Brotherhood

Summary: They fought like brothers, they bickered like brothers, and they defended each other as brothers, now they must prove how strong the bond of a brother really is. The brotherhood of Konoha of this generation must persevere and embrace the will of fire.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto® Kishimoto-sama does!

Prologue: Preparation

Today was the day, the day he would receive his first C class mission. He had received the mission details the night before. Uzumaki Naruto was ecstatic this would be his first real mission and his very first time he had ever stepped out of the gates of Konoha as shinobi on duty. The blonde haired, blue eyed shinobi of Konoha awoke with only one thought in mind, to complete this mission and show everyone his skill.

With a smile Naruto leapt out of bed and proceeded to the bathroom. Within the span of two minutes the blonde haired shinobi had taken a shower and was sporting a towel with a large picture of a bowl of ramen woven into it. Flashing his trademark foxy grin Naruto ambled through his messy bedroom in search for some clothes. There was his orange jumpsuit lying on a chair next to his bed but for the purposes of this mission it didn't seem too practical. The blonde looked around for something more practical for his mission. I could have sworn I bought some new clothes, thought the blonde as he looked through the piles of empty ramen cups and jutsu scrolls until he found what he was looking for.

A glint in the corner of his eye caught Naruto's attention. There under a kunai and a new set of shuriken was what he was looking for. A green and silver paper bag was under the ninja weapons. Smiling sheepishly Naruto walked to his dresser and picked up the paper bag. Inside was a simple set of sturdy black pants, a dull gray shirt and an all purpose, ninja conscious, black jacket. It had numerous pockets on the inside and out. Most were hidden or had special seals woven into them that activated a very complex genjutsu that hid the entire jacket from one's senses. Even though it wasn't padded down with steel armor or mesh the entire outfit cost quite a bit considering Naruto ordered twelve pairs of everything. Well there goes my Ichiraku ramen for a month…Unless this mission turns out to generate some serious cash, thought the blonde as he changed into his new garments.

After briefly appraising himself for a moment Naruto then went down to the kitchen and prepared some ramen in silence. He knew for a fact that this would be much better the horribly lame and degrading D rank missions he had been doing for the past three and a half weeks. He also knew that there was significantly more danger involved and that brought him to a standstill in his thoughts.

Over his cup of ramen, Naruto mulled over a new set of questions his hyperactive mind had turned up. Would his strength be enough to help the team? He knew for a fact that he wasn't the strongest or brightest in his graduating class. All these thoughts swam around in the boy's head before he slammed down his fist on the table. The rickety, old table groaned in protest at the force of his hand, but Naruto paid it no mind. He gritted his teeth in anger and silently berated himself for letting his fears claim him. I can't let a stupid C class escort mission frighten me. It is just an escort mission dammit! I mean if the future Hokage cannot protect some old geezer then I do not deserve to even take the title. I will complete this mission, no matter the cost! With his resolve focused, the blonde chucked the empty ramen cup in the trash and slung his small pack over his shoulder. He opened the door and spared one last glance at his apartment. With a sigh he turned back to leave, I will definitely return to this place, thought the blonde as he locked the door and leapt off towards the east gate.

Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke sat idly waiting for their remaining teammate, their sensei, and their client to show up. Though it was nearing the time that their sensei, Kakashi, had told them to meet he was nowhere in their range of sight.

Sakura was pissed to say the least. Her fists were clenched in rage. How dare her sensei wake her up at five o-clock in the morning, show up late, and give her a more difficult mission. On top of all that it was below freezing outside. When we come back from this mission I'm gonna strangle Kakashi-sensei! Ranted a small violent version of Sakura locked in the recesses of her mind. In truth she just wanted to do something that would bring warmth to her freezing limbs. Her prayers were answered, she thought, when a shining beam of light peeked over the horizon. At the radiance of it she thought it was the sun but on closer inspection she found out that it was her teammate Naruto. With him the sun seemed to burst out of the clouds and greet the new day in Konoha.

Sakura was confused, is it just me or did Naruto come out with the sun? The pink haired kunoichi asked herself wearily. She glanced at her raven haired crush for answers and all she could get out of him was a similar look of mild shock and bewilderment. The hell?

