No, she did not win the argument!" Kiba hissed turning his eyes towards his snickering partner.
"Grrr… arf!" Akamaru seemed to rebut that statement but sadly for her, she did not speak canine, though judging by the redness on Kiba's face his comments must have been less than flattering.
"Whose side are you on here?!"
"The winning side clearly." She supplied, unable to help herself having to fight down the urge to openly laugh at the groan of utter loathing that left his throat. Honestly, he was goaded far too easily for a shinobi but at least it provided her with ample amusement.
"Shut up! No one won anything!" He argued.
"Sure, whatever you say Kiba-san."
…
"Well done Team Eight, I'm sure Madam Shijimi is more than pleased to have her beloved companion returned to her… again." The Third offered them some light praise and a gentle smile towards the trio of genin before turning his attention to their squad leader. "The day is still young, will you be taking on another mission? I do believe the Kichi family are looking for a few babysitters." He mentioned, gaze wandering over the many piles of D-rank assignments just waiting to be completed and somehow missing the looks of tense horror that settled over the assembled genin.
For her part, Kurenai didn't even need to look at her team to know that they'd rather chase Tora for hours on end before they'd willingly babysit a few brats. Of the three only Hinata truly had the disposition to deal with children and even then she didn't have the confidence needed to assert herself over the more rebellious ones. Kiba was content to let them do whatever they wanted as long as they were screaming in his ear or dragging his partner by the tail which wasn't exactly ideal in a sitter either.
And as for Natsumi…
"Why would you drug the baby?!"
"He wouldn't stop screaming and he threw up on my shirt." Natsumi's voice held no remorse for her actions and her features were schooled into an unreadable blank mask, however, there was a clear shine of vindictive glee that shone brightly in her eyes at her handiwork that proved she was less than remorseful about her actions. "He is now sedate and content which honestly is far better than he deserves so I fail to see what the problem is."
...
Kurenai had rarely been at a loss for words in her life but right now she couldn't even begin to find the right words to express her inner thoughts at the sheer outlandishness of the situation. The leap in logic that somehow led to the end result of a two-year-old lying face down on the floor blinking at nothing in particular haunting her.
"Just… just don't mention this to anyone, ever." she sighed, she needed a drink and she needed it now.
"Of course sensei, my lips are sealed."
Needless to say, she made sure that they never took babysitting jobs again.
Dismissing those thoughts with a short cough into her hand, Kurenai shook her head and addressed the aged Kage.
"Actually sir if I may, I would like to request a C-rank mission for my team if possible." She said suddenly, her words catching both her team and the Third off guard having not expected such an abrupt request and for a moment an uncomfortable silence fell over the room as the occupants digested the appeal.
To his credit, the Third recovered fairly quickly and hid any further expression behind a short puff of his pipe. "That is certainly a fair request… but I must ask if you are sure that is what you want?" His voice was level but there was a measure of presence behind each word that made clear how serious he was. "Your team has been in operation for less than two full months, most would wait a little longer before seeking out higher-level missions." He noted mentally recalling that neither Kakashi nor Asuma's teams had moved past D-ranks and it didn't appear as if they'd be doing so any time soon.
Kurenai bowed her head in respect. "I understand that it may seem a bit forward of me but I believe my students are ready for something a bit more challenging" She spared them a quick side glance and flashed them a look of confidence before turning her attention back to her commander. "Their teamwork is more than up to par and individually they are all perfectly capable of handling themselves. I believe what they need most right now is experience, something they can't get from pulling weeds all day." She explained making her case as to why she thought this was the right move.
The Third hummed quietly to himself in consideration of her words. The Inuzuka heir, the Hyuga clan heiress, and of course the prodigal jinchuriki. A solid team led by one of his newest but clearly capable jonin, Kurenai wasn't known to rush into things unless she was confident there was a reasonable chance of success which lent a fair bit of credence that truly believed her team was ready.
If she thought they could handle it then it seemed only fair to give them a chance to prove themselves.
