Greetings to all!

Whew, would you look at that, another chapter within the same month? Is this a dream? Is this real? Are we all on drugs? Don't answer the last bit, point is the next chapter's here and right on time if I do say so myself. I think it has something to do with the fact that I'm going into the Wave Arc that's got me motivated. I can tell that all you old fans are getting hype as we draw closer to that point. I know it, I feel it in my bones, and I'm just as hype as you guys are.

So I'll shut up now and get the ball rolling: Enjoy the fifth chapter of Naruto: The Fox with a Dog's Fang!

Inuyasha and Naruto are owned by Rumiko Takahashi and Mamashi Kishimoto respectfully; therefore I own nothing.

D-Rank Missions.

There was no assortment of words that aptly described that which was the lowest grade of missions that any shinobi could perform. They could hardly be considered missions if one were to be completely honest. More or less considered to be chores issued out by the inhabitance of the village, these were usually the type of missions Genin teams were assigned to carry out. Generally speaking the civilian populous were the one's paying for these missions, though that was not to say that other shinobi didn't exploit the services of the lower ranks for their own purposes; in fact it happens a lot more often than one would think.

The payoff may not be substantial and the work was mundane, but it was something. Plus with a list of employers looking for help on a daily basis, the work did allow for some easy and steady income to be made. Unfortunately the positive aspects such missions possessed didn't balance out the negative points even enough for most folk. These tasks were as monotonous as they were degrading to those forced to do them in the first place. For the sake of the almighty they were shinobi, lowest rank or not they were still trained to be soldiers not gardeners and pet-sitters.

So imagine Team Seven's reaction to their first assignment as an official genin team was to pick up groceries for an elderly couple. Following that was a trip to the Laundromat, pulling weeds out a flowerbed, repairing an old fence line. Tasks like that had been the norm for them since the team became official and it was far from being a gratifying experience. And it continued to be that way throughout the remainder of the month and into the next; clocking in at nearly four weeks of tedious missions back to back without pause.

Truly this was an experience none of the young shinobi anticipated when they graduated, among other things. The group exercises they performed were not as bad, certainly more exciting than the missions tended to be, but eventually those exercises became just as mundane as the former.

Needless to say Naruto was not amused.

"This is dumb." Disgruntled couldn't even begin to describe how the blonde's current state of mind. "This is so dumb and so stupidly boring I'm about to fall asleep here."

Their current task consisted mainly of cleaning up scattered trash that had accumulated through a local park near the center of the village. Apparently whoever was in charge of dumping out the trash bens scattered around the area had neglected to do their job for one reason or another. So with most bens being overfilled people who didn't feel like carrying their trash with them simply decided to leave it behind; resulting in them having to come in and clean up after them. Laziness was what that was, and while it certainly gave them work to do, it was still annoying. What made that worse was that those lazy bastards tried to hide their garbage in bushes and such, as if making it less obvious to find would somehow make them feel less guilty for doing it in the first place.

All that did was make him want to post up somewhere and catch the bastards, beat the everliving crap out of them, and make them come clean this crap up for the duration of the day.

"Oh would you just quit complaining Naruto! We're not thrilled about it either, but you don't see me or Sasuke-kun griping about it, so shut up!"

Clearly she wasn't thrilled, given the increased state of ire she was directing at her teammate. At least this time she hadn't thrown a soda can or plastic bottle at him, unlike the last few times he voiced his complaints. Sasuke, on the other hand, just ignored the two whilst continuing his work in silence. Yet, as Sakura previously stated, just because they weren't vocal about it didn't necessarily mean they weren't in agreement with what the boy was saying. While they would much rather die than admit it aloud in his presence, mentally they were all on the same page. These missions were just ridiculous, every day felt like a waste, and no matter how often they complained—mostly from Naruto—there was little that could be done about it.

Kakashi had said that these missions were customary for newer graduates, which made sense once one stopped to think about it. Hence why neither Sakura nor Sasuke were so inclined to argue about the subject. They were smart enough to understand that, in the grand scheme of things, they were as green as it got. They barely passed the bell test, so who in their right mind would allow them to undertake a greater task when they were just scraping by on pure chance? No intelligent person, that was for sure, but just because they knew that didn't mean they had to like it. Sasuke was especially displeased, more so than he let on, considering how degrading these tasks made feel deep down where nobody could ever hope to see it.

In a way he was sorta envious of Naruto's ability to freely voice his disapproval; but that was just another thing he would never admit to anybody. Sakura felt the same way admittedly and would have been delighted to note that they shared a similar thought, but that was beside the point.

"I can't help it, this sucks, it really sucks, and I don't like it!" Tempted, oh so tempted, was he from just throwing the trash-pike-thingy he was holding to the ground and marching his orange clad ass to the Hokage Tower. The only thing stopping him from doing just that was the verbal warning Kakashi had given him specifically if he ventured off to do his own thing. "I mean, come on, I've got this katana all cleaned up and everything, so when the hell am I gonna be able to use it!? Hell, what was the whole point of sensei's test and graduating if we aren't even gonna do real shinobi stuff?"

"You heard what Kakashi-sensei said, this is normal for groups like us. Everyone else is doing missions like these too, so it's not like we are the only team doing this kind of stuff. And maybe, just maybe, if you stopped complaining about the same thing every single time we'd get something better, so quit whining and let's finish this up."

"But—"

"Just shut up and get back to collecting garbage idiot."

Growling and with a shaking fist raised, Naruto just about lost what little composure he had to the Uchiha's remark.

"Hmm, the park looks much better, fine work you three." Thankfully Kakashi, who had been noticeably absent throughout the entire duration of this mission, finally stepped back into the picture. "As soon as you finish things up here, I have another mission waiting for us to do today."