Naruto saw his teammates in the distance and quickened his pace to reach them. As he neared he could see the looks of confusion clearly written on the faces of his teammates. "Ohayo Sakura-chan!" greeted the blonde. The girl in question only nodded her head as the only affirmation that she had acknowledged him. This didn't sit well with Naruto but he brushed it off quite easily. He looked around and could see everyone except their chronically tardy jounin sensei. "Oi, where is Kakashi-sensei and Tazuna jiji?" when no response came Naruto was sure that his teammates had ignored him. His smile quickly turned into a frown as the blonde ninja leapt up into a nearby tree. Damn Sasuke, Sakura, ignoring me as if I'm an insignificant pest. I'll show them who's insignificant when I demonstrate my super kick ass techniques I developed! At the thought of showing up both of his teammates his frown turned into a broad grin of anticipation. I can't wait to get this mission started.

Much to everyone's disappointment Kakashi came an hour and fifteen minutes late with Tazuna in tow. The sight that greeted him was…disappointing for a shinobi. Sakura had fallen asleep under a tree snoozing lightly under the morning sun. Naruto also was sleeping but much deeper and in a surprisingly awkward place. He was sleeping skillfully on one of the thicker branches of the tree. Sasuke was the only one who hadn't fallen asleep but the boy's constant twitching and his head bobbing up and down showed the boy's obvious slipping in and out of consciousness.

"Yo!"

At the of the jounin's lazy, half-hearted greeting the three genin awoke with a start. Sakura awoke and started her long rant on the importance of punctuality. Kakashi just tuned her out and observed the prepared state of the rest of his subordinates. Sasuke, as usual, was keeping up his stoic, impassive façade while impatiently waiting for the mission to start. The slight twitch of the boy's lip gave away his agitation. Naruto was different today, and his state of dress proved that. So Naruto, you finally get something that is fitting for a shinobi. I see that you have taken a page out of Sasuke's book as well; but that silence doesn't suit you it makes you seem…more mature? Nah. The jounin mused as he watched his blonde haired pupil through the corner of his eye. His face was hidden by an uncharacteristically blank mask that showed a side of Naruto that few had seen. Kakashi shrugged his shoulders and walked past his genin charges.

"Alright listen up," commanded the jounin, and suddenly his genin snapped to attention. Sakura stopped lecturing him and Naruto even dropped from his perch and looked quite attentive. "We are going to travel all of today to Wave Country. We will camp out near the port and will be expecting another Konoha team to catch up to us by nightfall. We will most likely reach the country of Wave early in the morning so we will most likely turn in early."

"As you all know this is a low end C class mission so there is a relatively low chance of combat and an even lower chance of death, but still don't do anything rash or reckless." Explained the lazy jounin; taking a dutiful glare at his troublemaking student. To his surprise the blonde remained impassive as if he simply ignored his statement. I wonder if something is up with him. The jounin thought before making a quick hand motion. Suddenly there was a loud commotion from atop the wall as yells of "Open the gate!" shattered the still, quiet morning. The heavy wooden gates opened with a loud creaking sound as if the hinges hadn't been oiled in decades. The team split into formation and surrounded their client. Sasuke taking point, Naruto taking the left, Sakura taking the left, and Kakashi took the position of rear-guard.

"Yosh let's go!" ordered Kakashi as a relieved sigh came from his students. The group of five finally started their journey to the country of Wave.

Today was an exciting day for team eight. Their first real mission would start today. All three of the genin met up in front of the Hokage tower as they waited for their jounin sensei. Within minutes of arriving they spotted their sensei coming along the path. "Oi, Kurenai-sensei over here!" yelled a spiky brown haired boy. His voice carried an animalistic growl when he spoke. Acknowledging the group's presence, the jounin waved to her charges.

A silent looking boy who wore a high collar jacket placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. The boy turned to face his teammate and shook his head. "Kiba that was unnecessary. Kurenai-sensei probably saw us before we noticed her." The wait for their sensei wasn't long so he didn't think that the boy beside him was bored…yet. "Hopefully you don't do something this stupid on the mission we are to be assigned."

"Aw shut the hell up bug boy. You and Hinata are all so quiet. It makes me nervous when everything is all silent so would you two at least try to make conversation at least, right Akamaru?" a small white puppy at their feet yipped an affirmative in response. Kiba picked up the small puppy and placed him in his hood. "Yep you all should really talk some more."