"Very well, a leader must have faith in their subordinates and clearly you trust in your students." The Third nodded his approval. "I do have a mission lined up that I think will be more than suitable for your needs if you are up for it that is." He said filtering through the piles of scrolls set up across the mission desk before grabbing the one he was looking for and tossing it over to the raven-haired jonin.
Kurenai took a moment to look over the mission details and couldn't help but raise a brow in surprise before nodding and rolling the document back up. "This is more than I was expecting but I can't deny it'll be a good experience for them, we'll take it." She said.
"Excellent, I will send someone to fetch the client and in the meantime, you can brief your team on the details downstairs." He replied quietly motioning to one of his aids to begin making the proper preparations.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama." She nodded appreciatively then turned to her team. "Follow me."
…
"I can't believe we're getting our first C-rank!" Kiba practically howled in anticipation the moment they were out of earshot of the mission hall, his face nearly split in two by the wild grin that had settled upon it. "Sensei you are the best!" He cheered, pumping a fist in excitement.
Hinata giggled softly at his enthusiasm and pressed her fingers together in a mixture of happiness as well as slight anxiety. "T-Thank you for believing in u-us sensei." She stuttered, inwardly pleased that the ruby-eyed jonin had felt confident enough to request a better mission for them, even if she wasn't fully sure she was ready for such a thing she still trusted the ruby-eyed woman's judgment.
Kurenai gave a soft smile and placed a reassuring hand upon Hinata's shoulder, her way of letting the girl know that she believed she was ready. "You three earned it on your own, I wouldn't have requested the mission if I didn't think you could handle it but you've been working so hard and you've made good progress as a team. If you want to thank anyone then you'd best thank yourselves."
Natsumi hummed her own approval, happy to see that their efforts were being recognized but ever the pragmatic soul her attention swiftly returned to the source of their celebration.
"Sensei, are you going to tell us about the mission now?" She asked, her natural curiosity and childish excitement flaring up a bit as she quietly began to imagine just what sort of task they'd been given. Hopefully, it was something that would get them out of the village for a time.
"Of course," Kurenai nodded and pulled out the scroll containing the details of their assignment and unfurled it. "Now to be clear this mission isn't anything too fancy so don't go getting your hopes up..." She wanted and as she said that she shot a pointed look towards Kiba who had the decency to rub his arm rather sheepishly at being figured out so quickly. "That being said, you three definitely lucked out for your first real assignment since this job is going to take us farther than I would have expected." She paused for a moment and they all leaned in to hear just where they would be headed. "To keep it brief, I hope you all like the heat because this assignment is taking us all the way out to Sunagakure." She revealed and the sound of a pin dropping could be heard over the rush of disbelieving silence.
They were going where?!
"The Hidden Sand Village…" Natsumi could hardly believe it, to think that her first real assignment outside the bounds of the village would be to a completely different village and not just any random shanty town but one of the five major ones! Naturally, she was familiar with Sunagakure from her studies and knew that it was the only major village they were currently explicitly allied with which explained how they'd landed such a low ranking mission to travel there in the first place. Other than that though, she knew scarcely little about it as a whole, just that the people there were known for being particularly hardy given the less than inviting conditions they resided in.
She couldn't have asked for a better mission honestly, there was so much for her to learn!
"Our task will be to escort our client to the village and guard him until his business there is complete," Kurenai continued her explanation after giving them a few moments to digest the news. "Once he is ready we are to escort him back here whereupon we'll have completed our mission successfully." She finished, briefly summarizing their task and they all had to agree that on paper the mission wasn't anything too grand. "This job is expected to last about a week and a half or so with travel time being factored in. Normally I'd tell you to pack extra carefully since we'll be out for so long but given that we'll be spending a few days in the Sand Village we can afford to pack a bit lighter as we'll be able to purchase more supplies as needed." She surmised and they nodded.
