Starting over

#33 Visitors

Naruto POV

Naruto has advanced greatly in the last four years, he has finished many missions with his teammates Temari and Gaara and his sensei Baki. He also has shown great skill in sealing, ninjutsu and taijutsu, while his talent in the other fields, kenjutsu, and genjutsu are moderate, which does not hinder him on improving in those fields also. He has shown great coordination with his teamwork and his summon and has also often taken the role of team captain if necessary.

Over all, he has greatly improved since he has joined our ranks and has even brought some lost jutsu, like his father's Hiraishin and Rasengan, back to life and to Suna.

With that said, I strongly recommend to let him join the upcoming Chunin-Exams, their location in Konoha, only partly influencing this decision.

This report from Baki laid on the desk of Rasa, along with additional reports on Temari and Gaara. Naruto knew that it was just a formality, since the Kazekage knew of the many missions their team had mastered and also knew of their individual strength, since they would often speak about their training on the dinner table if the father of Temari and Gaara had the time to come. Although they had been ready to be promoted after their first year as genin, the Kazekage had decided to wait until this year to give them a chance to be promoted. This year was special, all villages were invited to Konoha to participate in a big tournament that was supposed to substitute the chunin exams for the attending villages. It was going to be a good way to show the other villages how strong the next generation of shinobi was going to be while simultaneously gathering intel on the other villages. And so Rasa had talked to us and we had decided that we would be showing the other villages what we were capable of. At the moment we were standing in front of Rasa along with Baki, and two other Genin-teams who would be sent with us to take part in the exams.

"Ok, now your Sensei's will tell you when you are departing and what schedule you will have until then, since you won't have any missions until after the exams.", Rasa said, smirking at my team and Baki. "You are dismissed. Baki, I would like to speak with your team, so please stay here.", he added, making the other two teams with their Senseis leave.

"Now, I know that you three are more than capable enough to make Jonin, so I don't think that you will train any more than you normally do. And because of that I will still be giving you small missions every now and then.", he said, looking at Temari, Gaara and me. We nodded, smiling at each other. "Ok, here is your next mission, you are dismissed.", Rasa said handing Baki a small scroll. We went out of the office and passed through the waiting room, where I saw someone who instantly caught my eye. It was Kabuto, Orochimaru's right hand man. I saw that Baki had also noticed him, so I kept quiet for now. When we went out of the Kazekage's building Baki told us to wait for a second while he read the scroll the Kazekage just handed him. "Ok, it seems that the Kazekage is getting some high ranked visitors from the village hidden in sound. Weird I have never heard of that village. Anyways he does not trust these people so he wanted us to come to his office in two hours, to be additional support for the Anbu team that is his guard today.", he said after he had read the scroll twice. "I don't suppose that he has said anything about the identity of these visitors?", I asked, while looking back up to the Kazekage's office. "No, but I know that you too saw Kabuto Yakushi in the waiting room, he is the right hand man of Orochimaru so I think that he will be attending the meeting with the Kazekage.", Baki explained. Gaara and Temari looked slightly worried but Baki smiled reassuringly at them. "Don't worry, there will be a squad of Anbu with us, we are only assigned to keep any partners, Orochimaru is going to bring, out of the fight. The Anbu and Rasa will be enough to at least drive Orochimaru away if not even capture him.", Baki said reassuringly. "Now go home and get your stuff, we will meet here in an hour.", Baki dismissed us.

When we got to our meeting point my face lit up. Next to Baki stood Dragon, Fly and Cat. I grinned as we walked up to the four adults. "Nice to see you again Fox.", Fly said, holding out her hand to greet me. "Yeah it's nice to meet you too, Fly. I see your team has not changed since that mission.", I said with a look at Cat and Dragon. "Yeah well, you know how they are, the Kazekage wouldn't give anyone else that burden.", the Anbu captain joked. "So this is your team. I am looking forward to seeing you in action.", Fly said smirking at Temari and Gaara. Both were giving me weird looks until Temari decided to speak up. "Who are these Anbu and how do you know them?", she asked curiously. "Well, you know that time a few years ago when we came back from the mission near Iwagakure?", I asked. "Yeah, when you wanted me to cut your hair?", she asked back with a slight nod. "Yeah exactly, maybe you remember that I wasn't around for about two days after you had cut it. That was because I had a mission with this Anbu team. I can't tell you any details as you know, that would violate our laws, so that's all that I can say.", I explained vaguely earning nods from Temari and Gaara. "Anyways that here is Anbu team Alpha. Or more specifically; Dragon, Fly and Cat three of the most skilled people I have ever seen. Anbu team Alpha, that here are Temari and Gaara, my teammates and I imagine that you know Baki well enough.", I introduced. Everyone shook hands before Baki spoke up. "Ok, now that we all know each other, let us form a plan on who will be where when the visitors arrive.", Baki said getting straight to the point.