I'm Hello everyone, I'm Dr kango but you can call me K
I don't own anything in the story but my own ideas and if I accidentally make something similar to a story that is already here then I'm sorry, I haven't read every story
hello I know ive been gone for a while, i got out of physical therapy after i lost the use of left arm an leg an some damage to my arm, back but abit slow now, i apologize for being out of th game for so long
-one week later-
Team seven had summed up sixteen D- rank missions under their belts with them being the highest rookie genin team with missions, the blonde and the raven haired youth had grown like brothers while Naruto and Hinata had grown closer as well
As the team seven left the hokage's office for the seventeenth D-rank mission naruto grumbled about having to go shopping for some lazy civilian
-a couple hours later-
As the team finally finished the shopping that turned into Naruto having to carry a couple of the larger ideas that wouldn't fit into a scroll. The three arrived at the training grounds with Naruto dramatically falling to the ground getting a giggle from Hinata and a small smirk from Sasuke
"You look rather tired Naru-chan" Kakashi teased his sensei's son by calling him 'naru-chan' getting a glare from said boy and a small snort from Sasuke
"Oh well.. I as going to teach you all a new jutsu after I got your affinities" Naruto seemed to rise up from the dirt in an instance
"really sensei!" Naruto bounced happily, his eyes like stars that made Kakashi a bit nervous as how his student had rose from the ground so fast without whiplash
"Yes naru-chan, a new technique" Naruto seem to deflate at the name, passing out chakra paper Kakashi explained how it worked
"Pump your chakra into the paper, if it gets cut it's wind, crinkles it's lighting, turns to dust that's earth thank if it catches flame it's fire and if it gets soaked it's water"
Kakashi held up his own slip of paper, it crinkled into a small ball in his hand "you try it first Sasuke"
As the raven haired boy held his slip of paper it crinkled then burst into flames with Hinata following after, her paper split down the middle and was soaked on both of sections of the paper
"And Naruto"
As Naruto held the paper it split down the middle, one side crinkled, yellow lightning arched across its surface. the other burst into flames that went from a dull red to a vibrant red then orange, yellow and white before it changed to teal, dark blue, purple then bright pink and ended with black flames that consumed the paper as Naruto dropped it
Looking at his teammates Naruto scratched his head as he laughed softly "hehe.. um yeah that's new I suppose" naruto scratched the back of his head as he stomped out the small burning patch of fire on the grass
As he saw the shocked look of his teammates he grinned before taking a few steps back and breathing deeply before he pulled his Divine flame from deep in him
The vibrant orange flames covered him in head to toe before they vanished as Naruto let them go, over the week he had been able to master it to a point of not needing the hand sign to consent for him to bring out the flames
As Naruto looked to his sensei he grinned "so sensei, what jutsu are you going to teach us" naruto asked, his eyes wide as he bounced on his heels
Kakashi pulled out three scrolls "lightning, water and wind. Considering that you three are above what I was expecting from this team I figured that you all should have something under your belts"
Tossing Sasuke the lighting scroll he eye-smiled at the youth "that is the lighting needle jutsu, it perfuses a thin beam of lightning in the shape of a needle"
Handing Hinata her water scroll Kakashi smiled "that technique is something one of our scouts found from Kiri, It's the hidden mist jutsu"
Smiling at the blonde, kakashi handed him the last scroll "this is a wind technique that is very special Naruto, it's the wind drill technique"
Smiling at his team, Kakashi looked up at the sky, seeing a hawk circling overhead. Puffing away into smoke kakashi left his students in the training field
-hokage tower-
Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke as he stood straight and looked around at the other jonin
"Yes hokage-sama, I got the alert" kakashi said as he saluted the hokage
"kakashi, we have reserved Intel on an group of Shinobi that are heading here from Iwa the confirmed members are Taira Iwao, Takamoto and Kawahara Kokuyōseki and the only female of the group Shiro Goya, they have already reached a few miles till they get here" hiruzan said grimly