That made sense, they wouldn't be roughing it in the wilds for the entire time so no need to bog themselves down. Still, she'd make sure to pack appropriately for travel through the desert, you never knew what could go wrong and the idea of burning up out in the sands wasn't exactly an appealing prospect.
"Do keep in mind that this is Suna we are talking about, saying it's going to be hot is an understatement so remember that as you make your preparations." She sent them all a serious look that spoke volumes on just how bad it could be out there. "Hinata, Kiba I know you two are partial to wearing jackets but you are going to need some lighter clothing if you don't want to overheat." She said and the pair nodded in understanding already making mental note to switch up their wardrobes.
"When will we be setting out?" Natsumi asked wondering what the time table was for this assignment.
"The details say we'll be leaving in two days from now, the client supposedly has something to take care of here before we head out so that gives you three an extra day to prepare if need be." She answered. "We'll definitely be sleeping on the road at some point so make sure to grab a tent to camp in for the nights, when we get to the village I'll handle the lodging costs so you don't need to worry about money too much unless you'd like to pick up some souvenirs."
A knock at the door to the waiting room interrupted any further conversation and their attention was shifted towards the entrance where they saw a man, who they could only assume to be their client, making his entrance.
He was a rather tall individual, standing well above Kurenai in height at around five foot ten. He was clearly a traveler judging by his rugged appearance as well, tanned skin turned almost bronze from hours spent under the sun and a hearty build that spoke of years of physical activity made it clear that this was a man used to being on the move. His clothing seemed equally as worn as he was, a plain brown v-neck shirt with short sleeves, matching pants, and a pair of sturdy sandals for traveling. Feature-wise he was nothing remarkable either, Short, messy black hair and equally dark eyes that danced around the room taking in everything around him. A youthful but clearing aging face that hinted towards him being in his late twenties perhaps early thirties.
Nothing truly special or unique, but then again most clients weren't anything to write home about.
"Hello? Are you the ninja I hired?" He asked, his voice was gruff but polite.
"Are you Kenji Takahiro?' Kurenai questioned and seeing him nod she smiled. "Then yes, my team and I will be the ones accompanying you on your trip." She said, confirming his suspicions and extending a hand in greeting which he took happily.
"I see, thank you for taking on my request. I appreciate it." He said graciously. "As you know my name is Kenji Takahiro, you may call me Kenji or Takahiro whichever you prefer." He then gestured their way hinting that he was waiting for them to introduce themselves next.
"It is a pleasure to meet you Takahiro-san, my name is Kurenai Yuhi and there three here are my squad." She introduced politely and prompted her charges to step forward and make their own introductions.
Hinata stepped forward first and bowed her head towards the man in respect."H-Hello, my name is Hinata H-Hyuga." She greeted him respectfully. "It i-is nice to meet you." She finished demurely and Kenji nodded, taking her hand in a very gentlemanly fashion prompting Hinata to squeak a bit at the unfamiliar treatment but she quickly composed herself and finished the shake before stepping back to allow the rest of her team to greet their client.
True to his nature Kiba held nothing back in his own introduction. "Nice to meet ya!" He greeted boisterously his usual fanged grin on full display "I'm Kiba and this here is my partner Akamaru." He introduced, lifting his hood up a tad to reveal the white pup resting on his head who waved and barked in his own greeting. Kenji appeared slightly taken aback at the forceful introduction but recovered well enough and the two clasped hands in a firm handshake.
Seeing as it was her turn she stepped forward and nodded her head in acknowledgment. "Good afternoon, my name is Natsumi Uzumaki, I hope we will meet your expectations." She said politely and just as he'd done with Hinata he shook her hand rather delicately, something that amused her given she could probably break his hand with a quick flex but then again civilians often didn't understand the difference in strength between themselves and even a half-trained genin.
Either way, at least he was polite so she wouldn't complain.
"It's nice to meet you all." He said with a warm smile seemingly pleased that he'd landed a friendly enough group for his travels. "I assume you've gone over the details already?" He asked and at that, they all nodded and he clapped with approval. "Great, then I won't bore you with too many details. As you know I have a little business opportunity going down in Suna and I'd rather not disappear on my way there so I'll be relying on you lot to keep me safe."
