Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Chronicles of Kakashi & the Kunoichi from Thunder Country ❯ Missions ( Chapter 6 )

Missions

 

In the next few weeks there were more miserable D missions interspersed among their training sessions. Kenji continued to gripe, Takeo continued to be complacent, while Rikako tried her best to do something more during each mission.

 

She demonstrated first aid and how to help a choking victim when the six year old quintuplets they were babysitting proved more than even Kakashi could handle. `It's like five kage bunshin, but all at the original chakra level!' thought the veteran shinobi as he tried to remove bubble gum from his hair. `This was the worst D mission ever!'

 

During dog walking, the petite kunoichi elaborated on the different breeds and their specific characteristics while the boys tried to teach them tricks. In addition to her book based knowledge, she had some practical experience as her father often had to double as a vet. "Did you know that attempts to breed dogs for specific characteristics cause recessive genes to manifest? This leads to genetic diseases and undesirable traits such as dwarf brains in Alsatians, eyes that can literally pop out in Chihuahuas, seizures in..." `Hmm, interesting,' thought Kakashi as he watched over the team from his customary treetop vantage point. `I wonder what she would say about my nin-dogs.'

 

Although the team's bookworm did her best to make the missions educational, if not interesting, it was obvious the entire team was becoming extremely bored. `I wish Kakashi sensei would take a greater interest in these missions,' Rikako often thought in exasperation.

 

Still the weeks passed and their sensei did nothing to improve the quality of their missions. This time the three genin were picking up litter near the riverbank while Kakashi was lying back against a tree with one of his little books.

 

Kenji voiced his usual complaints. “I'm so sick of doing these odd jobs! We should be on a real mission by now. It's been months! And here we are picking up garbage.”

 

“It's not so bad. We get paid well enough,” Takeo pointed out as he stuck a piece of paper with his stick.

 

But Rikako agreed, “You're right! Kakashi sensei should speak to the Hokage.”

 

“Yeah. Hey, Kakashi sensei, when do we get a C mission? Can't you do something the next time we see the Hokage?” Kenji yelled out to the figure by the trees.

 

Rikako felt the need to elaborate. “Kakashi sensei, we have completed a total of ten D class missions. It is apparent that our abilities and present level of training has allowed us to far surpass the skills required for such low level missions. It is advisable that to further advance our abilities, we should be allowed the opportunity to prove ourselves during a mission at the subsequent level.”

 

Kakashi sighed to himself and thought, `Why can't she ever speak simply when she wants something?' But he said aloud, “I suppose I can request a C mission from the Hokage the next time, but no promises.”

 

`They're doing well. Much more team spirit than my first genin team.' Kakashi couldn't help but compare his second team 7 (sensei were assigned the same number whenever possible to mitigate confusion) to his first. They were so much easier to deal with that things were quite…boring, uneventful, no yelling or fighting. And despite Otori's dire warning, nothing strange had occurred. Well, there was that one time, but it was no big deal and there had been nothing since.

 

And he got first dibs on the latest adult books, plus a ten discount thanks to Takeo's connection. And he got free meals at the dumpling house thanks to Kenji. How much better could life get?

 

That wasn't to say that the team was perfect. But they did stick together, especially against him. He had been better about his lateness, but still not good enough for his team. The longer he was late, the more elaborate the trap:

 

Ten minutes late: The top horizontal post of the torii where Kakashi usually appeared to meet his team was coated with oil. As a jounin, his chakra still glued his feet to the bar, but he flipped upside down before his feet caught hold.

 

Twenty minutes late: Pressure sensitive explosive notes were camouflaged on top of the torii. He felt them trigger and managed to avoid them, but the bar was destroyed. Sandaime was not happy.

 

Thirty minutes late: The entire meeting area was booby trapped with trip wire, more explosive notes, and kunai.

 

Kakashi didn't mind. It was actually amusing to see what his genin would come up with next. It was good practice and they did it as a team. The two boys thought of the traps as practical jokes and laughed each time he (almost) fell for them. Rikako laughed as well, but there was always disapproval in her eyes and it seemed she really wanted to punish him, really hurt him for being late. Or maybe he was just being paranoid.