Taira Iwao had taken on the yellow flash and lived he was a monster on his own but his teammates Takamoto and Kawahara Kokuyōseki were even a larger threat, having fought in the third war and one of the few survivors of the defense of kushina uzumaki. and this Shiro Goya was a dangerous long range fighter
With what they could find from the girl's attacks she could make a golden substance that would move to her will given the moniker Kogane no ite or golden archer
Takamoto and Kawahara Kokuyōseki were the Kokuyōseki no kyōdai or obsidian Brothers, they could turn their body into obsidian and bend it to their will, they had been noted to be able to regrow limbs with the obsidian they pulled into them from attacks
The last and most dangerous one, Taira Iwao, the man that stood against the yellow flash. His marble skin had protected him again the kunai Minato had used, being called the Dairiseki no gōremu or marble golem
As the jonins talked strategies with the hokage and the head of the joint division it was about half an hour after kakashi had arrived that a messenger ninja appeared through the double doors of the office
"HOKAGE-SAMA! That group from before has reached one of the training groups, training group 7!" At that, kakashi paled before he vanished
-a few minutes prior-
Naruto had his clones set to practicing the hand signs for the wind drill, as he worked Naruto felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end
Rolling in time to avoid a shockwave that sent him flying back, rolling to his feet Naruto lightly
Jumping up Naruto got into a deep stance, his legs bent with his left arm extended, his right pulled up to his chest, both of his hands curled
Looking at his attacker Naruto narrowed his eyes seeing the scratched out iwa headband on the man's right bicep, feeling a second attempt at him Naruto jumped up and landed on the outstretched arm of a man that looked very similar to his first attacker, jumping away Naruto landed taking note of their appearances
Both had black hair and gray-ish eyes with deep tan skin that darkened to obsidian black from the elbow down and they were dressed in iwa jounin attire only difference was the headband placement being in the left and right bicep of the two respectfully
"Who the hell are you two!" Naruto said as his orange flames licked at his feet before it traveled up his body
"Look! It's that bitch's technique!" One of them said as he rocketed forward and performed a perfect spinning roundhouse kick, Naruto brought his arms up and caught the blow that shot him through the trees, flipping Naruto summoned a trio of shadow clones that shot forward with him, two spitting to take on- what Naruto assumed, was the man's brother, as the original and his other cline took on the other, sliding low Naruto made the man jump into a falling keel kick that the man brushed off, his clones doing a similar tactic but added a front crescent kick
As the four Naruto's jumped back they moved and kept using the Moeru yōna suteppu (fiery steps) to speed past blows not before two of the clones were dispelled
Jumping back Naruto ran through three hand seals ram ox dragon "wind style: Wind drill!" Shooting a twisting ball of wind that sucked some of his fire into making the once beach ball of spiraling wind into an inferno
Seeing it striking the ground in front of the two iwa nuke-nin and explode in a twister of flames and howling winds Naruto turned and shot off to the main clearing
-sasuke same time-
As Sasuke was through the hand sighs needed for the lightning needle he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, rolling he dodged a large stone object that smashed the ground
Rolling to his feet Sasuke felt sweat tickle his back, the man was massive and had a large round object at the end of some rope 'a meteor hammer' the teen through before he jumped up as the large object swung under his feet by a few inches, grabbing a branch above him Sasuke flipped and landed on his feet
He needed a way out of this and he couldn't risk letting the nin get deeper into the village as he was thinking a large wave of hot air shot through the trees and he turned, seeing a massive pillar of twisting flames, pulling a smoke bomb Sasuke threw it at the man
Watching the small ball explode Sasuke moved his hands through seals "fire style: great fireball jutsu"
Taking his leave Sasuke jumped to the center clearing and landed back to back with Naruto "Where is Hinata?"
As Sasuke spoke he was met with his answer as hinata shot from the tree line, a cut across hirr right cheek and smaller cuts and scraps across her clothes and exposed flesh "Naruto-kun, Sasuke-san!"
