Chapter 3: The Mission to the Land of Waves
Narumi walks into her old classroom dressed in her usual white jacket and with her red hair styled in it's usual set of two long pigtails, ready for her orientation, where she'll get her assignment to a Genin Squad. But as soon as she walked in, Shikamaru, who was sitting at his usual desk in the middle of the top row (which was at the very back of the classroom), asked, "Narumi? What are you doing here? This is only for those who graduated." "I have graduated. See?" Narumi said, pointing to the Hidden Leaf headband on her forehead. Shikamaru sighed. "What a drag." He replied (as per usual). Shikamaru has always complained about everything ever since she met him. Narumi, therefore, didn't see anything wrong with that so she just walked over to her usual desk (which was on the top-left row), and sat down at said desk.
Narumi just looked out the window to her left whilst the rest of the class just chatted and talked about nothing important, really. Just saying who's squad they hoped to be on or stoked to get their assignment. And, unsurprisingly (for Narumi) Sasuke got here before she did. Sasuke was sitting way down in front of her, at the bottom-left row. Unexpectedly, Sasuke saw her, too, and he looked up at her, smiled, and waved at her. Narumi was startled so she blushed and looked away from him. "Oh, Sasuke!" One of the girls in the middle row shouted, thinking he was smiling and waving at her. And then, a group of girls (expectedly) ran up to him.
'That's what you get for trying to make up with me in front of the entire class.' Narumi thought, looking at the boys who were looking at her with lust or "love" in their eyes. For whatever reason, both Narumi and Sasuke were naturally attractive and good-looking (to the other students, at least), even when they don't have the best hygiene at the moment. Narumi heard that Itachi had to deal with the same thing as a boy but, fortunately for him, he wasn't in the Academy for very long (graduated when he was just seven years old). Still, both Sasuke and Itachi had overzealous fangirls who others could swear want their babies, and Narumi's fanboys are just the same. 'I wish this same curse had befallen Itachi for longer than one year.' Like every other chakra-wielding child in the Ninja World, Narumi spent six years at the Academy. Narumi wanted to graduate earlier, but every chance she got, she failed.
'Damn my impatience.' Narumi thought, thinking about how she was tricked by Mizuki. One of Narumi's fanboys tried walking up to her, but they soon felt the ground around them rumbling. It was almost like an Earthquake, but only the Land of Earth gets those and it wasn't destructive at all. If anything, it felt annoying. In fact, Narumi knows the exact source of this.
'Sakura.' Narumi thought. 'And Ino.'
And, she was right. Right on cue, a pink-haired twelve-year-old girl with green eyes and wearing a red short-sleeved qipao dress and a twelve-year-old girl with a platinum blonde ponytail with bangs framing the right side of her face, light blue eyes (kinda like Narumi's except Narumi's eyes are just a shade darker) and wearing bandages on her abdomen and legs, small hoop earrings, white arm warmers, a sleeveless purple high-collared blouse, a matching apron skirt, and a pair of navy blue ninja sandals bursted through the door, running into the class
-room as though they were in a race against each other. The pink-haired girl is Sakura Haruno and the girl with the blonde ponytail is Ino Yamanaka, the Daughter of the Head of the Yamanaka Clan.
"Sasuke is mine!" Ino shouted. "No, he's mine!" Sakura argued. 'Oh Kami, will you two quit it already?' Narumi thought. They've always been like this. In fact, above every other Sasuke fangirl, they are Sasuke's biggest fangirls. Sasuke then scoffed like he wasn't interested in their conflict. 'Why should he be interested in them?' Narumi thought. To her, both Ino and Sakura are nothing but bullies. They've bullied other girls out of liking Sasuke and if any guy tried to befriend him, they'd bully him, too. She knows because she's experienced their bullying on more than one occasion. Sakura and Ino ran up to Sasuke, and they both tried to talk to him, like every other girl. Sasuke tried brushing them off or ignoring them like he usually does in this situation, but these two were the hardest to brush off or ignore. Narumi thought she'd enjoy this little scene of chaos when both Sakura and Ino started arguing over how much they love Sasuke again, and the other fangirls over there tried to join either side in the argument and Narumi thought back to the kindness Sasuke did for her when they were confronting Mizuki. "Okay, okay, so she's got some type of big monster in her. So what? Big deal. And from what I'm hearing, that story says less about her, and about the villagers who treat her like shit and the Fourth Hokage." She remembers him saying. "You, and everyone else are judging her for circumstances she had no control over. And, as far as I'm concerned, saying that Narumi is the Two-Tailed Cat is as crazy as me saying that I'm a literal chicken. Sure, she has that monster inside her, but, if anything, that just makes her a living jail, not a monster, herself. Plus, I've seen her helping others in small, yet moving ways." 'He said all that about me, the Two-Tails' Jinchuriki, who is vilified all throughout the Hidden Leaf.' Narumi thought. 'So who am I to not help him in his dire hour of need?'
Narumi bravely stood up, determined to put an end to this. She then walked over to that group of girls (and Sakura and Ino, specifically) and said, "Ladies, ladies, you are all pretty. Now, will you act your age, and go sit at your desks or some
-thing? Iruka-Sensei could be coming at any moment, now."
"Fuck off, Narumi. You're just a bratty bitch who was orphaned twice and thinks she's smarter than us." Sakura replied.
"Yeah, who told you to come here, and bother us?" Ino asked, acting offended.
"Maybe you should get back to your desk." Another of Sasuke's fangirls said. "What gives you the right to come down here, and tell us what to do?"
"Do you see anyone else around...?" Narumi taunted. "And anyway, you're all bothering him and he doesn't even want to talk to you. So why bother him more?"
The girls all exchanged looks as though they're either confused or offended by Narumi's mere presence.
"All of you claim to love him. If you actually do love him, then why not respect him and his wish to not be pestered by girls who are more shallow than the shallowest end of a beach?" Narumi said. "I don't mean all of you, of course."
The girls started giving her very angry looks.
"C'mon, orientation could be starting any minute now!" Narumi shouted. The fangirls then ran up to her, and started beating the shit out of her. It didn't take long for her to fall down, and when she did, she just...let them beat her up. One downside of this (apart from her being assaulted by so many people in the first place) is that it reminds her of the times that a mob of villagers from this very village pelted her with punches and kicks. It almost made her cry when thinking about how similar it is to those moments. Surprisingly, Sasuke stood up, and went to block Ino's last punch. "Enough, already." Sasuke told them. They immediately stepped back, and Sasuke helped Narumi up before they walked back to her desk together. And then, Sasuke sat down next to Narumi.
Everyone was surprised by this move, but all of the fangirls had the same thoughts: 'You may have won this round, redhead, but it will not happen again.'
"Why would you ever do that for me? Why didn't you fight back?" Sasuke asked. "I...had to repay the kindness you did for me when we fought Mizuki. I also had to keep their attention on me, and away from you. And if I fought back, one of those girls could say that I hit her, and everyone would believe her." Narumi answered. "I wouldn't." Sasuke quickly said. Narumi blushed. Sasuke blushed harder.
'Did I really just say that?' Sasuke thought. 'Does he...does he actually love me back?' Narumi thought.
Sasuke remembered something Itachi told him to do. It was a memory he'd repressed since the Massacre.
FLASHBACK
Itachi was carrying seven-year-old Sasuke on his back as they passed by the Hidden Leaf Police Station. Earlier, Sasuke had broken his leg trying to perform a very dangerous training exercise he saw his big Brother do. "I was wonder
-ing...how come the crest of the Uchiha Clan is part of the Leaf Police Force insignia?" Sasuke asked. "Well, what do you know? You've finally noticed." Itachi said. "Of course I did." Sasuke replied. "Right...let me see if I can explain it for you...it was the Uchiha Clan's earliest ancestors who established the police here, in the village. So when they created this symbol for the organization, they used the family crest. Since a long time ago, the Uchiha have always insured the peace here. The crest is a testament of our clan's pride and a way of life centuries old. Over the years, the Uchiha Clan has grown smaller. But even now, nearly all of us are a part of the force. And work to uphold the peace in this village. Which is good because only the most exceptional of ninjas can weed out the criminals hiding among their brethren." Itachi explained.
Sasuke was surprised. "Wow. Dad is the coolest." Sasuke remarked. "Are you gonna join the force, too?" "Well...I'm not sure." "Why not?" Sasuke asked. "When I grow up, I'm definitely going to enter the Police Force! And Father's coming to tomorrow's entrance ceremony. It's the first step to my dream!" "That's right." Itachi said. Then, they both noticed a redhead girl wearing some kind of white t-shirt with the Uchiha Clan crest on it.
"Say...how much do you want to join the Hidden Leaf Police Force?" "Very." Sasuke answered. "Then I might have a little assignment for you...you see that girl over there?" Itachi asked. "How could I not? She's the only Uchiha with red hair. And she's...Narumi, right?" Sasuke asked in reply. "Yes. Narumi Uchiha...she's the Daughter of a friend of our Mom's. We've got her Aunt taking care of her, but she won't always be with her Aunt. Will you protect Narumi in her stead whenever you can? It would make a good case for your entry into the Police Force-aside from your grades and how good you are as a ninja, of course." Itachi requested. "Sir, yes Sir!" Sasuke shouted. Itachi chuckled. "Then we'd better get you home so that you can heal that leg of yours, and get started on your mission." Itachi replied.
END OF FLASHBACK
'Right. I told him I'd protect you. But I'm not going to protect you for his sake, no, no. I'm going to protect you because I want to.' Sasuke thought. 'And because you're the last of my clan-aside from me and, well, my...' Sasuke didn't even want to say Itachi's name or acknowledge him as his Big Brother like he once did all those years ago.
Just then, Hinata nervously walked into the room, shy, just as per the usual. After she sat down at her desk in the top middle row, she couldn't help but look at Narumi while blushing every now and again. It is an open secret that Hinata is a lesbian but no one really bothers her about it too much. Especially when, one winter, Narumi came to her rescue back when they were six years old. She was being beaten up by bullies and like she did with Sasuke just now, Narumi turned those bullies' attention away from Hinata, and over to her so that they could beat her up.
The assault ended when the man who was supposed to protect Hinata came, and intimidated those bullies. The bullies ran away, and Narumi got back up. She remembered trying to thank him, only for him to shout at her, call her a "demon", and then pull Hinata away, thinking that all that's happened was because of her.
It made Narumi (justifiably) think that all Hyugas are just a bunch of stuck-up jerks and because of that, they don't deserve her respect...not even Hinata. Even still, to this day, the other students are afraid to even touch Hinata because of what Narumi might do to them. Sasuke doesn't like the Hyugas just because of the famed old-as-time feud between the Hyuga and the Uchiha. This depresses Hinata, though, because she genuinely wants to make peace with them and because she has a crush on Narumi.
Narumi's fanboys saw Hinata's stares, and thought that they weren't going to be outshined by a mere shy Hyuga. So they all ran right up to Narumi. "Who are they?" Sasuke asked Narumi. "Fuckboys who just won't leave me alone." Narumi answered. "You too? Jeez...it's like this is our lives." Sasuke commented. "Tell me about it." Narumi agreed. "But hopefully, it'll all end after we get our team assignments." "I doubt that." Sasuke replied.
And just when the fanboys were about to hound her, Miyuki ran straight into the room, and beat all those fanboys away. Those fanboys, in turn, went back to their desks. If Narumi was the diplomatic one of the duo, Miyuki was the one who uses her fists before her brain (when it comes to defending Narumi and for her own self-defense, of course). Miyuki is less scary than Narumi because, unlike Narumi, she deals with conflict in very unsubtle ways rather than try to talk it out or cleverly beat them up if the opposing party can't be reasoned with. Miyuki is (quite often) the unreasonable one so, to any of the other new Genin, trying to fight her would figuratively be suicide. They learned that when some others have tried to come after Narumi while the Uchiha Princess and the Sarutobi Princess are together.
"What's up, homie?" Miyuki said with a smile. "Nothing...Nothing much. You?" Narumi asked in reply, while looking surprised by Miyuki's actions. Sasuke was also surprised, too. "Same." Miyuki answered. "Is...Is she always like this?" Sasuke asked. "You'll...get used to it." Narumi answered. "What is he doing here?" Miyuki then asked. "It's alright, Miyuki-Chan, he's...my friend again." Narumi told her. "If you say so..." Miyuki says while pouting and furrowing her eyebrow like she's suspicious of Sasuke. "Oh, and, by the way, Sasuke, this is Miyuki Sarutobi-" "The Hokage's Granddaughter. I heard about you." Sasuke said, interrupting Narumi. "Not bad...for a rookie."
Miyuki was angered by Sasuke's words. "So what?" Miyuki asked. "You're a rookie, too." "Hn. Whatever." Sasuke scoffed. "Well, if you brush off Narumi, or hurt Narumi's feelings ever again, I will hunt you down." Miyuki threatened. "And why would that be?" Sasuke tauntingly asked. "Because ever since your Brother killed your entire clan, I swore I'd do whatever it takes to protect Narumi." Miyuki answered. Miyuki then went to sit at the desk to Sasuke's right, just because Narumi's sitting at the desk to Sasuke's left. This is unusual to Narumi because Miyuki normally sits next to some other boy in the middle row. Sasuke scoffed.
"If you really were committed to protecting Narumi, then where were you when my fangirls kicked the shit out of her all because she wanted them to stop annoying me?" Sasuke asked. "What? Is that true?" Miyuki asked Narumi. "Yeah..." Narumi says, ashamed by the experience. "I had to stop them in your stead." Sasuke said. "I'm just about this close to ripping you a new asshole, Sasuke." Miyuki threatened, getting angrier and angrier. "Can you two please stop fighting?" Narumi asked. Just then, Iruka-Sensei walked into the classroom, completely healed up from last week's fight against Mizuki.
"Alright, everybody, I'm about to announce everyone's assigned squads. So pay close attention, because you might be the one who didn't hear their name if you don't. Plus, once I'm done, your assigned Jonin-Sensei will come pick you up after lunch. Now, without further ado, let's begin..." Iruka-Sensei says.
Meanwhile, many of the Hidden Leaf's Jonin are gathered in the Hokage's Chamber, watching the students on the crystal ball while the Hokage sits on a pillow and smokes his pipe. "Narumi Uchiha, huh?" Kurenai Yuhi, one of the Jonin said. "I wonder who's getting her." "For her sake, I hope it isn't Anko." Said Asuma Sarutobi, another Jonin of the Hidden Leaf, who was also the Third Hokage's Son and the Uncle of Miyuki and Konohamaru. "You do know that Anko has never been assigned a Genin Squad, right?" Asked Kakashi Hatake, another one of the Jonin and the former student of the Fourth Hokage. "I was just sayin', Kakashi." Asuma said defensively. "Well, then, if there are no more comments, let's hear the Genin Squad assignments for this batch of rookies." Kakashi told everyone. They watched as Iruka listed off the names of Team 1, the new Team 2, Team 4 (since Team 3 is already in play), Team 5, the new Team 6, and...
"...Team 7 will be Narumi Uchiha, Miyuki Sarutobi and Sasuke Uchiha. Your Jonin-Sensei will be Kakashi Hatake..." Iruka announced over the crystal ball. Kakashi was surprised. "It sounds like you've got the Jinchuriki, Kakashi." Asuma said as though it were a joke. "Not to mention that angry Uchiha boy." Kurenai said. "Kurenai, both Sasuke and the Jinchuriki are Uchihas." Said another Jonin. "Well, clearly." Kurenai replied. Kurenai was assigned to Team 8, which consisted of Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuga and Shino Aburame. "An Inuzuka, a Hyuga and an Aburame all in one! Ooohh, you've got a difficult job ahead of you, Yuhi." A Jonin commented.
"...Team 10's members will be Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akmichi. Your Jonin-Sensei will be Asuma Sarutobi..." Iruka announces. "What did you say about how hard I would have it?" Kakashi tauntingly asked. Asuma frowned at Kakashi. "All I'm saying is that if you don't like it when someone gives you unwanted commentary, don't do it to others." "Whatever. We all have our Genin to pick up." Asuma said. The Jonin started to leave the room.
Before he left, Asuma walked up to Kakashi, and said, "Try to be kind to my niece, okay?" He then left the room. Kakashi was about to leave when he was stopped by Lord Third. Kakashi sighed.
Kakashi turned around, and walked up to Lord Third. "Yes, Lord Third?" "There's something I want you to be mindful of." Lord Third answered. "Which is...?" Kakashi asks. "Miyuki." Lord Third answered. "Miyuki...Miyuki Sarutobi...wasn't she the girl who went missing just a few years before the Uchiha Massacre?" Kakashi then asked. "Precisely." Lord Third answered. "There was intel that she was secretly captured by the Foundation." "The Foundation..." Kakashi says with a frown. "I knew you'd recognize their name." Lord Third remarked. "Partially because I worked for them, to my...everlasting shame...but nevermind all that. What does any of that have to do with today's events?" Kakashi questioned. "We suspect that my Granddaughter is actually a spy for the Foundation and that she's made friends with Narumi only to keep an eye on her." Lord Third answered. "So she could've been placed on Team 7 for the exact same purpose?" Kakashi inquired. "That's what I believed when Danzo came to me about placing her on your team. Iruka wanted Sakura Haruno on your team and I initially granted such a request, but even I can't deny that the girl has no talent for being a Kunoichi beyond at least trying to look pretty." Lord Third answered.
"So what should we do about this?" Kakashi asked. "You need to keep an eye on her, too. I don't want to assume too much, but I don't know what Danzo's plans are for Narumi." Lord Third answered. "Is that all, Sir?" Kakashi then asked. "Yes, Kakashi. You may go now. Meet your new students." Lord Third answered. "See you later at the Mission Assignment Desk, then." Kakashi said before he turned around, and walked out of the room.
"Assuming I don't fail them first." Kakashi muttered. Kakashi has a notorious reputation for failing a lot of students. Some are even intimidated by Kakashi because of this.
After lunch, a lot of the new Genin were picked up by their Senseis. The only ones left were Narumi, Miyuki and Sasuke. As time passed, it became clear that Miyuki's patience was wearing thin. Miyuki was not always a patient kid to begin with, but even Narumi, herself admits that their Sensei's lateness is ticking her off but only by just a bit. Miyuki's anger, however, was excessive in Narumi's opinion. But it did not help that she has to be on the same squad as Sasuke. And when she's in such a bad mood, Miyuki tends to come off as bossier than Ino. And Ino is (in most people's opinions) a very bossy bitch. That's why, right now, Miyuki is pacing back-and-forth behind Narumi and Sasuke. Narumi angrily growled.