 

The team had completed the tree climbing exercises successfully without any accidents. They were willing to give each other tips and assistance. No rivalries or jealousies. Well, there was that incident when Kenji was boasting how much higher he could climb than the other two. Later he found he could not climb down after the other two set traps all along the tree trunk and on the ground around the tree. And there was that incident when Kenji was fed up with Takeo's laziness and buried the sleeping genin under a tree, with the girl's help. (She was nothing if not fair.)

 

They even advanced to the water walking exercises, which required much more chakra control. The girl took to it like the proverbial fish to water. Her chakra control was excellent, like Sakura's, no surprise considering her father taught her chakra control when she was barely out of diapers. The boys had more problems, and Kakashi had to admit he laughed, a lot, while watching them almost drown. Takeo got the hang of it first, much to Kenji's chagrin.

 

And their own techniques were coming along nicely. Although Kenji was excitable like Naruto, he took his training very seriously and was not normally a prankster. He specialized in the use of strength techniques. But the tall solidly built boy was also quite agile and fast. `He'll grow up to be like Asuma,' Kakashi evaluated.

 

Despite Takeo's love for resting and sleeping, his skills had also improved. He learned to imbibe his traps with chakra, and he was a natural for barrier techniques. (All the more trouble for Kakashi when he was late.) He talked about as much as Sasuke ever did, but he was like Shikamaru in his lack of motivation. `Well, he'll probably outlive us all,' Kakashi evaluated.

 

But if Kakashi had to pick the most improved genin, he would have chosen the girl. Her thrown weaponry skills were much better, especially after switching to senbon. She found the lighter weight and shape easier to throw than kunai or shuriken, and easier to target using her chakra. She had an excellent memory and could recall complicated seal sequences, up to 20 katas. Her strength and taijutsu were still relatively weak, but she had good stamina. `She just needs to learn to channel her chakra into strength and speed. That should come soon.'

 

'They're definitely ready for a C mission. I was just waiting for them to complain enough, ha ha.'

 

Takeo was usually too passive to complain, and didn't mind the easy missions, but Kenji was more vocal. Rikako never directly complained, but she would influence the boys to first voice a complaint so that it would appear she was only supporting her comrades and was not an instigator. But Kakashi saw through her manipulative tactics. Yet had she not been on the team, there would have been friction between the physical, energetic Kenji, and the quiet, low key Takeo. The girl somehow maintained a balance. Kakashi understood this and was duly impressed and relieved. `No Naruto-Sakura-Sasuke triangles!' he thought happily.

 

Kenji was now boasting about his exercise routine, “And now I can bench press over 200 pounds, over 500 with chakra. Really Takeo, you should work out more.”

 

Takeo said nothing but his silence indicated that he was annoyed.

 

Rikako smiled, listened attentively, and complimented him. “Wow, that's impressive, you'll be the strongest leaf genin soon!” But as he turned away, she rolled her eyes and smiled at Takeo, who smiled back.

 

Kenji turned back to her and asked, “Hey, how about a movie after this?”

 

Rikako took a few seconds to contemplate her answer. “That's a good idea. We could all use a break from training.”

 

“All of us?” Kenji started to say.

 

“Socializing together outside of official missions could be beneficial. What do you think, Takeo-kun?”

 

“A movie? Yeah, we should all go see that new one that's out. We can meet up after we change. What about Kakashi sensei?”

 

“We'd better not rely on him. If we have to wait for him we'd miss most of the movie. Besides, based on his preferred reading material, I doubt he'd be interested in a PG movie,” Rikako laughed.

 

'Hey! I wanted to see that movie to,' Kakashi thought disappointedly. `Well, she has them both eating out of her hands, the way a kunoichi should. She's as smart as Sakura, has as much chakra as Sasuke, and as...as...well, she has little in common with Naruto, except perhaps a defiant spirit. But while Naruto was obvious and loud, she's more subtle. And there's something about her, not just that incident. All my other genin have been easy to read but...Well, we'll see what happens in the next mission.

 

…-…-…-…-…-

 

“A C mission, huh?” The Hokage scanned the long scroll on his desk. “Kakashi, you think your team is now ready for a C mission?”

 

“Yes, Hokage-sama. They've been training hard and have worked well together. All the D missions were accomplished efficiently and effectively.”