Landing with them Hinata looked around before she jumped with the two boys to dodge four arrows, all three landed on the water and hinata made the ram seal and the water started to make a heavy mist that flooded the area, blocking the view of the archer in the trees
"We need back up, we can't take on four attackers, they are all jonin, the only reason we all got away was because they got cocky"
"I agree with that one Naruto" as Sasuke spoke softly he and the blonde had their eyes activated, scanning for any movement
Naruto's Hands flexed and he unsealed two sickles, spinning one he deflected an arrow as the other knocked a rock spear out of the way of his head
The three jumped away letting the chakra laced mist slowly dispute, they all needed to buy time and limit the iwa nuke-nin long enough for someone to appear for back up
As Naruto made a dozen clones three shot at the four ninja, playing as distractions so that Hinata can notch an arrow and take aim with the help of her Bakugan, shooting one arrow at one of the two brothers it hit the man in the left shoulder and going through getting a grunt of pain and a few swears
Naruto brought forth his divine flames and shot forward his Fureimukurō kihon keitai (flame claw, basic form) forming as he moved into a taijutsu match against the iwa Shinobi, cutting deep into the man's legs before he jumped back
One of his clones shooting a Fureimusutorīmu kihonkei (flame stream basic form) at the man's back making him stumble as his brother neared only to be hit with the same Fureimusutorīmu kihonkei to the chest and shot back
The man rolled to his feet and was caught with a jab from the Uchiha that drove the lightning needle into the man's left hip that hampered his movement and smirked before another one formed and he shoved it through the man's armpit and threw his shoulder leaving him crippled for the moment, getting a kick to his chest the Uchiha was shot back and into a tree that puffed into Naruto who caught his friend
The only female iwa nin was looking around and was barely able to block a falling heel that split her bow in two, her attacker landed to show a young boy with blonde hair and deep blue eyes
"YOU HURT MY HINA-HIME, YOU'RE GOING TO PAY!!"
With that the blonde shot forward and the two engaged in a quick scrummage that revealed she hadn't put a lot into her taijutsu being shown as Naruto dropped low and brought his foot high, she had stepped forward but Naruto's leg traveled between hers and struck her in the crotch with full force and her weight as she stepped into it, she was left dazed and cupping her crotch long enough for Naruto to take a kunai and shove it into the base of her skull
No matter how strong someone is, a kage can die to a kunai, as Naruto looked at the woman's cooling corpse he sighed and put her into a storage seal and leaped off only to have his chest nailed with a snap kick, the mist had desapated now and Naruto had been caught by the marble golem's massive foot that made him dispell into smoke
The real Naruto dropped from a tree and tried to slam a Fureimukurō kihon keitai into the man's head only for his arm to get caught and the young teen to get slammed into the ground and punted away
As team seven got to their feet they were panting, hinata had managed to kill one of the brothers with a well placed arrow in the eye and the other was crippled with no way of making hand signs or using his left leg As effectively
The massive man was in better shape with only a couple deep chips in his marble arms and some scorch marks on his torso and legs
As Naruto readied himself he felt his body shift suddenly and he was in front of the massive man as yellow lightning crackled around him, Naruto, thinking on his feet spun a roundhouse kick at the man's stomach
Taira easily caught the boy's leg but was surprised when he swung his other leg at his head, ducking slightly the Naruto in his grasp puffed away and he was brought face to.. knee of the blonde as he slammed a deviating knee to the marble golem of iwa's face, with a crack the boy disappeared in a puff replaced by a log as Naruto gripped his knee "DAMNIT! TAHT SHOT WAS LIKE HITTING.. WELL A ROCK!"