"What is it!?" Miyuki shouted after she stopped. "You're pacing behind us. And it's getting annoying." Narumi answered. "Well? What do you expect me to do, sit around?" Miyuki angrily asked. "Yes." Narumi simply said. Miyuki growled while pouting before she went and sat down to the right of Sasuke, still pouting in anger. After that, a man with spiky silver hair, a black eye, a black mask covering his mouth and nose, and his Hidden Leaf headband covering his left eye walked into the room.
"Yo. I'm your Jonin-Sensei. I'm here to pick the three of you up." The man said to Narumi, Miyuki and Sasuke. The silver-haired man had a Hidden Leaf Jonin uniform worn under the dark green flak jacket he wore. So, Narumi guesses he counts as a Jonin and a Jonin-Sensei.
They followed the man to the roof of the Academy. The three new Genin sat on a bit of a long bench, with Miyuki sitting in between both Sasuke and Narumi. The silver-haired man just sat on the railings near the edge of the roof (that were meant to keep students from falling to their doom) across the roof from the three new Genin. "Alright...let's start off with introductions first. Tell me your names, your likes, your dislikes, your hobbies and your hopes and dreams for the future." The man told them.
"But you never told us anything about yourself, Sensei." Miyuki said.
"Alright, then...I suppose it makes sense for me to go first...let's see...my name is Kakashi Hatake. The things I like and things I hate...I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future...never really thought about it. As for my hobbies...I have lots of hobbies." The silver-haired Jonin said.
"All he really told us was his name." Miyuki whispered to Narumi. "Yeah, yeah." Narumi whispered back while nodding.
"Okay, your turn. You on the right, you first." Kakashi-Sensei said.
"I'm Narumi Uchiha, only the smartest Kunoichi in the Hidden Leaf. I like eating dango and...well..." Narumi says as she starts blushing at Sasuke.
"...anyways, I hate bullies, my hobbies are...I don't actually know if I have any hobbies...and my dream for the future is to bring Itachi back here so that he can answer for his crimes...and then become the Hokage! The greatest Hokage that ever lived so that people will start respecting me and treating me like I'm some
-body! Somebody important!" Narumi continued.
"Alright, next." Kakashi-Sensei said.
"I'm Miyuki Sarutobi. I like sharpening my Taijutsu and Genjutsu skills with training but I hate perverted boys. It's why I usually punch 'em. My hobbies are trying different types of Taijutsu moves and different types of Genjutsu and hang
-ing out with Narumi, and my dream for the future is to...uh...I don't know yet." Miyuki said.
'I don't know which part of that is a lie. Then again, the Foundation is a part of the Anbu, and she'd be a pretty shitty Anbu if she made it obvious which claims are and aren't lies.' Kakashi-Sensei thought. 'Though, it's interesting to note that Narumi's grown up in an interesting way.'
"Now you, on the left." Kakashi-Sensei told Sasuke. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I like...well, that's not important. Nor are my dislikes or my hobbies. And what I have is not a dream because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan...and kill a certain...someone." Sasuke said.
'So we have a future Hokage, a complete mystery girl, and a potential psychopathic killer on my team.' Kakashi-Sensei thought. 'Though, I can't say I don't feel the same way about Itachi.'
'I hope he doesn't mean me.' Miyuki thought. 'Though, even if he does kill me, he'll have Hell to pay for it because of a certain one-eyed someone-and no, I don't mean Kakashi.'
"Good. You're each unique and you have your own ideas. We'll have our first mission tomorrow." Kakashi-Sensei told the three of them. "What kind of mission are we going to have?" Miyuki asked. "It's a task...that the four of us will do together." Kakashi-Sensei answered. "What, what, what, what, what!?" Miyuki excitedly asked. Narumi sighed. 'I hate it when she gets excited like this...' She thought. "A survival exercise." Kakashi-Sensei said. "Huh?" Miyuki asked. "Survival exercise?! I thought we were supposed to have a real mission!" "I'm going to have to agree with my loud-mouthed friend here." Narumi said. "The simple fact is that we already did this at the Academy, that's how we're all here."
"This is not like your previous training." Kakashi-Sensei answered. "So uh, so uh, what kind of training is it, then?" Miyuki asked. Kakashi-Sensei chuckled.
"Hey! Hold on! That's a normal question. What's so funny?" Narumi asked. "Well, if I tell you the answer, you're not going to like it..." Kakashi-Sensei. "Huh?" Miyuki asked. "Of the twenty-seven graduates who just came here only nine will actually be accepted as Genin. The other eighteen will be weeded out, and sent back to the Academy. In other words, this is a make-it-or-break-it, pass-fail test. And the chance that you'll fail is at least sixty-six percent." Kakashi-Sensei explained.
'Oh jeez, the guy is tryna scare us.' Narumi thought.
Miyuki looked actually scared.
Sasuke was as stoic as ever.
"See? Didn't I tell you you wouldn't like it?" Kakashi-Sensei rhetorically asked. "That's crazy! We worked hard to get here! If you were just going to send us back, then what was that Genin Exam for!?" Miyuki asked. "Oh that? That is just to select candidates who might become Genin. Or not." Kakashi-Sensei answered. "What?" Miyuki shouted. "Nevermind it, Miyuki. He's just trying to get a rise out of you and you're giving him what he wants." Narumi told her. "That's how it is. I decide whether you pass or fail. Be at Training Ground 7 at 5 AM. And bring your ninja gear." Kakashi-Sensei told them.
'Well I know I'm not going to be weeded out! I have to stay by Narumi's side! It's what Lord Danzo ordered, after all.' Miyuki thought.
'Oh Kami, what an ego that guy has. Sure he has command over whether or not we fail or pass whatever test this is.' Narumi thought. 'I'd like him to try to see me as I beat that test faster than anyone ever could!'
Sasuke was just a blank slate.
"That's it. You're dismissed. Oh, tomorrow, you should skip breakfast or else...you'll puke." Kakashi-Sensei said. The masked silver-haired Sensei then somehow disappeared.
Narumi, Miyuki and Sasuke walked into Training Ground 7 all together at 5 AM. Narumi was dressed in a black tank top, overtop which she wore her usual white jacket with the Uchiha Clan crest on the back of it, red shorts, and a pair of navy blue ninja sandals. On her forehead was her navy blue Hidden Leaf headband and her red hair was styled into two pigtails, like always. Her ninja tool pouch was secured safely on the back of her shorts and, like Sasuke, she has her black Shuriken holster secured onto her left leg by a black velcro strap and a handful of bandages.
Miyuki, however, was wearing the exact same outfit she always wears except for the addition of her Hidden Leaf headband which she's using as a wristband. "Wristband, eh? Unique choice." Narumi remarked. "What can I say? Kakashi
-Sensei called all of us unique." Miyuki said. Wherever she keeps her ninja tools and Shurikens is obviously hidden behind her big blue haori.
Speaking of "unique", Sasuke was wearing what he usually wears: a navy blue t-shirt with a high collar and the Uchiha symbol on the back of it, white shorts, a pair of white arm warmers with navy blue linings and a pair of navy blue ninja sandals. Sasuke's black hair looked like a raven's ass, just as per usual and he has his navy blue Hidden Leaf headband on his forehead. And, as mentioned before, like with Narumi, he had his Shuriken holster secured onto his left leg and his ninja tool pouch is secured on the back of his shorts. Obviously, anyone with the strength of a ninja could just take it, but that is an offense more serious than the average pickpocketing charge. Anyone dumb enough to do that would be dealt a hefty prison sentence, to say the least.
'Unique, huh?' Narumi thought, still unable to look at him without blushing.
Miyuki looked at the both of them, soon realizing something. 'Oh...oh! I now realize why Narumi and Sasuke can't truly mend their friendship.' Miyuki thought, inwardly giggling. Sasuke must've caught Miyuki smiling because he looked at her, and asked, "What's so funny?" "Oh, nothing." Miyuki lied. "Are you sure?" Sasuke then asked. "No, really, everything's fine!" Miyuki lied again. "Hn. Whatever." Sasuke scoffed.
They ended up waiting for what seemed like hours before Kakashi-Sensei finally showed up by just simply appearing in a puff of smoke as though he'd just casted a magic spell. "Whoa..." Miyuki says. "What kind of Jutsu is that?" "Something I'll teach you about later-well, maybe one, if not all three of you will be lucky enough to have learned it on your own at some point in the future. But now is not the time for that." Kakashi-Sensei told them.
"What is it time for, then?" Miyuki asked. "It's simple: it is time...for the Bell Test." Kakashi-Sensei answered. 'The Bell Test?' Narumi thought. "And what's that?" Miyuki then asked. "I was just about to get into that. You see..." Kakashi-Sensei says. "The reason I was so late was because I was taking a walk, and while I was on that walk, I picked up these."
Kakashi-Sensei then got a couple of silver bells out from his pants pocket. "So I was wondering...which one or two of you can take these bells off me within the span of twenty-four hours? And how will you fight me to take them?" He rhetorically asked. "So this is the test?" Miyuki asked. "Wasn't that clear already?" Kakashi-Sensei quipped. "I digress. Unless you come at me with the intent to kill, you won't get 'em. And if you fail to get any of the bells or just one of the bells, I will have the loser of this little contest tied to one of those wooden pillars while I eat my lunch in front of them." "And if we win...?" Miyuki asks. "You all get lunch. Now, go!" Kakashi-Sensei shouted. The three Genin scattered into the forests on either side of the large and wide grassy clearing that makes up the majority of Training Ground 7.
Sasuke hid in the forest to the left of the large clearing while Miyuki and Narumi hid in the forest to the right. Both Narumi and Sasuke activated their Sharingan. Kakashi-Sensei, meanwhile, walked over to a lone tree at the center of the clearing, leaned against it, got a little pocketbook out of his other pants pocket, and started reading it. Upon closer inspection, that book was titled...
"Icha-Icha Paradise?! The nerve of that pervert! I'm gonna get him!" Miyuki angrily said. Miyuki then ran off. "Miyuki, no! Wait!" Narumi shouted. But she ran off anyway. 'This could only end horribly...' Narumi thought. Miyuki then ran straight up to Kakashi-Sensei, and tried beating him using Taijutsu, but he just blocked every one of her attacks. Not only that, he blocked her effortlessly without looking away from his book.
"Nice try." Kakashi-Sensei told her. Miyuki then backflipped three times, and weaved together three hand signs before shouting, "Water-Style: Water Whip Jutsu!" And then, both of her hands turned into whips made of water, and she tried using the whips to attack Kakashi-Sensei. Kakashi barely had time to react. All he could do was throw his book away for a moment, and dodge Miyuki's water whips. After that, Kakashi-Sensei quickly weaved together four hand signs, and slammed his hand on the ground before shouting, "Earth-Style: Mud Wall!" And then, a wall made entirely of solid brown rock rose up in between Kakashi-Sensei and Miyuki.
"Sorry, dear, but every elemental Ninjutsu can be countered. Even you should've learned that. Back at the Academy..." Kakashi-Sensei tells Miyuki. Miyuki continues to bash away at Kakashi-Sensei's rock wall, no matter how little it's damaging the wall itself. Kakashi-Sensei sighs.
'They never learn...' Kakashi-Sensei thought. 'Or, at least she's pretending not to.'
Kakashi-Sensei weaved together five hand signs, and dug a hole for himself underground. And when he came out, he was directly under Miyuki, and he shouted, "Earth-Style: Headhunter Jutsu!" And then, he pulled Miyuki into the hole he just made until only her head was visible. And then, the mud wall went back down into the ground just as Miyuki's water whips reformed back into her hands. "Lord Third is really going to be disappointed in you..." Kakashi-Sensei says.
'Ha! That's what you get for fucking with a Jonin!' Sasuke thought.
'That's going to be a hard place to get her out of.' Narumi thought.
Then, Sasuke snuck up to Kakashi-Sensei just as he was about to pick up his pornographic book, and quickly casted the Fireball Jutsu at Kakashi-Sensei.
'Oh, Sasuke, not you too!' Narumi thought.
Like with Miyuki's water whips, Kakashi-Sensei barely had any time to react. He quickly turned around to face Sasuke, and dodged the fireball. 'What? There's no way a mere Genin can learn the fireball Jutsu! It'd take up too much chakra!' Kakashi-Sensei thought. Sasuke then ran up to Kakashi-Sensei, and tried fighting him one-on-one with Taijutsu, but, again, the silver-haired Jonin blocked each of his attacks just as he did when Miyuki tried to fight Kakashi-Sensei using Taijutsu. In the end, Sasuke wound up getting pinned and restrained to the ground.
Narumi facepalmed. 'Oh Brother...' Narumi thought.
"Is this seriously the best the Heir of the Uchiha Clan can come up with?" Kakashi-Sensei taunted.
Narumi then got an idea. She made one hand sign, and thought, 'Shadow Clone Jutsu!' And then, three clones of her suddenly appeared around her. Narumi remembered from her Ninjutsu studies back at the Academy that the Jutsu incantations don't have to be said out loud to work, they can be cast by just thinking the incantation. "What do you want us to do, Boss?" The first Narumi asked. "I need you to go and save Miyuki and Sasuke, then bring them back here." The original Narumi ordered. "Sir, yes Sir!" All three clones shouted.
Just then, three Narumis came out of the forest! "What the-" Kakashi-Sensei was knocked backwards with a single kick by the first Narumi before Kakashi-Sensei could finish his sentence. "Narumi!" Miyuki said happily. The first Narumi then grabbed Sasuke, and jumped back into the forest. Then, the second Narumi went to free Miyuki while the third one went to face Kakashi-Sensei.
"Heads-up!" The second Narumi warned. The second Narumi then got out a Kunai knife and a paper bomb, attached said paper to the Kunai knife before throwing it at the ground near Miyuki. The second Narumi then used her chakra to ignite the paper bomb. The paper bomb exploded, and Miyuki was finally free! Miyuki was heavily injured, though. The second Narumi walked up to Miyuki, and said, "I'm so sorry..."
"It's...it's alright." Miyuki replied. Miyuki then went unconscious. The second Narumi grabbed Miyuki, and jumped back into the forest.
'If both those Narumis are gone, then that must mean this must be the real one...' Kakashi-Sensei thought. The third Narumi ran up to Kakashi-Sensei, and took him on in Taijutsu combat. Like before with Miyuki and Sasuke, he easily blocked each attack she made. And just when he made the finishing blow, the third Narumi disappeared in a puff of smoke. 'The little rascal...' Kakashi-Sensei then thought.
Narumi's clones managed to take both Miyuki and Sasuke back to where she was before they disappeared. Narumi looked at Miyuki, and said, "Oh...oh no. I'm so sorry." Narumi said, alarmed. She picked them both up, knowing that Kakashi
-Sensei might come around here and she rushed through the forest before finding a nice tree to hide behind. "What did you do?" Sasuke asked, referring to Miyuki and her condition. Narumi looked really ashamed. "You remember Kakashi
-Sensei using that Headhunter Jutsu on her, right?" Narumi asked in reply. Sasuke nodded.
"I had to make a hole in the ground where she was trapped...with a paper bomb." Narumi told him. "So that's what caused her...current condition." Sasuke concluded. "I feel so bad right now...but it was the only way I knew to free her." Narumi said. "That doesn't matter. All that does matter is that you heal her, and that she gets some rest." Sasuke told her. "And in the meantime, we'll need to strategize."
Narumi wasted no time getting started on healing Miyuki by casting the Healing Jutsu on the more injured parts of her body.
Kakashi-Sensei, meanwhile, was watching everything from a tree branch high above Narumi, Sasuke and Miyuki. 'So far, the only one who's really passed this test is Narumi. But let's see how well the two others do first...' Kakashi-Sensei thought. He then jumped off of the tree branch, and snuck back onto the big clearing.
Narumi stopped casting the Healing Jutsu when Miyuki looked to be all better, with the injuries all healed up. "There. She's alright now. She'll need some rest, though. I give it...twelve hours." Narumi said. Sasuke chuckled. "Said it just like a true doctor." He remarked. "Back in the Academy, I heard rumors say that Haruhi
-Sensei used to be a Medical Ninja, but nobody could ever prove that." Narumi replied. "You must really look up to her." Sasuke also replied. "Haruhi-Sensei got me to where I am as much as Iruka-Sensei did. I guess...you could say that they're like a Mom and Dad to me. But if you ever asked them about it, they'd be super modest about it and say, 'No, it's not like that!'." Narumi said. Both Narumi and Sasuke laughed.
"That's...really sweet." Sasuke commented. "But now's not the time to focus on all this." "Right. We need to beat Kakashi-Sensei. And I think I know how we do it." Narumi said. "You do? How?" Sasuke asked. "Think about the point of this exercise. He brought out two bells before the test started, indicating that only one of us would get sent back to the Academy since there are only two bells. But it's actually a trick to make us think that we'd have to work alone if we wanted to become actual Genin." Narumi said. "So what if we go against those instructions, and work together to beat him?" "Won't that get us sent back anyways? How do you even know it's a trick?" Sasuke then asked. "Well, I have experience with playing tricks on people, don't you remember? I didn't get my reputation as 'The Smartass' for no reason, y'know." Narumi said. "It's simple for an intelligent trickster like me to figure out. So this is how we beat him..."
Kakashi walked over to his book, which was left on the ground, and then he went and picked it up. After that, he walked to the tree in the middle of this large clearing, and leaned his back against it before opening up Icha-Icha Paradise to read it.
Kakashi had already finished the book two times. It's been twelve hours, and none of them have made their moves yet. 'Have they given up?' Kakashi thought. 'Well, it wouldn't be too illogical. After all, Narumi did just unintentionally knock out Miyuki with that explosion. Or maybe they're waiting for Miyuki's injuries to heal.'
"Hmmm..." Kakashi mutters. 'Might as well go and check up on them...' Kakashi then thought. He put his book away, and stood up and then walked towards the forest when, out of nowhere, two Narumis appeared, and casted the Fireball Jutsu at Kakashi! "Whoa!" Kakashi shouted as he dodged. And then, Sasuke came out of nowhere, and casted another Fireball Jutsu at Kakashi. Kakashi dodged that fireball, too.
"Is that the best you can do?" Kakashi asked. Sasuke smirked, and then casted the Phoenix Flower Jutsu at Kakashi. Kakashi dodged all of those little fireballs with little difficulty. 'Easy enough.' Kakashi then thought. Suddenly, four more Narumi clones came forward, and started fighting Kakashi in hand-to-hand combat. At first, he was staggered by their Taijutsu, especially since he also had to dodge the little fireballs Sasuke was continually shooting at him. But then, he started winning. One by one, the clones started disappearing...except for the fourth one. The fourth one was behind Kakashi. Kakashi looked down, and saw that the bells on his person were gone.
'Where did the bells go?' Kakashi thought. He thought that this Narumi clone had the bells or knew where the bells were so he ran up to it, and started fighting it. He then gave it a finishing attack, but instead of disappearing, the Narumi clone transformed back into Miyuki.