Three sets of eyes glanced upward to find their ever nonchalant sensei sitting on the branch of a tree with his back to the truck and his nose deep in his ever present book. Had he been looking at them, he would have been greeted him eyes of clear indignation for both his lack of assistance and for picking up this mission in the first place. Of course he didn't really need to see them to know this, it wasn't a gut feeling, it was that he had been there for a while and just now decided to make his presence known. Why he chose now to do so was easy: he really didn't feel like listening to another verbal spat between the Uzumaki and Uchiha for a fourth time today. Don't misunderstand, he could tolerate them and quell the fighting just fine, but there needed to be an intermission between their little squabbles for his own sake.

"Um, Sensei, what is our next mission supposed to be exactly?"

She didn't want to ask, truly she was not all too enthralled with the idea of doing anything like this anymore, but she had to know. Sakura's curiosity demanded to be sated and for better or worse she needed to know for the sake of mental preparation. Naruto was a hassle enough to listen to on a daily basis, doing rudimentary tasks like these alongside his consistent complaints only made it that much worse. If she knew what they would be in for preemptively, she could at least work out the best way to either avoid the loudmouth altogether or have a way to shut him up if his complaints became to vexing to listen to. And while Sasuke could have done the same, he neglected to do so in favor of finishing up with their current work to move on to the next. Very mature him actually and part of the growing list of reasons why Sakura preferred his presence more so than the orange-clad swordsman.

As for Kakashi, well, he just flipped the page of his book as his perpetually flat expression remained fixated on the pages in front of him.

"You remember the Daimyou's wife, or at least her cat Tora, right? Well, as it turns out, that little sneak decided it wanted to get some fresh air and forgot to come back home again. So our mission—"

"That dumb cat got back out? Didn't we do this two weeks ago?" Yes, two weeks ago, and already that cat was trying to escape from the clutches of an overtly attached noblewoman. But that train of thought went off the rails when something else clicked in the boy's mind, resulting in the trash-pike-thingy to be pointed accusingly at the man still sitting up in the tree. "Oi, hang on, what did you mean by 'we' anyway? You're the one always off to the side reading that stupid book of yours! Why don't you ever help us in doing these crappy side-missions!?"

"Okay, first of all, I said 'us' and 'our'; I never said 'we'." As redundant as that correction was, he couldn't resist and plus he had nothing better to do, so poking the blonde was at least amusing. "Secondly...I dunno actually, age gap, seniority, sensei status; take your pick."

"Is being a lazy bastard a choice?"

Who knew Naruto knew how to ask rhetorical questions?

Too bad he didn't know how to keep his voice low enough for said question to go unheard.

"Hmm? Did you say something Naruto?"

As Naruto tried to play it off like he had said nothing, Sakura couldn't help but sigh in exasperation at their next appointed task. Stale, nothing but stale mission after stale mission. Even though she wasn't enthused by the notion of live combat, she would be lying if she said she wasn't bored stiff with this lackluster side of the shinobi lifestyle. Training was all well and good, but when that was the only side of action that they could collectively look forward to, even that eventually lost its flair. Obvious as it was with Naruto, Sasuke's contempt was showing signs of surfacing in spite of his efforts to maintain his indifference on the matter. Case in point, this supposed 'trial-period' needed to come to a close, preferably sooner rather than later, for not just her but for Sasuke's sake as well.

If for nothing else than to at least satisfy the blonde enough to stop complaining just about every day.

Sakura didn't know it, in fact none of them knew it then, but ultimately they would get their wish.

On the other side of that coin, a certain someone felt the exact opposite as Team Seven at the time. The lack of 'excitement' would have been a nice change of pace compared to what was currently in play. Not everyone was looking for thrills, something that came with enough time spent as a shinobi. Hard to believe as that sounded, having an easy task to undertake would have been a nice change of pace. Risking one's life on a constant basis certainly gave some valuable insight and was what made the easier tasks something which should not be taken for granted.

The more experience gained, the higher the rank, the higher the risk and the greater likelihood of combat. The fun, the thrill, all of that stops when one truly realizes that the people they are fighting are willing and able to kill them if it means seeing another day. Most children don't think that far ahead when they join the academy, nor did most of them truly appreciate the lower tier missions until they were no longer doing them. Tenten, while unperturbed by either option, was still someone who generally liked the notion of a break from the norm every now and again.

"One, two, three, four, eighty-four! One, two, three, four, eighty-five! One, two, three, four, eight-six!"

Her view of a change of pace definitely included the ridiculous antics of two particular members of her team. Even now she could feel her brow twitch and to make it worse it went well in sync with each time the members counted down. She didn't need to look at the last member of her team to know that his expression was likely similar to her own.

"One, two, three, four, eighty-seven! One, two, three, four, eighty-eight! One, two, three, four, eighty—"

"For once, just once, would you two stop doing ridiculous crap like this!?" Credit needed to be given to the girl for lasting this long before finally losing patience. "We could have gotten back to the village an hour ago if you two would have just walked like normal human beings!"

Two, count two, bowl-cut individuals turned to face the girl at her outburst. Everything about the two was identical, from the green one piece attire, the leg warmers, and even their eyebrows. All that severed to separate the two in terms of looks was the height, age, the bandages on one, and the flank jacket on the other. Both looked perplexed, as if what they were doing was the most common thing in the world, which it obviously wasn't. Having taken to walking a good stretch of the road on their hands and doing push-ups every four steps was by no means normal. Supposedly it was just training on the go, but every fiber of her being believed that it was just their way of passing the boring trek home after a successful mission.

Basically Tenten suspected they were just bored...and because of that she and her teammate had to suffer for it.

"But Tenten, this is a great way to hone one's endurance and strength all at once, right Gai-sensei?"

Despite the sweat that trickled down both their respected faces, Gai once again showed off his strength by giving the boy his trade-mark thumbs up complete with a flashy smile. The fact that he was maintaining a perfect balance with just one arm did give testament to his strength and agility.

"Of course it is Lee and it is through this method that our springtime of youth with grow ever brighter with each progressive step forward!"

She didn't know what was more aggravating; the fact that Lee seemed to be enthralled by this or the fact that this was considered to be normal behavior with these two.

