Two updates in the same month~
Didn't think I was capable of that anymore haha, guess that's a good sign though. Anyway time to wrap this mission up with a nice little bow so I hope as always you enjoy it and I look forward to everything that comes next. I actually had a lot of fun designing a stealth mission given that Naruto is generally a bit too loud for these. I know they aren't everyone's cup of tea but a lot of you also seem to enjoy a more "traditional" shinobi mission.
Either way, won't ramble much. Enjoy the chapter!
Quiet and efficient.
"Huh? Hey, Who's there-gaaah!"
"Sleep." She ordered firmly, palms sparking to life with sporadic jolts of electricity that left her target convulsing in her grasp. He struggled only for a few precious seconds before his knees buckled and gravity proceeded to drag his unconscious frame to the ground.
Cutting the flow of chakra to her hand she rose to her feet and stepped silently over the now motionless body. Like a phantom, she emerged quietly from the shadows and into the gentle beams of moonlight shining into the room. Four guards, four bodies… and not a single one of them had been her target.
"Kenmochi-san, you are testing my patience." She scowled internally.
According to Hinata's intel, the effeminate man was supposedly alternating between patrolling the first and second floors of the tower. For that reason alone, she had taken it upon herself to deal with any potential backup to ensure his capture went as smoothly as possible.
Was it the most subtle option? Not at all, but it served its purpose.
The first level of the tower was now clear of all opposition which meant they were free to traverse this floor without fear. However, the second floor was undoubtedly going to be equally well guarded in addition to housing the man she was currently hunting.
Wonderful.
Quietly leaping back up onto the ceiling, she climbed through the same rotted hole that she'd entered through and scrambled out into the moonlight. From this vantage point, she could see nearly every major zone of interest within the encampment ranging from points of access, sleeping quarters, stockpiled supplies, weapon depots, and so on.
If push came to shove, such information would prove invaluable in a raid.
However, that was only hypothetical. For the moment, it seemed as though everything was going exactly to plan, and if they had their way they would make it out of this without a fight.
Sticking to the shadows, she silently made her way up the peeling walls and onto the roof of the second floor to chart her next course of action. Unlike before, there were no obvious entryways to sneak through on this level… she would need to find another way to survey the interior without being detected.
Her gaze turned to the remains of what looked to be the rusted frame of a once ornately decorated window, its gilded shutters now in disrepair having been ravaged by the passing of times and years of neglect. Perhaps that could serve her needs?
Sideling up the opening; she cautiously placed her eye to the opening taking care to keep as much of herself hidden as possible. The last thing she needed was to come face to face with a patrolling guard because she was being careless.
Thankfully, lady luck appeared to be on her side tonight as there were no guards positioned by the worn-down opening. Unwilling to look a gift horse in the mouth, she took the opportunity to peer inside and get a quick layout of the room while keeping an eye out for her target.
The second floor was fairly spartan as far as rooms went; she spotted some empty weapon racks off to the side, and a few barrels of supplies tucked away in the far-off corner, but beyond that, there wasn't anything of real interest here. Likey whatever valuables that might have been here having either been moved when the temple was abandoned or stolen shortly after.
In the low light, she could just barely spot the flickering shadows of figures shuffling lazily about on the opposite side of the room. She also noted that right across from her, there was one guard posted right at the stairway leading down to the first floor, a stopgap for anyone foolish enough to try and charge up the main pathway leading into the rest of the tower. It was fortunate then that she had the sense to seek alternative routes inside.
The cracked opening also allowed her to make out some sounds coming from within. Small fragments of muttered conversation managed to escape into her ears. It was nothing critical to their mission or all that interesting in truth, but by counting the shadows and referencing the number of voices, she was able to roughly estimate the number of guards, settling on at least three individuals patrolling just out of her sight.
However, was Kenmochi among them?
There was no way to tell for sure and unlike before she didn't feel confident in her ability to sneak inside undetected and pick them off one by one. She needed to either take them all out at once or lure some away without drawing too much attention…
"Let it never be said I don't enjoy a challenge." She thought quietly; reaching a hand into her tool pouch and retrieved a sealed vial containing a clear, nearly transparent fluid substance. A good kunoichi came prepared for any situation, including the right tools for any job.