"Are you expecting trouble?" Natsumi asked curiously, it almost seemed as if he was expecting something to go wrong from the way he spoke.
"When you've been wandering the roads as long as I have you learn to always expect trouble." He answered sagely but after a small pause, he shook his head. "But to be honest no, I'm not really expecting anything more than perhaps a few roadside bandits at worst, I'd just prefer to be safe than sorry." He explained making it clear that they shouldn't expect anything too dangerous along the way.
"Don't worry, we'll make sure you make it there and back in one piece." Kurenai assured.
"I'll hold you to it, Is there anything else you need to know about the job?" He asked.
"I believe we have everything we need for the moment." She replied, turned her attention to her students. "You three are dismissed for the rest of the day, we won't meet again until we're set to leave so make sure to use that time wisely. We'll set off from the main gate at seven sharp so don't be late." She clarified, giving them their final instructions before dismissing them to prepare.
Needless to say, they were quick to be on their way. Let it never be said the prospect of a new adventure wasn't a good motivator.
…
Her first stop upon leaving the mission office had been a straight shot to the library. Since she knew that she had all of tomorrow to prepare her things, she decided that it would be a good idea to do some extra research into her coming destination beforehand to avoid any culture shock and to get a general layout of the area just in case. Thankfully, there was plenty of material on the subject and it hadn't even taken her more than a couple of minutes to amass a sizable collection of knowledge to skim through ranging from the region's history, important landmarks, and some of the common dangers they might encounter.
Taking a look at its past, Sunagakure had apparently been founded sometime after the Warring States Period, a little while after the Shodai himself had founded Konoha. The Shodai Kazekage, a man by the name of Reto, had managed to rally the nations wandering shinobi through displays of power and the promise of a stable home to provide safety, this coalition would eventually grow sizable enough to form the Sunagakure that existed in her time. However, it appeared that fate was not always kind to the people of the sands, and at some point, Reto was assassinated. Unfortunately, there was little information available on the circumstances surrounding the incident which was more than a bit disappointing.
Looking into the reign of the Second Kazekage her interest was piqued as she discovered that he appeared to be a researcher at heart, though that wasn't to say he was not a firm military leader as well. Under his rule Suna had shifted its focus almost entirely towards improving its military might by artificially inflating its fighting forces, he did this by drilling down into one of Suna's most prized and well-known practices, the art of puppetry. Their shinobi possessed a talent for using life-size puppets in combat, a fighting style marked by trickery and deception that many unsuspecting shinobi had fallen prey to despite how seemingly unconventional a method of engagement it was due to underestimating the utility of such tools. The hope had been to minimize the loss of life by using these puppets to engage enemies and seeing as the practice had survived into the modern-day, she supposed it had to have been somewhat successful in its task.
In an interesting note Shamon, the Second's true name, had also been assassinated and it was this act that birthed a building superstition that claimed the lineage of Kazekage to be cursed.
From there the village had not been particularly active on the world stage, at least not any more than most of the major nations were. Small skirmishes and some territorial disputes sure but overall nothing of major note up until the Third Shinobi World War and even then it was less about what they did and more about what occurred during that time. The Third Kazekage's reign was short but even so, he was considered to be the strongest kage the village had ever seen and he'd achieved this by mastering an ability known as "Satetsu" or "Iron Sand". A skill that had granted him the ability to manipulate fine iron powder like grains of sand that he could then shape and bend at will, a prospect she found utterly fascinating in its application.
The possibilities were endless with enough control, clouds of iron powder that could enter an enemy's lungs and then be called upon to tear them apart from the inside, weapons of all shapes and sizes, shields, or even entire functioning structures! The versatility alone was awe-inspiring and she couldn't help but imagine what she could do if she herself possessed such an ability.