"Forget spring it'll be summer at the rate that we're going, now quit goofing off and walk!"

It was great reluctance that the two sprung themselves off the ground following their last push-up. As much as they would like to continue the exercise, Gai understood the girl's desire to return home in a more timely pace than the one they were originally going. While their mission itself was hardly difficult they have still been gone for a better part of four days and that was not excluding today. He could assume that her haste was out of want to note waste the remainder of the day traveling and indulge in the time off that he usually gave them for a successful mission like this. A fact he could hardly blame her for, although he surely wished she wouldn't over exaggerate their training methods so harshly.

They wouldn't have taken that long to reach Konoha.

"By the way, Tenten, would you be willing to join us later when we get back?" Lee asked as he took to stretching his arms, noting the satisfying soreness that came from the exercise. "I wouldn't mind a spar between us and I am anxious to see the improvements you have made to your style since last time."

Now, bear in mind, Tenten was not against the notion or was reluctant to spend a prolonged amount of time in the company of her teammate. While his pursuit of growing stronger could be exaggerated at times she had long since grown used to it and had nothing but respect for him and his efforts. Sparring with him was actually a welcomed suggestion that benefitted them both in some degree or another. Being on a team for over a year and a half did this sort of thing and the camaraderie between them was quite real. But as much as she valued the boy, there was only so much 'Lee and Gai' she could deal with before wanting some space. Not long of course, they were a team after all, but a minimum of a twelve hours after any longstanding mission was her typical rule.

Sometimes there was an exception or two, but more often than not she liked to have her distance.

"Sorry Lee, I have some other business to take care of when we get back." The apologetic expression that was worn as she said this was not forced nor lacking in its authenticity. And while he didn't look dejected by this, she did see his curiosity and decided to elaborate. "That kid I told you about, Naruto, hasn't had anyone to practice with for a good while. I need to make sure he hasn't been slacking off since I left and plus he still has more than a few things left that need to be improved on. "

"So you're going to go back and continue to babysit that recent graduate?"

Three sets of eyes turned to address the individual who, until now, had remained mostly silent for the majority of the last half hour. White eyes took in each individual's expression of puzzlement with the same amount of dismissal as the other, the disinterest evident for all to behold. Tenten's recent endeavors outside of missions or team training sessions was not a foreign concept to the group. They knew about it, they had name to tack on as well, all they lacked was the opportunity to meet the boy in person. Under no obligation to do so, they didn't for the sake of not cutting into the time the brunette spent with the boy.

Gai didn't mind, if anything he encouraged it, especially after Tenten informed him of just who the boy's sensei was. At that point Lee had become the most enthralled by that knowledge and was the most enthused at the concept of meeting him in person. His unwillingness to impose on their training was withstanding, unfortunately even that was starting matter less and less as time went on. Only this boy, Neji, seemed to have an issue with it and he made that pretty clear once he was made aware of it. Given how serious he was known to be to those who knew him, it was easily deduced that it was not for the reason one would attempt to tease him for.

"It's not babysitting Neji, it's me being a responsible and professional shinobi teaching someone the proper basics of Kenjutsu." Rebuked the girl, her tone casual with a mild undertone of annoyance underneath which still managed to surface in her eyes. "I didn't want him to end up hurting himself or those around him because of his lack of instruction, that's all. And if I'm gonna be honest, the progress he's made since was started has been...I'd say...pretty good by all accounts."

Tenten really didn't need to justify her actions, not to Neji or anyone; she only did what she thought was the correct course of action. And she wasn't giving false praise, Naruto had made progress since the initial start of their sessions. Within nearly a full month of consistent practice the boy had memorized the basic kata and the two were actively working in applying those kata's into live combat situations. Admittedly their first sparring session had been a curb-stomp battle if there ever was one, her being the victor of course. Yet despite all that she threw at him, he always came back the next day; ready and willing to try again. It was commendable, it was astonishing, and it was a degree of commitment she wasn't privy of seeing very often outside of her own team.

His efforts, his drive to improve himself, were paying off as each session displayed signs of improvement.

Mind that such growth was gradual, sluggish even, however progress was still progress.

"Regardless of whatever praise or justification you provide, I still believe it is a wasted effort." Neji, however, was not inclined to agree. Her mildly disapproving gaze did not faze him in the slightest, hence why he chose to elaborate. "It would be smarter to just leave him be and allow his sensei to be the one to train him. Persisting in doing so will likely make you stagnate from wasting every spare moment improving his skills opposed to your own. You are well aware of how dangerous this lifestyle is, henceforth I expect you to know by now that it is unwise to willingly allow yourself to grow dull."

Hyuuga Neji, in spite of how callously he worded it, was only looking out for his teammate's best interests. He couldn't wholeheartedly admit that he cared deeply for his team, but he cared enough to express his concerns when it mattered. They were a team, they had built a dynamic and were quite the formidable group in their own right. So when one member's performance showed signs of digression, he would step up and bring that weakness to light so that it could be amended. Some would say it was out of his own interests more so than theirs and they would be correct. Because their problems became his problems, finding the root of the issue and removing it was the optimal choice of action.

Personal matters, on the other hand, were not of his concern. He didn't delve into that territory because he didn't care enough for other people's problems. He had his own troubles to worry about, leading for no room in digging into the business of other's beyond himself. If they couldn't learn to separate their personal lives from their profession, then they needed to reevaluate the sort of career path they wished to lead.

All in all, for better or for worse, Neji wasn't trying to be pretentious or unpleasant; he was just looking out for his teammate the best way he knew how.

Tenten knew of his intentions, as did the rest of them, and in frankest of terms she didn't give a damn.

Fortunately, before she could open her mouth to tell him exactly that, Gai stepped in.