Popping the cap off, she swiftly brought the vial to her lips and in a single motion poured its contents out into her mouth before quickly running through a set of hand signs.
"Ninja Art: Slumbering Mist!"
Pursing her lips, Natsumi blew out a subtle haze of soft, white-ish mist from her lips right into the cracked window, slowly but steadily filling the darkened room with an almost transparent fog. Like a cat in the night, the rolling mist slipped in mostly unnoticed since the lack of light made it difficult to spot the shift in the air as it began to envelop the unsuspecting occupants. With no way to see the danger coming, every breath they took only served to fill their lungs with the chakra-infused gas and it wasn't long before the effects of their folly began to reveal themselves.
"Three, two, one…" She counted down.
Thud!
A pleased smirk crossed her face as the sound of a dull thump akin to a sack of stones hitting the floor echoed suddenly through the thin walls, followed shortly after by another and then two more. Vaguely, she could make out slightly slurred speech emanating from within but the words were incomprehensible now.
Peering back through the edge of the window, she immediately looked towards the Tyger guard that had been standing at attention by the stairway prior. As expected, the man was out cold… His stern figure now laid slumped against a nearby support beam and weapon rested lamely at his side as he slumbered, unaware of the world around him.
Gaining confidence, she took the risk and poked her head inside to get a closer look at her handiwork.
Sprawled haphazardly across the floor were the unconscious bodies of remaining Tygers. A few of them had still yet to fully succumb to the effects of her technique, but they were barely lucid enough to recognize her presence, let alone pose any sort of threat.
Repurposing the poison fog technique had been a trivial matter. Creating a gaseous anesthetic that maintained most of its effectiveness while traveling over distance though? That had been… troublesome, to put it mildly.
Not to mention the awful aftertaste that came with using it, ugh.
Still, she was now free to investigate the second floor as she pleased and it didn't take much more than a preliminary inspection to find her target laid out among the rest of the bodies. His feminine frame seemed far more exaggerated when placed beside his more muscular companions, though it did make confirming his identity far easier than it would have been otherwise.
A single surge of chakra later and Kenmochi-san was stored safely away for transport. Assuming Hinata and Kiba had succeeded in their assignments, that left only one final target standing in the way between them and mission success.
Doto Kurosaki
She made her way back out onto the roof and up to the third level of the tower where Kurenai was already waiting for her.
"Was there any trouble?" She asked.
Natsumi shook her head. "None at all, Kenmochi-san has been neutralized, as have all the guards on the first and second floors. They won't be giving us any problems going forward." She relayed.
"Good work." Kurenai nodded then gestured to the third level. "Our 'friends' here won't be bothering us any time soon either. Unfortunately, Kurosaki-san was not among them so it is likely that he hasn't moved from his post."
"According to our intel, he should be among our easiest targets to capture." She noted. "Hinata's scans revealed that Kurosaki-san is the only guard on that level. Without backup, he will be easy pickings."
"He's not alone though, do not forget that." Kurenai reminded her. "It is likely that he is guarding what we can only presume to be the head of this gang. We should not underestimate his skill too much if he is capable of holding such a position."
"Of course." She nodded, already moving to make her way up to the final level of the tower. "Will you be assisting me with his capture?"
"Do you believe you need my help?" She questioned.
Natsumi considered it for a moment before eventually shaking her head.
"No, I feel confident that I can handle them myself." If she couldn't handle two no-name thugs on her own then she didn't deserve to wear her headband. "With no reinforcements on hand, it is unlikely that they'll escape when confronted."
Kurenai hummed in acceptance of her reasoning and nodded. "I'll leave everything to you then."
The pair silently crept up to the fourth and final floor, pulling themselves up onto a small balcony that served as the only other entry point beyond the stairwell. There would be no sneaking in undetected this time... she would have to confront them directly.
"I'll be right out here if things begin to get out of hand."