 

“All right, let's see what we have here. There's a simple surveillance request by a businessman. He's an import-export manager and is away from home a lot. He suspects his wife of having an affair. Hmm, maybe this mission is not age appropriate.”

 

The tall blonde boy interrupted him. “Hey wait, that sounds like something we can handle.

 

The petite dark girl bowed respectfully. “Hokage-sama, despite our youthfulness, we are mature enough in our sensibilities to handle any uncomfortable situation without resorting to typical adolescent behavior. After all, we are trained shinobi.”

 

“Well said Rikako-chan,” smiled Kakashi who wanted this particular mission as much as Kenji. He reached out to pat her on her head.

 

She ducked, but too late. He mussed up her hair. `How annoying!'

 

“All right,” Sandaime agreed. “The client lives in the Wave Country. He has requested a contract for one week. Since this is a long mission, make sure you have all your necessary supplies and equipment. Also remember to itemize your expenses. We'll arrange for suitable housing. I'll inform the client you'll be arriving tomorrow evening so you should leave first thing tomorrow morning.”

 

Rikako looked doubtfully at her sensei. “What would be a reasonable time for us to expect you to arrive, Kakashi sensei?”

 

'She doesn't have any faith in me does she?' “Well, since it is our first C mission, I'll be on time. We'll leave at dawn.” Kakashi smiled fondly at his team.

 

…-…-…-…-…-

 

Kakashi was almost on time, just five minutes late, not long enough for his team to start contemplating his punishment.

 

They passed through the immense wooden gates of Konoha to walk along the main road that intersected with other paths to various villages. On the way, the boys excitedly discussed the mission. They found the circumstances quite hilarious.

 

“What does that old geezer expect? Marrying such a beautiful young wife,” laughed Kenji.

 

Takeo agreed, “Yeah, of course she's after his money. It's sure not for his body!”

 

Kakashi ignored them, but agreed silently.

 

Rikako remarked seriously, “It's a sad thing not to trust someone you love. Suppose she thinks he's the one fooling around with a girl in every port.”

 

“Well, don't you think she's cheating on him?” asked Kenji.

 

Rikako sighed, “Probably. And he's probably cheating on her, too. It's human nature to lie and cheat.”

 

“That's a very cynical outlook for one so young, Rikako-chan,” interjected their sensei.

 

The girl shrugged. “Maybe, but it's the truth, isn't it? As a shinobi that's what we learn, isn't it? The art of deception, it's the same thing.”

 

Takeo shook his head. “That's not true. I mean, we learn how to deceive our enemies and opponents in battle. It's not like lying to friends and family.”

 

The larger boy agreed. “Yeah, and all that emphasis on teamwork and being loyal to your team. That's totally different.”

 

Rikako pondered, “Can you always be loyal to your teammates? What if it's a critical mission and they have to be sacrificed? You might have to make an ad hoc decision to betray them. What do you think Kakashi-sensei?”

 

“Hmm? Yeah, they're probably both cheating,” Kakashi responded.

 

“No, I mean about betraying your comrades,” Rikako repeated seriously.

 

Kakashi groaned inwardly and thought, `It's Rikako's situational morality question of the week. She's always asking questions with no easy answer. I think I'll just give her my standard answer. I don't want to get into a lengthy debate right now.' “Well, it would be up to each shinobi at that point in time to make his or her own individual decision.”

 

All three genin yelled, “Cop out!”

 

...-...-...-...-

 

Kakashi had always tried to impress upon his genin teams the importance of teamwork and watching out for each other. He knew things were never quite as black and white as he made them out to be. The lessons that his father and Obito had taught him were not simple lessons. His father chose to save his comrades over completing his mission. Konoha suffered a defeat that led to many deaths and his father was disgraced. Since then he believed the mission came first, until Obito and his sacrifice. Since then Kakashi believed Obito and his father were right. But it was one thing to preach it and another to stand by it. He'd been lucky so far; he hadn't had to make such an impossible choice. Or rather, he'd been unlucky, and the choice had always been made for him.

 

There were no more precious ones in his life to protect, except for his past genin, who no longer needed him, and his current genin. Otherwise he had kept to solo missions, avoided friendships, just so he would never have to make such choices. A lonely life, but a safe one.