Realizing she was getting off track, she quickly read the rest of the entry on the third which honestly wasn't much. He had apparently been a rather private individual and so information on him was scarce, so much so that she hadn't even been able to find so much as a name.
Deciding that she'd looked into more than enough of the village's history she moved her attention towards general information that might aid her and found some small tidbits of information she could use.
The vast desert that surrounded the village was apparently home to many different types of poisons plans and venomous creatures that would make a fine addition to her arsenal if she could just get a hold of them. She'd have to see about getting a pass to explore on her off time as she couldn't let a chance like this just slip through her fingers. The rest of the information she had gathered was sadly less interesting though no less helpful, advice for traveling through the desert and warding off the less than welcoming wildlife that skulked across the sands were useful but not all that engaging to read about and so she settled for withdrawing just two books on the local plants and endemic life for good measure before heading out to further prepare.
By the time she'd left the confines of the library the sun had nearly set, she really needed to be more mindful of the time in the future.
"Yo, Natsumi!"
She paused mid-step at the sound of her name being called, the number of people who would think to call to her so casually flashing through her mind for a moment before a match clicked and a small smirk climbed its way onto her face and she turned.
"Nara-san," She slowed her pace to a crawl allowing him to catch up with her, it appeared as if he was on his own at the moment as she could not either Ino or Choji accompanying him. "I did not expect to run into you this evening, what are you doing out so late?" She asked.
"I'm out with my pops to run some errands." He explained with a shrug. "What are you doing here?" His eyes fell to the books clutched in her arms. "Were you at the library again?" He questioned knowing that she spent much of her free time reading when she could.
"I was, I needed some information for an upcoming mission and I just happened to lose track of time." She admitted and he raised a brow in curiosity, what kind of mission could she possibly need to do research for?
Seeing his confusion she clarified her meaning. "We have just received our first C-rank mission, we set out in a few days and I thought it prudent to have a better understanding of what to expect while we are away." She said, a small amount of pride leaking into her voice as she caught sight of the ways his eyes widened in surprise.
"A C-rank mission already?" He shook his head in exasperation. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised, this is you we're talking about." He sighed. "If anyone was going to be first it would be your group."
"I'll take that as a compliment." She chuckled idly noting that the two had begun walking aimlessly since the start of their conversation and she was now farther away from her home than she'd intended but she supposed it couldn't be helped. "Speaking of teams, how are things with yours?" She inquired.
"Troublesome." The word left his mouth like it had been sitting there just waiting to come out and she couldn't stop herself from clicking her teeth at the typical Nara response. She swore that word made up half of his vocabulary.
"Be specific, troublesome isn't a valid answer."
"Ugh, they're alright I guess." He conceded, throwing his arms up over his head. "Choji and I get along just fine like we always have and Ino is still as bossy as ever so it's not like much has changed since the Academy. Our sensei isn't a hardass which is nice but he can be kind of a pain when he wants to be so it's a mixed bag." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Overall it could be worse so I can't really complain."
"How could it be worse?" His team seemed to fit him perfectly by the way he described it.
He shot her an amused glance. "I could have been stuck with you." He pointed out and she scoffed in annoyance at having walked into such an obvious setup. She should have guessed he'd say something like that.
"Keep digging that hole of yours Nara-san, I'll be happy to bury you in it one day." She warned a strange mixture of playfulness yet deadly seriousness in her voice that left him chuckling rather nervously, a small bead of sweat rolling down his neck as he remembered just who he was talking to.
"That was a joke, I was kidding!"
She didn't say anything for a while, content to let him sweat a bit before finally allowing a small laugh to bubble out from her chest assuring him that she had no plans of ditching him a shallow grave somewhere.
At least he hoped that was the case…
The two spent a bit longer enjoying casual conversation before she acknowledged that she needed to get home before it got too late. She had to admit that this unexpected outing was rather enjoyable, perhaps there was something to be said for entertaining the company of others outside more often. She would resolve to try such a thing with her team at some point. Bidding him farewell she began the walk home.
