Hey! I normally don't update so soon, regardless of how much progress I make, but I got so many reviews in a single day, so I decided to update. Don't expect such sudden updates regularly though; I'm very busy with school, I'll be in areas that don't have internet, and then there's the time it takes to edit this to story format, spell-check (the one on the computer isn't good enough), and try to make everything consistent with previous chapters. That and I'm also trying to finish my InuYasha fic; not the best piece of work around, but I think it's a fun read. I have much the same problems with that one as I do with this. Anyway, things are really going to get rolling now!

Maxslayer10: Sakura and Iori won't have much interaction (at least, I'm not planning on any yet) but Iori will become nicer as time goes on.

Draag: Could you be a bit more specific? In my mind, I'm trying to build up everything as much as possible, but at the same time, I want to get right to the point. Let me know about a specific scene, it will give me a better idea of how to improve my writing.

ANDREA1114: Yeah, thought I'd make things a bit different with this team.

Krymsom: You have no idea what I have in store for them. But don't worry, it will work out in the end.

Shintenshin no Jutsu: Glad you think so. Giving Naruto a team that already has talent just seems out of character for me, and I thought it be best to have one former misfit improve three others.

Dbzgtfan2004: I made that comment in sarcasm; I'd never make a story about a pairing I didn't like or did not appear to be cannon if you paid me. I'm just saying that so many fans seem to hate NaruSaku for the oddest reasons, and just twist their character development. That, and so many people seem unhappy with cannon pairings. I'll have a rant about it at the end of one of my later chapters.

Naruto ate his ramen patiently, waiting for his team to arrive. Finally, a very scratched up Iori, Yuji and Shiguri, who looked okay, came into view. Naruto said "Hehe. I didn't like pet retrieval missions myself very much." Just then Iori dropped the cat, which ran off again. Naruto looked pissed "I can't believe this!!" he said as he ran after the cat. This wasn't the first time he had to pick up after his team.

Naruto and the team showed up an hour late to the Hokage's office, much to Tsunade's disapproval. "Sorry, ba-chan. They still need to work on a few things." The next thing they knew, Tsunade's tea cup was broken. No surprise, really, since it was thrown at Naruto's head.

"If your students call me that…"

That was the farthest thing from the team's minds. They were scared shitless when Naruto called her that.

"Anyway, I think you found a C-ranked mission for my team?"

Tsunade replied "Yes, but it won't be for another few days. Since this is a C ranked mission, I want you to in the meantime, prepare your team."

Naruto replied "Of course."

Naruto took them to the training grounds later that day. "Okay, we're going to learn how to climb trees."

Shiguri said "Um, I think we fought you in the treetops, if I recall correctly."

Naruto said "Yes, but you need to climb them without using your hands." The team looked confused. "Watch me." Naruto walked straight up a tree, just like he said, without using his hands. Everyone except Yuji was amazed.

"H-How!?" Iori exclaimed.

Naruto said "You need to channel charka through your feet. This technique is handy for espionage missions, and because it is especially difficult to harness charka through your feet, this should allow you to perform all other jutsus no problem. The amount of chakra you need is small, but it has to be exact." Just then Naruto heard something. He looked to his side and looked shocked: Yuji was doing exactly what he told him to do, without any trouble whatsoever. Naruto gave his typical shocked face. "You already know this!?" he yelled.

Yuji said "My dad taught me these things before I was even enrolled in the academy". Yuji grinned mischievously as he jumped back down. Shiguri wasn't surprised, but Iori was fuming with jealousy.

Naruto said "Did you do the walk on water exercise?"

Yuji nodded. Man, he was feeling good about himself.

Naruto sighed "Well, I guess it's just Shiguri and Iori who'll be practicing the tree climbing exercise."

Iori ran up to him nearly screaming "Screw the tree climbing!! Teach me the walking on water you just mentioned!!"

Naruto had to hold is head. "She really is a scary combo of me and Sakura." He thought. Naruto said "You can't do that until you do this." He handed the two kunai. "Use these to mark your progress. I'll be back to check up on you two soon."

Naruto led Yuji into the woods. "Okay, since you have skill in charka manipulation and control, I'm going to work on your taijutsu." Yuji gulped. "I was told your taijutsu was below average, I just don't know by how much. So, attack me!"

Yuji got into his stance and Naruto could tell right away he needed quite a bit of work. Yuji could not keep his guard up, his moves were ridiculously predictable, and Yuji lacked a lot of stamina. As Naruto roundhouse kicked him to the side, he sighed. "That's enough. Sparring alone isn't going to help you. Your form is terrible, you lack confidence and you don't have much endurance. I don't like saying these things, but it is true." Yuji looked down on the ground. "So, we're going to have to go back to the basics."