"Understood." She whispered, drawing a kunai under her sleeve and skulking towards the door. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and hardened her resolve, there was no room for hesitation once she crossed the threshold.
The door slid open and she stepped inside.
…
"What the hell!? Who the fuck are you, and how the hell did you get in here!?"
A vulgar bunch, weren't they?
"That information is irrelevant." She answered calmly, dismissively evading their questions in favor of striding confidently into the dimly lit room. Her focus centered on the gruff-looking male glaring down at her from across the room; trademark trench knives already drawn from his hip as a blatant warning.
"Kurosaki-san, correct?" She inquired, paying his posturing no mind in favor of confirming his identity for herself. "I am going to have to ask that you lower your weapons and come with me. Some interested parties would like to have a word with you about recent events."
Her bored expression didn't waver even as the brawler began to openly roll his trench knives between his fingers and his irate expression hardened into a deep scowl. It didn't take a genius to see that the man had no intention of doing as she asked, not to much surprise. If anything, it seemed as though he was sizing her up… looking to see how much of a threat she truly posed.
He was trained. To what extent she couldn't be sure, but he was a cut above the average street-thug if he had the good sense to try and gauge her strength before charging in like some sort of lunatic.
Idly, her eyes wandered over towards the unwilling middle man in this situation. An elderly man half-hidden behind the scowling brawler watching the events in silence.
Balding and rather... rotund; he was garbed in quite fine robes for someone reduced to living in the remains of a rotting temple. She also found it curious that despite the tension hanging thick in the air, he didn't seem particularly panicked or distressed. Tense certainly, but composed nonetheless. Given the speed at which Kurosaki-san had rushed to position himself between herself and him, she was all but certain that their initial hunch was correct. This was indeed the leader of the infamous Tyger Claws.
She honestly expected more given the group's reputation.
"You're a few decades too young to try and scare me, brat." Doto's glower intensified as he spoke, his voice equally as combative as his appearance. "I don't know how you got this far, but if you take another step we're going to have problems. You have one minute to tell us who the fuck sent you and get the hell out of our sight or you'll be lucky to make it out of here with all your fingers."
She fought down the urge to snort if only to maintain an air of professionalism.
"Spare me your idle threats, I assure you that challenging me is not in your best interest..." She let her control slip for just a moment and hissing streams of chakra rolled off her frame in waves. "If you refuse to surrender willingly, I will bring you in by force. This is merely an olive branch, a chance to avoid doing this the hard way." She narrowed her eyes and took another step forward. "I will not ask again, lay down your weapons and come with me."
A bead of sweat rolled down his brow at the display, but even so… he made no move to lay down his arms.
"Very well…"
"Doto-kun…" Their staredown was interrupted by the elderly gentleman at his side, a wrinkled hand resting authoritatively upon the tensed thug's shoulder. "Allow me to speak without our guest for a moment."
"But, sir-" His subordinate attempted to protest but was silenced by a raised hand.
"You of all people should know how to choose your fights." The almost grandfatherly man spoke softly, in a way reminding her of the Third. "Our guest here has gone through a substantial amount of effort to arrange this meeting. It must have been no easy task to make it here without raising any alarms, even for shinobi." His wizened eyes came to rest on her headband and she watched in silence as he shuffled towards her. "You… you were hired on behalf of the council of Tanzaku Gai, weren't you?"
"There is a sizable bounty on your man's head, any interested party could have hired my services." She replied evenly. It wasn't good business practice to reveal your contractor even if the writing was blatantly on the wall.
"True, but this reeks of their handiwork." The old man snorted. "I know the amount they are paying can't even be a fraction of the amount the actual bounties are worth, You are just the cheapest solution to a problem they can't be asked to handle on their own. Cowards that are too afraid to do their own dirty work."
He fell quiet for a few moments then leveled her with a kindly, yet oddly crooked smile. "Child, I wish to make you an offer."
"Really?" Her brow rose in obvious suspicion. "And just what kind of offer is this?"