The log exploded as the exploding tags on it finally detonated, sending large wooden splinters across the battle field and one logged itself into the only living brother of the obsidian brothers' neck leaving him to drown on his own blood,
"DAMN YOU! You and your father! That blasted Namikaze!" Taira had lost his cool and shot three earth spears at high speeds that Naruto and Sasuke had cleared while Hinata was struck in the shoulder, leaving her arm dislocated and her now at a disadvantage, seeing this Taira shot forward and grabbed the girl, before he could snap her neck his left arm was slices off at the elbow freeing Hinata who shot into the trees
As Naruto held a kunai, he had activated his Honō no kamujin (divine blade of flame), the blade was a bright yellow that matched the rest of the flames around him, panting softly Naruto felt even his massive reserves declining
Before Naruto had time to react even with the his Sharingan he watched his sensei appear before him and strike Taira with a lightning jab that plunged into the man's gut only to have a man in green spandex and a flake vest appear on his sensei's back and land a roundhouse kick to the man's jaw, sending him stumbling to the side
"Naruto! Status now!"
As Kakashi barked an order Naruto straightened "Hinata is injured! Sasuke is almost out of chakra and he is sporting a few bruises and a cracked rib, three of the four Iowa ninja are dead, a female and two males" As Naruto bounced up he kept his Honō no kamujin ready to help his sensei
"Take your team to the hospital now Naruto, me and Gai can handle him, I'm proud of you Naruto" kakadhi spoke as lifted his headband and showed his barrowrd Sharingan eye, the tomo spinning as he shot forward with gai next to him, the two were in synced with each other, when gai dropped back kakashi shot a long range attack before he jumped in with a kunai infused with lightning chakra and cleaved through the man's pinky on his only hand
As the two leaf jonin fought the injured iwa in Naruto took off after making a Shadow clone to carry Sasuke as the team rushed to the hospital, he trusted his sensei to win
-time skip a few days later-
The three genin of team seven had finally gotten out of the hospital and were back in their training grounds, Naruto trying to get that yellow lightning to reappear, as he took in a deep breath he let his body relax and he looked deep within himself before he felt a spark, opening his eyes he appeared a couple meters in front of him before he shifted his body and shot to the side and stumbled, rolling to his feet naruto jumped up
Landing on his feet from his flip Naruto smirked, taking a deep breath again and relaxing and used the yellow chakra again, after a few hours Naruto had been able to get a hang of it while his teammates did some lighter training, Sasuke evolving his eyes and hinata trying to get better with her archery
Hinata has been able to get her skill with the bow to the point of being able to shoot up to 30 yard with bullseye accuracy and 40 yards before she started to get off her mark in the, her skills had been a surprise to her team but they supported her, Naruto more than Sasuke
Sasuke had activated his third tomoe in each eye from the several Naruto's throwing fire infused kunai at him, he was left with some light burn marks and some of his clothes had been singed
-a week later-
As Naruto sat high on a branch he looked down at his target "this is fox Prince, ready to drop"
"Raven princess, I have eyes on the target, i can confirm that's tora" Hinata said over the radio communicator
"Avenger here, ready to catch if.. fox prince fails" Sasuke sucked his teeth as he looked high up in the tree, seeing his sensei
"Scarecrow, do you have the path ready for us to get out through" kakashi giggle came over the speaker as he looked down, giving Sasuke a thumbs up
"Alright my cute little genin, get that cat"
With that, team seven dropped, Naruto grabbing the car and throwing it at Sasuke who caught the feline in a cat carrier, closing it Sasuke sighed before the carrier shook violently in the raven haired boy arms
Hinata landed not far from Naruto who was walking to Sasuke, kakashi joining them a second layer before they all swirled away in leaves and for Naruto, flames of a bright yellow
"Congratulations team seven, you completed the catching tora mission, kakashi will hand out your pay, their is still daylight if you want to get another mission before dark" the old hokage said as he smiled softly, his lips upturned as he handed kakashi an envelope with the money in it
As the team looked at each other they nodded their heads, Naruto stepped forward "jiji-sama, we think it would help us if you gave us a more challenging mission, a C- rank mission, I mean, we have one of the strongest jonin in the village with us and we are pretty strong, hell, we've survived those iwa bastards" Naruto said as he folded his arms between his head, his eyes staring at the hokage