Yuji put up his fighting stance again and said "No. I can't afford to be held back."

Naruto initially thought that he would just have to slam Yuji to the ground again, but then an idea popped into his head. He smiled and thought "Perfect time for payback." As Yuji charged, Naruto transformed into his female alter ego. "Ninja centerfold!" The blood rushed straight out of Yuji's nose. "I told you I'd get you back!" Naruto laughed.

Later, Naruto and a very bruised Yuji came back to check on the others progress. Shiguri seemed to be making decent progress. Iori wasn't doing so well, though. Naruto walked over and helped her up. "Focus your charka onto a certain point in your feet. Then, maintain it." Iori gave him a mean look, but complied. She did as she was told, and she managed to go a little bit higher. Naruto nodded 'Good. Now, don't overdo yourselves, as I expect you all to be refreshed by tomorrow. Yuji, after we're done with our taijutsu lessons, I expect you to help your teammates with this. See you all tomorrow."

Naruto just finished up eating at his usual place, deciding it was time to head home. As he turned the corner, he noticed two girls, one with blond hair, and another with pink. He didn't need to be told who the latter was. He thought he'd walk over and say hello, but stopped when Ino spoke.

"So, you are starting to get fond of Naruto, aren't you?" This made Naruto stop in his tracks and turn around the corner. His mind told him to leave and let the two be, but he couldn't help but listen around the corner.

Sakura said "Well, I have to admit…he has grown on me." Naruto was hoping for 'I love him', but even he knew that was expecting a lot.

"Well, why don't you ask him out? I'm sure you can get him to take a date seriously so long as you tell him HOW before hand." Ino said.

Sakura replied "It's not so much that. It's just…I don't know if he even likes me that way anymore."

Ino asked "What do you mean?"

Sakura sighed "I was so mean to him back when we were kids. I had almost no friends, I wasn't the prettiest girl…to be honest, I'm still not. Yet he still liked me. But I was so warped up with Sasuke I didn't even let him be my friend. After he came back from training, whenever he saw me cry, he thought I was crying over something else when it was really him I was concerned about. It's like he didn't notice how I felt. And…well, he's not as bad as Jiraya or Kakashi-sensei…but he has become a bit of a perv."

Naruto had to scowl at that. "Look who's talking." he thought. He still remembered when Sakura fell for Konohamaru's Oiroke Otoko No Ko Doushi No Jutsu. He also remembered when he came over to her house, when her parents were out on a mission. They went to her room just to chat, and Naruto accidentally stumbled upon a collection of yaoi comics. And in his opinion, pretty hard core. He got thrown out the window for that. "I've really got no problem with girls who are perverts. It's just annoying when they deny it." He thought. He failed to listen to the rest of the conversation between the two kunoichi. But what grabbed him next caught his attention.

"Just ask him out." Ino said. "Even if he is a pervert like you say, I can tell he enjoys spending time with you whenever he can."

Sakura asked "How would you know he would rather not be with other girls?"

Ino fidgeted a bit. "Well…I didn't really want to tell you this because I knew you would get mad and at this point irrelevant…but I actually did try to seduce him once."

Sakura put on her typical mean face and screamed "EXCUSE ME!?"

Naruto remembered that incident from a few months back. He ran into Ino while he was grocery shopping, and out of nowhere she just started flirting with him. She put him into the most compromising positions, and did a sexy jutsu with herself. For what it was worth, Ino was hot, but she did not hold the same place in his heart as Sakura. The incident freaked him out. "At least she had the decency to put the clouds in the right places."

Ino waved her hands to calm her down. "Well, he has gotten quite handsome, and when he was just by himself, I did every flirtatious thing I could think of. But the harder I tried, the more uncomfortable he got. I don't think it was because of fear of you beating the crap out of him. If it was, I'm sure he would've told me out loud. I'm pretty sure he just didn't want to hurt your feelings. Also, stop telling yourself you're not pretty. Sure, some like me are downright hot, but you've got your own attributes as well. I can see why Naruto likes you."

"Well, it kind of was a bit of both." The spoken nin thought. Naruto did notice other girls, but he thought Sakura was downright beautiful. He loved her pink hair, her green eyes…he'd never tell her out loud (as himself), but he thought her forehead was quite cute too. He also noticed, probably due to her training, she had a really nice… "Well, THAT I wouldn't tell her out loud either." Naruto thought. Finally, the two girls said their goodbyes, and parted ways. Naruto felt bad about spying on Sakura like this, but once he was there, he just had to know. Naruto was actually feeling overjoyed that he did. "She really does like me. After the mission, I'll definitely ask her out. This time, we'll go to a really nice restaurant. So long as it still serves ramen." He thought to himself, smiling on his way back home.

