Another Take (A Naruto Fanfiction) (Complete)

Ch. 10: Hello Cold World

'Yes.'

And once again, I was smacked on the back of my head. I groaned, and glared hatefully at my teacher. "I hate you..." I mumbled.

"No you don't," Kakashi replied. "Now pay attention."

"You're only Genins!" Iruka suddenly yelled. What had I missed? "Don't disrespect Lord Hokage!"

'What did I miss?' I asked Fen, but while still paying attention to the real world. Don't want Kakashi hitting me again.

'How should I know?' the wolf replied. 'I was talking to you!'

'Ugh...'

"Silence!" Lord Third said loudly. I flinched at the noise, but it was barely noticeable. Hopefully no one saw.

Kakashi started to apologize, but for what I had no clue. Maybe for our behavior? We sure need to work on that...

"Fine," the Hokage said, settling down. "I'll give you a C-Rank mission. You'll be bodyguards for a person heading home."

And that's where I tuned out.

'We're leaving the village?' I asked worriedly. 'Is that going to be okay? What if someone recognizes us?'

'It's only a C-Rank mission. Which means there shouldn't be other shinobi,' Fenrir reassured me. 'Regular thieves and such-like shouldn't have a copy of the bingo book. We'll be fine.'

'But what if something goes wrong?!' I asked. 'I know there are a good number of bounty hunters who'd love to get their hands on an Elemental Beast!'

'Well, if something like that happens, I'll protect you. And so will your team.'

'But that will involve telling them why people are hunting me!' I cried. 'And I don't want to do that!'

'Stubborn, but I know how you are,' Fenrir said. 'And I must say, I am a very desirable beast.'

'Yes, I suppose so.' I chuckled. 'The Elemental Beasts are almost exactly like the Tailed Beasts, except slightly weaker. Therefore easier for lesser shinobi to get their hands on. A source of sentient chakra, with ancient knowledge. Who wouldn't want that?'

'Exactly,' Fenrir said smugly. 'And we Elemental Beasts haven't yet been corrupted by the human's lack of knowledge of our motives. Unlike the Tailed Beasts. They've already succumbed to chaos.'

A smack on my head woke me from my trance-like state. I glared at Kakashi, but I was secretly thankful. I really don't know what I missed this time.

"I am Tazuna, a master bridge-builder. I must return home to my house in the Land of Waves, where I am building a bridge that will change the world. And I expect you to get me home safely, even if it means giving up your lives."

'Dramatic much...?' I muttered mentally. But I said nothing aloud, since he was our client. And I should be respectful to him. That's what Hachi's always said.

Oh, speaking of Hachi, I need to go tell him I'll be away on a mission.

"You guys should go pack," Kakashi said, beginning to walk out of the building. "We'll meet at the gate in an hour. Make sure you bring all your ninja gear."

Without another word I raced off, leaving my teammates behind in the dust. In no time at all I was at home. Hachi was inside, sitting on the couch and reading the newspaper.

"What's the rush Kiyomi?" he shouted as I ran past him, heading up to my room.

"Going on a mission!" I yelled in reply. Hachi grunted in return, and I resumed my packing.

Hachi was the closest thing I've had to a parent/family since Kaien died. He was the first person we met when my brother brought us here from Yamagakure after our parents died. And he raised us ever since. He was the only one there for me after Kaien died, besides Fen.

And he was one of the few people who actually knew about Fenrir, which meant that the Hokage trusts him. He's a former Jonin, and he taught me some basic shinobi techniques when I was younger.

Basically, Hachi is one of the few people I truly trust in the world. And that means I can be myself around him.

I had finished packing my stuff. I didn't bring much. Only a change of clothes, a bit of food, some medical supplies, and some other odds and ends that Fenrir said would be helpful. Then I grabbed my dark purple belt, which had my weapons pouch on it, and wrapped it around my waist. It's not likely I'll ever use those weapons, as I'm not amazing with anything sharp besides my claws.

"You all done?" Hachi asked me. He was leaning in my doorway watching me pack stuff. I nodded, and he asked another question. "What mission is this?"

"It's a C-Rank mission to the Land of Waves," I replied, still focusing on my stuff. "My team has to escort a bridge-builder back to his home, and stay with him while he completes the bridge."

"Hm..." Hachi frowned. "Well, be careful. You shouldn't encounter any rogue shinobi, but make sure they don't recognize you if you do. And take care of yourself."

"I will," I smiled, turning away from my packing to look at my guardian. "The mission should only take a week or two. I'll be back before you know it."

"Alright. Just be careful, and trust your team," Hachi said, then walked out of the room. I nodded at his retreating back, and finished packing. And I've now got enough time to grab a snack before I head to the main gate.

'Go get ramen!' Fenrir urged.

I shook my head. 'No way. Naruto's probably there, and I don't want to deal with my team yet. I've already got to spend a week with them. I don't want to add any time to that.'

'... Fair enough...' Fenrir muttered. 'Then go get dango! That's always good!'

'Good idea!' I replied. 'Sweets are great! And I don't know when I'll next get some, with the mission and all.'

'Let's go!'

======

"Those were some good dango..." I mumbled aloud as I walked towards the gate. Fenrir nodded sleepily from inside me, content as well. Even though he hadn't eaten the sweets, he'd still gotten a taste of them from me. Which made the wolf with a sweet tooth very happy.

"Hey! Kiyomi! Over here!" Naruto yelled, startling me out of my food coma. I looked over and saw that he was standing with Sasuke nearby. Sakura and Kakashi weren't there yet, but I was sure it would only be a matter of time.

I strolled over to my teammates, nodding to both of them in greeting. Then we settled down to wait some more.

A few minutes later Sakura came running over. Naruto jumped up and tried to say hi, but Sakura pushed him aside and went right up into Sasuke's personal space.

"Hi Sasuke! Ready for this mission?" she asked excitedly. Probably happy she'd be spending so much time with her 'love'. Sasuke did not look nearly as excited.

"Ready to go, guys?" Kakashi asked, walking up with Tazuna behind him. We all nodded, ready to get on the road. Well, I was more nervous than ready, but I'll deal.

'And I'll help!' Fenrir cheered, acting slightly out of character. 'I'm ready to get out of this stuffy village! It's a nice place, but it gets tiring after a while.'

'Well, I suppose I do want a change of scenery... Seeing the world and all...' I thought.

'Yep! And what better way to do that then to take a simple, easy mission like this?' the wolf said, giving me a grin. Well, as much as a wolf can grin.

'Yeah, you're right. What could possible go wrong?' I thought optimistically.

'... That's what people say right before everything goes wrong...'

'Shut up, and don't jinx it.'

~It's such a cold cold world (hello cold world), and I can't get out, so I'll make the best with everything I'll never have~