Getting a light slap from kakashi he eye smiled down at Naruto "I do agree with my team but I don't think Naruto used the right wording, but I do believe that my team is ready for a higher mission, hokage-sama"
Letting out a sign the hokage looked through the scrolls on his desk and nodded his head, pulling out out he looked to kakashi "we only have a bandit elimination mission kakashi"
The hokage looked to the silver haired man and signed
As the hokage nodded his head before he pulled a few papers from the stack and nodded his head
"Okay my cute little genin, let's meet at the northern gate at six in the morning" Kakashi eye smiled and poofed away
As team seven made their ways home to pack and to eat, as Naruto was heading home he couldn't help but feel excited, this was the first time he was leaving the village and was going on his first series mission, the first on his path to hokage and to restore his family name, as naruto got home he opened the door to see a scroll on his table, stepping forward he opened it and saw a seal inside, sending chakra the handle of katana appeared
•————————————————————--•
The hilt was pure black, the handle, the guard. With no blade Naruto frowned as he picked it up, suddenly a deep yellow blade appears and seemed to shift in between different types of blades before settling on one, it was about two feet long and had a inward curve to it, the blade was a bright yellow, reaching out Naruto ran his fingers across the yellow blade
It was the same feeling as steel, but it was so much lighter, suddenly it grew more heavy, making his eyes widen
And a cross konoha the civilians heard a loud shout
"OH HELL YEAH! CHAKRA FUCKING SWORD!!!"
the next day came fast and the team was ready for their first C-rank mission, Naruto, Sasuke and Hinata stood at the northern gate waiting for their sensei
They had changed into better clothes wore new gear
Naruto wore a pair of black sandals with gray soaks, deep red cargo pants with a black belt that held the handle of his new weapon, a black long sleeve skin tight top with dark gray vest like the chunin and jonin wear and a bandana that covered his hair, a pair of clawed gloves that when with his techniques
Sasuke had a pair of black sandals, black cargo pants with gray tape around his right thigh with his kunai pouch, a large pack on the back of his pants that's attached to the black belt holding his pants up, a short sleeve top that was a navy blue collar with a high collar and the Uchiha crest on his back
Hinata has black sandals on with black socks, navy blue cargo pants with white tape on her left and right thigh, both having kunai pouches, a large pack on the back of her pants held with a lavender rope belt, a black skin tight long sleeve top that stopped just at her wrists and came up her neck, a thin dark gray hoodie with the hyuga crest on the back, a pair of gloves finished it
As the scarecrow of a man landed, reading his book right at six, surprising the genin "WHAT DID YOU DO TO OUR SENSEI!"
Naruto said, getting in a low stance and pulling his new blade out, the yellow blade forming as he brought it horizontal to his chest
Sasuke had formed the lightning needle as Hinata pulled her bow out and pointed it at the scarecrow's head, kakashi was sweating "h- hey now, I am your sensei I just show up on time for missions, now let's go we got bandits to deal with"
As the team grumbled and jumping away, moving through the treetops
-two hours later-
The team landed on the outskirts of a large section of popped up tents and a large group of people moving around, finding a large group of women that looked beaten and grungy
Kakashi was cold he knew his team was angry, surprisingly Naruto was the one who had the most rage radiating from him, Naruto grabbed the handle of his blade and stepped forward only to get grabbed by kakashi "Naruto, we need a plan of attack"
Naruto turned, his Sharingan spinning with a deadly glare "I have a plan, attack" with that Naruto vanished in a flash of yellow and appeared by a surprised bandit, cleaving him in two as Naruto held his Shin no kami-en no ha(true divine blade of flame)
Flashing forward Naruto slashed through three more men before he came face to face with the women, turning Naruto made a trio of shadow clones, kakashi pulling a replacement with one of the clones followed by Sasuke and Hinata
Sasuke's Sharingan spun wildly as he pulled a larger kunai out, it was a few inches longer than the standard size, Hinata had her Byakugan active and was glaring at the men
Kakashi made the famous chidori and shot forward, piercing a man's chest and stabbing the man through the head, splitting it open, Hinata turned green but she ran forward and struck out, dropping a few of the men before she had to back peddle.