Iori and Shiguri kept stumbling falling off the trees, but Shiguri was making twice the progress Iori was. Iori slammed her fist at the ground in frustration. "Damn, damn damn…"

Shiguri said "You know, that's really freakin' annoying."

Iori screamed "Shut up and let me concentrate!"

Shiguri replied "Then stop concentrating on me. You're not doing well because you think about nothing except how Yuji and I are doing. In fact, since Yuji is already a master at this, you should probably ask him."

Iori got back up and simply shouted "No thanks!"

Shiguri shrugged "Fine. Suit yourself. But if you think you'll get better because of this, you're wrong."

Iori looked back "And how do you know?"

Shiguri said "I used to be a loner like you. Thinking all I needed was myself. Until I met Yuji. He's weak, but he's smart, and he's got a big heart to go along with it."

The days passed, and today the trio's first C ranked would begin. Yuji was starting to show improvement in his taijutsu. It still needed a lot of work, but it was still quite a bit better than before. After throwing Yuji to the ground, Naruto signaled for them to stop. "That's enough. Let's see how your teammates are doing."

As they came into the training spot, they saw Shiguri lying on the floor, taking a nap. Naruto was about to walk over to scold him, but Yuji tugged at his shirt.

"Don't worry, Sensei. Shiguri never naps in the midst of training. This is how he rewards himself every time he finishes." Yuji pointed to Shiguri's tree, and the marks indicated he did in fact reach the top.

Naruto nodded, and looked to the sky "What about Iori?"

"Up here, Sensei!!"

Naruto looked up to see Iori hanging upside down from a branch.

Naruto said "Be careful there. I did that when I learned the exercise, and I fell off."

True to his word, Iori lost her grip, and fell. Iori closed her eyes expecting to hit the ground below. When she landed, she hit something uncomfortable, but much softer than the land. She opened her eyes, on saw she was sitting on top of Yuji's back, who had his hands outstretched like he was trying to catch something. Iori realized it was her he was trying to catch. "It seems he overshot the mark…"

Yuji got up holding on to his back. "My back…my back…"

Iori was about to walk away, when Naruto firmly grabbed her shoulder.

"Thank him. Even if you did have the situation under control, your teammate still went out of his way to help you."

Iori snarled at him, but gave in. She turned around to Yuji and said "Thanks."

Naruto knew that she was starting to slowly accept everyone, but it was too slow for his liking. He decided to ease the tension by coughing and announcing "Our mission begins tonight. Let's get going."

Naruto's team walked to the Hokage's office at approximantley 5 p.m.. Once they were let inside, Tsunade made eye contact and motioned for the client to come forward. It was a girl, probably in her mid- twenties. She had tan skin and brown hair, and had a very pretty purple kimono on. She also had startling turquoise eyes.

She said "My name is Kono Mana. You all will be escorting me to Monsoon country."

Naruto smiled and bowed. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. This is Miyamoto Yuji, Myojin Iori, and Naka Shiguri." His genin team bowed, and Mana spoke up.

"A pleasure to meet you all. In fact, Uzumaki-san, I recall seeing you at the Chunin exams. That was an impressive fight; no one ever imagined a common ninja like you could ever defeat a Hyuuga. That's the reason I requested you to be one of my escorts."

Naruto blushed at the comment. "Heh, happy to help Miss Kono."

Yuji and Shiguri were amazed that their sensei beat a Hyugga. Yuji whispered "He may be better than us, but a Hyuuga!? No way!!"

Shiguri said "Well, apparently he has a witness…"

Iori butted in. "Hey, what's a Hyuuga?"

Yuji and Shiguri just stared at her. "You honestly don't know?" Shiguri asked.

Iori shook her head. Naruto interrupted by saying "I'm sure we'll have time to tell you as we go along."

Just as Naruto's team headed off, Tsunade continued stamping her papers. Sure, they needed to get done, but she was really using it as a way to pass time. She was waiting for someone. And that someone just teleported in her office. It was Sakura, dressed in all black, and had an ANBU mask to the side of her face.

She bowed on one knee and said "You wanted to see me, Tsunade-shishou?"

Tsunade turned around in her chair and said "Yes, Sakura. I'm sending you to lead a mission into lightning country. You know what happened with the Raikage a few years ago, didn't you?"

