「 Second Time Around」

「 chapter two」

They nodded back. Izuna's smile slowly disappeared as he grew more serious.

Kakashi took the lead, dropping down from the trees, Rin and Izuna not far behind. 

They snuck into a bush besides the guards. Miraculously, they had managed to avoid catching the attention of the guards. 

The first guard, a rather new looking Iwa nin, not much older than Rin. He looked to be about 16 as he began to twirl his katana around. He yawned before slumping forward onto the second guard. 

The second guard, a much older woman stood straight, her blue eyes scanning the terrain before jumping when her partner landed on her shoulder. She looked to be around Minato's age as she pushed him off with a groan.

"What is it?" she huffed, shoving him off of her back. 

He comedically stumbled back before regaining his balance with a grin. "Nothin', it's just boring standing out here doing nothing."

"We're not doing nothing, we're-"

"I know, I know!" her partner sighed. "We're 'protecting the important Kannabi Bridge against those wicked Konoha bastards to see if they try and destroy it,'" He made air quotations as he quoted the woman. "I got it!"

She huffed. "If you get it, shut up and look around. We have to be on guard."

"Ugh, I don't wanna be here! Lemme go and fight in the front battle! Take down those Uchihas and Hyuugas, steal their eyes!"

Izuna flinched slightly. "How dare they..." He frankly didn't care much about the Hyuuga clan, as the Uchihas were clearly superior in everyway. However, he still had a strong sense of patriotism to Konoha, and even the proud Uchiha would team up with the Hyuuga to defeat a mutual enemy.

"Don't be a-" she cut off quickly, looking around.

"Don't be a what? Finish your damn-"

"Shut up!" she snapped. "I hear something." 

The team hidden in the bushes tensed. Was it them they heard? 

"Hah!" she cried, throwing a kunai into the tree on the opposite side. A squirrel darted out, shocked and confused. 

Her teammate laughed at her. "Idiot!"

She slapped him over the head. "No, there's someone here. Maybe..." She grinned as her head snapped towards the location the three shinobi were hiding in. "You're not very good at hiding your chakra nature, aren't you? What, are you genin just out of the Academy? Konoha's really sending everyone and anyone into battle, aren't they?"

They flinched, Rin worryingly looking at Izuna before they both turned to Kakashi. As much as Izuna's pride hated to admit it, Kakashi was the superior here; having recently turned into a Jonin. "Well?" he hissed. "What're we supposed to do?"

Kakashi glared back. "Split up. We'll attack from opposite sides-"

"Sorry! Can't do that." A voice called out from behind. A hand dropped down and grabbed Rin's shirt, pulling her up. 

Kakashi growled, swinging his tanto blade and the ninja. "Too slow-"

He released Rin and jumped back when an additional kunai was sent his direction from Izuna. "What was that about being slow?"

"They really were just kids...hah!" the woman laughed. 

"Do we even need backup here?" the boy had met back up with his partner after dodging Izuna's kunai. "I mean-"

"Don't underestimate your opponent." The woman's gaze turned sharp. "Even if they look like that, there's a reason they were sent here. Call for backup."