"Neji-kun, I agree with you on the grounds the neglecting one's own growth for the sake of another is not condoned." The fact that he wasn't smiling and showed the more...somber side of himself was something worthy of everyone's attention. Sadly, as brief as that visage appeared, it was replaced with the usual charming smile returned with renewed vigor. "However! I would not discount the brilliant shine of our youthful weapon's specialist so hastily! Her flame has not dimmed, in fact I believe it has grown brighter if such a thing is possible! As her sensei I couldn't be more proud of her choice, of this she already knows, as it is a fine example of why the shinobi of Konoha are blessed with such burning passion!"

Gai's gushing over her 'flames of youth' didn't have the desired effect of flattering her, given how her palm rose up to slap at her brow. Neji too didn't seem all too impressed considering he had yet to see where he was getting at. For that reason only, both parties despite their better judgment continued to listen for the sake of humoring him.

"As a Jounin-sensei, I have trained you all to the best of my abilities, and yet I remain unsullied despite that! Why is that, how has my flame not dwindled over the passage of time? Is it because I am a Jounin; no. Is it because of my age; no! It because of you, my adorable students, that my youth still burns as bright and as strong as any freshly lit flame! The relationship between teacher and student is not a one-way street; both learn from one another! It is through that bond that allows both to grow in their radiance! Not just me, but all who stand beside their fellow shinobi, either as comrades or as teacher and student, feel the same way! As it is through our bonds as teammates, as comrades, as teachers, as students, as shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato, that have allowed our village and its people to be strong!"

Putting aside the ridiculousness of it all and taking the essential parts for what they were worth, one had to admit that Gai was not just speaking to hear his own voice. The Will of Fire, the basis that made up the spiritual heritage and the fundamentals which served as the foundation that the village was founded on. That was what he was referring to, in his own way of course, and even in its ridiculousness Tenten felt a sliver of respect grow for her sensei's honest belief. A belief that, like him, many other veterans of Konoha's shinobi forces lived by and shared. Neji, seeing no point in arguing about the subject any further, released a haggard sigh, folded his arms across his chest, and took to stepping a bit further ahead of the group.

All that remained was Lee, and what he saw was vastly different compared to the rest. For in his eyes, Gai was positively glowing so much so that it was as if he his frame had taken the on the essence of the sun itself. To him it was as if he were given the honor and privilege to meet a divine being in person. Now if he hadn't stood there with his lady-killing smile and giving them a thumbs up, perhaps his teammates would have more enthralled by what he said.

Unfortunate too, it was pretty captivating coming from him.

"You're youth! Your youth is overwhelmingly bright Gai-sensei!" Manly tears pooled down the boy's cheeks at his teacher's cool and wise words, his forearm raising to his face in a futile effort to wipe them away. "I-I-I'm sorry sensei, you are just too bright for someone like me to lay eyes on!"

Tarnishing the image further was the fact that Gai too succumbed to his emotions and broke out into Manly Tears himself.

"It is nothing to apologize about Lee, do not be ashamed."

And now came that awkward moment in time which Tenten and Neji would collectively disassociate themselves from both green clad shinobi. Their feet picking up in pace as they tried desperately to distance themselves as far away from the identical duo as they had their little moment.

Neither saw nor wanted to see the two hug it out, fate having dictated that they didn't deserve to witness such a sight.

Not at that moment anyway.

Perhaps it should be said that Naruto, for all his faults and beliefs, didn't necessarily believe too strongly in things like god or any particular form of divinity that may exist. This could be attributed his lack of guidance growing up, having little belief in things he couldn't see, hear, smell, touch, or taste. Excluding the religious factor for a moment, let it be known that Naruto was not someone who was afraid of ghosts, monsters, or the like because he was never told about them. His terrors stemmed from the isolation imposed by the older populous of the village. The fear that came from knowing if something happened to him, whether it be him getting lost, hurt, or otherwise, nobody would come looking for him.

While other kids were afraid of things like the dark or some monster in the closet space, Naruto's had deeper fears. He grew out of them in the academy, mostly anyway, for those morbid thoughts still surfaced from time to time; largely depending on the day's events. Returning back to the religious factor, how does one as socially isolated as he come to know of such things? The simple answer is that he didn't and by the time he found out it he had already come to conclude that if such divine beings exist, they are unkind. And things that are unkind tend to invoke emotions such as distain and anger. Things that are disliked are brushed aside in favor of things that were liked, and with so little to like about his life the blonde chose not to believe in things like god and fate.

Believing in such things didn't give him a family, friends, or make his life better. Why would anyone believe in something so pretentious if, at the end of the day, it didn't do anything? In his mind, if he wanted to make things change, then he had to do it himself and not put his hopes into something as fickle as fate. A zealot person would label him a heretic for even thinking such a thing, if they didn't already consider him one for being a Jinchuuriki.

But for this one time, he reasoned, he could give whatever god or divine beings their proper respect.

"Ten-chan! You won't believe what I—" He burst into the field in all smiles, but that smile died quickly when he realized his folly, followed by panic. "Sorry, I forgot, sorry!"

In his panic he had ducked low onto the ground, cradling his head, and basically doing his impression of a bolder.

But nothing came.

Daring to peek up, his blue eyes scanned the immediate area and found that there was nobody in the training area. No one except him, which was both relieving and a bit disappointing considering he had hoped to have at least tell his friend the good news. The mission he just received was Team seven's first C-Rank mission after all, which was a big deal since it gave him something different to do. The client was an ass, but it sure as hell beat picking litter out from bushes or chasing after some lady's cat for the better portion of an hour. Unfortunately it seemed that the mission Tenten said she would be going on had taken longer than she thought, which marked the fourth day that had gone by without his usual company to hang out with.

"...that sucks, I was hoping she'd be here." It wasn't quite dejection that surfaced on his face, she was an active Genin and all. It was more like a somber visage in recognition of her absence. "Guess I came here for nothin' huh?"

For almost one month they had being doing this little dance; meet up, chat, and train. A casual observer could see that there was nothing particularly special about it; hell they would see it as just a means to an end. One learned, the other taught, simple and sweet, with the occasional moments where the two would bullshit and chat during breaks. Sacred was not the word that was used to describe their sessions, but that was just from an outside perspective. While he could not speak on Tenten's behalf, Naruto enjoyed every second of it because he never had anyone close to his age treat him like she did. She could harsh, strict, and unforgiving, but she was much nicer to him than most people he knew. She would compliment him if he did well in their spars, berate him if he did poorly, making her a fair person.