"Miyuki!" Kakashi shouted. "I was wondering where you were...recovered from your injuries, I see." "Narumi, now!" Miyuki shouted. And then, suddenly, the real Narumi ran up to Kakashi, and hit him from behind.
Kakashi woke up later sitting on the ground, and with his hands tied. He saw the three Genin standing before him with Narumi having the bells in her right hand. "You pass." Kakashi told them. "We know." Sasuke said. "Of course you-wait, what? How did you know?" Kakashi asked, interrupting himself. "Because of Narumi." Sasuke answered. "Without Narumi, we'd have still been trouncing around, trying to beat you by ourselves." Miyuki added. "Eh, it didn't take me long to figure it out. You should know better than to trick a trickster." Narumi told him.
"Well, good job, you three." Kakashi said. "Now, can you untie me?" "O-Oh, of course!" Narumi replied. Narumi went around to the back of Kakashi, and pulled out a Kunai knife, and cut Kakashi's binds. Kakashi stood up as Narumi put away her Kunai knife. Both Narumi and Sasuke deactivated their Sharingan, too. Both Uchihas then got a bit of a headache. "You've had your Sharingan activated throughout most of the exercise, haven't you?" Kakashi asked. "Yup. Now, I'm starting to regret that." Narumi answered. "Me too." Sasuke added. "I'll kindly remind you not to use your Sharingan too much." Kakashi told them. "Noted." Both Narumi and Sasuke say.
"And with that, I'll be seeing you for more training tomorrow." Kakashi said. "But, before I go...there is one thing you should know. You know why I gave you this test?" "To assess our teamwork skills?" Narumi guessed. "Well, yes, but it's also so that you learn an important lesson, a lesson I had to learn the hard way: I wanted you to think for yourselves, and make decisions based on what you thought was the right course of action, not based on whatever rules you were told to follow. Because, you see...those who break the rules are scum, that's true. But those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum. That's the moral of the story, kids." Kakashi explained.
Kakashi then walked away.
Narumi, Miyuki and Sasuke saw that as cool. "So, what should we do, now?" Miyuki asked. "I'm going to go eat some dango. I'm starving." Narumi answered. "Oh! Uh...me too!" Sasuke nervously shouted. Narumi and Sasuke then ran off together. Miyuki looked at them, seeing how friendly they've become in such a short time.
'Good. This will all be for the better when I separate the two of you when the war comes.' Miyuki thought.
The sun was starting to set when Kakashi handed the paperwork for Team 7 to Lord Third in the Hokage's office. "So...you have finally accepted a Genin Squad." Lord Third said, looking at the paperwork. "Yes. They are...good, but they still need work." Kakashi replied. "That's why we have Jonin-Senseis like you." Lord Third also replied.
Kakashi looked concerned. "What's wrong, Kakashi?" Lord Third asked. "There's something...familiar about my new team. Almost insultingly so." Kakashi answered. "What do you mean?" Lord Third then asked. "Well, Narumi is basically the child genius. A booksmart girl. Like Rin." Kakashi answered. "Indeed. But she's also got street smarts, raw potential and power unlike Rin." Lord Third said. "Sasuke is like how I was when I was a Genin-maybe even worse." Kakashi told him. "True. But I believe Narumi is his calming influence, something the darkness in his own heart can never touch. I'll be surprised if he ever one day lets it touch her." Lord Third replied. "And Miyuki...Miyuki is like Obito was way back then...or, at least she pretends to be." Kakashi assessed. "True. Even I have my own doubts about her. Everything about her is a mystery. And yet, according to her Academy test scores, Miyuki barely made it past the Academy, much like Narumi and Obito." Lord Third agreed.
"It's Miyuki's part in this trip down memory lane that upsets me. If she truly is an agent for Danzo, then maybe she's trying to rile me up by reminding me of Obito." Kakashi said. "Perhaps she is upsetting you. Or maybe she's just upsetting you unintentionally. You have to remember that she's been acting like an idiot even before you met her." Lord Third assessed. "Then maybe she's been putting on this act for Narumi's sake...?" Kakashi guesses. "Maybe. After the Uchiha Massacre, Narumi and Sasuke had stopped talking for quite some time. And at that same time, Narumi met Miyuki. Coincidentally, a few weeks before the Uchiha Massacre, Miyuki was found by the Anbu assigned to her after a few years of searching." Lord Third told him. "Where was she found?" Kakashi asked.
"In the sewers." Lord Third answered. Kakashi was visibly surprised by the old man's answer.
"I was surprised, too, when I was told where she was when she was found. You should also know that, when I was having a chat with Fugaku one time during a social visit just days before the Uchiha Massacre, Fugaku said what he thought was the 'funniest thing'." Lord Third said. "And what was that?" Kakashi asked. "Itachi told him that Sasuke told him that he wanted to be a Police Officer. So Itachi gave him his first 'assignment'. To protect Narumi." Lord Third answered. Kakashi chuckled. "That does sound kinda funny, when you think about it." He commented. "Except I think Itachi was being serious." Lord Third said. "What?" Kakashi then asked, confused.
"Itachi was kinda like the Fourth Hokage in that he never did anything without a purpose. Though, I think, in this instance, it's that he wanted Narumi to continue to be protected by the Uchiha, even after they're long gone. Back before the Massacre, Narumi was continually protected by the Uchiha and unlike the rest of the village, who only saw her as a monster in Human form, the Uchiha saw her as a child. And due to the Massacre, that protection she once had was taken away." Lord Third said. "And what does that mean?" Kakashi asked. "I think that Itachi saw both Narumi and Sasuke as the Legacy of the Uchiha and if either one of them were to survive, Sasuke would have to protect Narumi and, in time, Narumi would have to protect him in turn." Lord Third said. "So because Sasuke's abandoned her all this time, he's unknowingly allowed Narumi to fall into the 'protective' hands of the Foundation." Kakashi guessed. "Correct." Lord Third replied.
Kakashi had a thought for a moment. "Do you think that, if the Uchiha Massacre never happened, the Uchiha would've tried to use Narumi for their own gain, too?" He asked. "That was one of Danzo's concerns when we handed her over to Izumi. But we both know that the Foundation isn't that much better in that regard." Lord Third answered. "Then I think that it's best if I get Sasuke to keep Narumi away from Miyuki." Kakashi said. "Careful, Kakashi. This is a dangerous spy vs. spy game, not the kind of game your Genin should be playing, yet. They're still just kids, after all. Besides, if we take too much direct action in this matter, the Foundation will act as recklessly as we did." Lord Third warned. "You're saying they might try to kill Sasuke?" Kakashi then asked. "If need be. Which is why we need to try not to make it into a 'need be' situation. Not to mention that we don't have any solid proof of her connection to the Foundation." Lord Third answered.
'Then maybe the correct course of action would be a slow burn. Slowly ease them into it to the point where Narumi is actually under the safe protection of Sasuke, and nowhere near Miyuki if it's not necessary for her to be with Miyuki. Yeah...' Kakashi thought. 'In the meantime, Miyuki will actually have to prove to us whether or not she can be trusted to be around Narumi.'
"I have a plan." Kakashi said. "And what is your plan?" Lord Third asked. "I'm calling it 'Operation Slow Burn'." Kakashi answered.
Meanwhile, Miyuki is in the Foundation's HQ, kneeling before Danzo on the cross-shaped bridge. "Report." Danzo ordered. "I'm in." Miyuki said. "And...?" Danzo asks. "Lord Third and Kakashi suspect nothing." Miyuki answered. "I hope so. Kakashi is a Jonin and he was once one of us. Do not mistake feigned ignorance for true ignorance. They could very well have an idea of our plans and we may not know it." Danzo replied. 'Kakashi was one of us?' Miyuki thought, surprised by that information.
"But you've always said that you hated the Third Hokage because he is naive. Anyone with the slightest bit of naivete would never have suspicion or knowledge of our true intentions...until it is too late, of course." Miyuki said. "Sarutobi may be naive, but he is not stupid. I learned that the hard way. I pray no one else has to." Danzo told her. "So what must we do? I've been putting on an act as the village idiot, the class clown, but I'm not sure how long I can keep the act up. The Jinchuriki knows me too well." Miyuki said. "Nothing...for now." Danzo answered. "I understand." Miyuki acknowledged. "Then continue on with your assignment. Obey Kakashi's every order until the time is right." Danzo ordered. "Yes, Lord Danzo." Miyuki acknowledged. "If there are no more questions, you are dismissed." Danzo told her. Miyuki then disappeared using the Teleportation Jutsu.
Narumi and Sasuke were at Narumi's favorite dango place, both of them eating sticks of dango. "So...we're both Genin, now." Sasuke awkwardly said. "How does that make you feel?" "Stoked." Narumi answered. "S-Same." Sasuke awkwardly agreed.
Meanwhile, Anko and Lord Third were watching Narumi and Sasuke from afar. "Those are the only two Uchihas alive, huh?" Anko asked. "Yes." Lord Third simply said. They couldn't hear it, but Narumi said something to Sasuke, and Sasuke blushed. Sasuke said something back later on, and then Narumi blushed. Both Lord Third and Anko laughed.
"Ah, young love..." Anko says. "I remember that feeling." "Oh yeah? Who were you in love with?" Lord Third asked. "Kakashi." Anko said with an embarrassed look on her face. "What stopped you from pursuing that?" Lord Third then asked. "Orochimaru." Anko answered. "Oh..." Lord Third says. Everyone knows Anko's history with Orochimaru. In fact, when she came back from all those years of being under his "care" after he left the village, she was despised and hated because of her association with Orochimaru. In fact, the Hidden Leaf's superiors tried multiple times to send her away on suicide missions. On those occasions, she barely survived those missions, and only came back with a few scratches.
"For a time, I felt like I wasn't deserving of any love, at all. And I was saddened when Narumi took my place as the village's pariah as soon as her Jinchuriki status was leaked to the public. Hell, I feel that she's being treated worse than I ever was." Anko told Lord Third. "Is that why you wanted to be Team 7's leader as much as Kakashi did?" Lord Third asked. "Yes." Anko answered. "Why'd you pick Kakashi over me?" "Kakashi felt like he had a duty to protect Narumi, who is not only the Legacy of the Uchiha Clan, but also the Legacy of the Fourth Hokage." Lord Third answered. "And we all know who the Fourth Hokage was and who Kakashi's Jonin-Sensei was." "The Fourth Hokage." Anko said. "Now, that's a damn shame...I've always wanted to meet her." "Maybe you will-if Kakashi allows it." Lord Third supposed. "Huh?" Anko asked. "Need I remind you what's going to happen in a little over six months from now?" Lord Third asked in reply. "Oh! Oh yeah! Right." Anko said. Anko and Lord Third then said their goodbyes, and went their separate ways.
After a long and awkward conversation, Narumi and Sasuke finished their food, paid for it, and they walked out of the restaurant. Sasuke only pretended that he had to be somewhere else as they said their goodbyes, and went their separate ways so Narumi wound up walking home alone that day as Sasuke watched from behind her.
Just then, Kakashi-Sensei walked up to Sasuke from behind. "There you are!" Kakashi-Sensei shouted. Sasuke looked behind him, and saw Kakashi-Sensei. "Kakashi-Sensei..." Sasuke says. Kakashi-Sensei went up beside Sasuke, and saw Narumi walking away. "Why are you not walking home with her?" Kakashi
-Sensei asked. "N-No reason!" Sasuke nervously lied. Kakashi-Sensei looked at Narumi, then back at Sasuke, then back at Narumi, and then back at Sasuke.
'Oh...I see.' Kakashi-Sensei thought with a smile. 'Good thing I have a mask on or he'd see that I have the most perverted grin on my face.'
"So what are you here about Kakashi-Sensei?" Sasuke asked. "I have an...assignment for you." Kakashi-Sensei answered. "Assignment?" Sasuke then asked. He got flashbacks to when Itachi said nearly the same thing to him. Sasuke sighed.
"What is it?" Sasuke asked. Kakashi-Sensei looked from left-to-right. "It's something that can't be talked about in public." Kakashi-Sensei answered. Sasuke sighed again. "I know a place." Sasuke told him with a bit of reluctance in his voice.
Sasuke and Kakashi-Sensei walked up some outdoor stairs, and then down a stone path with a big building right at the end of it. "Nakano Shrine, eh?" Kakashi-Sensei asked. "I once heard from the other clan members that the clan would use the shrine as a secret meeting place. They'd never tell me what they were meeting about, though." Sasuke told him. Sasuke was slightly lying, of course. He knew nothing of what the Uchiha were planning, but the lie was that it was actually Itachi who told him about the Uchiha's secret meeting place. Once they were inside the shrine, Kakashi-Sensei followed Sasuke to a hidden room beneath the seventh tatami mat from the far right in the shrine's main hall. After that, Sasuke closed the trapdoor behind them.
"You should feel grateful, Sensei. From what I've been told about this place, only one other outsider has been allowed in here." Sasuke told him. "What's that stone monument?" Kakashi-Sensei asked. "Nevermind that. What assignment do you have for me?" Sasuke asked. "It has to do with the protection of Narumi." Kakashi
-Sensei answered. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening..." Sasuke says. "You've heard of the Anbu Black Ops, right?" Kakashi-Sensei then asked. "Yeah. They're masked ninjas who protect the peace in the village in the Police Force's stead." Sasuke answered. "Yes, but that isn't their main purpose, though." Kakashi-Sensei said. "It isn't?" Sasuke then asked.
"Their main purpose is to carry out special operations. Top-secret missions such as assassinations. I should know. I was one of them." Kakashi-Sensei said. "You were in the Anbu?" Sasuke asked. "Yes. I won't get into too many details since they are called 'top-secret missions' for a reason, y'know. But I will tell you one part of my time as an Anbu operative...something I am very ashamed about. After the Fourth Hokage's death, I was inducted into a subdivision of the Anbu called 'the Foundation'. This subdivision is...worse than the regular Anbu because of its leader and founder...an elder named Danzo. Danzo is a warmonger who has carried out numerous terrible operations under the pretense that it was for 'the good of the leaf'." Kakashi-Sensei told him.
"How bad is he?" Sasuke then asked.
"I can't tell you that. Not for now...at least. Hopefully never. Let's just say he makes the regular ninja look like a monk from the Fire Temple. Another thing I can tell you is that he's always opposed the Third Hokage, ever since he became the Third Hokage. From that point on, he has always sought to depose him and make himself Hokage. He's an ambitious, power-hungry warmonger." Kakashi
-Sensei told him.
"Get to the point." Sasuke replied. "You know how everyone in the village vilifies Narumi for her status as the Two-Tails' Jinchuriki? Well, Danzo was the one who leaked her Jinchuriki status to the public." Kakashi-Sensei said. "That little...!" Sasuke says, angry. "I know how you feel. And if it's any consolation, Danzo is now under house arrest and the Foundation has officially been disbanded for their actions. Regardless, everyone knows the secret, now. To calm the situation as much as he could, the Third Hokage decreed that no one speak of Narumi's Jinchuriki status in public lest they wanted to be executed. It didn't stop all of the attempts on Narumi's life by ordinary villagers or the numerous sexual assaults they committed against her, but the Hokage could only do so much." Kakashi
-Sensei told him.
"So what does this have to do with my duty to protect Narumi?" Sasuke asked. "As I said, Danzo has been under house arrest and the Foundation was officially disbanded. But, like any ninja, Danzo and the Foundation know how to operate in secret. So, for all we know, they could still be active. That's part of why the regular Anbu-the operatives who answer directly to the Hokage, anyway-have tried their best to protect Narumi from the shadows. But, considering all that's happened to her since the Massacre, there have been more than a few times where they've failed. One such failure is with Miyuki." Kakashi-Sensei answered.
"Miyuki?!" Sasuke asked. "Yes. We think she may be a spy working for the Foundation. We don't know why she's been tasked to Narumi or what Danzo's plans are for her, but we can bet that it has something to do with the fact that she's a Jinchuriki." Kakashi-Sensei answered. "Narumi met Miyuki not too long after the Uchiha Massacre. Which, by the way, was exactly when you stopped talking to her."
'So I unknowingly threw her into the arms of a warmonger.' Sasuke thought.
"I know that it's hard not to blame yourself for this, and maybe there is some degree of blame to be had, here. But the best way to overcome that is to learn from your mistakes." Kakashi-Sensei said as though he just read his mind. "So what do you need from me?" Sasuke asked. "I need you to keep Miyuki away from Narumi until we know that we can trust her. But try not to make it too obvious that you're doing it. The Hokage doesn't want us playing our hand too quickly. Danzo is a master manipulator and if we're too reckless, he can turn his loss into his win." Kakashi-Sensei told him. "I-I-I-It sounds like a complicated spy vs. spy game a-a-a-and I'm not sure if I can d-do that." Sasuke nervously replied. "Why not?" Kakashi-Sensei asked.
Sasuke started blushing, too afraid to answer.
"Oh..." Kakashi-Sensei says, realizing why. Kakashi-Sensei walked up to him, and said, "You love her, don't you?" "N-No, I don't!" Sasuke shouted in an argumentative tone. "Don't lie to yourself, kid. A fool who is more foolish than a regular fool is a fool who lies to themselves." Kakashi-Sensei told him. "I'm telling you, I don't!" Sasuke lied. "Then maybe you're not the right one for the job..." Kakashi-Sensei says, baiting Sasuke into giving him an answer he wants to hear.
"Fine! I'll-I'll do it!" Sasuke shouted. "I knew you'd accept. Now, this is all top-secret. No one, not even Narumi, herself must know of this mission. If anyone asks, nothing was said here." Kakashi-Sensei told him. Sasuke scoffed. "As if I'd actually ever tell anyone what went down here. It isn't called a secret meeting place for no reason, y'know." Sasuke said. "Then I guess I'm the foolish one." Kakashi-Sensei quipped.
Narumi went to bed, and went fast asleep after getting ready for bed. After that, she somehow woke up in what looked to be a dingy sewer. Or...was it a long hallway? She wasn't sure. All she knew was that she saw water dripping from the roof like the place was about to flood, and there were pipes in the corners.
'Well, I might as well dive head-first into this...whatever this is.' Narumi thought.
Narumi walked forwards only stopping when she heard a loud, yet big and domineering woman's voice. "Come, Narumi." The voice said. 'Wha-Who was that?' Narumi thought. "Come." The voice then said. "Alright! Alright! I'm comin' Gee, you don't have to be so demanding!" Narumi shouted without thinking. "Come to me, little...annoying cub." The voice told her. 'Was she-who or whatever she is-annoyed with me?' Narumi thought.
