Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Aiko ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

“No way in hell! We're ready for a better mission than walking some damn dogs!” Aiko was pretty angry at the Sandaime, who had just attempted to assign team seven their thirtieth D-rank mission.

Truthfully they were ready, but it had been years since a rookie genin squad had been prepared for a C-rank mission this quickly. It had only been three weeks since they passed their `survival exercise' and though it came as a big surprise to Sasuke and Sakura when they woke up, it had been Aiko that secured their spots as ninja. Since that time, the teamwork between the three had improved, maybe not to the level of the famed Ino-Shika-Cho trio but to the point where they could rely on each other to cover each others backs. Sakura had admitted that the other kunoichi of their team was the better over-all ninja and that she had a far way to go if she wanted to catch up. Sasuke had to admit that she wasn't useless and was probably better trained than he was.

“What do you think Kakashi?”

“Well, they have done enough missions… I don't see why they couldn't take a higher ranked task.” That announcement brought a cheer from the blonde and an actual smile from Sasuke, though Sakura became worried that she wasn't ready for the task.

“Alright, your mission is to protect an important bridge builder from the Wave Country until he can complete his work. This is a C-rank mission and you should only encounter bandits in the worst case scenario.” That being said, the Hokage tossed a scroll at Kakashi with the mission parameters on it. The cycloptic jounin lazily caught the rolled up paper and opened it quickly to read over, before sealing it back up and turning to face his team.

“Well, why don't you all go get supplies for about three and a half weeks of traveling and then meet me at the west gate in a couple hours.”

As the team was going to leave to gather their things, a rather drunk senior citizen wandered into the room.

“Why is it so bright in here?” He asked dumbly.

Sakura shrank back in disgust, wondering why the guards that were outside the door hadn't stopped the inebriated man from walking in the Hokage's office.

“Ah, good timing Tazuna-san. This is the team that will be protecting you while you build that bridge.” The Hokage couldn't help but smile as the pink haired member of the team recoiled in realization.

“I don't know, they look pretty weak, especially the girls… are they even ninja?”

While Tazuna's comments made Sakura seethe in anger and clench her fists, Aiko just brushed it off and snuck behind Tazuna without him noticing.

“Hey, Sensei, where do you want to meet up?” She asked, startling the old man violently.

“Meet outside the east gate in an hour and a half, which should be plenty of time to get your things together.” Kakashi's response was only partially heard by the blonde, as she had disappeared to gather what little she didn't have on her anyway.

“Now her, I like, why couldn't the pink one be more like her?” Tazuna slurred, forgetting that just a moment before, he had badmouthed Aiko as well.

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Many hours, miles walked, and sips of water later, Sakura was still glaring at Tazuna's back with the intent to put a kunai through his spinal column, while the rest of her team was carrying on as normal. Only Aiko and Kakashi noticed the rouge puddle of water that lay strewn to the side of their path and both didn't see the need to alert their teammates to the fact that it was there.

Kakashi was the last person to pass the puddle, knowing that his presence in the rear of their formation would force any possible attackers to go through Sasuke and Aiko in the front if they wanted to get to Tazuna. As he passed, he noted the shifting and churning of the water as it reformed into two ninja, connected to each other by a large serrated chain.

Almost instantly, the chain was wrapped around the illustrious jounin and Sakura's shriek couldn't stop the chain from ripping his body to pieces. Sakura froze. Not just in terms of body function, but brain function… actually all function just stopped. She fell to her knees and didn't hear the duo announce their next victim as they tried to ensnare the young genin as well.

Luckily for her, the deadly chain was intercepted by a shuriken and then hammered into the trunk of a tree (that miraculously seemed to have appeared in the middle of an empty path) halting the deadly chain in its tracks for good. The toothed weapon was quickly discarded and the genin still had to reckon with the thick metal gauntlets that the attacking ninja had. Sasuke intercepted the first with a quick punch to the mid section, and with speed that was surprising for a genin, the attack, which was too straightforward to work on a more advanced opponent, solidly connected, pushing one of the twin killers out of attacking range, though not before the sharp claws of the gauntlet tore through the Uchiha's shirt and skin, delivering their deadly payload. He grunted in pain, but in the long run, it was nothing worse than he had done to himself in the midst of his training.

There was still the matter of the second ninja, but that was quickly neutralized when the blurry image of said ninja flew past his peripheral vision, courtesy of Aiko's right fist.

“You shouldn't take your eyes off a battle!” The first assassin yelled as he rounded on Sasuke again, only to be stopped well before he could must an attack by the supposedly late Kakashi.

“Seems he needed to follow his own advice, eh Kakashi-sensei?” Aiko was trying to get Sakura to snap out of her current stupor and at the name of her sensei; the pink haired kunoichi did indeed reawaken.

“But, but, but, but…” Somehow Sakura and Tazuna had slid next to each other, as those who are stupefied tend to do and were trying to synchronize their movements.

“Well, I guess the involvement of ninjas makes this a higher than C-rank mission, doesn't it?” Aiko asked as she finished binding the two to a tree, making sure that only their head stuck out of the wood. From her current position she noticed that Sasuke had a large wound on his back.

“Hey, Sasuke, you want me to fix that gash on your back?” She called, knowing full well that even the `mighty Uchiha' would need to have the poison removed.

“I don't need your help, this is nothing.” Kakashi was about to speak about the poison but a glare from Aiko, that made her look far more like her mother than the perverted copy ninja cared to think about, shut him up, but for what reason?

“Well, since it's obvious that this isn't a safe place to be at this point in time, I suggest he move away while Tazuna-san tells us about the ninja that are after him.” The blonde suggested, still keeping her eyes on Sasuke. The Uchiha gave a `humph' of understanding and turned his back to walk away. When he could no longer see her, Aiko held up five fingers on her right hand and with each step he took, counted down. On the last step away from the still motionless group, Sasuke suddenly gasped in pain and fell to the ground, garnering a cry from Sakura.

“Idiot needs to learn his own limitations.” Aiko calmly walked over to Sasuke's limp body and noticed the fine sheen of sweat and discoloration around the wound that signified poison, not that she needed any other clues.

“Hey, don't call Sasuke-kun an idiot!” Sakura yelled. “Besides, you're his teammate; you should have helped him, you- your committing treason by not fixing him!” She accused.

“You heard him; he didn't want my help, so why should I give it? Besides, I hate it when people lie to me. He's lucky that this is a fairly standard poison, I've seen worse, especially around Suna and Kumo…” Her hands, covered in chakra, passed over the wound and almost instantly a cloud of dark blue, nearly black liquid, seeped from the gash, before those closed up, the skin pink as the day he was born. After glancing at the liquid she had recovered from her teammate, Aiko released a small burst of chakra and the liquid cleared and fell to the ground.

Kakashi picked up the rash boy and reiterated the fact that they weren't currently safe in this location, only slightly aware of the presence of another pair of shadowy figures, though they left quickly enough as the team and their client moved on towards the Wave Country.

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