The title of dead last didn't apply to her because she too had a teammate who bore the same stigma. From what the blonde was told the guy ended up turning into a certified bad-ass through rigorous amounts of effort. Addiontally, at the start of it all, Tenten had said it was possible for him to grow into a Kenjutsu specialist so long as he put in a great deal of effort. If her teammate was truly like him, someone without innate talent, then there was no reason why he couldn't reach the title of 'bad-ass' like her teammate had done. That was something both of them agreed on, which helped a lot since she didn't instantly judge him based on his lack of skill from the get-go.

Perhaps that was why he liked hanging around her so much, not just for the training, but because the more they did this the more she got to know him.

Not like there was much of him to know, aside from things he couldn't say, so that wasn't an accurate statement. A better phrasing would be that she grew accustomed to him, his mannerisms, quirks, and shortcomings. In the same vein, she saw his honesty, resolve, and commitment to the things that he believed mattered most. Things like these, sadly, most of his peers never saw and it was for that reason Naruto took her absence today much harder than he should have. He'd like to say they were friends, though she never openly referred to him as such, and the last thing he had hoped to do before he departed was tell her this bit of news. Friends did that sort of thing, at least he thought so, and he wasn't sure if she would be in the village when he got back.

On a grim note, Naruto was aware that he didn't have much time to spare, he still had to pack before meeting his team at the main gate. This was just a pit-stop, a quick run-and-gun deal, and staying long was not on the agenda. Despite that, part of him wished more than anything that he could stick around for another five to ten minutes just to see if she showed up. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't, and so with the same somber expression he turned away to leave. Three steps after he came upon a vaguely familiar stump, one that Tenten often used as a seat during their breaks or when waiting for him to show up. The sight of it gave way to an idea, one that made him grin as he fished out a kunai from his equipment pouch.

"Well, if I can't tell her myself, you'll have to pass on the message for me bud!" Putting aside the fact that he was talking to a tree stump, he set to work on carving out his hastily written message into the what little flat surface was available. After a quick survey of his work, he jabbed the kunai into the bark below the message; satisfied that it would suffice as a marker. "Whelp! I got mission to get ready for, so here's hopin' you're here when I get back Ten-chan!"

The way he waved over his shoulder as he raced off the training field and towards his flat gave the impression there was someone there.

In spite its vacancy, it wasn't hard for his imagination to conjure the mental image of the girl waving him back as he left.

About half an hour had passed since they had been dismissed to prepare for the mission they were about to undertake. Sasuke had been the first person of the team to arrive there, which wasn't too much of a surprise. Sakura was the second, much to the Uchiha's dismay as she took advantage of their solitude to try and chat with him as they waited. Third to arrive was Kakashi, which was surprising considering his perpetual tardiness made them both assume that he wouldn't arrive until much later. Neither Genin was complaining about it, odd and unlike him, but they reasoned that because it was a more serious mission meant he couldn't keep the client waiting for hours like he would them.

All that was left was for Naruto to show up...and he was running late.

"What's the hold up? Can't short-stock follow us down the trail or does he need to have his hand held whole way?" Their client, Tazuna, clearly wasn't too fond with the idea of them just sitting around waiting for the obnoxious boy to show up. "Even if he was lagging behind by five minutes I'm pretty sure he'd see us from here if we went ahead."

"Under normal circumstances, I would agree, but this is their first time outside village and he's...to put it lightly...easily excitable." Kakashi wasn't necessarily trying to appease the man rather he was offering an explanation. Good thing he wasn't going for the former, as the older man grumbled out more complaints about having to hire children to act as his bodyguards. "I'm sure he has his reasons for running late, believe me, I'm just as surprised."

"You believe me when I say I'm not surprised." Retorted the man as he uncorked the gourd on his wasteland to take another swig of its contents. "I paid good money for this, and all I get are some brats, a yapping runt, and guy who looks like he hasn't seen a comb in twelve years."

"Thirteen, actually."

"And he's a smart-ass too! Are you all really shinobi or—"

"Yo!"

Whatever he was about to tack on to that statement was cut off by the loud greeting signaling the arrivial of their tardy teammate. Said teammate was grinning ear-to-ear and practically bouncing on the balls of his feet once he came to a stop. The three mildly hostile looks the group sent him were all but missed as the boy turned to look expectantly up at his sensei.

"What're we sittin' around here for? Are we ready to go now or what?"

With the power and wrath of a vindictive female, Sakura took it upon herself to reprimand the boy the best way she knew how.

With a fierce downward fist right to the boy's noggin.

"Gah! What, what did I say?"

"We were waiting on you, idiot."

"Shut you're noise hole you dirty bastard!"

In spite of the subsequent quarrel that came about from his arrival, the group finally moved forward passed the gates and onto the open road. Most of the conversation that took place here went well over Tazuna's head, his interest being more focused on the road and the dense forest that surrounded it. He was no shinobi, wasn't trained to hide his true thoughts and emotions, but he did know how to be subtle about it. For the time being at least he needn't worry, for fuck's sake the massive gates of Konohagakure were still easy to make out, but even so he couldn't help it. And while he wasn't nervous about it now, he knew that the further they ventured away from those absurdly massive gates the more it would start to show.

For the sake of his blood pressure, he decided to better observe the group that were to be his personal guards. All were children, old enough to be his grand children sans the one other adult, so he didn't think much of them during the initial meeting. Not that his opinion of them changed since then, nor did he have any reason to believe it would as they traversed to Wave Country. If he had to pick one to like, then the quiet boy with the dark eyes was be his top choice solely due to his lack of socializing with anyone. He had the no-nonsense persona down pat and had he been older the bridge builder would have been glad to see this. The girl, talkative as she was, would have been second in line since she seemed to have a different air about her than the other two; possibly acting as the moral pillar for the three.