"Me? Annoying? Never!" Narumi quipped. Narumi continued walking until she saw light coming from a room to her right. A room that didn't have a door. She walked into said room, and saw that the room was large and (mostly) vacant. She can't tell where the Hell the light is coming from, though. Although, this place does look a Hell of a lot like a prison. In fact, right across from her, there was a gigantic cage with a paper that had the kanji for "seal" written on it right smack dab in the center of said cage.
And then, suddenly, a giant cat covered in blue and black fire with two yellow cat-like eyes and two tails came out of the shadows. Narumi walked up to the cage.
"Finally. We meet again, little cub." The giant cat said. Narumi now knows whose voice it was. It was the voice of this cat. This cat somehow had the loud and domineering voice [AN: Imagine the voice of Eris from the animated Sinbad movie because her voice is kind of like that.] but also kind and soft. Seeing that she has two tails, it became a no-brainer as to the identity of this cat. "You're the Two-Tails, aren't you?" Narumi asked. "Your wit is as sharp as my claws, cub. You might just develop some claws of your own, too. No matter. The Humans call me 'The Two-Tails' or 'The Cat' or 'The Monster Cat' or 'The Two-Tailed Monster Cat' but they neglect to know my true name...for I am Matatabi, The Hineko." The Cat answered.
Narumi started to cry. "So it was you." She said. "What?" Matatabi asked. "It was you! You're the reason I've suffered all these years! All the lies they said, the daily assaults, the rapes, the attempts on my life, none of it would've ever happened if you weren't put inside me!" Narumi ranted. "Calm yourself, girl. It is not my fault." Matatabi said.
"Then whose is it? Who else could it be? You're the reason they hate me so much. They celebrate the day you were sealed away inside me by the Fourth Hokage! So if it's not yours, then is it mine?" Narumi ranted again, almost on the verge of breaking down.
Looking down at her Jinchuriki with sympathy, Matatabi answered, "It is not my fault, nor yours. It is those...foolish, ignorant Humans. The same Humans who put me inside you to punish me for actions that were not my own." Matatabi told her. "It is despicable, and inconceivable how Humans can sacrifice their own kind, just because they know they can't defeat us." "W-Wait, you said that your actions were not your own. What do you mean by that?" Narumi asked. Matatabi chuckled. "All in good time, little kitten." She answered in a motherly tone. Unlike most of the Tailed Beasts, Matatabi was a kind Tailed Beast who didn't mind Humans all that much. She neither liked nor hated them. She especially didn't hate them as much as her Nine-Tailed Brother does. She felt especially sympathetic towards her Jinchuriki, though. And in Narumi's case, she adored Narumi as though she were her own baby Daughter. Narumi calmed down.
"Y-You're really nice." Narumi said, sniffling after she stopped crying. "I only show the best of myself to my Jinchuriki." Matatabi told her with a smile. "Thank you for that." Narumi said politely. "You're very welcome." Matatabi replied.
Narumi looked around. "So where are we, you and I?" She asked. "Is this some kind of dream world?" "Eh, it's more accurately your subconscious. Your mind's manifestation of the seal that binds me." Matatabi answered. "So, does that mean that if I wanted to see you, I could just go to sleep?" Narumi then asked. "Yes. And the same can also be achieved by being unconscious...however you intend to achieve such a state." Matatabi answered. Narumi chuckled.
"And, because you are my Jinchuriki, I can open a psychic link to speak to you even if you're out and about, awake or walking or...as the Humans say
...whatever." Matatabi told her. "You have to talk to me using your thoughts whenever you're with your friends or out in public. Otherwise, you will sound like you're talking to yourself." "...understood." Narumi acknowledged.
'Like I couldn't figure that one out for myself.' Narumi thought. Matatabi looked up before looking back down at Narumi. "It is almost morning time. You must wake up." Matatabi told her. "Wake...Wake up?" Narumi asked, confused. "What do you mean, I just got to sleep when I got down here." "Long story short, time works differently down here than it does up there. Now, go! That Kakashi person might have a mission for you." Matatabi then told her. "Right!" Narumi shouted with a determined nod.
Narumi woke up in her bed. She slowly sat up, and then stood up before making her bed, walking to her closet to change out of her pajamas (which was the basic onesie which was black and red) and into a daytime outfit (just a blue pair of shorts and a black tank top) and then, she closed her closet, walked over to her kitchen, where she found Kakashi-Sensei standing and fully dressed in his usual outfit. This startled Narumi. "How did you get in here!?" Narumi shouted.
Kakashi-Sensei was also startled by her sudden appearance, but he kept his cool about it. Of course, he stared at Narumi's appeasing figure. 'Now, I see why all of her male classmates have fallen for her.' Kakashi-Sensei thought.
"Sorry, Narumi. I had no idea you were still here." Kakashi-Sensei apologized. Narumi walked over to her fridge, and sarcastically said, "Yeah right." She then got a soft drink, walked over to the table, and sat down to drink it. "So why are you here?"
"I just wanted to get to know you better by getting a sense of how you live." Kakashi-Sensei answered. "And you couldn't come to me directly about this, why, exactly?" Narumi asked. "A ninja is never direct. You have to remember that." Kakashi-Sensei answered. "Stop telling me shit I already know. I've been deceiving the people who push me around ever since I learned the word 'deception'." Narumi said. "It's the reason why I've lived long enough for you to be here to stare at my big chest."
'Oh shit! She found out!' Kakashi-Sensei thought. Kakashi-Sensei nervously looked away.
"Is there any other reason why you're here?" Narumi asked. "Well...since you asked, I've scheduled a training session at Training Ground 7 with the rest of the team. Come by, if you're feeling brave." Kakashi-Sensei told her. "Do I have a choice?" Narumi quipped. "No, no you do not." Kakashi-Sensei answered with a smile. "Is that all...?" Narumi asks. Kakashi-Sensei didn't respond.
"Then get out!" Narumi shouted. Kakashi-Sensei somehow disappeared.
'Finally.' Narumi thought. 'You were wrong, Matatabi, by the way. He didn't have a mission for me.' "I said he might have a mission for you. There's a difference between 'might' and 'will'." Matatabi replied. 'Whatever.' Narumi simply thought.
She finished her soft drink, then threw the can in the recycling bin before getting up, walking over to the counter, getting some bread from the pantry, toasting it using the toaster, and then later quickly eating the toast and then drinking a cup of water to wash the toast down before walking back to her room, closing the door behind her, walking over to her closet, changing out of her blue shorts and into her usual pair of red shorts, she then put on her usual white jacket with the Uchiha Clan symbol on the back of it before equipping her ninja gear. "Why do you change clothes so often?" Matatabi asked. 'It's called "being a teenage girl". You'll understand it someday, Matatabi.' Narumi thought. "No. I don't think I will." Matatabi said. Narumi sighed.
'Whatever.' Narumi thought. After that, she walked to her washroom, and did her hygiene (while not being excessive about it. It wouldn't do all too well for her stealth capabilities if she wore a lot of perfume) and finally, she brushed her red hair, and styled it into two ponytails. After that, she ran out of her washroom and to the front door before putting on her navy blue ninja sandals and then tying her navy blue Hidden Leaf headband around the top of her head so that it'd be on her forehead. After that, she ran out of the house.
Narumi ran right into Training Ground 7, where she saw Sasuke and Miyuki already waiting, dressed in their usual clothes. "Well, well, well, if it isn't my little ol' pal, Narumi." Sasuke said. "What? You have no right to call her your 'best pal', Sasuke!" Miyuki shouted. Sasuke scoffed. "Back off." He said. "Is Kakashi-Sensei late again?" Narumi asked. "Later than you." Sasuke answered. "Shut up!" Narumi chuckled. Sasuke chuckled in response.
"He said that he wanted us to meet here, but he never said that it was supposed to be at a specific time." Narumi said. "Really? We were told the opposite. That he'd wanted us to be here by five. It's already eight in the morning." Miyuki stated.
'I guess I have a certain cat to thank for that.' Narumi thought. "Hey! I told you that time works differently in your subconscious than it does in the real world, didn't I!?" Matatabi reminded her. 'Oh...right.' Narumi thought.
"Wait, you met with Kakashi-Sensei before you got here?" Sasuke asked. "Oh get ready because you will not believe what Kakashi-Sensei did!" Narumi said.
She then explained the whole thing to them (omitting the part where she met Matatabi). "He did all that? Really?" Miyuki asked. "Yup." Narumi answered. "To hear him tell it, he thought I was already gone." "Wow." Sasuke remarked. "And I thought he'd have learned his lesson after what happened with Mizuki-Sensei..." "What are you talking about?" Miyuki asked him. "The less you know, the better." Sasuke told Miyuki. "Anyway, what Mizuki did is specifically why I yelled for him to get out after he told me to get my ass over here." Narumi told them both. "So what happened then?" Miyuki then asked. "He disappeared. Like he usually does." Narumi answered.
"Usual, huh?" Sasuke quipped. "Uh...I've heard of a Jutsu called the Teleportation Jutsu. Maybe that's how he can appear and disappear at will...?" Miyuki asks. "And you'd be right about that." Kakashi-Sensei said as he appeared to the left of the three of them. The three members of Team 7 were almost startled by his sudden presence. "What the Hell, man!?" Sasuke shouted. "You're late!" Narumi and Miyuki yelled. "Apologies. I saw a black cat, and I thought I might as well follow it before I went, 'Oh shit! Look at the time!' and then used the Teleportation Jutsu to disappear." Kakashi-Sensei explained. "That's a terrible excuse!" Narumi and Miyuki yelled. "Heh heh..." Kakashi-Sensei nervously chuckles.
Kakashi-Sensei cleared his throat, and said, "Now, if you're done commenting on my lack of timing, it's time for some training. I've seen what you three can do because of the test I gave you yesterday. If we're going to be effective as a team, and if I'm going to be effective as a Sensei, I'm going to need to hone the skills you already have before we start taking on missions...or learning new Jutsu."
Narumi and Miyuki got starry-eyed at the idea of learning new Jutsu. "Ooh! Ooh! Can I learn the Teleportation Jutsu? Please? Please?" Miyuki energetically asked. "I wouldn't mind learning some new tricks..." Narumi says. "All in good time." Kakashi-Sensei told them.
'But I bet Miyuki already knows the Teleportation Jutsu.' Kakashi-Sensei thought, thinking back to the time she used the Water Whip Jutsu against him yesterday. 'The Teleportation Jutsu is practically a pre-requisite for every member of the Anbu.' Kakashi-Sensei then thought.
"Alright, let's start with the Uchihas and their Fire Style Ninjutsu." Kakashi-Sensei instructed. "Come forward."
Narumi and Sasuke walked up to Kakashi-Sensei, and they sparred against him using a mix of Taijutsu and their Fire Style Ninjutsu while Miyuki just folded her arms, and watched with a smirk on her face. 'Two-on-one, Kakashi? That's hardly fair for you.' Miyuki thought.
After an hour of sparring, Kakashi-Sensei won simply by tiring them out. He then suggested ways they could improve their techniques and Jutsu. "Alright. Miyuki, you're next." Kakashi-Sensei announced.
Narumi and Sasuke walked back to their original spots, and Miyuki walked up to Kakashi-Sensei. She quickly weaved together three hand signs, and shouted, "Water-Style: Water Whip Jutsu!" And then, her hands transformed into whips made of water. She then proceeded to try to attack Kakashi-Sensei numerous times with both whips. Some attacks would land while most would miss. Miyuki knew that wasn't enough to defeat Kakashi-Sensei so she made her water whips transform back into hands, and made a finger gun with her right hand to use the Water Style Jutsu known as Suireiha. Multiple bullet-sized water droplets shot from the tip of her index finger, and hurtled towards Kakashi-Sensei. Kakashi-Sensei just barely dodged each shot.
'She's good, I'll give her that.' Kakashi-Sensei thought. Miyuki let off more shots with the Suireiha Jutsu and Kakashi-Sensei blocked those water droplets using the Mud Wall Jutsu. "Hey! No fair!" Miyuki jokingly shouted. Miyuki then weaved together another three hand signs, and shouted, "Lightning-Style: Thunderclap Arrow!" And then, she threw some lightning at the mud wall, immediately destroy
-ing it. Kakashi-Sensei only had time to dodge the mud wall's debris and the Lightning Style Ninjutsu. 'What? Where did she learn that?' Kakashi-Sensei thought.
"What kind of Jutsu was that?" Narumi asked. "Hn. Beats me." Sasuke answered. Miyuki then ran up to Kakashi-Sensei, and gave him her hardest punch...right in the sternum. Kakashi-Sensei then disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sasuke was surprised. "What was that? The Teleportation Jutsu?" He asked. "No, Sasuke. It's the Shadow Clone Jutsu." Narumi answered, recognizing how Kakashi-Sensei disappeared when Miyuki hit him. "What the fuck?" Miyuki asked no one in particular. She then started looking for Kakashi-Sensei all the while very confused. Suddenly, the real Kakashi-Sensei appeared behind Miyuki, and restrained her. "Now where did you learn a Lightning Style Ninjutsu?" Kakashi
-Sensei asked. Miyuki pushed him off of her, and stood back up. "You have your resources, I have mine." Miyuki told him.
"Oh Kami..." Narumi whispered, astonished by her friend's skills.
"To successfully pry herself out of a Jonin's grip like that...I've never seen it before." Sasuke said. "That's not even the half of it, Sasuke." Narumi replied.
"Understandable." Kakashi-Sensei replied to Miyuki. "Every ninja must have his or her own secrets. Now, I believe that's it for our spar, Miyuki. And I think you might want to warn me the next time you want to demonstrate some cool new Jutsu you've learned out of nowhere." "Am I really that much of a mystery?" Miyuki asked. "Do I really have to answer that?" Kakashi-Sensei asked in reply.
"Now, let's see how your skills with a Kunai knife are." Kakashi-Sensei instructed as Miyuki went back to her original spot and Kakashi-Sensei, himself, walked up to the three of them. "The Kunai knife is the ninja's most used weapon of choice and that's because it's versatile; it can be used as a ranged weapon or a weapon for, well, stabbing and blocking, like a sword."
"We know this already. Why are you telling us this?" Miyuki asked. "Just in case you needed a reminder. And for the record, I know that you already know this. Otherwise, Narumi wouldn't have used a Kunai knife with a paper bomb attached to it to break you out of that Headhunter Jutsu I trapped you in." Kakashi-Sensei answered. 'You didn't have to remind me of that, too.' Miyuki thought. "Now, let's begin..." Kakashi-Sensei instructs.
All three rookie Genin got a chance to show off their Kunai knife skills to Kakashi-Sensei. As far as he saw, the only thing they were absolutely perfect at was throwing the Kunai knives with accuracy...except for Miyuki. Miyuki would never hit her target and she even missed a few times. Again, Kakashi-Sensei thinks that she's putting on an act. Kakashi-Sensei's right, of course, but he doesn't know that. Nor does anyone else. Miyuki did just the same as the others when it came to using the Kunai knives they had as melee weapons. All three were below average at using the Kunai knives as melee weapons.
So, over days and days of Kunai knife training and teamwork training, the three Genin got better and better to the point where each of them had specific methods for using their Kunai knives. Narumi preferred to use two Kunai knives in battle, Sasuke would just use one Kunai knife in a reverse grip mainly to block attacks while he utilizes his Taijutsu, which mainly involves uses of a lot of kicks more than punches and Miyuki would use her Kunai knives alongside her Ninjutsu, if she could help it. 'Like I told them, they're all unique.' Kakashi-Sensei thought.
Meanwhile, the three Genin would often go on outings together whenever they could while Kakashi-Sensei or some others who know Kakashi-Sensei and Grandpa Hokage's suspicions about Miyuki watched from afar. And, sometimes, Miyuki couldn't come at all so Narumi and Sasuke would end up hanging out alone. Sasuke preferred this because he didn't want to always watch his and Narumi's backs all the time.
Four months later, Team 7 started taking on D-Rank missions. Each mission has rankings according to how difficult and deadly they are. D-Ranks, for example, are the ones that every ninja hates because they are mostly just chores and petty, mundane tasks that anyone, even an Academy Student could do.
The worst of them all (in everyone's eyes) is the one known as "The Cat from Hell" mission where Tora, the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire's cat, goes missing (whenever the Feudal Lord's wife is in town), and the D-Rank mission is to find Tora.
This mission isn't as bad as it usually is when Team 7 takes it on because Narumi is on Team 7. Narumi, over time, has found that cats take an unusual liking to her. So Tora calms down whenever she's found by Narumi. It's theorized that it's because of her status as Matatabi's Jinchuriki. It helps that Narumi treats Tora like a baby whenever she finds her. And that's because it didn't take long for Narumi to find out that the reason Tora keeps running away is because the Feudal Lord's wife, Madam Shijimi, is too affectionate towards Tora. Abusively so. Everytime Team 7 takes this mission on and gives Tora back to Madam Shijimi, Narumi just wants to give Shijimi a piece of her mind. Matatabi wants to do so as well but both know that assaulting clientele would only bring the Hidden Leaf harm in the future, so they keep those feelings to themselves.
'Damn the Feudal Lord...' Narumi thought. Speaking of the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire, the Hidden Leaf Village belongs to a host nation called "the Land of Fire". The Land of Fire is a big country with a lot of forests. It's why it belongs to a group of nations known as: the Five Great Nations, all of which are a part of the Ninja World. The Land of Fire, just like the rest of the Five Great Nations, is ruled by a Feudal Lord. The Hokage just leads the Hidden Leaf Village, whose ninjas make up a majority of the Land of Fire's military.
The other four nations are also named after the elements.
There is the Land of Wind, a sandy country where the sun shines warmly, always, the Land of Earth, a very rocky country, like its name implies, the Land of Lightning, another rocky country that has great and tall mountains, and the Land of Water, a country entirely made up of islands.
Each nation has its own ninja village which's ninjas also make up a large part of their nation's military and also protects their nation just as fiercely as the Hidden Leaf ninjas protect the Land of Fire.
The Land of Wind is home to the Hidden Sand Village, a close ally of the Hidden Leaf, the Land of Earth is home to the Hidden Stone Village, an old enemy of the Hidden Leaf who the Hidden Leaf have warred against for many, many years, the Land of Lightning is home to the Hidden Cloud Village, an on-and-off again enemy of the Hidden Leaf Village who is known for betraying their own allies for their own benefit, and the Land of Water is home to the Hidden Mist Village, a brutal village that has gained the nickname "Blood Mist Village" or "Bloody Mist Village" for their brutal training tactics that they started using during the reign of the Third Mizukage, the leader of the Hidden Mist Village. Currently, the Hidden Mist Village is undergoing a civil war because of the actions and policies of Yagura Karatachi, the Fourth Mizukage.