Naruto flashed between Hinata and the men, cleaving through arms before he flashed to help sasuke who had just been thrown by a man double kakashi's height 'what is it with these massive men, whatever the bigger then are the harder they fall'
Jumping high Naruto brought the sword down only for his blade to clash with a sword that stopped his Shin no kami-en no ha(true divine blade of flame)
"W- What! You stopped my Uzu hadō ha(Uzu Wave Blade)! How!" The man said, knocking away naruto
"Uzu hadō ha, that was the blade of the clan head of the uzumaki clan head on uzushiogakure.. how did you obtain that blade" kakashi said, landing at his students side, his Sharingan eye narrowed he could feel his student tense up before he watched in amazement as Naruto's fire started to flicker in and out of white, shooting forward naruto swung his blade at a horizontal slash, his once yellow blade pulsed as it changed, turning nearly pure white, it was now a three foot long blade it was wide at the guard that came up to a white point, the point curving to make a back hook,the rage infused blade chipped the Uzu hadō ha and shot the man back
"What is your name" the boy asked, his voice deeper and menacing "I'm Akira Yumizuki, killer of the head of uzu-" the man didn't have time, the large sword he welded, it was eight feet long, it was a clever like blade that had a wavy pattern across it's length, a chip in the edge of the blade
The man smirked as he flexed the blade, it released a wave of water that slammed into Naruto
Rolling to his feet Naruto looked to his team as the dealt with the remaining bandits, his fire coming back as he brought himself forward, the white hot flames avapersting the water on his clothes, as Naruto slammed blades with akria Naruto pushed, his blade scotching and leaving blisters on the akiras hands as naruto shot a foot out and caught the man's thigh, the smell of burnt flesh filled the camp as Akira stumbled back and let water pour onto the burn
Standing high Akira shot forward a little slow than before, twisting on his good leg to slam the cleaver like blade into Naruto's upwards blow
Akira gritted his teeth as Naruto's scorching blade clashed against his own, the heat sending sharp pain through his fingers. His grip faltered for just a moment, but it was enough. Naruto's Sharingan spun wildly, reading the slight shifts in Akira's stance.
"You're slowing down," Naruto said, his voice edged with something cold, something unrelenting.
Akira roared, trying to push Naruto back with brute force, but the moment he pressed forward, Naruto twisted his blade and redirected the momentum. The bandit leader stumbled, and Naruto capitalized.
Flashing behind him in a flicker of yellow light, Naruto slashed at Akira's side, his white-hot flames licking at the man's flesh before he could counter. Akira howled as the heat seared through his armor, his water jutsu struggling to keep the burns at bay.
"Damn brat!" Akira spat, gripping his massive cleaver tighter. He swung wide, forcing Naruto to duck. The moment the blade passed overhead, Naruto surged forward, twisting his body as he brought his sword upward in a devastating arc.
The cleaver shattered.
Cracks webbed through the massive blade before it split clean in two, the upper half flying through the air and embedding itself in the dirt. Akira's eyes went wide as Naruto's sword came to a stop just inches from his throat. The heat alone made his skin blister.
"You killed the Uzumaki clan head," Naruto said, his voice deadly calm. "You don't deserve a quick death."
For a moment, Akira stood frozen, his mind racing for an escape—but there was none.
Naruto moved.
A single flash of white-hot steel, and Akira's head hit the ground, his lifeless body crumpling beside it.
Silence fell over the camp.
The remaining bandits, seeing their leader fall, panicked. Some tried to flee, but Sasuke and Hinata were faster. Sasuke's lightning-infused kunai cut through their ranks, while Hinata's arrows found their marks with unerring precision. Within moments, the battlefield was still.