"I am willing to pay you twice what you were offered to take this contract in exchange for you dropping this matter entirely." He stated bluntly not bothering to sugarcoat his intentions. "A hefty amount to let Doto-kun here, and by extension the rest of my people be."
"Bribery? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised." She replied. You could dress a crook however you liked, but at the end of the day, they would still be a snake. "What makes you believe I'm in this for the money?"
"I've dealt with you ninja-types before." He replied easily, an air of confidence around him. "Beyond the fancy smoke and mirrors, shinobi aren't much different from any other hired mercenaries."
He reached into his robe and pulled out a large stack of clipped bills, waving them before her with a knowing smirk. "So long as the pay is good enough you'll lie, cheat, steal, and even kill at the drop of a hat. Not too different from my men really."
"We both know that you have no personal investment in the affairs of Tanzaku and no loyalty to the council. You owe them nothing... so you might as well fatten your pockets and be on your way!" A deep belly laugh abruptly tumbled from behind his crooked, yellow-stained teeth. "A nice chunk of change for doing nothing at all? what could be better?"
"You make a compelling point…" She admitted, seemingly considering the proposition for a moment while the elderly mobster smirked smugly in satisfaction. He had learned long ago that anyone could be bought for the right price, that was just how the world worked. Money made the world go round, those that had it were untouchable so long as greed existed in the hearts of men and women alike.
It was just a shame for him that her price was far steeper than his coffers could ever reach.
A flash of silver was his only warning...
"Aargh! M-My hand!"
A sudden shriek of pain shattered the suffocating silence like a peal of thunder. Fresh blood and the shredded remains of stacked bills painted the floor as the old man cursed while desperately cradling his injured limb and staggering back.
On the wall opposite them, her kunai rested embedded within the wood. A thin trickle of blood staining its honed edge.
"However, I have no interest in making deals with trash." She intoned coldly.
"Boss!?" Her target howled with indignant fury and charged her like a rabid dog set loose of its chain. "You won't make it out of here alive for that!" He roared, drawing his knives with the clear intent of cutting her down.
She merely drew another kunai in response and met his aggression head-on.
"Empty words." She easily weaved between his wild swings, condescension clear in her eyes as he tried and failed to exact revenge. "You still fail to understand the position you are in?"
"Shut the hell up!" He barked, determined to rend her to pieces. "I'll mount your head on my wall!"
"Unlikely." She scoffed, parrying a thrust and ducking under a sloppy haymaker before using the opening to drive the flat of her palm right into the sensitive underside of his neck sending him stumbling back with a painful wheeze.
She then quickly ran through a quick series of signs and the smell of ozone burning followed swiftly after.
"Lightning Style: Guiding Current!" Her palms sparked to life with violent bursts of electricity illuminating the room in a soft blue glow as the arcing energy jumped between her fingertips.
Without a shred of mercy, she thrust both palms across her staggered foe's chest and pushed the ravenous currents into his body. An expression of pure agony bloomed across Doto's face as the muscles beneath his skin seized up. Slicked back black hair abruptly stood on end and the smell of singed flesh became noticeable in the air as his eyes rolled into his head as he was ejected away, the force of his muscle contractions launching him a few feet before he crashed to the ground.
Safe to say, he would not be getting up anytime soon.
"H-Help! Guards! Guards!?"
Lowering her still smoking palms; she turned her attention to the pathetic sight of the clan's boss fleeing in terror from the scene. His advanced age and generous weight proved detrimental to his efforts as he struggled to hobble over towards the stairway after witnessing the prompt dismantling of his guardian.
A derisive snort escaped her as she flicked her wrist sending a hail of shuriken from her sleeve in his direction. The metal stars easily caught the edges of his loose-fitting robes, tearing into the fabric and digging firmly into the floor pinning his legs. The sudden loss of momentum sent the fat mobster crashing down to earth with a strangled yelp and a heavy thud.
"P-Please! I'll give y-you anything!" He whimpered, his earlier facade of fearlessness abandoned as he clawed hysterically at his stuck clothing, desperate to put as much space as he could between them as she prowled closer, much like a lioness creeping towards a wounded gazelle. "J-Just don't kill me!"