 

Teamwork, friendship, that lesson was ultimately lost on his first team, wasn't it? Shinobi were a different and difficult lot. Their lives were so far removed from those of civilians even while residing in the same village. Comrades were friends. Rivals were friends. Or so he'd like to think. To think anything less would have tarnished the idealized memory of his best friend, the original owner of his sharingan.

 

The veteran shinobi looked over his shoulder at his team, a bit sadly. They were still naïve. But sooner or later they would have to make a difficult choice. Sooner or later they would have to take a life. No shinobi could avoid it, not even the shinobi medics like Otori. But taking an enemy's life was sadly easier than making a decision that would affect your comrades.

 

So though he preached the concepts of teamwork and friendship, he avoided them whenever possible. He knew his words, his lessons, really meant nothing. Real lessons had to be lived. Decisions were made on the spur of the moment. The boys on his team took his words to heart, at face value. But his advice was never good enough for the deeper thinker on his team.

 

“What if we find that the person we're hired to protect is a criminal? Are we still bound by contract?”

 

“Well, in the contract there is a disclosure clause. If the client hasn't been honest with us, we can declare the contract null and void.”

 

"What if it's an assassination contract but the victim is actually innocent?”

 

“Well, if the contract stipulates the crime, since he's innocent then the contract would be void.”

 

“If one of us committed a crime and came to you for help, would you turn us in?”

 

“Well, it would depend on the crime and why you did it. But I would encourage you to turn yourself in.”

 

“Would you eat human meat if you were starving and had no other alternative?”

 

“I don't know, I suppose so, but I wouldn't kill someone just to eat him, probably.”

 

“If you were stuck in a cave with a stranger with only enough air for one person, would you kill him?”

 

“I would be able to get out of a cave easily.”

 

“If someone were holding hostages and threatened to kill them unless his demands were met, and in order to get at him, some of the hostages could be killed, how do you weigh the demands against lives? What if more lives could be lost if he isn't taken out? Should the hostages be considered expendable?”

 

“Umm, could you repeat that?”

 

“If you were a medic-nin and a lord or kage of a neighboring country and a Leaf comrade were brought in at the same time, with similar injuries, whom would you save first?”

 

“Uh, ask your father that one.”

 

“If you had the power over life and death, how many people would you sacrifice so that your loved ones will live? Double the number? Triple? Hundreds? Thousands? Millions? How much more is a known life worth than those of strangers? As shinobi isn't our first priority to protect the nameless people of the village?"

 

…?

 

 

Sometimes it was all he could do to avoid answering her (often rather strange) questions, to avoid even thinking of them and opening up the Pandora's box of his past. It seemed she knew about him from her father and was insisting on testing or tormenting him. Or maybe he was just being paranoid and she just wanted to be ready for any situation. `But how annoying!' Still, he swore to himself that he'd protect his team, no matter what. Luckily, this was just a simple surveillance mission.

 

Towards the end of the day the team approached Wave Country. As they crossed the Great Naruto Bridge, Kakashi told his new team what it was like there three years ago. “You see this entire waterfront is new. This country was destitute back then. This bridge has allowed vehicular trade traffic into Fire Country. Wave Country has become an important stopping ground for imports into Fire Country and this has freed up Fire Country's port congestion.”

 

The genin looked appreciatively at the immense structure. Takeo in particular was interested in its architecture and slowed his paced to study its joints.

 

“So why is it called the Great Naruto Bridge?” asked Rikako curiously. “There are no whirlpools here. Are there?”

 

“It was named after one of my genin at the time. He inspired the entire town to stand up against a shipping magnate who was trying to take over.”

 

Rikako nodded and filed away that piece of information. She wanted to ask more questions but knew Kakashi did not like to talk about his past missions or about himself at all. He was a master of evasion, in every respect.

 

“Where will we be staying, Kakashi-sensei?” asked Kenji who started to feel quite hungry despite having ate most of his shinobi rations.

 

“Well, since we're supposed to be doing undercover surveillance, the Hokage has sent a message ahead. We'll be staying with the family of the bridge builder Tazuna. That way if anyone identifies us as shinobi, they'll think we're here to visit a former client.” Old Sandaime was a smart one. Tazuna still owed them big time for the C mission that turned into an A mission. Sandaime figured he could use Tazuna to house the team for free and still charge the client the going lodging rates.