There are other types of missions with higher rankings that a ninja can't take on until (usually) they become experienced Genin or one on the Genin Squad becomes a Chunin. C-Ranked missions are for the aforementioned experienced Genin or a recently-promoted Chunin. Missions like guarding people against bandits or highwaymen or background investigations, eliminating or capturing bandits or thieves and capturing or suppressing wild animals are usually the types of missions that receive a C Rank. B-Ranked missions are specifically assigned to experienced Chunin and missions like guarding people, espionage or killing other ninjas are the ones to receive a B Rank. A-Ranked missions are given to Jonin. An A Rank is often given to missions like guarding VIPs or suppressing armies of ninjas from other ninja villages.
And then there are the S-Ranked missions...
S-Ranked missions are assigned to experienced Jonin and missions like assassinating VIPs and transporting highly-classified documents are given an S Rank. Kage can be given S-Ranked missions, but they don't do that very often because these kinds of missions are very dangerous and that's why Kage are quite usually sent out on diplomatic missions, if any missions, at all. Speaking of the Kage, there are four other Kage aside from the Hokage. There's the aforementioned Mizukage of the Hidden Mist Village, the Tsuchikage of the Hidden Stone Village, the Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village and the Kaze
-kage of the Hidden Sand Village.
There are, of course, smaller nations and smaller, lesser-known ninja villages (like the Hidden Grass Village or the Hidden Rain Village) with their own leaders but, in the grand scheme of the politics and the geopolitics of the Ninja World, as harsh as it may be to say, they don't matter and aren't relevant in any way, shape or form. In fact, the reason why they're considered to be insignificant to the wider Ninja World is because they often don't have the money or manpower to stand up to the bigger nations or villages. It doesn't help that some of these smaller ninja villages (like the Hidden Eddy Village, the former home of the Uzumaki Clan) were destroyed long ago for various reasons.
All of these facts (which Narumi remembers from her time in the Academy) make Narumi grateful that she was born in the Hidden Leaf Village (despite how the village, overall, treats her).
Another historical fact that Narumi remembers is why there are mission rankings in the first place. It's a story she'll never forget because it was told to her by Grandpa Hokage when they had a bonfire between just the two of them back when she was eight. When the First Hokage made the Hidden Leaf Village, he made it for a couple reasons: number one, he wanted the Ninja World to be at peace and the second, more important (for the story) one is so that no child will ever have to fight or die or know the pain of war ever again. But then the First Hokage died. And then the First Great Ninja War came. And during the beginning of that war, the Hidden Leaf almost lost because there weren't enough ninjas out there, on the battlefield.
To counter this, Lord Tobirama created the Hidden Leaf Ninja Academy, where kids as young as six could learn and train to become a ninja. And as soon as they made Genin, regardless of when, they were sent out onto the battlefield. Now, Madara Uchiha, the Second Hokage, strongly disliked this choice because the First Hokage was his friend and he wanted to honor his friend's intentions and wishes for the village. But both Madara and Lord Tobirama knew that it was necessary for the Hidden Leaf to win the war. And so, just as it was during the Warring States Era, children died left and right. After the First Great Ninja War, the Second Hokage wanted the Academy to be shut down but the Council and the elders said otherwise so all he could do for the kids was assign certain ranks to certain missions based on difficulty and how deadly they are and make it so that Academy Students couldn't graduate until they reach the age of thirteen.
Of course, a prospective student could request that they graduate early (in fact, Narumi tried that last year and the year before last) but they'd have to complete the Genin Exam to graduate early. But only the most exceptional of Academy Students could complete the Genin Exam. Exceptional students like Itachi Uchiha.
And this is all why Narumi accepts the fact that she has to take on a series of D-Ranks before she can take on higher-ranked missions. She simply doesn't want to die an early death.
In the meantime, Narumi expressed to Kakashi-Sensei and Grandpa Hokage that she wanted to study Sealing Jutsu. Kakashi-Sensei and Grandpa Hokage were, at first, alarmed by this but Haruhi-Sensei convinced them to let her give it a try because she believes in Narumi. Kakashi-Sensei first taught her the most basic Sealing Jutsu. Surprisingly, she learned it without much difficulty. After learning some other Sealing Jutsu (safe, non-forbidden Sealing Jutsu, unlike the ones from the Scroll of Sealing), Grandpa Hokage gave her a scroll containing knowledge of the Adamantine Sealing Chains Jutsu, an A-Ranked Sealing Jutsu created by the Uzumaki Clan, a clan, as she was told by Grandpa Hokage, her Mom belonged to. Narumi, surprisingly, also learned this Sealing Jutsu with ease.
Narumi took a liking to the Adamantine Sealing Chains Jutsu so she created a Jutsu of her own without even knowing it. A Jutsu based on the Adamantine Sealing Chains Jutsu. It's a Fire-Style Jutsu she calls the "Hellfire Chains Jutsu". It's an easier form of the Adamantine Sealing Chains, and is mainly used to entrap her opponents. Her Senseis were impressed with her new Jutsu. It was Kakashi-Sensei who told her that she created a new Jutsu while she was practicing with it on the Uchiha Training Grounds. "Really?" Narumi asked. Kakashi-Sensei nodded in response.
"Wow...aren't I awesome?" Narumi asked. "You sure are, kid." Kakashi-Sensei said with a smile.
'You may end up actually being more impressive than both your Mother and Father combined.' Kakashi-Sensei thought.
After all those four months, Kakashi-Sensei decided it was finally time for his students to receive a C-Ranked mission. Miyuki was really excited and so were the others because Miyuki has been endlessly complaining about the D-Ranks ever since Team 7 started taking them on.
"Are you sure they're ready for this, Kakashi?" Old Man Hokage asked. Narumi thought to change her nickname for the Third Hokage because she didn't want anyone thinking he's her Grandpa. Especially since she's working alongside Miyuki Sarutobi, Old Man Hokage's actual Granddaughter. Anyway, all members of Team 7 were at the Academy's Mission Assignment Desk, getting their next assignment from Old Man Hokage, who was sitting at the Mission Assignment Desk in between the two elders and some other ninjas, who were also giving Genin Squads and other squads their missions or giving the other teams their pay for a successful mission.
Kakashi-Sensei nodded. "Yes, Lord Third. These three have shown much resilience-even in the fact of adversity." Kakashi-Sensei answered. "Alright, then." Old Man Hokage said. Old Man Hokage put a file on the desk. "This is a mission request from an old friend of mine, Tazuna of the Land of Waves."
"Who is Tazuna?" Miyuki asked. "A bridge builder. He constructs bridges for a living. Although, in this case, he's building a bridge in his own home, the Land of Waves." Old Man Hokage told Team 7. Just then, an old man who had a straw hat and a pair of glasses on walked into the room. He smelled faintly of alcohol.
"Ah, there he is!" Old Man Hokage gladly said. "Kakashi, Narumi, Miyuki, Sasuke, this is Tazuna."
Tazuna burped before saying, "Are these the ninjas who are supposed to keep me safe while I get my ass back home? They're just kids!" "Just kids? Why, I oughtta..." Miyuki says with rage in her voice. "Respect your elders, kid." Tazuna told her.
Narumi had to hold Miyuki back because she knew that she was about to run right up to Tazuna, and deck him right in the face. "We don't hurt our clients, remember, Miyuki?" Narumi asked. Miyuki was too angry to answer.
"By the way, Old Man Hokage, are we really supposed to guard this guy?" Narumi asked. "Old Man Hokage?" Tazuna asked before laughing. "I guess that's an accurate nickname. You really have grown old, haven't you, Hiruzen?"
"How dare you make fun of my Grandpa!" Miyuki yelled. "As I said, he's an old friend of mine." Old Man Hokage told Team 7. "I can see why." Kakashi-Sensei replied. "Tazuna, I think you might want to get out before my Granddaughter, Miyuki, actually tries to attack you." Old Man Hokage warned. "You don't have to tell me twice." Tazuna said. Tazuna turned around, and quickly walked out of the room. Miyuki started to calm down to the point where Narumi let her go. "I'm going to hunt that guy down, and murder him!" Miyuki angrily shouted.
"Anyway, to answer Narumi's question, your mission is, indeed, to escort Tazuna back to the Land of Waves." Old Man Hokage said. "What!?" Miyuki shouted. "Grandpa, you should not take a single job from a man who's going to disrespect you like that!" "I'm afraid I have no choice in who the Leaf does or doesn't receive mission requests from." Old Man Hokage said. He then went into a lengthy explanation of why ninjas receive missions in the first place after Miyuki asked him why he couldn't since he's the Hokage. It was frustrating for both Narumi and Sasuke who've heard this explanation before from Kakashi-Sensei. In fact, Miyuki has heard this explanation before, too. From the very same guy, in fact.
"What bullshit..." Miyuki mutters. "Anyway, we'll take the mission." Kakashi
-Sensei said. Old Man Hokage sighed. "Finally. I was hoping you'd say 'yes' to this...no one else has been willing to take it on and, at present, there are no other C-Ranked missions." He replied. Kakashi-Sensei walked up to the desk, and picked up the file. After that, he opened it, read it's contents, and then, he told Team 7 to meet him and Tazuna at the village gates by eight in the morning. "If you have nothing else to say, you're dismissed." Kakashi-Sensei told his Genin. All three members of Team 7 left the room.
Narumi woke up the next morning in her bedroom, got dressed for the day in her usual red shorts and black t-shirt, ran over to her washroom, did her most basic hygiene, and then, she styled her red hair into lower-hanging long twin tails instead of pigtails, which are higher up and more childish.
After that, she ran back to her closet, put on her usual white jacket, and then packed her survival gear into several sealing scrolls before putting those same scrolls in her ninja tool pouch. After that, she equipped her ninja gear, and ran over to the front door to put on her navy blue ninja sandals, and tie her Hidden Leaf headband around the top of her head so that it's on her forehead. And after that, she excitedly ran out the door.
It was 7:40 AM. Narumi didn't have time for breakfast. She thought she'd get something to eat while they were on their breaks.
Narumi later arrived at the village gates right on time to see Sasuke, Miyuki and Tazuna. But no sign of Kakashi-Sensei. "What's up?" Narumi asked as she walked up to the three of them. "The sky." Sasuke jokingly answered. Narumi chuckled. "Your Sensei's late." Tazuna said. "We know." All three Genin say, annoyed. "So this is a usual occurrence...?" Tazuna asks. "Yup." Narumi answered. "Huh. Then maybe I should've gone to another village if that is the caliber of ninja I'm going to be protected by." Tazuna commented. "If you complain one more time, I'm going to tear you to pieces, and make it look like an accident." Miyuki threatened.
Tazuna immediately shut himself up.
Finally, Kakashi-Sensei came. Narumi, Miyuki and Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief and so did Tazuna, who has been drinking beer this entire time. "What's wrong?" Kakashi-Sensei asked as he walked up to them. "You're late!" Narumi and Miyuki yelled. "Oh...right. Well, you see, I was-" "Cut the shit, Sensei. We need to get moving." Miyuki said, interrupting Kakashi-Sensei. "For once, I agree with her." Sasuke added, referring to Miyuki. Sasuke and Miyuki have shared this enmity between each other ever since they first met, both of them almost never getting along. So it's surprising to hear whenever Sasuke says he agrees with Miyuki.
'Rude.' Kakashi-Sensei thought.
"Alright, then, is everyone ready? I need everyone ready to fight in case we ever have to." Kakashi-Sensei stated. "Who are the enemies this time?" Miyuki asked. "Ehh, the occasional bandits and potential highwaymen." Kakashi-Sensei answered casually. Tazuna started to look nervous, and Narumi took notice of that. "Are you serious? That's all?" Miyuki shouted. "Just be glad you're getting a C-Ranked mission at all." Narumi told her.
Everyone checked if they've got their full supply of ninja gear and survival gear, and then left the village with Tazuna.
Narumi and Sasuke got their gear from a survival supplies store by the Academy and a weapons and ninja tools store. Sasuke helped Narumi get discounts simply because the shopkeepers were either far too hesitant or reluctant to sell anything to her. Sasuke would often get annoyed with this, so he'd say, "Just sell it to her already." And they did. All at the behest of the Uchiha Prince. Narumi was kind of jealous of the power he and his words have over practically the entire village. But, knowing him and how he is now, Narumi thinks that he feels burdened by it all.
'The grass is always greener on the other side, and all that.' Narumi thought as Team 7 walked through the forest and away from the village with Tazuna.
Team 7 and Tazuna were continually walking along the road to the Land of Waves when Narumi saw some peculiar puddles. It hasn't been raining all day so she wondered what could've caused such puddles. Narumi activated her Sharingan to analyze the puddles. "Your intuition is right, kitten! They are not natural puddles." Matatabi told her. 'How can you see what my Sharingan sees?' Narumi thought. "I'm inside you. I know your every thought and action." Matatabi answered. 'You know, it sounds kinda creepy when you say it like that.' Narumi thought. "I did not mean to scare you." Matatabi replied. 'I know.' Narumi thought.
"Guys, watch out! These puddles are...not what they seem." Narumi warned. "What do you mean?" Sasuke asked. Suddenly, a Shinobi with shoulder-length dark brown hair, black eyes and was dressed in a black rebreather which covers his mouth and nose, a camouflage suit with bandages around his waist, brown knee-length ninja sandals, a black high-collared tattered cloak and a large, clawed and seemingly-poisonous gauntlet jumped out of one of the puddles, and attempted to attack Sasuke. "Sasuke!" Narumi shouted. Narumi pulled out two Kunai knives and ran towards him, but Kakashi-Sensei was faster. Kakashi
-Sensei zoomed towards Sasuke, and knocked out the unknown opponent with a single kick. And then, from directly behind Narumi, a creepy male voice said, "It doesn't pay to be too smart in this profession, little girl."
Narumi quickly turned around to see who looked to be an almost-exact copy of the ninja Kakashi-Sensei knocked out. This Shinobi also had shoulder-length dark brown hair and black eyes but his attire is somewhat different. He also wears a black rebreather, a large, clawed metal and possibly poisonous gauntlet (the one difference being that this joker had the gauntlet on his left arm while the other one had his gauntlet on his right arm) but he didn't seem to be wearing a high-collared cloak of any kind or color and while the unconscious one's black ninja headband only had one black horn, this one's black ninja headband had two black horns.
Without thinking, Narumi attacked the Shinobi with both of her Kunai knives. One of which seemed to have slit his throat. "Oh Kami...!" Narumi shouts, alarmed by what could only be described as her natural killing instinct. Narumi just deactivates her Sharingan, drops her Kunai knives and drops to her knees and then starts to cry.
'Oh damn. I almost forgot that Narumi's never killed anyone before.' Kakashi
-Sensei thought. Kakashi-Sensei was about to go and comfort her, but Sasuke stopped him. "It's okay. I've got it. You just make sure the bridge guy's alright." Sasuke told him. "Don't I make the rules around here?" Kakashi-Sensei asked. Sasuke gave him a look. Kakashi-Sensei sighed. "Alright. I guess we could use a break, anyway. It'd give us time to investigate these two bozos, and ask Tazuna what the Hell is goin' on." He said. "Thank you, Sensei." Sasuke politely said. Sasuke then ran over to Narumi. "I...I killed...him." She said. "I know, but you need to-" "I killed him!" Narumi shouted, interrupting Sasuke. "And you need to calm down." Sasuke told her. He grabbed her and her Kunai knives, and walked into the forest next to them.
Narumi and Sasuke wound up at a nice-looking clearing with a small-ish lake in it just thirty feet away from where they just were. They were by a lake, so they thought they'd sit down and talk about what had just happened. Both of them were wearing shorts so there wasn't any worry about getting the clothes on their lower body wet. They just walked up to the lake, and took off their ninja sandals before sitting down, putting their legs into the water as Sasuke put Narumi's two Kunai knives down beside them. They both just looked at the lake for a little bit before they got to talking. "I...killed that guy." Narumi said. "Oh, can't we just enjoy this view before getting to the heavy stuff?" Sasuke asked.
"Maybe you're right. But I just can't shake the feeling. You probably haven't noticed it, but my hands are shaking. It was...horrifying." Narumi said.
"Everyday, I try to suppress the urges to kill the villagers who attack me because I know I'd get in trouble if I ever did that. Some might claim that, because I retaliated, they were right about me and that I should just die or something. I remember the numerous times when I was told to kill myself." Narumi added. "But now, here I am, having just become a killer because...because..."
"It's alright, Narumi. You did what you had to do otherwise, he would've killed you first. And...I don't know what I would've done if I ever lost you. I've already lost so much and that was because of someone within our own clan." Sasuke said. "I know." Narumi replied. "I don't think you understand, kitten. If you die, I'd have to come back into the physical world, which wouldn't be ideal for those who hate us." Matatabi interjected. 'Why would you care? Self
-preservation?' Narumi asked. "Well, partially, yes." Matatabi answered. 'I knew it.' Narumi then thought. "But it's also because if I stayed inside you during your death, I, myself, would die. And...I care about you. I don't want you to die, either." Matatabi added. "Narumi, are you listening?" Sasuke asked. "I can't bear to lose you, I just can't! You and I are the last vestige of our clan. And our only chance at survival is if we stay together." "A man died because of me!" Narumi said. "That's just the way of the Ninja World." Sasuke replied. "Then, it shouldn't be!" Narumi snapped. Sasuke was shocked by Narumi's sudden outburst. Salem was surprised, too. She then stopped crying.
"I said I want to be the Hokage someday-to be better than them all. And the Hokage is the most prestigious position a ninja could be placed in because of the Hidden Leaf's military might, right?" Narumi asked. Sasuke didn't respond.
"Well, regardless, when I do become the Hokage, I will make an era of peace the likes this world has never seen. And afterwards...I'm going to unite the Ninja World." Narumi declared with the utmost determination. 'Amazing.' Matatabi thought. 'Minato, Kushina, your Daughter has inherited your dream. Plus, she reminds me of the First Hokage.'
"Those are big words, Narumi." Sasuke remarked. "In fact, I'm not sure all that is possible." "This isn't the first time I heard that. And maybe you're right, maybe it isn't possible. But that's not going to stop me from trying." Narumi said. Sasuke started to blush. He then chuckled to calm the urge to fall in love with her. Even though he already has. "You're a real pain in the ass, you know that?" Sasuke asked. Narumi saw him blushing, and couldn't help but blush in return. She sort of looked away, not sure what to say. Sasuke may have insulted her, but some
-thing tells her that he actually meant something along the lines of, "I love you" or just wanted to give her a compliment for whatever reason, but his Uchiha pride told him he couldn't.
"If you say so..." Narumi dismissively says. Narumi didn't mean to sound dismissive, but he just insulted her. If he's going to be all vague and implicit with his meanings, then why shouldn't she?