Kakashi stepped forward, his one visible eye scanning the carnage. "You all did well," he said, though his gaze lingered on Naruto. The boy was still gripping his sword tightly, the flames of his blade flickering wildly.
"Naruto," Kakashi called.
Naruto didn't respond at first. His breathing was heavy, his shoulders tense. Then, slowly, the flames receded, the blade returning to its original form. Naruto exhaled, shaking his head as if clearing away a dark thought.
Hinata approached cautiously, concern in her pale lavender eyes. "Are you okay?"
Naruto blinked, then looked at her with a small, tired grin. "Yeah. Just... didn't expect to feel this angry."
Sasuke scoffed, sheathing his kunai. "At least you didn't hesitate."
Kakashi gave them a nod. "Let's free the prisoners and head back to Konoha. This mission is over."
As the team moved to help the captured women, Naruto glanced back at Akira's broken cleaver.
The man had claimed to kill the Uzumaki clan head.
Naruto clenched his fist. "There are more out there," he thought. "And I'll find them."
He turned away, determination burning in his eyes as Team 7 disappeared into the night.
The journey back to the village was quiet. The freed captives followed behind, their expressions weary but relieved. Naruto walked ahead of the group, his mind still replaying the battle. His new sword felt heavier than before—not physically, but in the weight of its meaning.
Kakashi noticed his student's silence but said nothing. "He needs time to process," the Jonin thought. Instead, he focused on leading the team back.
As Konoha's gates came into view, the guards straightened up, surprised to see the squad return so soon. One of them, Kotetsu, stepped forward.
"Back already? Wasn't this a C-rank?" he asked, eyeing the battered but victorious group.
Kakashi sighed. "Turned into a mess. We'll report to the Hokage."
As soon as they entered, Naruto split off from the group, heading straight for the Hokage Tower. He needed answers about the Uzumaki, and there was only one person who could give them.
Hiruzen Sarutobi listened intently as Team 7 gave their report. When Naruto mentioned the bandit leader's claim about killing the Uzumaki head, the old man's expression darkened.
"It is possible," he admitted. "During the fall of Uzushiogakure, many of your people were slaughtered. Some of their sacred artifacts, weapons, and knowledge were stolen."
Naruto clenched his fists. "Then there are more out there."
Sarutobi nodded. "I will have my ANBU look into it. For now, you should rest. You've done well."
Naruto wanted to argue, to demand more information, but Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll find answers, Naruto. One step at a time."
With a reluctant nod, Naruto stepped back.
Barely a few hours after their return, Kakashi received a summons.
The Hokage looked at him seriously. "We have another mission."
Kakashi raised a brow. "So soon?"
"Yes. We've reassigned the Wave Mission to Asuma's Team 10. Your squad is being sent elsewhere."
Kakashi took the scroll, scanning the details. His visible eye narrowed. "Missing-nin, huh?"
"A small group of rogue shinobi has been sighted near the Land of Valleys. They aren't high-level threats, but the Daimyo is concerned. Your team will handle it."
Kakashi sighed, already picturing Naruto's reaction.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata stood at the village gates once again, looking at Kakashi with disbelief.
"We just got back!" Naruto protested.
Sasuke crossed his arms. "Tch. Figures."
Hinata, though visibly tired, only adjusted the strap on her pack.
Kakashi flipped open his book. "Look on the bright side. You wanted action, right?"
Naruto grumbled, but the excitement in his eyes betrayed him. "Fine. Let's go kick some ass."
As they took off into the trees, Kakashi glanced back toward the village.
"Hope Asuma's team is ready for Wave," he thought.
Meanwhile—Team 10's Journey to Wave
Shikamaru sighed heavily as he trudged along the dirt road.
"A C-rank turned into a B-rank? Troublesome."
Ino rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up. We'll be fine!"
Choji munched on his chips. "At least there's food when we get there."
Asuma, smoking his cigarette, chuckled. "Let's just hope we don't run into anything too crazy."
Little did they know, they were walking straight into Zabuza Momochi's path.