Sakura answered "You and he were discussing a new peace treaty. Things were going well, but we never heard from him or the lightning country again."

Tsunade continued "A cloud ninja recently came to us. He looked exhausted, and he was begging us for help. We had other matters to worry about at the time, so we threw him in a cell until the next day. He begged us to let him out, claiming the jutsu he used to protect himself against some sort of 'seal' was wearing off. We chose to follow protocol. The day he was supposed to be interrogated, he was dead."

Sakura said "That's terrible! But why would this concern us? Our relations have always been on rocky grounds."

Tsunade at first didn't answer, but then turned her chair opposite of Sakura. "That Raikage wasn't exactly a saint, but he would never drive his village into a totalitarian state. We have reason to believe someone has overthrown him, and is ruling the Kumogakure. We need to look into this. Whoever this new guy is could be a threat to all. Much like the Akatsuki."

Sakura understood and asked "What is the mission?"

"You are to infiltrate the Kumogakure, and find out about the new leader, if not Raikage. You must obtain a name. If at all possible, his abilities and his history as well. Also, we need to know where his motives lie. You will bring with you Kakashi, Neji, and Ino with you."

Sakura nodded her head to confirm she understood. Then she said "I bet Naruto will be pretty upset that you didn't let him come along. Kages in particular always concern him." She disappeared to gather her teammates.

The days had passed since Naruto and his team had started their mission to escort Mana. There was one day when they were attacked by bandits. They had no ninja techniques, so Naruto, Iori, and Shiguri dealt with them easily.

Yuji cowered, however. Though he was hurt by Iori's berating, it didn't surprise him. What really got to him was Shiguri giving him the cold shoulder. At night he trained himself to the bone, collapsing after what seemed to be his 50th push-up. Then, Naruto came up to him. Yuji looked at him, looked like he was about to cry, and turned around. "I'm sorry."

Naruto didn't pat his shoulder, instead he looked to the stars. "You know, on my first mission as a genin, two mist nin attacked us. My teammates managed to fight them off, but all I could do was cower."

Yuji turned around and looked at him.

"I know what it feels like the first time you go into battle. You never give a thought about death until it is right in your face." Naruto turned to face Yuji with a smile. "But now you know. You will always be scared no matter what. However, your desire to protect your client and your friends will be stronger than your fear."

The journey passed without incident from that point on. In fact, it got pretty boring for the kids, and needed to do something. So, Shiguri walked up to Naruto, who was having a conversation with Mana. "Sensei, something just occurred to me: Doesn't this Monsoon country have ninjas of their own?"

Naruto looked back at him quizzically, then remembered when Sakura asked Kakashi a similar question. "I hadn't thought about that. We had a client from the Land of Waves, which didn't have Ninja due to it being an island. However, I'm not an expert in these sorts of things." He turned to Mana and smiled. "Would you be so kind as to tell us, Miss Kono? Not that I mind you hiring us over them, IF you do happen to have ninjas in your country."

Mana smiled back and replied "Gladly. The Monsoon country is an island that was discovered only a few years ago. Our government is young, and we have just been starting trade relations. That is why someone like me is all the way down here. Also, because of how young it is, we haven't had a chance to establish a hidden village. It's a small island, out in the middle of nowhere, so I don't think we have to either."

Naruto nodded in understanding. He never heard of the place before, but knew Tsunade would never send ninja to a country that wasn't verified. He didn't look surprised only because he didn't want to make himself look bad.

Later, when they lit their fire, Naruto looked up to the stars. He was thinking of Sakura. He was thinking on what to do when he would ask her on what would be their first real date. Though they had been on "dates" before, they were always at the Ichikuru, and they always dressed casually.

Suddenly, someone asked "Something on your mind?" Naruto turned, and saw Mana next to him.

He calmed down and answered "Yeah. Don't worry, I'm still aware of the surrounding area. I'll take care of anyone who wishes us ill will."

Mana then smirked. "Thinking of a girl?"

Naruto went fished-faced and gulped. "H-How did you know?"

Mana chuckled. "It's the only things guys think about when they look at the stars. Tell me, what is your relation with this special person of yours?"

Naruto was still nervous about answering, but figured that by telling her everything, Sakura would never find out. "Well, we were on the same genin team. I had a crush on her back at the academy, but she was in love with my other teammate. We all grew closer as time went on though." Mana continued to listen. "Then, he betrayed the village to become the apprentice of a missing nin. I promised her that I would bring him back no matter what…but I failed. Yet she didn't hate me. Since then, our relationship has been a little unclear. We were more than friends, but we weren't exactly lovers either."