"Ano…I think Shino-kun is right though…you should try to at least keep your voice down." said Hinata, a silent member of Konoha's noble clan. Her voice was almost not even heard above the soft morning breeze.

Kiba had to strain to hear what she said but what she said infuriated him. "What! You're with him too!" as soon as the words came out of his mouth he felt a hard fist pound him in the head. "Itai!" he turned to see the one that had struck out at him only to see his sensei's shaking fist. The anger was apparent in her eyes and both of his other teammates stepped back in fear.

"Kiba…you have no idea of how much of a fool you sound like when you say stupid things like that. Silence is a shinobi's treasure and a useful weapon when necessary. You should be glad…that you have teammates that understand this principle so they can cover up your blunders when you decide to go spouting off." The experienced Konoha jounin was pissed and she brushed past the stunned genin as she headed for the door. "Come." Her three charges followed and entered the Hokage-tower for their mission briefing.

They were quickly ushered into the Hokage's office where the Sandaime Hokage was expecting them. After a short gaze of appraisal the Hokage nodded his head and stood from his chair. The three genin and one jounin gave a short bow before their leader as he stood. He smiled and looked them over warmly. "Ohayo Kurenai. I'm sure your genin are quite anxious to get this mission started." said the kindly old man, making a hand motion for them to rise.

Kurenai also smiled at the old man, "yes they were quite excited…well too excited to tell you the truth." Said the crimson eyed jounin. The Hokage and she enjoyed a brief chuckle before they both changed to their "business" mode.

"Is that so? Well I have a mission here for you. It is a C rank dual mission." said the Sandaime Hokage tossing a small red-trimmed scroll to Kurenai. Kurenai caught the small scroll and placed it in her vest pouch.

"A Dual mission of C rank, are you sure my genin will be sufficient for this mission, Hokage-sama?" asked Kurenai, quite surprised at receiving such a high class mission so soon.

"Hai, the first part of the mission is simple. Help create a solid relationship with the country of Wave. Konoha wants to open trade relations with that country at any cost. That is the first part; the second part is not as simple. You are to assist team seven under the leadership of Hatake Kakashi in their mission to escort a bridge builder by the name of Tazuna to his home."

"Now, I usually wouldn't send two teams of genin on a simple C class mission as theirs but we have recently discovered some new information that must reach Kakashi before he runs into an enemy that is far more experienced than mere bandits and such. The mission they are trying to complete defies the wishes of a mass trader and one of the richest men in the world. He has been known to hire either the local yakuza or nuke-nin to do his bidding. As you know there are many nuke-nins that are just too powerful for a single jounin to handle." explained the Hokage to the attentive group of genin gathered before him. Kurenai shifted the weight to her other leg as the Hokage ended his explanation. The mission didn't make sense. Why would he send a jounin and three genin on a job that would be far too taxing on them and had a critically high chance of death? The mission rating could range from anywhere between a B class mission to an S class mission. A B class mission was already difficult for a genin why place all of the uncertain factors on the heads of three genin? It was beyond her but she would not let her Hokage down.

"Alright, this mission is extremely time sensitive and should be completed within two months maximum. You are to make sure the bridge in Wave country is built at any cost!" said the Hokage, raising his voice a bit to emphasize his point.

With another bow Kurenai and her team left the Hokage tower with their first real mission. When they got out of the door, Kurenai turned too her team to instruct them once again. "Alright, you heard the Hokage. This mission is time sensitive so no screwing around." said Kurenai glaring at her dog wielding student. Clearing her throat she started again, "we will meet at the East gate in thirty minutes. Do not be late!" ordered the jounin before disappearing in a cloud of ninja smoke. The three just nodded and set off on their separate ways.

A/N: Alright that was my first chapter in a very long time. Hopefully my later chapters for this story and my other one will not take so long. I do not plan on giving up on Fallen but the ideas for this story are continuously being a pain and blocking all of my attempts on my first story so I will work on this one so I can get it out of the way. I am going to take down Fallen for revisions so look for it later on. I hope you all enjoy this story, please remember to review! Until next time Ja ne.