She crouched down before him, meeting his fearful gaze with almost serene grace that didn't fit her earlier brutality. "I am not going to kill you. I said as much before; I am only here for Kurosaki-san… so long as you do not get in my way, we will have no problems." Lightning roared back to life in her palm, illuminating his terrified visage. "You have no issue with that, correct?"
"N-None at all! T-Take him!" He nodded frantically, more than willing to sacrifice one man if it meant he could see another sunrise.
"So much for loyalty." She scoffed mentally.
"I am pleased that we could reach an understanding." She offered a faux-smile and dismissed the sparks in her hand. With nothing to stop her now, she approached Doto's unconscious body and withdrew the last of her scrolls, adding the rogue to her collection and placing it back into her pouch.
"Let us hope we never meet again, yes?" She mocked, making her back to the sliding door leading outside and sparing the trembling man a parting glance before walking out and vanishing into the darkness.
…
"I never pegged you as the performing type."
Kurenai's observation drew her attention as they silently descended from the top balcony and made their way towards the walls. Their mission was all but over, once they delivered the traitors their role there would be nothing left to do but report their success to the Hokage.
"A little flair for dramatics never hurt anyone." She replied with a grin. In her mind, she replayed the events of the last few minutes back again and she couldn't deny that there was a thrill to be found in utterly dominating such an encounter. The fear she could inspire with a few well-timed gestures and a small display of power.
A small part of her found the rush slightly unnerving, but the satisfaction of a successful mission promptly swallowed any concerns.
"I'd wager Kurosaki-san might disagree, you have quite the talent for lightning release." Kurenai noted, praise evident in her tone. "Outside of Kumo, lightning is not an element easily wielded by those not well versed in ninjutsu." The image of a certain silver-haired jonin coming to mind as she thought of the select few individuals in the village who could claim a degree of mastery over the volatile release.
"I've had a lot of practice." She shrugged dismissively. Nakamura-sensei had often praised her control of the electrifying element as well though he also often lectured her on the dangers. It was at his insistence that she generally refrained from using it during spars or against opponents that didn't merit the effort. A large enough surge could cause permanent nerve damage and organ failure if she wasn't careful.
"Clearly," Her sensei stifled a laugh as they finally cleared the encampment and snuck into the treeline, rushing to the meeting point where they were greeted by the rest of their squad. Kiba and Hinata's faces visibly brightened as they exited the dense foliage and landed on the branches above.
"Took you two long enough!" Kiba gave a toothy grin and held out his scroll. "We finished up a while ago ya know."
Hinata nodded and pulled out her own scroll. "T-Thankfully everything went well on our end."
"There were no major complications on our part." Natsumi confirmed, flashing both of her scrolls as well.
"Then I'd say that we're ready to wrap things up," Kurenai said, leveling the three of them with a pleased smile. "I can't understate how proud I am of you three today. You faced a challenge that would give even experienced genin some trouble and you made it look easy. I think that calls for a celebration when we're done here."
"Eh? Really!" Kiba asked excitedly.
Kurenai laughed and nodded. "There is a new BBQ place that opened up recently back at the village, I've heard good things about them. I think a nice meal is just the thing to celebrate with when we return, I'll pay this time too."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Kiba barked, already racing ahead.
"K-Kiba-kun! Don't run ahead." Hinata chastised softly, chasing after her feral teammate before they lost sight of him.
"Can he be any more single-minded?." Natsumi sighed but lept after them nonetheless. Kurenai trailing bemusedly behind her as they rushed to catch up with the rest of their squad.
Shinobi or not, they were still kids she supposed… there was still plenty of time for them to enjoy the simple things life had to offer.
(...)
From there, things had played out as expected.
The council wasn't exactly thrilled to find out that the encampment hadn't been destroyed as they were hoping for, but since the contract had been fulfilled as requested there was little they could do beyond grumble. Kurenai was quick to point out that should the town require the camp to be cleared out they could always hire another team, one that would be paid appropriately for their work.