…
"I thought you said girls were troublesome?"
Shikamaru jumped as the amused voice of his father spoke out suddenly by his side, the elder Nara looking down at his son with something akin to surprise and mirth. It had taken him by surprise to see Shikamaru leave his side out of the blue but he hadn't thought much of it until twenty minutes had passed and he hadn't returned. Deciding that facing his wife without their son wasn't worth the trouble, he'd gone looking for him only to find him accompanying none other than the village pariah on an aimless walk through the market.
He had nothing against the girl to be clear but he'd also never steered Shikamaru towards her either. He did remember that Shikamaru had mentioned her a few times in passing but he'd not taken them for close friends by any means, however, it seemed as if they were much closer than he'd initially thought.
"Don't do that," Shikamaru scowled at his father placing a hand over his chest. "And she is troublesome but she's not as bad as most women." He corrected turning to face his father who let out a short laugh at his son's roundabout way of saying she wasn't awful.
"If you say so," Shikaku chuckled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Now come on, we're late because of you and I'm not getting chewed out by your mother alone."
The pair shuddered and with twin sighs of resignation, began the long walk home to the lecture they were both surely going to receive.
AN. Chapter Complete!
A filthy liar I am! I said I wouldn't work on the next chapter until I updated something else and yet here I stand upon the 9th chapter of this story… I'm a terrible person! Oh well, what's done is done and so here you go, you can all crucify me later but I hope you enjoyed this regardless! Anywho, there's a lot here to let's touch on some of it.
Obviously Suna is home to some very unique individuals and we'll see that hopefully, I hope you are all excited to see that for yourselves.
So let's handle questions next! These are a mix of chapter-specific questions as well as general story questions you have asked me.
#1.) Why didn't I choose Wave for the C-rank mission?
I had debated doing this before scrapping that idea. You guys have clearly shown a preference for all new events over just repeating old events with some minor changes and so I figured it would be better to try and make something new and possibly fail, then do something we've all seen before and bore people. I think the setting of the new mission has just as much potential while still being familiar enough that I don't have to do chapters upon chapters of set up.
Now does that mean Team Eight will never visit Wave? Not necessarily, they could very well still end up there for one reason or another but if they do I would want that to come after a more original story event so that it feels more balanced out.
#2) "How does Natsumi not know about the Uzumaki clan even with all the reading she does?"
I think I've made it pretty obvious that information within the hidden villages is subject to change, manipulation, tampering, and even removal if the right parties wish it. We see that Natsumi can't access certain bits of knowledge until she meets criteria set by the village which naturally implies that certain information could very well have been moved to higher levels of clearance. We also see that information can be changed and removed as we saw with Natsumi's discovery of Orochimaru and how she notes that information looked like it was messed with and the details torn out.
In the academy it takes one slip of paper with the right seal of approval on it to say "Don't talk about the Uzumaki clan or bring up the First Hokage's wife, new textbooks will be provided for shortly." Which adds to the problem. Another point to consider is that shinobi by and large do not live for long which means that information can die and be lost and given that Natsumi isn't exactly popular even those that might know of the Uzumaki are unlikely to tell her about them, at least people within the village.
#3) In keeping with the whole Uzumaki line of questions, Chakra Chains? Will she get them?
I've avoided answering this question even though it shows up every chapter and I will continue to avoid it beyond this one time because my answer is this. Isn't the reason why you are reading this fic to discover what path Natsumi takes and how she gets there? If so then you shouldn't want the answer to this question and as such you shall not get one!
Read and find out lol that is the point of reading!
Anyway, that's all from me for this, apologies for the delay. I do want to say for other readers wondering what's going on with my other fics I will be releasing updates (not chapters) explaining what's going on with them so you can look out for those soon. As for this fic, let me know what you thought of the chapter! Are you excited to visit Suna? Who do you want to see interact most? Are there any other potential storylines you'd like to see play out while we're there? Let me know in the reviews or PM me!
As always take care and I'll see you next time!