Then there was the runt, who he outright said he didn't like. From his size, his clothes, his attitude; everything about the kid screamed attention whore and it immediately annoyed him. Hell it hadn't even been five minutes and he was already tired of hearing him talk, which he was doing an excessive amount of despite supposedly being shinobi. If kids like that really were placed into the same category as the ruthless killers and assassins of the world, then it was downright robbery for the major villages to charge so much for missions like these. Who in their right mind would willingly entrust their lives to kids like that? No sensible person he knew would, but then again most of the protection would be coming from the other adult among them, which unsurprisingly didn't improve his mood.

During the course of this observation though, the master bridge builder took notice to something the blonde currently had in his possession. Not that he hadn't notice it before when he arrived, but his desire to leave temporarily quelled his interest. Now that they were on the move, he figured now would be the best time to bring it up.

"What's a runt like you doing with a katana? I didn't see it the first time I saw ya, so why do you suddenly got one now all of a sudden?"

In all fairness, the question he raised had sprung up out of the blue, so he could begrudgingly understand the curious look the three gave him before turning their attention on the object in question. Naruto, having no room secure it anywhere else at the moment, chose to simply carry it in his hand, letting the sheathed weapon rest at the crook of his neck. Of course the Uzumaki spared it one glance before grinning like once more, making his teammate's roll their eyes as if to say 'here it comes'.

"Pretty neat huh? I stopped bringing it with me everywhere because of those boring ass missions we were doing before. This being our first big mission and all, I'd be stupid if I didn't take it with me. I mean, why wouldn't I bring it after all the training I've been doing with this baby?"

"...terrific, do me a favor, don't come near me with that thing. I'd like to not die because of you tripping over your own feet and stabbing me."

"I don't have to trip over my feet to stab you, you know!"

"Now, now, Naruto, don't threaten the client please." Kakashi to the rescue, though this time he did actually give Tazuna a deadpan look as well. "I know he doesn't look it, but I assure you Naruto here isn't that much of a klutz."

"Hey."

"Now that you mention it, what sort of training are you doing with that thing?" Sakura's curiosity was not something to be underestimated, for even if a subject was related to someone she detested that alone wouldn't stop her from seeking answers. And she would be lying if she said this particular topic hadn't been skirting along the edges of her mind for a while now. "What, did you go to the library, find some scrolls on the basics of Kenjutsu or something? I can't imagine any other effective way to learn outside of having a personal instructor, and I would find it hard to believe anyone would be willing to train you one-on-one."

Ouch, that stung, well the girl certainly didn't pull her punches.

By the way, Kakashi was literally right behind the boy, and he did count as a personal instructor.

"Scrolls? Pfft, yeah right, even if I wasn't banned from going into that place I wasn't gonna use those stupid training guides." As testament to how used to this sort of thing he was, Naruto's face scrunched up into mild indignation, though not at the quip but at the example the girl provided. "But I did meet someone who is really good with lots of weapons and swords and other stuff. After I got this thing, she said she'd help teach me some basic Kenjutsu, and that's what we've been doin' since; along with some other stuff when she was busy with her team."

Her.

He mentioned a 'her', as in another girl.

This someone, this girl who had yet to be identified, had offered to be his training partner? She did say she would find it hard to believe, she did, but at the same time she wanted to believe it. It didn't take a genius to figure out why she was willing to accept this as true, doubtful as it appeared. If it really was a girl, the cuter the better in her mind, then maybe her idiot teammate would finally leave her alone and focus on wooing someone else for a change! As long as he was telling the truth then this was news, good news! Plus it killed two birds with one stone. Naruto obviously getting what he wanted-in both training and a new girl to crush on-and Sakura could finally get all the quality time alone with Sasuke she wanted.

So yeah, the more she thought about the more she was willing to believe it.

And she wasn't alone in her interest either, as Kakashi and Sasuke both had become more attentive to the conversation in play; though for different reasons.

"I'm so hurt that you didn't ask me, your own sensei, for any assistance." The overwhelming amount of 'hurt' in his voice may as well have comical coming from him. Sarcasm aside, Kakashi's single eye crinkled in what they dubbed 'the eye smile' fashion as his hand plopped down onto the boy's messy blonde head. "So then, this girl you mentioned, does she have name?"

Haruno Sakura's inner persona was practically screaming in delight at this point. Seemed like she and the Jounin were thinking along the same lines if his recent question was of any indication.

On that note: who knew Hatake Kakashi could fill in as a wingman on such short notice?

"I didn't ask you because you didn't ever offer me that sorta thing." Said simply and accusingly, proving that he too could be pretty straightforward, but that knowledge has already been established. "Her name's Tenten, by the way...why did you wanna know what her name was?"

"...no reason."

His narrowed disbelieving gaze he shot over his shoulder did the job in making the man pull himself further back from him and the group in general. Naruto's accusation regarding training did have some merit, but all the same the Jounin was justified. Kenjutsu wasn't his strongest field, and the most he could hope to teach him would be the basics. If Naruto had been starting from square one, then that was where he would have started too. Yet this new development changed his whole game-plan in regards to the boy's training, specifically in what he could teach the boy now that there was a new open slot available. He had more than a few for him, for all of them actual, but with Kenjutsu basics now out of picture he needed to come up with something else to fill in the spot that was no longer occupied.

Something to think about.

"So, this Tenten girl, what's she like?"

Sakura's return into the discussion immediately captured the boy's complete attention and returned the flow of the conversation back in the right direction. Most of what came out of the gushing boy's mouth was tuned out by those who either lost interest in the topic or absorbed in their own thoughts. By which point most weren't paying the surrounding environment much mind, which included a small puddle of water by the edge of the road. That little detail went right over them as they pressed on passed it without giving it a fleeting thought.