Mana asked "Any reason why you're thinking of her now?"

Naruto answered "I kinda got conformation that she really does like me. I want to take her out on a real date, but I'm not sure what to do, or even how to ask"

Mana seemed to have spaced out for a minute, but then snapped back to reality. "I'm sure it will work out for you." After that, she walked off. "Kenji, why couldn't this have happened to us instead?" she thought to herself.

Somewhere in Kumogakure, a shadowy figure sat at his desk. He was looking over a piece of paper, and tossed it aside. "Why should we bother?" he thought.

Just then, a cloud ninja ran up to him and bowed. "Raikage-samma! We have finally found Kono! It seems her base of operations was in the new Monsoon country!"

The new Reikage at first said nothing. "Raikage-samma?"

The kage replied "Prepare the troops immediately. We will be heading to Monsoon country, and I will be accompanying you. Get my carriage ready."

The ninja replied "Yes, Raikage-samma." Before disappearing.

The Reikage looked at a photo on his desk. In the center was a grown man with silver hair and a gote, wearing a standard ninja uniform. Though he was not smiling, you could tell by the look in his eyes that he was happy. Below him was a genin team. To the left side was a girl who looked much like a younger Mana. In the center was a boy with yellow eyes, and spiky red hair with a touch of green in the front. He was wearing an open red trench coat with a fish net shirt on. There was nothing on the right, as that portion was torn up.

A voice suddenly said "I thought you wanted nothing more than to forget about them."

The Reikage spun around. "I've forgotten the good times. But I will never forget what they did to me, especially HER."

The voice chuckled sinisterly. "Taking over an entire country just for revenge. What happens when you finally attain it?"

The Reikage got up and looked out the window. "Nothing much. These people will simply become my slaves. They deserve it for the way they have treated me. When I die, I have plans to completely destroy this country's economy. Not just a depression. This country will be completely bankrupt and have no credibility whatsoever, and whatever coins and paper money the citizens have will be worthless. They will be forced to move to other shinobi nations, and this country will be no more."

The figure chuckled. "You surprise me. You are indeed a clever fellow."

The Raikage looked him in the eyes. "I have to give you credit for its downfall as well…Orochimaru."

Naruto's team finally reaches the piers, and stood waiting on the docks.

Iori screamed "I'm so frikin' bored! What is that girl doing!?"

Naruto sighed. "I don't know. But she is the client, and we're supposed to do whatever she says." Naruto remembered how he used to get fed up with the clients they took on when he was a genin. "Well, at least this shouldn't turn out to be like the Zabuza incident…"

"Give me five of those ponchos, please." Mana asked the store keeper. Then she very slightly leaned in and whispered so low that one would have to read her lips to understand what she was saying. "Do you have the weapons I requested?" The store keeper handed her a bag inside the poncho meant for her, not saying a word. Mana simply walked away. "I never wanted to do this, Kenji….but the Kenji I loved is dead. I will be the one to set you free." Finally, she reached Naruto and his team.

"Sorry to keep you waiting! I had to get a few things before we head out!"

Naruto asked "What things?"

Mana said "Well, some ponchos for one. Normal cloaks won't do. Why else do you think it's called Monsoon country?"

Naruto didn't say anything. He remembered on his training journey with Jiraya when they went to a small set of tropical islands. They went during the rainy season, and they were unprepared for it. Jiraya came down with a bad case of pneumonia, despite the hot temperatures, and Naruto was forced to take care of him. Naruto went through blood, sweat and tears to get enough food, and he had to take a crash course on medicine. Jiraya would always demand he go find some porn at a bookstore in one of the few villages, but they were all self-sustaining communities. "I had a nightmare of a time dealing with monsoons. Thanks for bringing the ponchos. That was thoughtful of you." The team put them on, and headed towards the boat.

Yup, this was pretty straight forward and predictable. What else can I say? Well, one thing: Though I'm using Japanese suffixes, I will not use any actual words, like Arigatarou( sorry if that's misspelled, but I honestly don't particularly care right now.) I get annoyed when authors put full Japanese words in their stories, when it's supposed to be in English. I'm using the suffixes only because there's no literal translation for them in English, and they seem to be important in the way Naruto addresses people. I will also be using the Japanese names of known techniques and locations…unfortunately, I can't say the same for those I make up. However, if you know of an English to Japanese site (and by that I mean Japanese in ENGLISH syllables), or if you can simply translate the name of whatever location or technique I make up, please let me know and it will be changed. Next chapter, the new Raikage's identity and Mana's intentions are revealed.