It didn't take long before the two of them locked eyes like they were about to start a staring contest. And they started to get closer to each other. And closer. And closer. And closer. Eventually, they were close enough to the point where they were in each other's faces. Both of them knew what they wanted to do, but they almost stopped before they looked like they were about to kiss each other. Unfortunately for the both of them, Kakashi-Sensei interrupted them by clearing his throat to get their attention before they actually kissed. Narumi and Sasuke were startled.
They quickly separated, and turned to face Kakashi-Sensei, who was leaning against a tree behind them. They both stood up, and managed to get their ninja sandals back on, neglecting to dry their feet off.
'Well, this just got interesting.' Kakashi-Sensei thought. "Where-Where did you come from!?" Narumi shouted. "An interrogation and a little talk with Tazuna." Kakashi-Sensei answered. "There's a camp Miyuki and I set up closer to the road than the two of you are. I think you'll want to hear the story."
Kakashi-Sensei then disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"A Shadow Clone..." Narumi says.
Narumi and Sasuke then walked back into the forest.
Narumi and Sasuke arrived at the camp Kakashi-Sensei and Miyuki made. There were five wooden logs placed around a campfire. Tazuna was sitting on one of the logs, Miyuki was sitting on another and Kakashi-Sensei was also sitting on a log. "So...what's this about?" Narumi asked as she and Sasuke sat on the two logs (which were next to each other). "This was pretty much all of what I could gather from that unconscious enemy ninja I woke up-who is now tied to a tree somewhere far off in that direction." Kakashi-Sensei answered, pointing to the left. Kakashi-Sensei then put his hand down. "But, I guess, if I had to simplify it...Tazuna lied to us."
"What?" Both Narumi and Sasuke shout.
"You heard right. I became a little suspicious after our encounter with the enemy ninjas. You see, C-Rank missions don't often include fights against enemy ninjas
-certainly not any of their caliber." Kakashi-Sensei said. "Those two were rogue ninjas, criminals. They're names are Gozu and Meizu although they're known as 'The Demon Brothers'. They hail from the Hidden Mist Village." Miyuki told Narumi and Sasuke. "That would explain their use of the Hiding In Water Jutsu." Narumi said. "Not a lot of ninjas outside of the Hidden Mist Village or the Hidden Rain Village know or even use that Jutsu. "It also explains how they almost perfectly imitated those puddles. Were it not for these clear skies, we would've been none the wiser." Sasuke assessed.
"But why did they attack us? A ninja never does anything for a reason." Narumi said. "Because of me." Tazuna interjected. "The bridge builder, as it turns out, was more important than we thought." Miyuki said. "Tazuna lied when he filed that mission request for this mission because the parameters of it are far beyond the scope of a typical C-Rank mission." Kakashi-Sensei said while scowling at Tazuna every now and again. Sasuke became angry. "Why would you do this?!" Sasuke angrily shouted. "Sasuke, calm yourself!" Kakashi-Sensei told him. "No, no. It's fine. To be honest, there is a reason why I didn't want kid ninjas on this journey. In any case, my town and I were too poor for anything higher than a C-Rank." Tazuna said. "Then why did you come to us in the first place?" Narumi asked. "Because of a man named Gato." Tazuna answered.
"He is a business magnate who owns a shipping company, but that's just a front for his criminal activities. He may act like a businessman, but he's more of a mob boss. Recently, he's been crippling the Land of Waves financially all for his own gain. He's blocked off trade routes with his ships. And with no way to trade with the rest of the world by land, my country has become a destitute, poverty-stricken Hellscape where everyone's too poor or too concerned with themselves to stand up to Gato's thugs. I thought enough was enough after just sitting by, watching it all happen. So, I decided to build a bridge to create a way for us to trade with everyone else without having to go through Gato but when Gato found out, he hired rogue ninjas to come and kill me." Tazuna then explained. "I don't think I need to tell you what my death would do to those who wish to be free of Gato's influence."
"His ninjas could've come and killed you while you were on your way to the Hidden Leaf Village. Why didn't they?" Sasuke asked. "I don't know. If I had to guess, maybe they knew you'd turn your back on me once you'd learned the truth." Tazuna supposed. "That would be the usual procedure in this case, yeah." Kakashi-Sensei said. 'If someone like Gato knows things like that, then he has to die. So do the rogue ninjas who might still serve him. There is also the chance that Gato might've informed his allies about the Shinobi Code and whatnot and some of them might be very powerful. So much so, that they could use that to weaken us. We mustn't have that.' Miyuki thought.
"Why don't we just do that, then?" Sasuke asked. "I...I agree. W-With Sasuke, I mean. I...I still need to process what I just did to that...that Demon Brother." Narumi stuttered. "Unfortunately, I don't think we can." Kakashi-Sensei said. "What!?" Sasuke angrily asked. "It wouldn't be right if we just turned our backs on the people of the Land of Waves." Kakashi-Sensei told him. "Agreed." Miyuki said to Kakashi-Sensei. "Are you serious!?" Sasuke shouted. "He's a Jonin. Of course he's serious." Miyuki quipped. "I meant you!" Sasuke then shouted. Miyuki didn't respond. Sasuke growled.
'Whatever.' Sasuke thought.
Team 7 and Tazuna then stood up, tore up their campsite, walked out onto the road, and continued onwards to the Land of Waves.
Moments later, Matatabi warned Narumi of an incoming danger she smelled. Narumi smelled it, too, so she told the others to look out. The four ninjas barely dodged the big sword that came flying at them from the right. After missing its targets, the sword hit a tree and got stuck in said tree like it was now that tree's branch. Narumi pulled out two Kunai knives in preparation for a battle. Sasuke pulled out his own Kunai knife, and got in front of Narumi while Miyuki pulled out her own Kunai knife, too. "Team 7, protect Tazuna! Triangle formation!" Kakashi
-Sensei ordered. The three Genin rushed over to Tazuna, and took up a triangle formation like Kakashi-Sensei ordered them to.
Suddenly, a man appeared, standing on the sword stuck in the tree. He had spiky black hair and black eyes. The lower half of his face was covered by bandages. He was shirtless, his chest only being covered by a large black belt, which he presumably wore to sheathe his sword and he wore a pair of purple pants with a snake pattern, arm warmers with the same pattern as his pants and a pair of black ninja sandals. The single most striking part of his appearance, though, was his headband, which looked like it had the symbol of the Hidden Mist Village on it, that he wore sideways on his head.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Kakashi Hatake, also known as Kakashi the Copy-Ninja...if I remember right, we had you listed in the Bingo Book with a kill-on-sight order. That was back when I was still with the Hidden Mist Village, though...I'm not sure if that's still true. Regardless, I've heard a lot about you. I always wanted to know what it'd be like to fight you." The unknown Hidden Mist Shinobi said.
"And you're...Zabuza, was it?" Kakashi-Sensei asked. "In the flesh." Zabuza answered. "Though, I am surprised to know that you've heard about me in turn." "How could I not? After what you've done, it's a no-brainer that the Hokage would have you listed in our Bingo Book." Kakashi-Sensei said. "Kakashi-Sensei, who is he?" Narumi asked. "This is Zabuza Momochi, a rogue ninja. Our Bingo Book has him listed as an S-Class Criminal-not someone to be taken lightly. He was found to be responsible for staging a coup, and was found guilty of attempting to assassinate the Mizukage." Kakashi-Sensei answered. "He escaped the Hidden Mist Village, and had therefore broken off all ties to them." "You haven't even gotten to the nickname I was given when I made Genin." Zabuza said. "I was known as 'The Demon of the Hidden Mist' because of the Genin Exam."
"What's so bad about that? We had to take an exam, too." Miyuki said. Zabuza chuckled. "Did you have to kill all the other students to pass?" He asked. Narumi and Sasuke were surprised by the answer. Miyuki, not so much. 'Her lack of a reaction doesn't surprise me, given the Foundation's training practices.' Kakashi-Sensei thought. 'That is, if she is a part of the Foundation.'
"Who are these...children, anyway?" Zabuza asked. "They're my subordinates." Kakashi-Sensei answered. "Subordinates?! If you're taking on a pack of Genin, then I'd say that you've gone soft, a Hell of a lot different to what your reputation says you are. Not that I'd ever recognize these children as 'ninja'." Zabuza replied.
"Someone has a superiority complex." Narumi quipped. "What did you say, brat?" Zabuza asked, almost ticked off. "Nevermind her. She's a redhead. They're feisty." Kakashi-Sensei told him. "Hey!" Narumi shouted. "Shut up." Sasuke told her. "Anyway, am I to assume that you're one of Gato's lackeys and that you're here to take the Bridge Builder's life?" Kakashi-Sensei asked. "And you're here to protect him?" Zabuza asked in reply.
"What do you think?" Tazuna interjected. "Shut up." Miyuki told him. "Do you really think you can succeed against me?" Zabuza asked. "Why don't you come and find out?" Kakashi-Sensei arrogantly told him. "Right. Sorry, where are my manners?" Zabuza quipped. Zabuza and his sword disappeared. Meanwhile, Kakashi-Sensei pulled up his Hidden Leaf headband to reveal that his left eye...is a Sharingan Eye!
'What the...how does he have a Sharingan!?' Sasuke thought. 'It's fully-matured, too!'
Narumi activated her Sharingan, and analyzed Kakashi-Sensei. 'Some of his chakra is being poured into that Eye of his. And it looks like he can't deactivate his Sharingan, either, otherwise his chakra would be more...normal than this. Which means he either stole his Sharingan, or someone gave it to him. But if he did steal his Sharingan, then how isn't he a criminal? Was he so stealthy about it that no one even noticed it? But...wait!' Narumi thought. 'So that's why he keeps his left eye covered! The Sharingan takes up too much chakra to be used all the time.'
Zabuza and his sword suddenly disappeared, and then re-appeared in between the three Genin and Tazuna while having his sword in his hand.
'But that's the least of my problems right now.' Narumi thought.
Kakashi-Sensei turned to face his three Genin and Tazuna to see Zabuza in between them and Tazuna. 'He's fast! But I have to be faster!' Kakashi-Sensei thought. Kakashi-Sensei then disappeared, too.
Zabuza was about to strike Tazuna down when Kakashi-Sensei appeared behind Zabuza, and pointed a Kunai knife at the back of his throat. "And now the Sharingan comes out." Zabuza said. "Maybe, it's better to just kill you first, instead!" Zabuza turned around, and swung his sword at Kakashi-Sensei, but Kakashi-Sensei used a Substitution Jutsu to get away. "A Substitution!" Matatabi shouted. Zabuza disappeared again just as Narumi was about to strike him down, thinking she could do the same thing she did to that Demon Brother. Then, both Kakashi-Sensei and Zabuza re-appeared in front of the three Genin, and started fighting, with Kakashi-Sensei being on the defensive, blocking Zabuza's large sword with his Kunai knife.
The killing intent that both Kakashi-Sensei and Zabuza were emanating completely paralyzed Sasuke with fear. 'Their killing intent is so real...I feel like I could die at any moment.' Sasuke thought.
"Don't worry, Sasuke!" Kakashi-Sensei shouted as though he read Sasuke's mind. "I will never let my comrades die!"
Zabuza chuckled. "You're quite the contradictory person, Kakashi." He remarked. "What's that supposed to mean?" Kakashi-Sensei asked. "You should know. They don't call you 'Friend-Killer Kakashi' for no reason, after all...or, at least that's what I've heard about you." Zabuza hinted not very subtly. Miyuki smirked ever so slightly when no one was looking. "You really shouldn't believe everything you read in the tabloids!" Kakashi-Sensei quipped. Kakashi-Sensei and Zabuza clashed blades three times before Kakashi-Sensei managed to disarm him with a strike from his Kunai knife and a simple kick. Zabuza jumped back. "Perhaps this has been getting a little too easy for you..." Zabuza says. Zabuza made a Jutsu
-specific hand sign, and shouted, "Hidden Mist Jutsu!" Suddenly, chakra-infused mist appeared, and obscured everyone's vision. "Oh no..." Matatabi says. 'What is it, Matatabi?' Narumi thought. "It's what he's doing-or maybe trying to do
-something I've only heard about before." Matatabi answered.
"It's called the 'Silent Killing Technique'. In essence, it's a technique that uses the Hidden Mist Jutsu alongside some regular attacks. Best part about it...? The technique's user can't be seen by it's targets which makes the technique perfect for stealth attacks." Matatabi explained. 'Cheater.' Narumi thought. 'What do we do?' Narumi thought. "Stay extremely still and be extremely quiet. If they're lucky, your friends will know to do the same." Matatabi answered. Narumi then saw something via her Sharingan. Something she knows she can use. 'Wait...' Narumi thought. "Yes, I see it, too! The mist is made up of entirely water-style chakra. Nice catch, kitten!" Matatabi said. "And normally, cats don't catch anything." 'Now, if only I had some Earth
-Style Ninjutsu...' Narumi thought. Narumi then thought back to a Kenjutsu Iruka-Sensei managed to teach her. 'Or, maybe I don't need one...' Narumi then thought.
FLASHBACK
It was one year ago. Narumi and the rest of her class were outside, on the grounds of the Hidden Leaf's Ninja Academy with Iruka-Sensei standing in front of them. "Alright, class, today we're going to be learning a new Jutsu." Iruka-Sensei announced. "Whoo-hoo!" Miyuki shouted. Narumi smirked. 'Oh, Miyuki...always so loud.' Narumi thought.
"...anyway, this Jutsu is a Wind-Style Jutsu known as 'Air Slash'. It's similar to the Wind Sword Jutsu we learned about the other day, except it's far deadlier and quicker. The Jutsu becomes more powerful if you have a sword since it's mainly a Kenjutsu but it can be used without a sword." Iruka-Sensei said.
He then demonstrated the Jutsu by walking up to a target practice dummy they use for Shuriken practice, infused his right hand with wind chakra, and shouted, "Wind-Style: Air Slash!" Before he swung his hand very quickly like he was swinging a sword, and then, several blades of wind shot from his hand, and cut the target to pieces. He then turned back to his students. "As you just saw, you don't need to weave any hand signs. Just focus wind-style chakra into your left or right hand or maybe even both of your hands, say the incantations, and proceed to do as I did. Now, this Jutsu is very advanced so I don't expect all of you to get the hang of it right quick. Just do your best, and, if it doesn't come to you as easily as the other Jutsu we've studied, you can practice at home another time." Iruka-Sensei explained.
"Now that we have all that covered, let's see you try the Jutsu. Walk up one of the...other training dummies, and try casting the Air Slash Jutsu." Iruka-Sensei instructed. As expected, only two got the hang of the Jutsu whereas the others completely failed to learn it. In fact, the only two to really learn that Jutsu so fast were Narumi and Miyuki. Iruka-Sensei was a little perplexed by Miyuki's handling of the Jutsu, but it didn't surprise him that Narumi got the hang of it because Air Slash is a B-Rank Jutsu and he omitted the fact that the reason that he had them learn this Jutsu in the first place was to see if Narumi could do it and that's because he had a theory, a hypothesis...
Iruka-Sensei knows that the reason why she isn't grasping most of the Ninjutsu being taught to them is because of the Two-Tails because the Two-Tails is giving her more Jutsu than her body can handle at the moment or maybe it's something else relating to the Two-Tails, anyway. Whatever the case, she can't learn the Ninjutsu she's being taught at the Academy because of the Two-Tails. So the theory is, if she can't learn lower-ranked Ninjutsu quite well, then what if she started being taught Ninjutsu that was higher-ranked than what the curriculum was giving her? Would she be better at it, then? Well, he turned out to be right.
At the end of the class, Narumi ran up to Iruka-Sensei, and shouted, "Wow, Sensei! That was a cool Jutsu!" "I'm glad you think so, Narumi. And here's something else you should know about it that would make it cooler since you've learned it so fast...this Jutsu, like the Wind Sword Jutsu, was created in the Hidden Sand Village. So that means you're one of the only ones in the Hidden Leaf who even knows the Jutsu." Iruka-Sensei said. "Wow!" Narumi said. After a lot of thinking, she asked, "Who else knows it, though?" "Besides Miyuki and I...? My best guess would be a Hidden Leaf Shinobi named Asuma-Sensei since he is the Hidden Leaf's resident Wind-Style expert." Iruka-Sensei answered. "He must be really cool!" Narumi shouted. "I...I guess you could say that." Iruka-Sensei said.
'I wish you thought I was cool...' Iruka-Sensei thought.
Iruka-Sensei would later talk to Grandpa Hokage about his theory being proven correct by the way Narumi learned the Air Slash Jutsu so quickly and he requested that she be raised up to the Advanced Ninjutsu Classes (which he also taught) so that she could learn more advanced Jutsu like the Air Slash Jutsu, and Grandpa Hokage said he agreed, but he'd need to talk to the Civilian Council about it first before any action could be taken. And one Council Meeting later, Iruka-Sensei was called to the Principal's office, where the Principal rejected Iruka-Sensei's request, scolded him for basically wanting better for Narumi, and barred Iruka-Sensei from teaching the Advanced Ninjutsu Classes.
To hear the other students tell it, the Principal allegedly said to him, "You're lucky I'm not firing you for such a ludicrous request!" And for the rest of that year, the students of the Advanced Ninjutsu Classes gave Narumi cold glares and even targeted her for their bullying (which is surprising because they've never been bullies before) all because they liked Iruka-Sensei more than any of the other teachers they've had and they think that it's her fault that he can't teach them anymore.
END OF FLASHBACK
'I'm going to try something...' Narumi thought. "I know what that is, Narumi. And it may be dangerous." Matatabi warned. She then heard Kakashi-Sensei and Zabuza fighting. And it sounded like Kakashi-Sensei was losing. 'He really is a cheater! No time to think about that!' Narumi then thought. Narumi infused both of her hands with wind-style chakra, thought, 'Wind-Style: Air Slash!' Before waving both over her hands very quickly only once like she was wielding a sword. The blades of wind shot into the sky, and blew away the mist. Suddenly, they could see Kakashi-Sensei and Zabuza fighting again. Both of them only stopped when they noticed that the wind had dissipated. 'Shit! Who could've-' Zabuza's thought was interrupted when Narumi got his attention, and smugly waved at him while giving him a wink. "Looks like...your Jutsu's weakness was figured out...by a bratty teenage redhead." Kakashi-Sensei said, severely (but not fatally) injured.
Zabuza got so angry, that he raised his sword, and charged towards Narumi. Sasuke got in between Zabuza and Narumi, quickly weaving together six hand signs, before thinking, 'Fire-Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!' And then, a great big fireball came out of his mouth, and shot towards Zabuza. Kakashi-Sensei got out of the way because he knew what was about to happen.