What followed next took less than a couple seconds. Two men, garbed in dark clothes and rebreathers, rapidly emerged from the puddle and without any cue or warning took action. One was thrown, an odd act at first until one noted the bladed chain that was linked to each one of them. The thrown individual's target was the one furthest in the back, his left arm rotating as he flew over head, causing still slacked chain to wrap itself around the Jounin's arms and torso, effectively binding him in place. And that had been before Meizu touched back down onto the dirt, landing in a crouch in parallel from Gōzu's position. With the amount of chain being taut and their prey effectively ensnared, both men in perfect synchronization pulled on their respected lines.

Again, all this took place in the short span of a few seconds, no more, no less than that. And by the time anyone had realized it, Kakashi's body was viciously torn shredded into many fleshy pieces. Surprise came first, shock and horror then followed as the scene played out before their very eyes. But the Demon Brothers didn't have the luxury of time on their hands, they had a mission to do here and three kid that were still in the way of their target. All that was left to do was go up the line, and so their sights became set on the blonde as both rushed forward with the chain ready to claim its next victim.

Unfortunately for Meizu and Gōzu, the life of Uzumaki Naruto was not up for grabs.

The instant he saw the two approach as well as the chain that kept the jointed, his grip on the saya loosened enough for it to slide smoothly down from its previous position. By the time they were prepared to repeat the process of ensnaring him within it, his blade had been almost entirely unsheathed. The sword clashed against the semi-taut line of bladed metal, the boy gritting his teeth in exertion as the older men vastly began to overwhelm him with their combined strength. Considering how the two were still running and even circling around him now to try and trap him like they had done previously. Thankfully he noticed this, from that was able to move both saya and blade together in a proper upward motion to parry under chain and thus avoiding the maneuver entirely.

Sword now fully drawn and his eyes locked on the two men, he mentally prepared himself for whatever followed.

Apparently, despite the effort shown, neither of the assailants were interested in perusing him further. He wasn't their target, but because of the sliver of extra effort that went into this coordinated attack on the boy, in the few seconds that it took, the rest of the group had regained their bearings and thus retaliated accordingly. The prime example of this was Sasuke, leaping high and in a surprising display of accuracy pinned the slackened chain to the trunk of a nearby tree with but a shuriken and kunai. With their chain now wedged to a tree, the two men had momentarily lost their mobility, leaving them open for when the same boy touched down atop of their gauntlet-clad arms and kicking each men squire in the face. He probably could have done more damage if time had permitted him, but it didn't.

The instance after this counter attack, both men detached themselves from the chain before splitting themselves up in pursuit of their own targets. Meizu, irritated with their initial failure to kill the blonde, darted straight for the blonde. Raising the bladed fingers of his gauntlet, he made an effort to impale the boy dead in the chest. Attest to his initial plan to make the boy scream as he tore him to shreds like he wanted, he had to make this kill quick. The second he lunged his arm forward, however, the boy had hopped back three feet from where he stood, ducking his body low as the extra inches from the arm accessory covered the remaining distance.

With Meizu's torso now exposed and open, Naruto took one last step forward as he swung in an upward arch at the man from his lower vantage point. At that moment it registered to him precisely what he was doing, and in that moment he closed his eyes expecting to be showered with the blood of his attacker. But when his sword connected and he felt the resistance, he also heard the sound of metal scraping against metal. That was when he opened his eyes and saw the light body-armor and the shiny metal plating beneath the camouflage suit. Eyes widened, the blonde realized his mistake a second too late as the man's leg became a blur, his foot landing solidly on the boy's abdomen and successfully knocking him to the ground and knocking the air out of his lungs.

With the boy now on his back, this would normally have been the precise moment for Meizu to act. And he would have, provided he hadn't been close-lined and an immediate a choke-hold by someone who, up until that moment, everyone perceived to be dead.

"We then, that escalated quickly." More like decelerated quickly from Naruto and the rest's point of view, but they were too surprised to see their sensei alive to voice that comment. Taking a look at the group an noted with satisfaction that no one seemed to have been harmed from the exchange, aside of course from Naruto who was recovering from the blow just fine. "Sorry for the scare, but I wanted to see how you would all perform in a combat situation. And all of you performed quite well, beyond my expectations if I'm to be honest."

Given the severity of the situation, Naruto hadn't really see all of what the rest of his team had done. He had seen what Sasuke had done, as did everyone else, and despite the praise he really didn't feel too happy about it. Mainly because he felt that he had been shown up by what the Uchiha had done, his justification for doing so being Sakura's compliments towards the aloof boy standing casually to the side as if nothing happened. He, meanwhile, was picking himself up off the ground, dusting himself away from the rest of the group. He had been singled out and he more than likely would have gotten killed just then if Kakashi hadn't gotten involved. There was also the blunder he had made with his attack, his unwillingness to see himself cutting open another flesh and blood human being.

Closing his eyes from such a sight pissed him off because it was something he had been instructed to never do. Never take your eyes off your opponent, simple as that, and he did it anyway. All because he didn't want to see himself killing another person or have that image burned into his brain.

"Naruto, I think this belongs to you." Having been addressed, the blonde looked up to see his sensei no longer carrying the two men under his arms but instead the sheath to his sword in his hands. Despite the situation, however, the man appeared to be smiling behind his mask, indicated by his eye whilst waving the saya up and down for the boy to take. "I saw everything, no need to beat yourself up over it, now cheer up you did just fine."

At that, Naruto took the sheath with a small begrudging smile in appreciation for his sensei's efforts to cheer him up. When the older man turned around, however, that smile was gone once his gaze landed on the bridge builder who visibly stiffened.

"These don't look like your typical set of bandits here Tazuna-san." Kakashi's voice lost a good portion of the lethargic tone his students were accustomed to hearing. One didn't need to be exposed to him long to know he was far from pleased, and he was making damn sure Tazuna knew that in both voice and posture as he stared accusingly at the man. "If anything they look more like the Oni Kyōdai of Kirigakure, two missing ninja which goes beyond what we are being paid to do for this mission."