Needless to say, they hadn't earned any points in the eyes of the gangs. Not that the opinions of a bunch of thugs bothered them much.
They'd left Tanzaku shortly after reporting their success and swiftly made their way back towards Konoha. The trip was uneventful beyond the lingering excitement that came with completing such a daunting task and within a few days, they'd arrived back in the village, reporting into the Hokage and receiving their mission pay as well as congratulations for a job well done.
Of course, their sensei was a woman of her word and she had promised them a reward for their hard work.
…
"I'm going to absolutely stuff myself!"
"Y-You shouldn't take advantage of Sensei's kindness like that." Hinata chided, though she was quite excited to be eating out with the rest of her team. "It's n-not polite."
"I have no intention of helping you if you get sick," Natsumi stated blandly already quite sure the brash boy was going to eat himself into a horrid stomach ache. "That goes for you as well, Akamaru."
"Arf!?"
"Now now…" Kurenai gave a placating smile and folded her arms with amusement. "Don't be afraid to dig in, this is for you three after all. That said, try not to go overboard either." She laughed.
It didn't take long for them to arrive at their destination. The smell of grilling meat, spices, and smoke practically enveloping them as they approached and entered the establishment. All around them were tables filled with patrons enjoying hearty meals and jovial conversation, the whole place had a cozy air to it and they were swiftly sucked into the inviting atmosphere.
Though they were not expecting to meet some familiar faces here too…
"Hey! Over here!"
Team Eight blinked in surprise as their attention was drawn by the sound of shouting and a hand waving excitedly off in the corner of the room. Bouncing platinum hair and shining blue eyes greeted them as a trio of equally surprised faces greeted them.
"Ino-san?" Natsumi raised a brow in surprise as she and the rest of her squad walked over towards the half-filled booth that seated the remaining members of Team Ten. "Choji-san, Shikamaru… you all are here as well." She observed.
"You guys haven't changed at all!" Kiba snorted and looked the trio over with a grin. "I guess that isn't all that surprising though."
"Oi, what the hell does that mean!?" Ino's brow throbbed in annoyance at the smugness in his tone and she quickly rose to her feet. "And look who's talking, you three haven't changed either!"
"Nah, we're way stronger now." He grunted back with a cheeky flex of his arm. "I'd say we're probably the strongest team in our class. Isn't that right, Hinata?"
The pale-eyed girl stammered and pressed her fingers together in embarrassment. "W-We don't know that… b-but we have improved a lot since graduating." She answered modestly, trying her best to avoid starting any unnecessary arguments.
"Troublesome… I wouldn't be surprised if they were." Shikamaru muttered disinterestedly, earning a glare from the Yamanaka heiress and a snicker from Kiba.
"Hey! Whose team are you on!?" She hissed.
"The team that isn't run by that one." He replied, lazily pointing his chopstick towards the petite blond watching them like a starving hawk. "Now stop antagonizing them before you get us into trouble, you difficult woman."
"You're just saying that because you're scared of her." Ino countered hotly, unwilling to be dissuaded. "And I'm not difficult!"
Choji chuckled at his team. "Be careful Shikamaru, you're gonna Ino-chan mad again." He warned, stuffing his face with another helping of beef as he spoke. "Or worse, you make Natsumi angry."
"I'm still here you know?" Natsumi pointed out bemusedly, not truly offended by the conversation. If anything, she rather enjoyed being the boogie woman of her generation. It made keeping everyone in line far easier, not to mention it made for a good source of entertainment. "I wouldn't say I'm that scary."
"She's super scary." Kiba corrected.
"That is your biased opinion. Hinata doesn't think I'm scary..." She gently rubbed the shy girl's head in a manner akin to a loving owner pampering their pet, much to the amusement of the assembled group. "Right?"
"A-Ano, n-no not at all…" That was about as much as she trusted herself to say with the amount of blood rushing to her face at the moment.
"See?" Natsumi preened.
"Totally not bias, right." Kiba shook his head.
"Mah, troublesome blond."
...