 

“We get to meet the guy who designed this bridge? Super! But maybe we shouldn't be walking around with these forehead protectors. They kind of make us stand out.” Kakashi thought that by now he would have to carry Takeo the rest of the way, but not only was he showing much more energy and excitement than usual, he was talking more than usual, rambling about rivets and joints and arch support.

 

“Kakashi-sensei, maybe you should remove your mask and wear sunglasses,” Rikako suggested. `Take off your mask for once, you weirdo!'

 

Kakashi replied, “This is your mission not mine. I'm just here visiting an old client. You guys will be doing all the leg work. I'm just filing the report.”

 

'So what else is new?' the three genin simultaneously thought.

 

It was the first time Kakashi had been back to Wave Country since the mission with Naruto's team, but despite all the changes, he was able to navigate the new roads and found Tazuna's house by the water amid the mangrove trees. It looked much as it did before, but its exterior had been recently refurbished.

 

An older man, with glasses, gray hair and gray beard, answered the door. Despite his age he looked in good shape, smart and spry. Tazuna greeted the team, but was as critical as ever. He looked them over, up and down, down and up. ”Hmmf, Kakashi-sensei, I see your genin sure haven't improved any. That big one looks as dumb as an ox. That one looks like a wimp. And the girl…is she even old enough to sleep away from home?”

 

Kakashi scratched his head, trying to think of an appropriate inoffensive response. Takeo just shrugged, but Kenji was about to go off on the old geezer.

 

Fortunately, Rikako stepped in to defuse the situation. “Tazuna-san, deception is part of being a shinobi. We will be working incognito. If you are so fooled, then we have been successful.” She gave him a respectful bow and smiled.

 

'Did she just call me a fool?'

 

Kakashi chuckled and reached out to pat the petite kunoichi on her head. “Yes, they're much stronger than they look.”

 

The girl blushed and tried to move away, but her sensei had already messed up her hair. `How annoying!'

 

“My daughter Tsunami is in the kitchen. Dinner should be ready soon. My grandson Inari is out fishing, but he should be back by then. You can settle down first. Your rooms are ready.” Tazuna was now trying to be nice. “Kakashi-sensei has his own room. The girl can stay in my daughter's room, and the boys can stay in Inari's room while Inari bunks with me.”

 

“So Kakashi sensei is the only one with his own room?” asked Kenji jealously.

 

“Of course, I'm the elite shinobi heading this mission,” Kakashi smiled.

 

“I'm sure Kakashi sensei requires the most peaceful rest, considering his age and the amount of energy he expends during the day,” said the girl with a laugh. `Reading his porn. I wonder if he snores or wears that mask to sleep.'

 

Kakashi looked down at her. His right eyebrow curved just slightly, enough to show he was not as nonchalant as he always appeared. `I'm NOT that old, just a few months before the big 3-0. If she were an orphan I'd teach her a lesson, but that would just get me in trouble with her father.'

 

“Is there time for a nap before dinner?” asked the sleep-eyed boy. Traveling all day was something Takeo was definitely not used to.

 

Tazuna nodded, "You have an hour."

 

The team disbanded to their respective rooms before dinner where they performed their characteristic activities: Kakashi read a book by an up and coming author that even made him blush; Takeo slept while ignoring Kenji's grunts as he did situps and pushups; and Rikako wrote in her notebook.

 

…-…-…-…-…-

 

 

Kakashi had already had his dinner secretly in his room (Tsunami was familiar with his idiosyncracies), but he joined everyone else at the dinner table as a matter of courtesy. He was last to arrive as usual and everyone else was involved in animated discussions.

 

Takeo and Tazuna struck a friendship despite the half century difference in ages. Takeo was interested in architectural and mechanical design and what better source of information than the old super expert bridge builder. They discussed the advantages and disadvantages among arch bridges, beam bridges, truss bridges, and suspension bridges. Tazuna was practically in seventh heaven. No one ever cared about bridge design. All they ever cared about was how much it cost, how long it would take, and how long the bridge would last. `I love this kid! Why can't Inari be more like him. A super career in architectural engineering is sooo much better than fishing or being a shinobi!'

 

Kenji and Inari soon became buddies. Kenji was much taller but the younger boy was also on the verge of becoming a strapping young man. They talked about fishing and shinobi training and missions, but not the current one as that was still confidential. `He reminds me of big brother Naruto, but much taller,' Inari thought.