Under such a stern gaze and practically standing in the spotlight, the elderly man could do nothing except gulp down the knot forming in his throat.

"Looks to me like we're gonna to need to have a little chat here Tazuna."

"For the last time Lee, I'll introduce him to you later, besides I don't even think he's here yet."

"I cannot contain myself, I must meet this boy who has been influenced by your flames of youth! It would be a crime to postpone this inevitable meeting any longer than it already has!"

So much for some solitary time away from her teammate, such was the melancholically thought that entered the brunette's mind as she traversed to the training field. While it had almost been an hour since they had returned to the village, Tenten still had plans to drop her traveling pack at home as well as get herself something to eat before coming here. She reasoned that Naruto would still be doing his usual D-Rank missions, so she felt she could afford to kill some time beforehand. To her dismay, Lee had 'just so happened' to come across her during the commute from her lunch spot to the training grounds. Coincidence, nay, Konoha was a large place and after the spiel with Gai earlier still fresh in mind, the girl was inclined to believe otherwise.

It helped to know that Lee was a terrible liar, from her standpoint at least. What didn't help was the fact that he was being so adamant about something so trivial.

"Honestly, why do you have make a big deal out of this?" Asked the girl rhetorically, pinching the bridge of her nose in clear annoyance, before sighing. "Well, it's not like I mind, I've been meaning to do it for a while anyway."

Much to her expectations, when the two finally arrived at the usual spot, Tenten and Lee were greeted with a barren field with training dummies and the like still posted about. Same as always, empty, leaving her to wait for the loudmouth to burst onto the scene as she idly practiced on her own. Lee, having been informed of this several times in advance, still deflated a bit after coming all this way for nothing. Not that he was unwilling to wait, he would if need be, but for how long was the important question at hand. This meeting was not intended to be long, he wanted to train a bit more and a lot of the time he had spent already was cutting into what he could have been put to better use by now.

"Told you he probably wasn't here. " Her placid statement only served to deflate the boy further, causing the girl to give him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Oh cheer up, he'll show up here eventually, and even if you can't still around I promise I'll introduce to you to him soon."

That little taste of reassurance seemed to do the job in putting the boy's mood back into a good place. He smiled a bit, not fully like usual, but he was still smiling which meant he was mostly back into his old groove. It even made her smile a bit, a combination of seeing him in a better mood as well as reminding her of the similarities that he and Naruto seemed to share. Yeah, those two meeting face-to-face was certainly a must at this point; the resembling personalities were just too strikingly similar to not do it. Having said that, Tenten ventured further into the field before taking note of the lone kunai jutting up from the stump that served as her usual seat. Curious, she approached it and the closer she got to it the clearer it became that someone had etched something into the bark.

"A note?" Trailing not far behind her, Lee too grew increasingly curious about what precisely was written on the tree stump. Disregarding the kunai Tenten put emphasis on reading the obviously rushed note; a mixture of emotions surfacing on her face before settling on the same placid smile she had on before. "What does it say?"

"I guess I was wrong this time, he got here first. Basically, him and his team got lucky and were given their first C-Rank mission. Says he'll be gone for a while and that when he gets back we'll pick up where we left off, assuming our team doesn't go out on another mission."

Honestly that wasn't what Lee had expected to hear portraying to the absence of his teammate's sparring partner. From what he was told the boy hadn't been a Genin for very long and yet for some reason he was already undertaking a more advanced mission than what they ever did in the first couple months after graduating. Although, if possible, such knowledge increased his want to meet the boy further than he could have thought possible. Clearly there was more at work here than Tenten was admitting to, there had to be something more to this Uzumaki than what she was telling him and the rest of their team. Not just that boy, the rest of his team as well made him curious as well, as they were clearly skilled if their sensei had enough confidence in their abilities to allow them to undertake an advanced mission so soon.

If he only knew.

"Well, guess I'm gonna have to go on without my usual training partner for a while." Removing the kunai from the stump, she took a moment to muse on a particular thought before turning back to Lee. "Hey, Lee, does your offer for a spar still open?"

Unbeknownst to Lee, there was a section that Tenten hadn't voiced and was currently in the process of subtly scratching it out of the bark. Despite how clear cut he had put it in his note, Naruto for some reason or another felt the need to reassure her that he would be fine. Cheeky brat that boy was, making unfounded assumptions about her like that. Truly it was ridiculous to think that she of all people would be worried about him taking some run-of-the-mill escort mission outside the village. She was his training partner for god's sake, not some worrywart sibling! Even if that was true, she was still capable of expressing her amusement at the message he left; in spite of how she was scratching it out. The fact that he called her Ten-chan in his message had absolutely nothing to do with her actions either, nope, not at all.

Please, Tenten worrying about that orange-clad blonde?

Preposterous.

Tenten didn't need to worry, after all it was her who trained him.

We meet again.

Okay, so, just as a heads up I'm pretty sure I might get some grief on the religious factor put into this chapter. Rest assured that it's not something that'll appear again anytime soon or at all. I'm just basing this off of Naruto's canon declaration that he didn't believe in fate. It might seem like I'm calling him an atheist, but its more like a renouncement of god or other divine beings rather than not believing in them. I felt it fit with that particular moment and I couldn't find a way to opening for that scene, so that's why that's there.

If it bothers enough of you then feel free to tell me—not yell it at me, tell me—and I'm make sure to keep that mess out from here on.

Otherwise, pretty much a filler chapter exploring more of the bond between Tenten and Naruto. I'm in agreement with a few of you saying they have a sibling-ish bond developing and I figured now would be the best time to get it out of the way. But filler is still filler, calling it the prelude doesn't justify it, but it sorta needed to happen. Plus, to those who don't like this, at least you'll know that the next chapter will be an uninterrupted battle between Team 7 and Zabuza; so that's something to look forward to right?

That being said, feel free to leave a review with whatever comments, questions, or concerns you feel the need to address. And as always, I hope you all enjoyed my little piece of refurbished work and I look forward to seeing you all again next time.

Goodbye for now.