The humid air hung heavy in the forest as Team Seven left the village to take on their first C rank mission. The mission was to escort an old man named Tazuna home to the Land of Waves.

The Land of Waves is an archipelago of small islands, southeast of Konoha. They didn't have their own set of ninjas due to being protected by the borders of the sea.

"Uh… Runt, are you licking your hand and rubbing it over your head?" Tazuna taunted one of the genin set to protect him.

The group saw the said runt, Naruto rubbing his head with the back of his hand a few times.

"Haha yes, well…." Sakura answered quickly, "You see, sir, we'd actually finished a mission—finding a runaway cat—before meeting you… and Naruto had this silly idea to act like a cat in order to capture one." But a little dark voice in her head spoke differently.

'NARUTO, YOU IDIOT! WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE KEEPING OUR CAT BEHAVIORS ON LOW PROFILE!'

Just behind Sakura, Kakashi was looking at the young boy, and for just a split second, he swore that he saw two triangular points starting to emerge from Naruto's head.

The journey had been uneventful thus far, but a palpable tension thrummed beneath the surface, a feeling that something unseen lurked just beyond the verdant curtain of trees.

Suddenly, Naruto, usually the loudest and most impulsive member of the team, stopped dead in his tracks. His nose twitched, his bright blue eyes narrowed in concentration. "Kakashi-sensei," he announced, his voice surprisingly serious, " there's something or someone hiding ahead of us."

Everyone looked but nothing could confirm nor deny his claim, no uneven grounds, no discolored or weighted tree branches… nothing! Sasuke, ever the stoic and dismissive one, simply shrugged. He likely assumed Naruto was letting his imagination run wild, conjuring ghosts in the shadows.

"Best we keep moving, Naruto."

"No Sensei, he's right," Sakura spoke up. Her brow furrowed, her usually cheerful face creased with concern with her hands clutching to fists, and her voice carrying a weight that even Sasuke couldn't ignore. "I don't trust those puddles ahead."

The others paused, glancing at the path ahead. Indeed, scattered across the dirt track were several seemingly innocuous puddles.

Kakashi erred on the side of caution as they passed the puddles, his lone visible eye narrowed. He knew something was amiss.

The moment Team Seven passed they were attacked by two ninjas wearing metal claws. They wrapped Kakashi in a barbed chain and tore him to shreds leaving the kids stunned.

Naruto sensed their movements and quickly grabbed them from behind, he used his Homocatian strength to hold them.

"What!?"

"How!"

"Sasuke! Now!" Naruto yelled, his voice strained with effort.

Sasuke, recognizing the opportunity, moved with his characteristic precision. He threw a kunai and a shuriken, aiming not for the ninjas themselves, but for the chain that linked them. The two, propelled with Sasuke's chakra-enhanced strength, slammed into the tree trunk, pinning the chain and effectively trapping the Demon Brothers.

Together with a powerful kick from Sasuke and a pull from Naruto the chain was severed and the brothers were separated.

One of the ninjas, snarling with rage, recovered quickly and turned his attention back to Naruto. He lunged, his metal hand a glinting blade aimed at Naruto's heart. But Naruto was too quick, dodging as much as he could

The other, however, seemed to prioritize the mission. He broke away from the fight, sprinting towards Tazuna, his metal hand dripping with the promise of violence.

Sakura, despite her fear, stood her ground. She knew she was no match for the ninja's skill, but she wouldn't let him reach Tazuna. She braced herself, ready to defend with everything she had.

Sasuke intercepted in front of her with his hands out.

" NOW SENSEI!" Naruto and Sakura shouted and quickly the charging black ninja was grabbed by the throat and squeezed into unconsciousness by Kakashi-sensei with the other one already knocked out and carried on his back.

"Hmm, I'm impressed, you two. You knew I used the Replacement Jutsu?"

Sakura blushed and Naruto only chuckled as Kakashi congratulated them, even Sasuke for his teamwork with Naruto.

The two ninjas were tied up, and Kakashi revealed that they were brothers, Gōzu and Meizu. Jonin from the Hidden Mist who specialize in relentless attacks.

"You…It was you two brats, the pink girl and orange runt."

"Meizu, calm down. How did you know about our ambush?"

Naruto smiled, "Water leaves distinctive smells, depending on where they land after rain and how long they've sat. Even rivers can leave a scent trail to tell where it's been and where it's going. And your puddle left a metallic smell that was extremely out of place."

Sakura joins, "Not to mention, it hasn't rained in weeks and you were positioned in the open, in direct sunlight."

Naruto and Sakura's secret training had just become their saving grace. Their enhanced senses, once a private project, were about to be put to the ultimate test. The journey to the Land of Waves was about to become considerably more dangerous.

A/n: A very big thank you for your many love and support to my story. I have no rights, and wow love to hear ideas on how to continue. If you have any than please commit or pm me.