"Quite the team you have here, Asuma," Kurenai whispered as she watched the two groups interact. "They are certainly different from their parents, though for better or worse I'm not sure yet."
Asuma chuckled and nodded behind his napkin. "They are certainly something, but then so are yours." He replied, looking over her team for a moment. "You've told me bits about them but seeing them now, I have to admit they don't strike me as the perfectly oiled machine you described."
"If you saw them out in the field you wouldn't say that." The ravenette laughed. "Even I'm surprised how well they can come together given their different personalities but they've managed it. Though I think that has to do more with Natsumi's strong hand than anything else."
"The blondie right?" Asuma allowed his gaze to linger on the whiskered girl for a moment longer. "She was the rookie of the year, wasn't she? I've heard she is the no-nonsense type, they aren't usually team players. Least of all when paired with a loudmouth and the Hyuga Clan's black sheep."
"I went in thinking the same…" Kurenai admitted, recalling her inial reservations about her team. "But she is nothing like I expected, I honestly expected her to act more like Kakashi, back when he was a chunin of course." She amended. "In some ways, she reminds me a lot of him, but she has a certain focus that just drags the other two along with her rather than pushing them away."
"Sounds like someone has a favorite." He teased, keeping his voice low to avoid drawing attention to themselves.
"Like you don't." She scoffed, she was well aware of his growing bond with the Nara heir. "I'm actually closer with Hinata if you must know, but Natsumi is an example for any aspiring kunoichi to follow."
"You seem confident in their ability. Are you thinking of submitting their names for the exams coming up?" The bearded-jonin asked after a moment of silence.
"I… I'm not sure yet." Kurenai frowned and considered it. "That's a big leap, but I've heard rumors that Hokage-sama might be pushing for all of us to enter our teams this year regardless." Her gaze strayed towards him. "After all the losses the village has suffered, putting on a strong showing would make a firm statement to the rest of the world."
"You heard those as well? I'd like to think those rumors are nothing more than idle gossip, but…" Asuma frowned and fought down the urge to pull out his lighter. "If I was in his shoes I can see why he'd make the push. I don't agree with it though, those exams aren't something to walk into unprepared and this generation is softer than ours."
"It's nothing more than rumors at this point, nothing is set in stone."
"True, but even small rumors have to start somehow." He pointed out somewhat grimly. "Better to prepare for the worst than let it catch you off guard."
"I can't disagree with you there." She admitted.
No one could see into the future after all… she would just have to make sure they were ready for whatever it might throw at them.
She could only hope it would be enough.
AN. Chapter Complete!
With this, our time in Tanzaku has come to end and this marks the completion of Natsumi's second C-rank assignment. Thank you again for all the support and understanding you've displayed for this, I've never done a completely original mission for a story before so I do hope it turned out okay! I also want to address two things really fast before wrapping up. Number one being the interest in seeing Tsunade at some point during this mission:
I didn't do this for a few reasons, namely though that it doesn't make a lot of sense for her to be here right now and that she wouldn't serve much actual story purpose. Tsunade is known for running from town to town avoiding gambling debts which means she can't revisit places often. Given upcoming events, I'd rather not take Tanzaku off the table by having her there building new debts. I also would rather have her serve an actual role in Natsumi's development in a focused way. That isn't to say Natsumi can't meet her elsewhere but that isn't happening here.
The other topic I want to address is the questions regarding Natsumi's inevitable first kill. I see this come up fairly often so I want to address it properly.
The point that is usually brought up is that Natsumi would probably see the value in getting something like this out the way early and so it's 'strange' that she wouldn't take the chance to get it over with.
I would like to remind people that we are discussing something as permanent as ending someone's life. That is not something done lightly by a child, even one as unique as Natsumi. Does she know that she will eventually have to kill? Obviously, but knowing you will have to do something and actually doing it are two different things. This is not me saying that she won't kill, quite the opposite but I just want to remind people that death killing needlessly isn't something she'll engage in at this stage.
Anyway, that's all from me. I hope you enjoyed and any other questions can be directed at me in either reviews or PMs. Stay safe and take care!