Zabuza's momentum was too fast to dodge the fireball so all he could do was meet his fate, and get blown backwards by the fireball. He was disarmed yet again and after the fireball hit him, Zabuza fell down. Kakashi-Sensei walked up to his side, and crouched down next to Zabuza. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen...the Demon of the Mist taken down by One of the Last of the Uchiha." Kakashi-Sensei taunted.
"The...Uchiha, huh?" Zabuza asked. Kakashi-Sensei used his Hidden Leaf headband to cover his left eye. "Yup." Kakashi-Sensei answered. Sasuke walked up to the other side of Zabuza's burnt-up body. "You know, there's a saying about what happens if you hit a wasps' nest." Sasuke quipped. Kakashi-Sensei chuckled. "Indeed." He agreed. He then pulled out his Kunai knife. "I guess it's time I kill you, now." "Go ahead, and do it before I do. I want to make an example of him and send a message to all those who'd want to mess with Narumi: Don't fuck with the last of the Uchiha!" Sasuke shouted. Kakashi-Sensei was about to stab Zabuza when two senbon came out of nowhere, and hit Zabuza in the neck. And then, Zabuza died. Kakashi-Sensei looked behind him, and Sasuke looked up.
Narumi and Miyuki looked up, too.
There was a Shinobi who was just about Narumi's height standing on a tree branch above them all. He had long and straight black hair, wore a white porcelain mask with two curved eye slits and the Hidden Mist Village's symbol near the top of it, a green haori and brown sandals. "Thank you, Leaf ninjas. I've been looking for Zabuza for quite some time." The boy with the white mask said. He disappeared, then re-appeared beside Kakashi-Sensei to take Zabuza's body. The boy disappeared again, and re-appeared on top of the tree branch. "The Hidden Mist owes you a debt of gratitude. Though, I hope we never meet again under such circumstances...or, at all." The boy then said before turning around, and jumping away. Kakashi-Sensei slowly stood up, frowning. Narumi and Miyuki walked up to Kakashi-Sensei and Sasuke. "What was that all about...?" Narumi asks. "And who was he?" Miyuki also asked.
"That was a Hunter Ninja. They're a subdivision of the Hidden Mist's Anbu dedicated to finding rogue ninjas...and killing them." Kakashi-Sensei answered. 'They're a subdivision...like the Foundation.' Sasuke thought, remembering back to his secret talk with Kakashi-Sensei. "I've only heard of 'em, but I've never actually seen one." Kakashi-Sensei said. "That sounds a little...ruthless." Narumi commented.
"Well, there are a few reasons for their existence that might be a bit more moral the more you think about them. First of all, the only ones they are after are the most dangerous rogue ninjas who are from the Hidden Mist Village-and the Bloody Mist Village has produced a lot of dangerous S-Class criminals over the years. And second and last of all, a ninja's body is host to many village secrets. Even after it dies. Therefore, all traces of it have to be erased by the Anbu. For example, if I were to die and the enemy took possession of my corpse before the Anbu could get to it, they could easily get their hands on whatever secrets I hold-for example, my Sharingan. And, as we all know, the Sharingan is a Dojutsu unique to the Hidden Leaf Village. That means the Sharingan is a dangerous village secret. And it'd be bad news for the Hidden Leaf if any enemies got their hands on my Sharingan." Kakashi-Sensei explained.
"So, for better or worse, this is a necessary evil." Sasuke said.
"That's right." Kakashi-Sensei replied. Kakashi-Sensei then looked at Narumi, who looked uneasy (and maybe a little angry) about all this.
"I know how you feel, Narumi, but this is just the nature of the Ninja World." Kakashi-Sensei told her. "Call me naive, or whatever, but if that's the way it is, then it shouldn't be that way anymore. When I become the Hokage, this world is gonna change...and for the better!" Narumi declared.
'You don't even know how naive you are.' Miyuki thought with an evil smirk.
"C'mon, Tazuna!" Narumi shouted. Tazuna caught up to them, and they continued on their way to the Land of Waves.
A boat ride away from the mainland later, Team 7 and Tazuna arrive in the Land of Waves. Tazuna told them that they could stay at his place until the mission's complete. Team 7 had no problem with this since they've already gone so far for him (even when they shouldn't have, according to the Ninja Code) already. On their way to Tazuna's house, Team 7 saw how truly bad life is for the people living in this town in the Land of Waves. The place is so poverty-stricken that one has to wonder how this place isn't a ghost town. 'It really is bad.' Narumi thought. Around an hour or two later, they finally make it to Tazuna's house, where they met Tazuna's Daughter, a young woman with dark blue hair named Tsunami who wore a pink short-sleeved shirt with the ends of both sleeves and the collar being red in color and a long blue skirt and brown shoes and they also met Tsunami's Son, Inari. Inari was a little boy with spiky black hair and black eyes. He wore a yellow t-shirt underneath a green pair of overalls and a simple pair of sandals. The boy also wore a white hat with two big blue stripes. Inari walked up to Narumi, who looked down at him.
"You look really pretty." Inari said. He then looked at Miyuki, and said, "So do you." "Enough of that, Inari. These are ninjas on a job, not some friends to play with." Tazuna told him. Inari turned around, and walked away.
"Sorry about that." Tazuna said to Narumi and Miyuki. "It's fine." Narumi replied. "If she's cool with it, then I am too." Miyuki told him. Tazuna just grunted before walking over to Kakashi-Sensei to talk to him a bit more. "He seems a bit disinterested." Narumi commented. "Eh, at least he's not Sasuke." Miyuki joked.
"Shut up." Narumi told her.
"Make me." Miyuki jokingly dared.
The next day, while Tazuna was preparing to go out for the day to continue the bridge's construction, Team 7 was upstairs, in one of the guest rooms, discussing their mission. "Good thing that Zabuza guy's dead. He would've been a really big problem if he came around while we were watching Tazuna and his workers." Miyuki assessed.
"I'm...not so sure that's the case, here." Kakashi-Sensei said. "Huh?" Miyuki asked. "He's saying that Zabuza may actually still be alive. Isn't that right, Sensei?" Narumi asked. "You read my mind." Kakashi-Sensei answered. "It's an assessment that I agree with. Then, there's that Shinobi claiming to be a Hunter Ninja..." Narumi says. "He may be in league with Zabuza." Kakashi-Sensei said. "Why would you say that?" Sasuke asked. "Isn't it obvious? Kakashi-Sensei told us that the Hunter Ninjas are a subdivision of the Hidden Mist Village's Anbu Black Ops and I'm guessing Hidden Mist Anbu don't go out wearing a haori and a pair of regular sandals." Narumi answered. "You're right, Narumi. No, they don't." Kakashi-Sensei confirmed. "So, what do we do about it?" Sasuke asked. "We guard Tazuna like we originally planned. Stay vigilant, too." Kakashi-Sensei answered.
"In the meantime, I have some training for the three of you." Kakashi-Sensei told them.
Later, Kakashi-Sensei began teaching his three students chakra control by having them climb a tree in the forest near the town where Tazuna lives by simply walking up the tree as a training exercise. Oddly enough, Narumi had no trouble walking up the tree whereas Miyuki and Sasuke were having trouble. Kakashi-Sensei thought that Narumi would have the most trouble with this, given the amount of chakra she has, which is much more than a normal Human's as a direct result of her being the Two-Tails' Jinchuriki. 'That is presumably why she was taught a complex Jutsu like the Air Slash Jutsu, after all.' Kakashi-Sensei thought. He thought he'd ask Narumi about it.
While on their break, Miyuki went over to Narumi, and asked her for a tip on how to climb the tree without using her hands. Narumi said, "Just walk up the tree. All you and Sasuke have been doing is running up the tree. It's like a toddler learning how to walk-they've got to walk before they can run. Otherwise, you'll be falling over yourself like a klutz."
'Wow. She even grasped the concept of it before Sasuke and Miyuki did. Her intellect is above normal. I wonder why that is...eh, knowing her, that's probably one of the few things she doesn't know.' Kakashi-Sensei thought.
Miyuki, in response, said, "What? It can't be that easy." "You do you. I'm just sayin'." Narumi replied. Miyuki walked back over to her tree, and focused her chakra to her feet, and started running up the tree like she was doing before, but then she got slightly better at it. Sasuke then walked over to Narumi, and asked the same question. Sasuke got the same answer, and he gave the same response. "Did you know that Miyuki said the same thing?" Narumi asked. Sasuke growled while frowning at Miyuki, realizing that he'd been as idiotic as Miyuki. So, instead, Sasuke took Narumi's advice, and actually got better at the exercise. Far better than Miyuki, anyway.
Even so, Kakashi-Sensei wondered if Miyuki was feigning not understanding the exercise or failing at it. He knows she wouldn't have gotten far within the Anbu if she couldn't perform this basic technique.
Over the course of the exercise, Miyuki and Sasuke got better and better to the point where, eventually, they could run up their respective trees without a problem. And now, all three of the Genin could perform the exercise without a problem. The only real problem now was the petty rivalry between Sasuke and Miyuki which started here. It was why they raced up their trees to see who could get to the top first. Narumi eventually began running too, but she didn't go nearly as fast as both Sasuke and Miyuki because even though she could, she didn't feel like participating in their rivalry.
Six days later, Kakashi-Sensei called an end to the exercise, saying that they all have it pretty much down pat. But Narumi didn't feel satisfied. Narumi asked Kakashi-Sensei if she could continue practicing the exercise to which he agreed.
So while Kakashi-Sensei and her two teammates were off guarding Tazuna back in town, Narumi continued practicing, only going back for lunch or bedtime. But, at one point, this became a fun little sport for her. So, on the second day of her practicing alone, she ran up her tree as fast as she could over and over and over again until she fell down, and was knocked out, experiencing chakra exhaustion for the first time.
Narumi woke up the next morning to someone she presumed to be a girl sitting next to her and looking down at her. She jolted upwards, initially freaking out until the girl said, "It's okay. I healed you up." "What do you mean?" Narumi asked. "You were afflicted with chakra exhaustion so I had to attend to you." The girl explained. Narumi got a good look at the girl. She was almost as beautiful as Miyuki and herself except her chest size is smaller than Miyuki's or Narumi's. In fact, it was extremely small. She also had long and straight black hair, brown eyes, and was dressed in what Narumi assumes is a pink dress and a pair of brown sandals.
'Now where have I seen those sandals before...?' Narumi thought.
"Are you a ninja?" Narumi asked.
"No." The girl answered.
"Then how did you know I was experiencing chakra exhaustion?" Narumi asked.
"I have been around several ninjas in my lifetime so I know a ninja when I see one." The girl explained.
Narumi was confused by her answer at first, but then she got over it, thinking there can't be anything that strange about this girl.
"You know, chakra exhaustion aside, you shouldn't be sleeping on the ground." The girl told her. "What are you, my Mom?" Narumi jokingly asked. They then both laughed. The girl did so nervously, though. "My name's Narumi Uchiha. What's yours?" Narumi then asked. "Haku." The girl answered. "Nice to meet you." Narumi replied with a smile as the two girls shook hands. "So, what's a pretty girl like you doing around here?" "I'm a boy, actually." Haku told her. "Oh! Sorry." Narumi apologized. "It's alright. People usually make the same mistake." Haku replied.
"Anyway, I was on my way to pick up medical herbs for my...Father when I saw you just laying there, knocked out." Haku told her. "Oh, is that right?" Narumi asked. "Yup." Haku said as he then began picking up the herbs on the ground to the left of him, and then putting them in (what Narumi presumed to be) his picnic basket, which was on the ground to his right.
"Tell me...do you have anything-any-one that you'd do anything to protect, even at the cost of your life?" Haku asked. "Uh...yeah. People like Sasuke and Miyuki. Why do you ask?" Narumi asked in reply. "You see, my Father is...very sick right now. Deathly so. And if I don't get these herbs, he'll die." "Uh-huh." Narumi said.
Haku then got three more herbs, and then stood up. Narumi also stood up, as well. "Well, I'm sure you have your precious friend and your fellow Uchiha to get back to and I have a Dad to heal. I'm sure we'll meet again, Narumi Uchiha." Haku said before he turned around, and started walking away. It was then that Narumi realized what was so familiar about Haku. Narumi pretended to turn around so she could walk back to town only to make one hand sign, and shout, "Fire-Style: Hellfire Chains!" And suddenly, fiery chains appeared around Haku, and entrapped him. He knelt down (because the chains were forcing him to) as Narumi turned back around, and walked over to the front of him to face him.
"How did you figure me out?" Haku asked. "Because of the things you said. Also, your sandals matched those of the Hunter Ninja we met days ago." Narumi answered. "When you said, 'I'm sure you have your friend and your fellow Uchiha to get back to', I knew that you weren't any good at maintaining a disguise. In fact, I'm sure you're pretty new at it, given your age. You've revealed too much, played your hand too early." "You're only two years younger than me!" Haku shouted. "Really? Ah, well, that doesn't matter. What matters is that you blew your own cover and...Zabuza isn't truly dead, is he?" Narumi asked. "What are you talking about?" Haku asked in reply.
Then, the chains started burning Haku. He grunted in pain.
"The pain only stops when you tell the truth." Narumi said.
He tried bearing the pain, but as he continued to feign not knowing, the pain only got worse.
So he caved in.
"Alright, alright! Zabuza isn't dead!" Haku shouted. The pain immediately stopped.
"I knew you would come around...so, by 'my Father', you meant Zabuza, didn't you?" Narumi asked. "Yes." Haku answered, not bothering to lie. "So he's only badly wounded, but not dead." Narumi assessed. "Yes! And if you don't release me, he'll die!" Haku shouted. "So what? From what I can tell, he's a pretty bad man. Kakashi-Sensei told me he tried to assassinate the Mizukage. More to the point, he even didn't hesitate to try and kill any of us, or at least give us a chance to escape." Narumi said. "Of course, he didn't!" Haku shouted. "Mercy is a ninja's enemy, not their friend." "I beg to differ." Narumi argued. "Then you'll die before you ever achieve your dreams. The Ninja World doesn't suffer a fool's naivete like that for that exact reason." Haku rebutted. Narumi didn't respond to that.
"Do you have nothing to say?" Haku asked. "Yes. What's the point of talking to someone who's given up on mercy?" Narumi asked in reply.
After a long while, Haku asked, "Tell me, what are your dreams?" "I'm the one asking the questions." Narumi told him. "I won't answer any more of your questions until you answer mine." Haku rebutted. The pain started back up again. "Fine! Perhaps, it's better if I tell you my dream first." "Which is...?" Narumi asks. "I only wish to see that Zabuza is kept safe so that he can reach his true dream. I am his weapon and his shield." Haku answered. "His weapon and his shield? There has to be more to you than that. You are Human, not some object." Narumi said. "No. Ninjas are less than Human." Haku argued. "That can't be true!" Narumi shouted. "It is the only truth!" Haku shouted in reply.
'The chains didn't hurt him. So either he is telling the truth, or it's just something that he believes.' Narumi thought.
"Tell me, Narumi, do you know why one of the rules in the Ninja Code says that a ninja cannot show emotion? It is because, if we, as ninjas do, the enemy will capitalize on that, and strike first. See, the truth of this world is that emotions are a weakness. Compassion is a weakness. It is just better to do away with these things-especially if you don't want to die an early death." Haku told him. "Then how can there be peace?" Narumi asked. "Is that your dream? World peace?" Haku asked in reply. "Partially, yes." Narumi answered. Haku chuckled. "As long as we are cursed to live in this Ninja World, there can never be peace." He replied.
'I was right-it is just what he believes.' Narumi thought. 'Or, at least, what he's been told as a part of his conditioning.'
"So, if that's the case, why are you protecting Zabuza? It's not something an emotionless, heartless person like him would do." Narumi said.
"Because he is not a bad man, as you said. You see, I am descended from the Yuki Clan, a clan with a Kekkei Genkai-a bloodline trait-known as 'Ice Style'. We were unlucky enough to have made our home in the Land of Water. That was where my clan rested its head for centuries until the Fourth Mizukage's Bloodline Purges. My Mother and I hid in this snowy town somewhere in the Land of Water, where she and my Father lived peacefully until my Jutsu manifested itself within me. Mom harshly scolded me about it when I innocently tried showing her the Jutsu, and unbeknownst to the two of us, my Dad found out, too, and because of that, he assembled a mob to kill us. He killed my Mom, but I killed him out of a sense of fear. I then ran away, and wound up in another town, where I became destitute and homeless. And that was where Zabuza Momochi found me. He was still a Hidden Mist Shinobi at the time. He could've killed me right then and there, but he chose to take me in, and train me to hone my abilities." Haku explained.
Narumi was alarmed by this new information. "Why...Why would your own Dad ever do that?" Narumi asked. "Throughout the years, there have been many wars that the clans with Kekkei Genkai have fought in the service of the Hidden Mist. As a result, many in the Land of Water hated and feared those with Kekkei Genkai." Haku simply answered.
'If that's how the Land of Water thanks its veterans and its troops for their service, then I'm glad I was born in the Hidden Leaf Village-even if the villagers hate the fact that I exist.' Narumi thought.
"Sometime after he found me, Zabuza became disillusioned with the way that the Hidden Mist Village was being run and so...the coup d'etat happened. As you know, he tried to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage, but he was unsuccessful. After that, he escaped the Hidden Mist Village with the Demon Brothers-who assisted him in the coup-and myself." Haku continued.
"So where does working for Gato play into all this?" Narumi asked. "We need money for another coup attempt. However bad you think Zabuza is, the Fourth Mizukage is far more of a monster." Haku answered.
"The fact that Zabuza can see that what the Mizukage is doing is wrong leads me to believe that he may not be as merciless as you believe him to be. Then again, you both are working for a man who has no problem with depriving a small nation of its own money for his own financial gain-he's feeding off of them like a parasite which is honestly not necessary since, from what I hear, he already has enough money. And considering the fact that the two of you are using him as a source of money, that only confirms what I've heard about him." Narumi said.
"How we get our money is of no consequence." Haku countered.
"No consequence, huh?" Narumi replied. She then got an idea. Narumi released the Jutsu that trapped Haku. Haku stood up, and walked up to Narumi. "Why did you release me?" He asked. "Because there is an alternative to what you have in mind. You could betray Gato by taking all of his money for yourselves, and then kill him and any who stand in your way. That way, I won't have to kill you, you and Zabuza can still get your coup, the people of this land won't have to suffer Gato's greed any longer, Tazuna's bridge can be built in peace and my team and I could rest our heads a Hell of a lot easier tonight. If you do this, then you will have my trust, regardless if Zabuza's a rogue ninja." Narumi explained.
"That sounds...dangerous." Haku remarked.
"It's easier than trying to kill us." Narumi said. "And it's also better than trying to reason with Gato, as naive as you believe that to be. Even I can see that that is pointless."