 

Thinking about the mission, Rikako asked Tsunami about Wave Country, its history, geography, politics, trade and current events. `Who knows what information would come in handy, even in a routine surveillance mission,' she thought. Then she steered the conversation to the last time Kakashi was here. She reasoned they were more likely to obtain information about that mission from these civilians than from Kakashi himself. And Tsunami seemed pretty level-headed, not prone to embellishment, unlike her son, who claimed he caught a fish “this big.”

 

“So, Kakashi sensei tells us Wave Country's recent prosperity is due to the building of the Great Naruto Bridge, named after one of his genin. Is that true?”

 

“Yes it certainly is! Why I remember when Kakashi and his team showed up with my father. Kakashi was being carried by two of his genin. I was so worried!” Tsunami laughed at the memory.

 

“Oh really? What happened to him?”

 

“He used up all his… chakra is it? Fighting this dangerous shinobi hired by Gatou, the horrible man who was trying to kill my father and ruin this country.”

 

“Yeah, and that shinobi was a missing-nin and he had this humongous sword!” added Inari.

 

“Kakashi sensei, a jounin, used up all his chakra to defeat a single enemy,” Rikako mused.

 

“Apparently he was a jounin missing-nin from the Hidden Mist Village,” Tazuna recalled. “He had a young boy with him, just a bit older than you guys, who was his…apprentice.”

 

“So what happened to them?” asked the curious girl.

 

“Kakashi sensei killed them!” Inari said in delight.

 

“He killed the boy too?” Rikako was surprised, but knew she shouldn't be - a mission was a mission. Maybe that was why their sensei rarely talked about his missions; they were painful memories, not heroic ones.

 

“That's not true,” sighed Kakashi, who had stealthily been listening in to the various conversations, “that was an accident. The boy was fighting my genin. Then he suddenly jumped in to save his friend at the last second. I couldn't stop my attack. Gatou's men were the ones who killed his friend.” `A shinobi is a shinobi, an enemy an enemy, no matter what the age. You can't discriminate or you'd be killed instead.' Kakashi sadly recalled how Haku was such a good and pure soul (for a shinobi).

 

“Wait, wasn't the missing-nin hired by Gatou?” asked Kenji.

 

“It was…complicated,” shrugged Kakashi.

 

“Gatou betrayed him. He didn't want to pay shinobi rates,” explained Tazuna.

 

Rikako appeared to be rather impressed. “I see, he was indeed an excellent businessman.”

 

“And a ruthless murderer! He killed my father,” cried Inari.

 

“So what happened to him?” asked Kenji.

 

“Zabuza, the missing-nin, ended up killing him before he died,” said Tazuna.

 

“So your other genin team got to see a lot of action on their mission.” Kenji enviously fantasized how he would clash against an older, more experienced shinobi, and win, of course.

 

“I'm glad ours is just general surveillance,” said Takeo. “I don't think we're ready to face a jounin.” `And Kakashi sensei looks a bit out of shape.'

 

“So the prosperity of this country is seeped in blood, just like the others,” Rikako said seriously, almost to herself, recalling the book she read on the ninja wars.

 

“Don't worry you guys. This mission will not be like the other one.” Kakashi gave his new team a reassuring smile from underneath his mask. “We are not going to fight any shinobi. We're doing surveillance only, not protecting someone who happened to give us misleading information.” He shot a look at Tazuna.

 

“So Kakashi sensei, how are your former genin faring?” asked Tsunami as she served desert. It was a nice steamed cream cake.

 

“Well, uh, Naruto and Sakura are chuunin now.”

 

“What about the other one?”

 

Kakashi shrugged noncommittally.

 

“I heard he's a missing-nin!” Kenji chimed in.

 

Kakashi's brow furrowed as indicated only by the arch in his right eyebrow. `He really has no tact at all!'

 

“I see…well, there's not much you can do once kids grow up, is there? They all have their own decisions to make and their own paths to follow,” Tsunami said wisely.

 

“Tell big brother Naruto to come by for a visit soon!” added Inari.

 

“Yes, I'll do that,” Kakashi said, relieved that the topic of Sasuke had been dropped.

 

...-...-...-...-...-