"Perhaps you're right." Haku said. Haku went around Narumi, picked up his picnic basket, and was about to walk away from Narumi as she walked away from him when he suddenly pulled out a senbon (which was hidden in his picnic basket), swiftly turned around, and threw said senbon at Narumi. "Kitten, look out!" Matatabi warned. Narumi then dodged, and quickly pulled out a Kunai knife, and then threw it at Haku. The Kunai knife hit him in the head. He fell down, and died. Narumi slowly walked up to Haku, who was already dead, with a sad look on her face. 'I'm sorry, Haku. I tried to give you a chance, I really tried.' Narumi thought. "Some people are just too far gone to be saved, Narumi." Matatabi told her. 'Maybe you're right.' Narumi thought. She turned around, and walked back into town, where she ran into Sasuke.
"Finally! Kakashi-Sensei sent me to look for you. Where've you been?" Sasuke asked. Narumi didn't answer.
"Why are you not answering?" Sasuke asked. He then noticed Narumi's sad look.
"What's with that look?" Sasuke asked. Narumi didn't answer. Suddenly, Miyuki just so happened to bump into them, too. "I think I can answer that." She said. "Well, isn't this funny? Kakashi-Sensei said to look for you, too." Sasuke told her.
"Can you blame a girl for wanting to keep herself busy?" Miyuki asked.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow for some reason before putting it back down.
"C'mon, Kakashi-Sensei's expecting us." Sasuke told them.
"Why would you ever do something so reckless, Narumi!?" Kakashi-Sensei asked. Team 7 was in the guest room at Tazuna's house, discussing the where
-abouts of Narumi. Miyuki just told both Kakashi-Sensei and Sasuke about Narumi's little interaction with Haku. "For whatever reason, I thought that Haku was redeemable. And when I heard his story, I thought that sealed the deal. That he could be redeemed. But, obviously, he tricked me so I killed him when he tried to kill me first." Narumi answered. "But you could've killed him as soon as you figured out who he was. Why trap him, then talk to him?" Kakashi-Sensei then asked. "Two reasons. The first and simplest of which being interrogation. I wanted to know more about him. Because, back when I didn't know who he was, he was acting like a really nice guy with a good heart. And I was right, but he was too set in his ways to go along with my plan, and...you know the end result." Narumi said with a sad look on her face.
"The second reason is that I wanted to at least give him and Zabuza a chance to get out of this alive so that they could get their coup, and we could complete our mission. Ever since the Massacre, I've come to realize that the entire thing wasn't exactly Itachi's fault. Sure, his actions aren't really all that forgivable, but I remember Aunt Izumi talking about some big bad thing the adults were planning right before they were all killed. But no one could tell me what, exactly, they were planning outside of it being very bad for some reason." Narumi also answered.
Kakashi-Sensei became intrigued. 'Does she know?' Kakashi-Sensei thought.
'This could be interesting...' Miyuki thought. Kakashi-Sensei asked her if the adults told her anything about their plans. "No." Narumi answered. "No? They didn't tell you anything else?" Kakashi-Sensei asked. "Nope. And that was what frustrated me the whole time. I couldn't understand it. Did they not trust me, their own kin? Well, as it turned out, I wasn't the only one feeling left out. The civilian members of the clan said that they genuinely knew nothing, too. I don't know why the military ones wouldn't tell me anything, though..." Narumi answers. "I also knew that the village and the clan were trying multiple attempts at negotiations for whatever reason. I figured that it must've had something to do with whatever the adults were planning." "Maybe they wanted their plans kept secret so that kids like us wouldn't mistakenly blab it out to anyone who wanted to know." Sasuke supposed.
'Although, I knew nothing about these plans that she speaks of, too.' Sasuke thought.
'Whew! That's a relief. It would've been a Hell of a rough time for Lord Third if I had to tell him that Narumi knows about the coup that the clan was planning.' Kakashi-Sensei thought.
'Well, that's no fun! It would've made my report to Lord Danzo less boring.' Miyuki thought.
"Well, even so, the Uchiha Massacre represents a failure to listen, to talk instead of act. If there's one thing I remember about Itachi-one thing I thought I knew about him-it was that he was a pacifist. He never liked violence or war but he became a ninja anyway because he knew that he had to be prepared for war. And...to eventually bring an end to fighting. He is what I aspire to be as a ninja. Not a ninja who is known and feared far and wide for killing their clan, but a ninja who wished for peace. It's why I try to be as negotiable as I can whenever the opportunity arises. This, I thought, would be my first opportunity. To say I failed would be like saying Sasuke hit Zabuza with that fireball. No, he absolutely burned him. And my attempt to solve this without anyone on either side having to die was shot to Hell by Haku's attempt to kill me." Narumi explained.
"I can see why. Your plan would've been dangerous for both of them." Miyuki assessed. "Well, like I told Haku, which you no doubt already overheard, it would be at least better than trying to get them to reason with Gato. Even I can see that that man's not redeemable in any way, shape or form whatsoever." Narumi said. Narumi was angry with Miyuki over the fact that she spied on and overheard her conversation with Haku.
'Maybe she's the one who derailed those plans in the first place.' Narumi angrily thought. 'Maybe he detected her somehow, and thought that trying to kill me would be better than dying by Miyuki's hand.'
"Well, that doesn't matter, now, because even though you've essentially taken out two of Gato's biggest guns, that still leaves his small fish for us to fry." Sasuke said. "Unfortunately, you're right. I've just killed the last member of the Yuki Clan and The Demon of the Hidden Mist might die at any moment, now because of the burns you gave him." Narumi said to Sasuke. "Well, then I'd say that makes our jobs a little easier. Going forward, though, Narumi, you won't be training on your own without supervision whenever we're out on a mission like this." Kakashi
-Sensei told her. "That's fair." Narumi acknowledged, feeling absolutely defeated.
For the rest of the days where the bridge was being built, Team 7 stopped attacks from whole armies of regular, non-ninja criminals and bandits and mercenaries six times. And on the seventh time, when the bridge was almost finished, Gato and another army of mercenaries came. Gato was a short little man with black sunglasses, gray hair that was almost balding, and a pointy nose. He was dressed in a fancy-looking black business suit. Gato was about to monologue, but Miyuki said, "Oh, shut up." And then she used the Water Whip Jutsu to pull him over to her so that she could stab him in the heart with a Kunai knife. Gato fell down, and died. The army of criminals was shocked by how their boss just so easily went down so they tried running away, but Miyuki made three Shadow Clones, and those clones ran up to that army, and used the Great Fireball Jutsu to burn them all to death. Once they were all dead, the clones all disappeared.
Kakashi-Sensei walked up to Miyuki with a frown on his face, and said, "That was unnecessary. They were running away." "Yeah, I noticed that. That's why I killed them." Miyuki casually said. "But if you had taken a moment to think about your actions, you would've noticed that burning those men made these workers' jobs a lot harder." Kakashi-Sensei told her. "They now have to rebuild the section of that bridge you've just burned up." "So?" Miyuki callously asked. The things Miyuki just said shocked Narumi. She's never seen this side of Miyuki before.
'She is acting like Danzo.' Kakashi-Sensei thought.
And so, Team 7's jobs went a little ahead of schedule because of the destructive way Miyuki killed those men. All the while, the people of the Land of Waves saw Team 7 as their heroes. Although, they had higher praises for Miyuki because she killed Gato. Narumi was saddened, but not surprised by the fact that she is getting less of the attention than Miyuki is. She did praise-worthy things too, after all. Killing Haku and ensuring the demise of Zabuza is no small feat.
After the bridge was finally built, Team 7 was ready to head back to the village and everyone was sad that they most likely won't get to see Miyuki ever again. But the most tearful goodbye was shared between Narumi and Inari. They formed a very friendly bond over the course of the mission. Inari would jokingly ask her out and she'd refuse him every time even though she knew he wasn't really being serious. When they were walking away, leaving Tazuna and his family on the bridge, Tsunami said, "You'll need a name for this bridge, you know." "Aye. I just can't think of any good ones right now." Tazuna said. "Maybe...maybe 'The Great Narumi Bridge'." Inari said after thinking about it for a bit. "That sounds fine, yes, but I like the sound of 'The Great Miyuki Bridge'." Tazuna replied. "Hey! You stole my idea!" Inari shouted. The two adults laughed.
And so, from that point onwards, the bridge was known as "The Great Miyuki Bridge".
All four members of Team 7 make it back to the Hidden Leaf Village without a scratch on them some days later. They then immediately went to the Mission Assignment Desk to give Old Man Hokage a mission report despite the fact that all three Genin wanted a break.
Kakashi-Sensei omitted the part about Narumi trying to negotiate with the enemy against his orders until he said, "Lord Third, I'd like to speak with you privately." After a silence that only lasted for only a little while, Old Man Hokage said, "Alright, Kakashi. I think your students need a break, anyways." "Thank you, Old Man Hokage! Thank you!" Narumi said after breathing a sigh of relief. The three of them left the room before Old Man Hokage and Kakashi-Sensei did.
Kakashi and Lord Third walk into the Hokage's office. "Old Man Hokage?!" Lord Third asked. "Are you offended by the nickname?" Kakashi asked in reply. "No, I'm just...surprised." Lord Third answered. "She used to call me 'Grandpa Hokage'. Granted, she would never call me that when she's around Miyuki." "Shall I order her to stop?" Kakashi then asked. "No, that's fine. I'm just rather perplexed by it. Why the sudden change?" Lord Third replied. "Maybe she doesn't want anyone confusing her for your actual Granddaughter and maybe she didn't want to offend Miyuki at the same time, given that Miyuki is your actual Grand
-daughter." Kakashi supposed. "Hm...that seems likely. I know Narumi better than anyone. She is often very compassionate towards others and somewhat aware of others' feelings." Lord Third assessed. "To be honest, Sir, I think she's too compassionate for her own good." Kakashi said. "In fact, that's what I'm here to talk about."
"I see. Close the door." Lord Third ordered. Kakashi closed the door behind both of them, and Lord Third activated the privacy seals hidden all around the room before walking over to his desk only to sit at it. "Alright, then. Talk." Lord Third told him after sighing.
Kakashi walked up to the front of The Professor's desk, and said, "Sir, there's something I neglected to tell you during the mission report. Narumi tried to negotiate with one of the two enemy ninjas...a boy named Haku, I think it was. It was the boy who Zabuza took on as an apprentice sometime before he fled the Hidden Mist Village. She did this despite the fact that I never told her to do that. From what I can discern, she was talking to him-to interrogate him, at first-while she was practicing a technique I taught her, Sasuke and Miyuki all by herself. In the end, she decided to try and resolve the whole ordeal peacefully-and by 'peacefully', she meant in a way that won't end in either of them having to kill each other." "And how did that go?" Lord Third asked. "Horribly." Kakashi answered. "When she thought that the two of them had a deal, the boy deceived her, and tried to kill her. She ended up killing him, instead. I think she still feels guilty about having to kill him to this day."
"And did she say why she did it?" Lord Third asked.
"Apparently, it's a result of the Massacre. She saw the whole thing as a failure to resolve things peacefully, to negotiate. To add to that, Itachi inspired her to seek out peaceful resolutions instead of resorting to straight-up fighting. And you and I both know how Itachi was before the Massacre." Kakashi said.
"True. He never liked violence and war. In fact, he wanted an end to all fighting. I'd go as far as to say that he thought quite like a Hokage. In truth, if things had gone differently, I would've eventually chosen him as my successor." Lord Third replied.
"Itachi? Fifth Hokage? Never." Kakashi quipped.
"I'm being serious. But this begs the question...does she know-"
"-what her clan was planning? I thought so too, so I asked her about it. She told me that the adults would never tell her anything about it beyond the fact that it's bad. To hear her tell it, none of the civilians in the clan knew, either." Kakashi said.
"Danzo said that we couldn't risk the civilians coming back for revenge if any of them ever found out. We only spared Sasuke at Itachi's request." Lord Third said without thinking. He only realized his mistake when Kakashi said, "So that's why Sasuke's still alive..."
"Perhaps I've said too much." Lord Third supposed. "You forget that I can keep secrets with the best of 'em." Kakashi replied. "Right. Sorry, where are my manners?" Lord Third also replied. "Did Itachi request that Narumi be spared, too?" Kakashi asked.
"Not initially, but the night after the Massacre, he did. He said that she was to be spared because of her status as a Jinchuriki. But I think that was only part of the answer." Lord Third answered. "Part of the answer...?" Kakashi asks. "Itachi was always in love with her Aunt, Izumi Uchiha. My only guess is the other reason Narumi's still alive is that she asked him to spare her and he just couldn't kill Narumi anyways because she is Izumi's Niece. Before the Massacre, after all, Narumi and Sasuke played together so much that they might as well have been Cousins." Lord Third explained. "I see." Kakashi said.
"So what did you do after you found out that she talked with the enemy behind your back?" Lord Third asked.
"I told her that she wasn't allowed to train by herself without supervision whenever we're out on a mission outside of the village." Kakashi answered.
"That's fair." Lord Third said. "She said the same thing when I handed her that consequence." Kakashi replied.
"I feel that that was the wrong move, though, because it discourages diplomacy. If she wants to be the Hokage, she will need skills in diplomacy, to know when and when not to show mercy. My predecessor didn't have those skills, and we all know how his reign ended." Lord Third told him.
"Still, she acted against my orders, went behind my back. How else was I supposed to deal with that?" Kakashi asked. "Plus, the consequence is rather light considering the severity of disobeying your superiors."
"Then you must encourage her 'think first, fight later' mentality. A ninja's greatest weapon is their mind. And, as I said, teach her when and when not to show mercy. Most think mercy is a ninja's enemy when it is really a double-edged sword. Ideally, most times, it works, and both you and the former enemy leave without so much as a scratch on your bodies. But there are times where a negotiation attempt goes the same way Narumi's negotiation attempt with Haku did, where he tries to kill her anyways for one reason or another. To try and breed these 'false notions' of world peace out of Narumi would be like trying to make her end her career as a Hokage and a ninja the same way Madara did. We have enough ruthless warlords nowadays." Lord Third told him.
"Heh. Danzo is proof enough of that." Kakashi replied. "Exactly. So why add one more into this world?" Lord Third rhetorically asked. "I see your point. As of right now, Narumi's failed attempt at a peaceful resolution to our little conflict with Haku and Zabuza might've made her question her morals and her beliefs. I'm going to go and see what I can about that." Kakashi said to Lord Third. "If she has a strong Will of Fire, she may get over her failure right quick." Lord Third advised. "Still, it doesn't mean that I can't strengthen that will of hers." Kakashi said.
"No." Lord Third said with a smile. "Indeed not."
"Can I leave, then?" Kakashi asked.
"Of course." Lord Third answered.
Kakashi turned around, and left the room.
'Itachi, your Will of Fire has passed down to Narumi. I wonder how you'd react to that if you had never left the village.' Lord Third thought with that smile still on his face.
Danzo sat on his tatami mat in a room in his own home, meditating when Miyuki appeared to the left of him, facing his left side and clad entirely in Anbu armor and with a white porcelain bear-like Anbu mask on her face. "Well, Kuma...? Report." Danzo ordered. Miyuki then gave him the entire mission report. "...all things considered, though, things seem pretty normal. I have not been found out by Kakashi or any others." Miyuki reported. "Do not underestimate Kakashi. He may seem fooled, but he may actually already suspect something." Danzo told her. "Of course, Sir." Miyuki said.
"Is there anything more?" Danzo asked. "Uh...yes, Lord Danzo." Miyuki answered. "Speak." Danzo told her. "During our mission, Narumi-I mean, the Jinchuriki, said something that I initially thought might've implied that she knew the true reason behind the Uchiha Massacre. Kakashi did as well, otherwise, he would not have asked her if she did." Miyuki told him. This alarmed Danzo.
"And...?" Danzo asks. "No, Sir. She does not. All she's been told by anyone was that 'the adults', possibly meaning Fugaku and anyone who'd go along with his coup, were planning something and that it was bad. She also knew about the multiple rounds of negotiations with the Uchiha which the Hokage attempted. She also knew that Itachi, Izumi and possibly Shisui were against the coup." Miyuki reported. "Of course, we both know that they were against the coup. That's why Itachi did what he did that night."
"And there were multiple times when Sarutobi tried to resolve the situation peacefully. Of course, we derailed those plans. Can't have the Uchiha destroy the Hidden Leaf. And even if the Jinchuriki does know nothing, the fact that she was told only a little bit says that she will know everything at some point in the future. She's intelligent, I'll give her that." Danzo said.
"What must we do?" Miyuki asked. "We must kill her, and reunite her with her precious clan." Danzo answered. Danzo's words startled Miyuki. If they were in any other situation, she'd tell him that this plan is too extreme. But she is his subordinate therefore, she has no right to question his judgment. "But what about the Tailed Beast...?" Miyuki asks. "True. There is the matter of the Two-Tails..." Danzo says. "We've already lost the Nine-Tails-and that was only by accident, as far as Mito's mission report has told us-and we know that if the Jinchuriki dies, the Tailed Beast dies with it. And if that happens, the Hidden Leaf will lose more of its strength than it did on the night of the Two-Tails Incident."
After a long silence, Danzo said, "We'll need a contingency plan in mind." "If I may make a suggestion, Sir, what if we get another candidate to put the Two-Tails inside? Create another Jinchuriki? It has been done before." Miyuki said. "Hm...
yes. But that will take time to prepare." Danzo agreed. "Time that we still have." Miyuki added. "Alright. I'll make those preparations. In fact, with the Chunin Exams being six months away, the time to use said new Jinchuriki's strength wouldn't have come at a better time." Danzo said. "I will make the preparations. You will maintain your cover as a part of Team 7. And when the war comes, you will kidnap the Jinchuriki, and bring her to the Foundation." "Yes, Lord Danzo." Miyuki acknowledged before disappearing. Danzo smiled, thinking everything is going according to his plans.
END OF CHAPTER
[AN: Okay, so now, I've finished the first three chapters of my first ever fanfiction. Thank you for reading, by the way. Before I get to the Chunin Exams Arc, I plan to make three more arcs of my own creation just so that Team 7 can spend more time with each other than they do in the show. Seriously, according to canon, they just went through the Mission to the Land of Waves and maybe a bit of training before the Chunin Exams. That is not alot of time for the three Genin to have built that "bond" that Naruto is always talking about whenever he faces Sasuke in Shippuden. Other than that, I also plan to start the Fourth Great Ninja War early on under very different circumstances just so that Narumi gets an idea of what war is like before Obito starts the war during Shippuden's Five Kage Summit Arc. But Sasuke will leave Team 7 after the Chunin Exams Arc like he does in canon and as for Miyuki...well, you'll find out eventually. See you in Chapter 4!]